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FG wins it for Cretin-Derham Hall

By BRIAN STENSAAS, Star Tribune, 11/11/11, 9:00PM CST

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The Raiders battled back to tie Lakeville North and won with a field goal in the final seconds.


Quarterback Connor Rhoda (17) of Cretin Derham-Hall celebrates with his team after a late field goal won Friday's game against Lakeville North in dramatic fashion. Star Tribune photo by Tom Wallace.


Runningback James Onwualu of Cretin-Derham Hall tries to fend off Lakeville defender Alex Wood during the fourth quarter Friday at the Metrodome. Star Tribune photo by Tom Wallace.

What’s better than winning a state tournament football game? Doing it twice.

Iced by Lakeville North coach Brian Vossen first, Cretin-Derham Hall senior Zachary Hager drilled a 28-yard field goal attempt with 7 seconds left in the Class 5A quarterfinal game. But a false start whistled on the Raiders made him line it up again from 5 yards farther back.

The snap was low. The kick pooched so much that it seemed to take all the time off the clock. Yet the ball dropped in behind the crossbar and lifted the Raiders to a 25-22 victory over the Panthers and a spot in next week’s state semifinals back at the Metrodome.

“We had it the whole time,” Hager said. “We do that at the end of practice, and I just knew we had it.”

Hager said the Panthers’ timeout and subsequent false start did not faze him in the slightest.

“We were calm the whole time; we had confidence,” he said. “It was all good.”

That’s a lasting impression many will have from this one.
The climactic ending was a true fit for a matchup of undefeated teams in the state’s largest class. The Raiders (11-0) tied the score 22-22 with 9:09 to play on James Onwualu’s second touchdown of the game, this one from 3 yards out.

Lakeville North (10-1) only touched the ball six more snaps in the game. From there, Cretin-Derham Hall ran the final 13 plays and milked the clock down to the end.

“This is a tough one,” Vossen said. “As a defensive coach, I’m frustrated we couldn’t stop them [at the end] there. We didn’t tackle well. But I’m really proud of this team. The kids are outstanding. This is a special place to play; we just came up short.”

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