A 38-yard field goal from sophomore Grant Ryerse broke a 17-17 tie with 5 minutes and 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter Fridayto give East Ridge the lead and, eventually the victory.

“I always call him All-American, so he’s just proving it day in and day out,” East Ridge quarterback Seth Green said of Ryerse.

Osseo drove down the field in the closing minutes, but missed a tying-field goal try from 29 yards out with about a minute left.

Key of the game:

The Raptors were close to grabbing the lead earlier in the fourth quarter. With the game tied, they faked a field goal attempt on the 18-yard line. Dominik London ran to about the 10-yard line, enough for a first down, but he fumbled and Osseo’s Demario Armstrong recovered.

Quotes:

“In the cold the ball dies, so I had to watch it go through. I was watching it all the way. I was just praying that it would go through.” Ryerse said of his game-winning field goal. “I knew we needed the kick, and I got it done. I’m so thankful for that.”

“This was just a relief, man,” London said. “I was telling myself the whole game we were not messing this season up. We are going to state. We just made history today.”

Worth knowing:

The Raptors stopped the Orioles three times on downs early in the first half. The solid defense gave East Ridge a chance to build a 14-0 lead. Armstrong also had two interceptions in the game.

After the first stop on fourth down for the East Ridge defense, Green connected with senior Bobby Remke for a 31-yard touchdown pass on their first offensive play of the game.

The Raptors stopped the Orioles three times on downs early in the first half. The solid defense gave East Ridge a chance to build a 14-0 lead.

“We did what we should have, and we got the W,” Green said. “It feels good. I mean, we worked hard that whole week, and we did everything to get better.”

Ryerse’s career-long field goal kick in a game is 42 yards. He also made a 24-yard field goal in Friday’s game.

The Orioles' Armstrong had two interceptions in the game.  He also made a leaping catch into the end zone for Osseo’s second touchdown, which tied the game with three seconds left in the third quarter. With the ball on the 26, Armstrong and the defender both reached for the pass, tipping the ball. Armstrong came away with it and dove for the score.

HEATHER RULE

East Ridge held off a late drive by Osseo and held on to win 20-17, sending the Raptors to the state tournament.

A 38-yard field goal by Grant Ryerse with 5:38 left in the fourth quarter turned out to be the difference.

Osseo missed a 29-yard field goal attempt with 55.9 seconds left.

Check back later for more on the game.