New London-Spicer was doing very little. Glencoe-Silver Lake scored its second touchdown to take a 12-0 lead in the third quarter and was in control of the game at Eden Prairie.

So the Wildcats’ Shane Zylstra took it upon himself to provide the spark.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver/defensive end returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. The return gave life to the Wildcats and turned momentum in their favor as they rallied for a victory.

After forcing a Glencoe-Silver Lake punt, New London-Spicer put together its best drive of the game, going 56 yards and scoring on a 19-yard run by Trey Austvold that proved to be the game-winner.

“We just got bodies on bodies and manned up,” Austvold said. “We just had put everything together.”

Key of the game: New London-Spicer’s defense came up big late in the fourth quarter, stopping the Panthers on fourth-and-2 at the New London-Spicer 11 with 2:21 left in the game.

Quote: “As a captain, it’s up to you to take the initiative and make the big plays.” — Shane Zylstra on his kickoff return

One thing to know: New London-Spicer returns to the Class 3A championship game for the second consecutive year. The Wildcats lost to St. Croix Lutheran 48-44 in 2013.

JIM PAULSEN

After being dominated for most of three quarters, New London-Spicer exploded for two touchdowns in a span seven minutes to pull out a 13-12 victory over Glencoe-Silver Lake on Saturday at Eden Prairie High School.

After the Panthers (9-4) had taken a 12-0 lead, New London-Spicer (10-3) got on the scoreboard on an 80-yard kickoff return by Shane Zylstra. The Wildcats forced the Panthers to punt, then moved downfield for the game-winning touchdown on a 19-yard burst by Trey Austvold on a fourth-and-1 play.

New London-Spicer (11-1) goes to the Prep Bowl for the second consecutive year. The Wildcats lost to St. Croix Lutheran  in 2013.

Check back later for more on the game.