Trailing Jordan by seven points in the fourth quarter of a playoff game on Wednesday night, Providence Academy leaned on quarterback Henry Van Dellen and wide receiver Drew Lahr to help the Eagles rally for the victory.

The Van Dellen-Lahr connection tallied two touchdowns, including a 26-yarder with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter that pushed second-seeded Providence Academy past the sixth-seeded Hubmen 27-20 in their Class 3A, Section 2 quarterfinal at Providence Academy.

Coach Derek Asche said Lahr's game-winning catch one of the best he's ever seen.

"Really proud of them for going after it and making the plays at the end of the game, that's what wins playoff games, somebody's got to make the plays and (Lahr) did it, (Van Dellen) did it," Asche said.

The game-winning grab ended an Eagles' drive that was propelled by numerous clutch plays.

Providence Academy (6-3) began at their own 31-yard line and moved into striking distance thanks to catches from Lahr and senior wide receiver Nathan Halvorsen, along with ground gains from Van Dellen and sophomore running back Seth Halvorsen.

On the touchdown, Van Dellen bought time before hurling a jump ball to Lahr, who caught the pass on the right side of the end zone despite having two Jordan defenders draped over him. 

It was a tough pass that Lahr didn't think he was going to catch.

"It was a high ball," he said. "I was trying to track it. I lost it a couple times, but at the end I finally got it back."

Van Dellen was also unsure of the outcome when he threw the pass.

"But once I saw it get it in his hands, I knew he was going to catch this ball," he said.

It wasn't a surprise the two connected.

Lahr led the team with 21 receptions and 367 receiving yards while Van Dellen, who has been under center the last three seasons, threw for 1,383 yards, 13 touchdowns and just six interceptions in the regular season. Van Dellen has committed to play at North Dakota State next year.

"You have to put the ball in the playmakers hands at the end of the game, there's not a lot of strategy to that," Asche said.

The on-field connection between Lahr and Van Dellen is strong, but their friendship off the field is more stout. They do daily activities together such as run routes or work out, and even make trips to the Van Dellen family cabin every summer. 

Knowing the type of players they are off the field, Asche described Lahr as "business like" and Van Dellen as a "charged up" player.

The last time Jordan faced Providence Academy was in the 2012 Section 2 championship. The Eagles were seeded No.1 in the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 6-2 record. They defeated Rockford 34-28 to get into the final. 

The Hubmen concluded their season with a dismal 1-7 record, but beat Minneapolis Patrick Henry and Norwood Young America to reach the section championship. That year, Jordan beat Providence Academy 31-28 to advance to the state tournament.

Lahr was a freshman on that Eagles team and said he knew this year's game would be close but wanted to avenge the upset.

"I was not about to take it for granted...I wasn't going to lose this game," Lahr said.   

Providence Academy takes on Belle Plaine (7-2) next Tuesday. If the Eagles want to make a return trip to state  - they made their only appearance in 2011 - Lahr and Van Dellen will likely be looked upon to step up a couple more times.  
 

Senior wide receiver Drew Lahr hauled in two touchdowns, including the game-winner, in Providence Academy's 27-20 victory over Jordan in a Class 3A, Section 2 quarterfinal contest Wednesday night at Providence Academy.

Lahr finished with nearly 100 receiving yards on the night.

The sixth-seeded Hubmen (2-7) got on the board first with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from senior running back Cedric Terry. A successful PAT from junior Jimmy Vollbrecht made it 7-0 with 6:10 left in the first quarter.

After punting on their first two possessions, the third-seeded Eagles (6-3) finally caught a break when they returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. Senior linebacker Dominic Miller snagged the ball and scored from 10 yards out. Senior kick Tanner Scott converted the PAT to knot up the score with 7:27 left in the second quarter.

On its following possession, Providence Academy took 14-7 lead with a 16-yard pass form senior quarterback Henry Van Dellen to senior running back Josh Dart.

Jordan tied the game at 14 with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Terry with 2:33 remaining before halftime.

The Hubmen continued their success on their first possession of the second half as junior quarterback Zach Kes hit sophomore wide receiver Makenzie Danielson on an 18-yard TD pass with 6:53 left in the third quarter. Jordan's PAT was short and the Hubmen took a 20-14 lead.

Scoring belonged to Providence Academy for the rest of the game. The Eagles tied the game up with a 6-yard pass from Van Dellen to Lahr.

The contest was tied 20-20 after Scott's extra point kick nailed the left upright.

Providence Academy's defense forced a punt on Jordan's next drive. When the Eagles got the ball back, they capped a march down the field when Van Dellen connected with Lahr for the 26-yard, game-clinching TD. The successful PAT made it 27-20 with 2:10 left to play.

Providence Academy battles the No. 2 seed Belle Plaine next Tuesday in the semifinals.

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