Recap: Stillwater won its fifth consecutive game with a shutout of the Rebels. The Ponies handed the ball 35 times to senior running back Stephen Wagner, who rushed for 202 yards and his 13th touchdown of the season. Stillwater (6-3) grabbed a 10-0 halftime lead, on Wagner’s 6-yard run and a 45-yard field goal from senior A.J. Laudet.

Key of the game: A high snap on a punt attempt for Champlin Park in the second quarter essentially set up Stillwater for Wagner’s TD. The snap went over the head of the Rebels punter, and the Ponies ended up with a first-and-goal at the Champlin Park 6-yard line. Wagner scored on the next play.

Quote: “We’re playing the way we imagined that we could from the beginning of the year. It was tough coming out and playing East Ridge, Cretin, Eagan, all great teams. But we came into our own.” — Stillwater’s Wagner

One thing to know: Champlin Park (4-5) had a couple of chances to score early. The Rebels had a field-goal attempt blocked on their opening drive. It looked as if the Rebels had taken a 6-0 lead with an interception returned for a touchdown in the first quarter, but the play was called back because of a personal foul.

HEATHER RULE

A high snap on a punt attempt for Champlin Park in the second quarter essentially set up the first score of the game for Stillwater. The Ponies kept rolling from there to a 23-0 victory as they ran their winning streak to five games.

The snap went over the head of Champlin Park junior Romello Adkins, and the Ponies got the ball at the 6-yard line. They scored on the next play when senior running back Stephen Wagner ran it in with about 4 minutes left before halftime to give the Ponies a 7-0 lead.

The Ponies got the ball back with about 30 seconds left in the second quarter. Senior AJ Laudet kicked a 45-yard field goal with 0.6 seconds left for a 10-0 halftime lead.

Stillwater didn’t waste much time adding to its lead after the break. A quick field goal extended the lead to 13-0.

Senior quarterback Mutt Hoefferle connected with senior receiver Joey Costa on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 31-yard touchdown pass and a 20-0 lead. Stillwater added a late field goal to make it 23-0.

It looked like Champlin Park was going to get on the board first. The Rebels took the opening drive down the field to the 4-yard line but a field goal try was blocked and Stillwater and recovered the ball on the 17.

From there, the Ponies started driving, handing the ball off to Wagner on nearly every play. Then Champlin Park junior DeAnte Bronson intercepted a pass and ran it back to the end zone. But the apparent touchdown was negated by a Rebels personal foul, bringing the ball back to the Stillwater 37 for the Rebels.

The game was still scoreless at the end of the first quarter. The Rebels recovered a fumble early in the second quarter but had to punt it away.

Check back later for more on the game.