Minnetonka, in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history, was slogging away in a tie game midway through the third quarter. A spark was needed.

The Skippers found it in two long pass completions and some rugged running from a linebacker moonlighting as a fullback. They scored two touchdowns in a span of just over three minutes in the third and fourth quarters to defeat upset-minded Rosemount 21-7.

Minnetonka (9-1) opened the game by scoring on its third play from scrimmage, a 38-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Syverson to Owen Freese. The Skippers led 7-0, but their suddenness may have worked against them. They struggled to move the ball for the rest of the first half and allowed Rosemount to take control physically.

The Irish tied the score with a 12-play drive in the second quarter, and the two teams went into halftime deadlocked 7-7.

“I was thinking midway through the second quarter that maybe it came too quickly for us,” Minnetonka coach Dave Nelson said. “But in the second half, the kids really came through.”

Minnetonka finally found its offensive rhythm late in the third quarter, with Syverson finding Freese for gains of 39 and 24 yards to set up the Skippers deep in Rosemount territory.

“That got us a little bit of a boost,” Syverson said. “We were moving the ball again. We just needed a little kick start.”

Enter Ty Barron. The linebacker has developed a role as a bruiser out of the backfield, used primarily in the second half of games. He scored what proved to be the game-winner on a 6-yard run and set up the Skippers’ next score by showing a burst of speed on a 36-yard jaunt to the Rosemount 4-yard line. Syverson scored the final touchdown two plays later.

“We just needed to do our job a little bit more,” Barron said. “Once we settled down, we were good.”

After nearly three frustrating quarters, Minnetonka’s offense came to life, scoring two touchdowns in just over three minutes spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters, lifting the Skippers to a 21-7 victory over Rosemount.

Linebacker Ty Barron, who moonlights as a fullback, gave the Skippers life in the second half. He plowed in from six yards out late in the third quarter to break a tie game and give Minnetonka a 14-7 lead. Barron’s run was set up by two big completions from quarterback Aaron Syverson to Owen Freese for 39 and 24 yards that loosened Rosemount’s defense.

The next time the Skippers had the ball, Barron showed some unexpected speed, bouncing a run outside and racing 36 yards down the sideline. It set up a short touchdown run by Syverson for a 21-7 lead.

When the game began, Minnetonka looked like it was ready to run away from Rosemount. After forcing the Irish into a 3-and-out on their first possession, the Skippers took to the air to strike first.

On their third play from scrimmage, Syverson found Freese, who had two steps on the Rosemount defensive back, for a 38-yard completion for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Rosemount responded to the Skippers’ initial blow by playing keepaway in the second quarter. Behind its big, physical offensive line, the Irish tied the game 7-7 with a 12-play, 64-yard drive capped by a 1-yard run by running back Garrison Green.

Rosemount had another significant drive later in the quarter, bolstered by a successful fake punt, but it stalled at the Minnetonka 31-yard line. Still, it served its purpose, keeping the ball out of the Skippers’ hands.

Minnetonka (9-1), No. 2 in the final Class 6A state rankings, will face Prior Lake, a 49-14 winner over Blaine, in the quarterfinals next Friday at Osseo High School. The Skippers defeated the Lakers 27-8 on Sept. 22.