They took a few shots, that was expected. But Holy Angels delivered a few of its own and, in the end, the Stars stood firm enough to defeat previously undefeated Winona 26-22 in the Class 4A semifinals.
Joe Heimbold, a hard-nosed quarterback with a penchant for running through defenders instead of around them, showed off a little wiggle, juking a defender and turning a fourth-and-one run into a 23-yard touchdown with 3:53 left for the proved to be the final difference. It was Heimbold’s third touchdown of the game.
“I had to break out some moves for the big game today,” Heimbold said. “It was just a good game all around.”
Hemibold’s score capped a nine-play, 64-yard drive that came in response to a Winona rally that turned a 12-point Holy Angels lead into a 22-19 deficit.
“These kids showed a lot of resiliency,” Holy Angels coach Jim Gunderson said. “Whether it be calls or penalties against ourselves or guys going down, the adversity these guys played through was tremendous.”
Holy Angels struck first. After forcing a fumble deep in their own territory on Winona’s opening drive, the Stars drove 99 yards, with Heimbold scoring on a 10-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
After the teams traded second-quarter touchdowns, Heimbold scored again on a 13-yard run in the third quarter, giving the Stars led 19-7.
Winona countered with back-to-back touchdowns, taking the lead with 7:35 left on a 31-yard pass from Riley Bosteter to Ethan Ringo.
Holy Angels answered with its game-winning drive, but the Stars had to withstand one more Winona charge. The Winhawks converted a third-and-36 from their own 5-yard line, getting a 70-yard reception from Ringo. But the drive — and Winona’s last hope — was snuffed out when Keonte Shorter intercepted Bosteter at the Holy Angels 6-yard line with 1:19 left in the game.
“We figured it would be down to the wire and that’s what we got,” Winona coach John Cassellius said. “Hats off to Holy Angels. This was one of those 50-50 games and that’s the way they should be when you’re playing up here.”