JACKSON — Playing nearly the entire football game on Jackson County Central’s side of the field Saturday afternoon, the third-seeded Luverne Cardinals utilized a stellar defensive performance and took advantage of two key JCC turnovers — leading to a pair of second-quarter scores — as they earned a 12-0 victory over the second-seeded Huskies in the Section 3AA semifinals at Swearingen Field.

The team-oriented win advances the Cardinals (7-3) to Friday night’s Section 3AA championship game at the Regional Event Center at Mattke Field on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) in Marshall. Luverne will tangle with top-seeded Blue Earth Area (9-1) at 7:30 p.m. in the fourth of four sectional title games that day.

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