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Class 5A quarterfinals: Mankato West beats St. Thomas Academy 21-14

By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune , 11/13/21, 2:15PM CST

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Getting to the semifinals required the Scarlets to stop St. Thomas Academy twice in the fourth quarter.

Mankato West’s Peyton Goettlicher saw his afternoon on the football field boil down to one play.

With a desperation heave from St. Thomas Academy heading his way, Goettlicher needed to secure the ball and in turn, a playoff victory. Fail, and who knows what happens to the top-ranked Scarlets.

Goettlicher bobbled, then caught the ball and Mankato West hung on to beat the second-ranked Cadets 21-14 on Saturday in a Class 5A football state tournament quarterfinal game played at Prior Lake High School.

The Scarlets (11-0) advance to play at 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“I was nervous; then it was a relief,” Goettlicher said. “We’ve been working for this all year. We wanted to make it to the Bank, but we’re not satisfied just making it. We’ve got a big run ahead of us.”

Getting to the semifinals required the Scarlets to stop St. Thomas Academy twice in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 21-14, with field conditions hampered by steady snowfall, St. Thomas Academy thought its penultimate drive might end with a tying score. Instead, the Scarlets’ defense rallied to stop the Cadets on fourth down inside the Mankato West 20-yard line.

“It was a game of missed opportunities for us,” St. Thomas Academy coach Dan O’Brien said. “But give them credit. There is a reason they are No. 1 in the state. They executed things a bit better tonight.”

Superior execution produced the third Mankato West touchdown.

Facing fourth-and-3 early in the second half, the Scarlets used what coach JJ Helget called a “power pass” out of what appeared to be a run-focused formation. Instead, quarterback Zander Dittbenner faked the handoff and threw to a wide-open Brady Haugum in the flat. He ran 19 yards for a 21-7 lead.

“We’ve been repping that all year but haven’t really used it,” Helget said. “You keep some of those things in your back pocket until you need it.”

St. Thomas Academy (10-1) cut its deficit to 21-14 with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Maximus Sims to Grady O’Neill just seconds into the fourth quarter.

Two defenses that entered Saturday’s game riding eight consecutive quarters without allowing a postseason point each surrendered a long scoring play in the first half.

Goettlicher made the first explosive play, using every bit of his fingers to corral Dittbenner’s pass for a 62-yard touchdown.

Goettlicher later prevented the Cadets’ tying bid with an interception in the end zone just before halftime.

“They hit us hard and we hit them back hard,” Goettlicher said. “Two great teams, but we came out on top and I’m glad we did.”

First report

Top-ranked Mankato West hung on to beat second-ranked St. Thomas Academy 21-14 on Saturday in the Class 5A football state tournament quarterfinal game played at Prior Lake High School.

The Scarlets (11-0) advance to play at 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Facing 4th and 3 on its opening drive in the second half, Mankato West kept its offense on the field and got a lot more than a first down. Quarterback Zander Dittbenner faked the handoff and threw to a wide-open Brady Haugum in the flat. He ran 19 yards for a 21-7 lead.

St. Thomas Academy (10-1) stayed alive with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Maximus Sims to Grady O'Neill just seconds into the fourth quarter.

Mankato West made its 21-14 lead stand. The defense rallied to stop the Cadets on 4th down with 1:49 to play and St. Thomas Academy inside the Scarlets’ 20-yard line.

Two defenses that entered Saturday’s game riding eight-consecutive quarters without allowing a postseason point each surrendered a long scoring play in the first half.

First to break through, Mankato West. Receiver Peyton Goettlicher used every bit of his fingers to corral Dittbenner’s pass. Goettlicher ran to the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown.

Early in the second quarter, St. Thomas Academy running back Savion Hart ran wide on the short side of the field, broke a tackle, and rumbled 47 yards for the tying score.

Dittbenner struck again, this time throwing 41 yards to receiver Mekhi Collins. Two of Dittbenner’s first three pass completions in the game went for touchdowns.

The Scarlets prevented the Cadets’ tying bid when Goettlicher intercepted a pass in the endzone.

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