Poise on fourth down and a big play before halftime propelled Mankato West to a 28-7 victory against Mahtomedi on Saturday in the Class 5A football tournament quarterfinal at Farmington High School.

With the victory, the Scarlets (11-0) advance to play Spring Lake Park (11-0) in the semifinals on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Quarterback Robert Meidl scored three times, each run from 1 yard out. But everyone was talking about Thomas Yokiel’s dramatic 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.

With 3.6 seconds left until halftime and Mahtomedi 41 yards from the end zone, the Zephyrs lined up multiple receivers to the left and sent them downfield. But quarterback Anthony Praml’s pass went right to Yokiel at the 20-yard line and the senior safety didn’t hesitate.

“I saw that ball go up, then I just made a break for it and I took it to the house,” Yokiel said.

If only it was that simple. With Zephyrs closing in, Yokiel knew his sideline route would require a detour.

“I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to cut this back,’ and all my guys came with me and kept blocking for me,” he said.

Turning back inside at the Zephyrs' 30-yard line, Yokiel ran halfway across the field to the end zone. No time remained and Mankato West took a 15-7 lead into halftime.

“Oh my goodness, it was so exciting,” senior running back/defensive back CJ Terry said. “When you get a big play like that, it gives you a lot of momentum.”

Mankato West, Prep Bowl champions in 2014, applied pressure on both sides of the ball. The Scarlets used fourth-down conversions to fuel a scoring drive in each half.

Mankato West led 22-7 early in the fourth quarter on Meidel’s second short scoring run. The key play on that drive came as Meidl found Dondre Spann for a 34-yard reception on fourth-and-4

Mahtomedi (10-1) led 7-0 after the first quarter when fullback T.J. Tumbleson rumbled for a 42-yard touchdown. But the Zephyrs’ first state tournament run since 2010 ended as Mankato West kept making clutch plays.

“We got them into some situations that we wanted to and they just executed,” Zephyrs coach Dave Muetzel said.

David La Vaque • 612-673-7574 

Poise on fourth down and a big play before halftime propelled Mankato West to a 28-7 victory against Mahtomedi on Saturday in the Class 5A football tournament quarterfinal at Farmington High School.

With the victory, the Scarlets (11-0) advance to play Spring Lake Park (11-0) in the semifinals on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Fourth-down conversions fueled two Mankato West scoring drives. And a 80-yard Thomas Yokiel interception return for a touchdown with no time left in the first half provided the Scarlets a spark and a 15-7 lead.

Mahtomedi (10-1) made its first state tournament appearance since 2010.

Check back later for more on the game.

Key of the game: When Thomas Yokiel intercepted Mahtomedi quarterback Anthony Praml at the 20-yard line just before halftime, it looked like the senior defensive back might score. He crossed the 50-yard line in good shape. Then the Zephyrs’ posse caught up, forcing Yokiel to leave his sideline route in hopes he would find blockers in the middle of the field. He figured right. Yokiel finished the 80-yard touchdown and Mankato West led 15-7 at halftime.

Terry Time: C.J. Terry entered the game as Mankato West’s rushing leader with 1,385 yards and 21 touchdowns. He averaged almost eight yards per carry. But his most explosive plays against Mahtomedi came from his safety spot. He single-handedly wrecked a third-quarter Mahtomedi drive with two tackles of leading rusher Jalen Frye and a crushing sack of quarterback Anthony Praml. Terry also posted an interception and a fumble recovery.

One thing to know: Through one quarter, Mahtomedi looked poised to remain undefeated. The Zephyrs punted down to Mankato West’s 1-yard line, then forced the Scarlets to punt. Taking the ball in good field position from their 43-yard line, the Zephyrs later went ahead 7-0 on T.J. Tumbleson’s 42-yard run. But Mankato West answered on its ensuing drive with a touchdown and 2-point conversion and never trailed again.

DAVID LA VAQUE