The Red Rock Central Falcons defeated Mountain Lake Area 33-6 in the 2022 football season. Yet, both teams have grown and developed since then, and the Section 3 9-man championship will be an entirely different game than the lopsided contest to open the season.

For one thing, Mountain Lake Area will be the higher seed in the contest. Since losing each of their first two games, MLA has gone undefeated and taken control of the top seed in the section tournament. Their offense has become explosive, scoring 40 or more points in five of their last seven games.

As a result, Friday morning’s championship game could be a question of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. The RRC defense has buckled down in the home stretch, and they’ve held each of their previous three opponents to 8 or fewer points.

Leading the defensive charge has been Vander Mathiowetz. The senior linebacker can do it all on defense. He leads the team in total tackles with 107, and he’s also accumulated a pair of sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception this year.

“Offensively, they play a lot like us as a run-first team, which can play into our strength defensively,” RRC head coach Isaac Jenniges said. “Looking at our matchups up front, if we can win at the line of scrimmage, we put ourselves in a good position to win the game and give ourselves a good chance to win late.”

Offensively, Mathiowetz is also the team’s leading receiver. He has caught 27 passes for 456 yards and nine touchdowns.

While Mathiowetz locks down the first two levels of the field, Jayden Lang has proven himself as an elite ball-hawking cornerback. In nine games, Lang has come down with seven interceptions. One of the problems the Falcons caused for MLA early in the season was that they were able to force the MLA quarterback–who was making his first start–to throw the ball into coverage, Jenniges said. The Falcons finished the game with three defensive interceptions last time, and while Jenniges added that the MLA passing game has improved throughout the season, Lang will be key if RRC wants to win the turnover battle again.

As special as the Falcon defense has been, no games can be won without also putting points on the board. Freshman running back Carter Therkilsen will largely be tasked with the responsibility of jumpstarting his team’s offense.

Despite being a fresh face at the start of the season, Therkilsen has proven himself to be a game-changing offensive weapon. He’s taken 213 carries for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns this year. In the passing game, he’s also caught ten passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

While Therkilsen has been a dominant back all season, RRC’s progress has been a point of emphasis for Jenniges.

“[Therkilsen] is a freshman and has improved a lot as the season has gone on. Isaac [Simonson] has been finding his rhythm throwing the ball downfield and connecting with wide receivers. The offensive line has been clicking and working as a unit,” Jenniges said.

Still, more than all else, this is a game that can come down to momentum. Both teams have been hot as of late, but the deciding factor in the game will be which team embraces the challenge of playing in the spotlight.

“You’re dealing with 17, 18-year-old kids. Momentum will be a huge factor. Keep it on your side, you’re going to benefit,” Jenniges said.

The Section 3 9-Man Championship game will kick off at 11:30 a.m. at Southwest Minnesota State University’s Mattke field.