Photos by Samantha Davis: Minneota seniors Kellen Bradley (right) and Brock Fier (left) celebrate after Bradley scores a touchdown in the second quarter against No. 5 MACCRAY in the Section 4A semifinals Saturday afternoon at K.P. Kompelien Field. The Vikings defeated the Wolverines 62-0 and advance to the section championship. Below: Kellen Bradley breaks through and begins to run in for a touchdown in the second quarter. Below: Kyson Arndt (64), Randy Sorensen (30) and Joey Lacek (46) work together for a tackle. Below: Hunter Carstensen sets up a block on offense. Below: Easton Johnston runs in for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Story will be updated with stats

MINNEOTA — The top-seeded and top-ranked Minneota football team is once again returning to the section championship after defeating No. 5 MACCRAY in the Section 4A semifinals Saturday afternoon 62-0. The Vikings are a win away from their sixth-consecutive section title and the program’s 18th state tournament appearance.

“It’s another step in the process for us,” senior Brock Fier said of moving forward. “Especially with all the work we’ve been putting in [over] the summer.”

“As much as we know we get there almost every year, we always have respect for the teams that we come up against,” senior Hunter Carstensen added.

The Vikings set the tone on both ends of the field straight away, firing on all cylinders with five touchdowns and a trio of interceptions all in the first quarter to help build a 56-0 halftime lead. From there, Minneota continued to stop the Wolverines from breaking into Vikings’ territory.

“We played really well as a team. I would say everybody was doing their job,” Fier said. “They were where they were supposed to be, and we just played really, really well as a defense.”

Of Minneota’s five first-quarter scores, senior Kellen Bradley had three of the touchdowns and finished with four. Easton Johnston, Fier, Tristen Sussner, Adam DeVlaeminck and Randy Sorensen also all had a touchdown on the day.

Both Joey Lacek and Ian Myhre had a pair of interceptions.

“I think our line deserves a lot of credit,” Lacek said of the team’s defensive pressure. “Even with our EVW [Eden Valley-Watkins] game right away [in a 37-30 win on Sept. 5], our line was getting pushed around and then they grinded them down. In all of our games, our line is what sets the tempo.”

Saturday also marked the final time Minneota’s group of seniors played at K.P. Kompelien Field, as the section championship will be at Southwest Minnesota State University.

“It was kind of crazy. [We were] just soaking it all in,” Fier said. “When I was younger and they were saying it goes fast, I was like, ‘Oh, they’re just saying that.’ But, it’s crazy. I’m going to miss it.”

Carstensen and Lacek echoed Fier saying the time has gone by fast, with Lacek also giving credit to Keven Larson, Minneota’s baseball coach, for continuing to make sure the field is kept in great condition over the years.

The Vikings earned the first seed in the section tournament after finishing the regular season 8-0, receiving a first-round bye and home-field advantage.

MACCRAY advanced to the semifinals to meet Minneota after beating Canby in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, 24-22, and finished the regular season 2-6. The two had met each other once over the regular season on Sept. 26, with Minneota coming away with a 64-0 win.

The Vikings received to start, and Bradley rushed into the end zone on just the second play of the game and 52 seconds in on a 44-yard carry, followed with a field goal from Myhre.

On MACCRAY’s first drive, DeVlaeminck intercepted the ball on third down to bring Minneota to the Wolverines’ 37-yard line.

Although being sacked for a loss of eight yards back onto the 45, the setback didn’t fluster Minneota as Lacek had a 9-yard carry to set Bradley up for another touchdown with a 36-yard rush.

A pair of incomplete passes helped Minneota force a Wolervines’ turnover on downs, which ultimately turned into another Bradley touchdown after a strong blocking effort by the offensive line, paired with a Myhre kick, to bolster a 21-0 lead with 4:38 to go in the first.

“It just all comes down to communication,” Carstensen said of the offensive line’s consistency. “We also have to give props to our coaches, too. We can only do so much by talking up front, but they set us up in the best position.”

Myhre showed up big on MACCRAY’s next drive, finding an interception just outside of the red zone on the 24-yard line.

A pair of Bradley carries put Minneota on the 12-yard line, and DeVlaeminck rushed for four yards onto the 8 as Johnston carried on the next play into the back left of the end zone.

With the first quarter coming to a close, Lacek also found an interception on second down to recover the ball on MACCRAY’s 24-yard line.

On the first play of the drive, Sussner found an open Fier for a passing touchdown to give the Vikings a 35-0 lead after the first.

“Myrv [assistant coach Matt Myrvik] and Steve [assistant coach Steve Sussner] always have a vicious game plan for us,” Fier said, laughing. “They watch film more than anybody will ever know to set up a really good game for us.”

Minneota added three more touchdowns in the second quarter, highlighted by a 61-yard rushing touchdown by Sussner.

Bradley had a 28-yard rushing touchdown, while DeVlaeminck also found the end zone on a 22-yard carry as a result of another Lacek interception.

The Vikings continued to control the remainder of the game over the next two quarters, while allowing reserves to get playing time, adding in a touchdown from Sorensen and another Myhre interception prior to a scoreless final quarter.

Minneota (9-0) will next face No. 2 Dawson-Boyd (8-2) for the section title next Friday at SMSU’s Mattke Field.

The Blackjacks defeated Lakeview on Saturday in the semifinals 49-14, and was the last team to hand Minneota a loss on Oct. 13, 2022.

Minneota and Dawson-Boyd met this year in the regular season finale, with the Vikings coming away with a 34-3 win after a competitive first half before breaking away in the second.

The championship game is slated for a 10 a.m. kickoff.

“I would say, with our win streak and everything, we just don’t really focus on it. We just take it week by week,” Fier said. “We just worry about who we have this week, and I would say we don’t get really too ahead of ourselves … We just take it slow.”