Photo by Samantha Davis Murray County Central quarterback Teague Meyer (right) hands the ball off to running back Jordan Sturges during a prep football game against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton on Oct. 3 in Tracy. Murray County Central will take on Springfield in the Section 3A championship game at Mattke Field in Marshall today at 12:30 p.m.

MARSHALL — For the second consecutive season, the Murray County Central football team is headed to the Section 3A championship game with the hope of turning the tables from last years result. Tonight’s championship game is a rematch of last year’s, in which the Springfield Tigers defeated Murray County Central en route to their third consecutive state runner-up finish. The second-seeded Rebels will look to end the top-seeded Tigers reign when the game kicks off at 12:30 p.m. today at Mattke Field.

“We actually feel like we have a fairly young team this season, but all of our players have been fortunate to be a part of the experience of being at this game in the past,” Springfield head coach Adam Meyer said of the team’s return to the section final. “We will rely on them to understand the excitement and the nerves that come with playing in this game and in a great atmosphere.”

This will be the second consecutive season that the Rebels and the Tigers have met in the section final. In last year’s matchup, the Rebels jumped out to a 10-7 lead behind a Carson Engelkes field goal and a 31-yard touchdown by Gavin Gillette.

Yet, Parker Kuehn found Aidan Moriarty for a 5-yard touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the first half, and a Gavin Vanderwerf touchdown in the third quarter gave Springfield some breathing room for a 20-10 win.

Now in his junior season, Kuehn has continued to progress as one of the best Class A quarterbacks. He’s amassed 2,257 passing yards with 34 touchdowns on just five interceptions so far this season, bringing up his yards per game average to 250.8 per game after last year’s 185.2 mark. He also has more touchdowns and fewer interceptions than he had last year, when he finished with 32 touchdowns and eight picks.

All of this comes despite the loss of some key weapons for the team since then. The Tigers graduated Brayden Sturm, who led the team with 785 passing yards last season, as well as running back Gavin Vanderwerf, who finished with 1,562 rushing yards on 7 yards per attempt.

“We’re really fortunate to have great balance across our roster,” Meyer said of the team’s ability to overcome those losses. “We have 5 players with over 16 catches on the year and we play 3 running backs in each game. I think that having that balance is really tough to match up with and doesn’t allow defenses to really focus on one part of our offense. We also started the year with 3 new starters along the offensive line and that group has played extremely well all season, improving each and every week to help put us in this position.”

Friday’s game will be the second of the season between the Rebels and Tigers. When the two met back on Sept. 5, the Tigers ran away with a 33-15 win. Kuehn led the team in the victory with 262 yards and four touchdowns on 19 attempts, while Isaac Fredin caught nine passes for 101 yards and all four touchdowns.

“They are a great program and coached very, very well,” Meyer said of MCC. “I think seeing them multiple times throughout the years has just taught us how fast and physical they do play and that we know the type of discipline and execution that is needed anytime you step on the field with them.”

With Sturm graduating and continuing his football career at Gustavus Adolphus College, Fredin has developed into a No. 1 wide receiver for the Tigers with his increased opportunity. He’s caught 46 passes for 634 yards and 15 touchdowns to date, while Madden Lendt has given the team pass-catching depth with another 30 catches for 566 yards and nine touchdowns.

MCC, meanwhile, brings a completely different style to the table with its option offense. The Rebels have attempted a total of 21 passes on the season, with starting quarterback Teague Meyer completing eight of his 13 attempts for 179 yards and a trio of touchdowns in the regular. Season.

Yet, the Rebels’ run-heavy offense remains dangerous. Carson Lewis has led MCC’s deep backfield with 116 carries for 767 yards, while Meyer, Jordan Sturges, Lucas Kuball and Gabe Tentinger have each also eclipsed 250 yards on the ground this season.

“Their offense is a real challenge to prepare for and it all starts up front,” Meyer said. “They are very physical at the point of attack and they run hard. The option forces your defense to play very disciplined football, yet still play fast and physical. We’ve made mistakes when we’ve tried to find the ball instead of doing our job and they run it with enough precision that a step or two in the wrong direction can really hurt us.”

Over the last two games, Springfield has shown much more potency in its rushing attack in a way that could match MCC up front.

Senior Paytin Johnson took over the lead back role to start the season and enters Friday’s game with 99 carries for 946 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. What’s most impressive, however, is the timing of his stats. Johnston racked 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Tigers’ 42-14 win over Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop in the section quarterfinals, a season-high in rushing yards for him at the time. A week later, he ran the ball 14 times for 209 yards and a touchdown to beat that mark once again.

“Paytin and the run game have been crucial for us all season. Again, we feel like we do a great job of playing complimentary football and that doesn’t allow teams to focus in on one aspect of our offense,” Meyer said. “The offensive line has continued to improve and has done a great job of opening running lanes for Paytin and our other running backs [Colten Sell, Adiel Trevino]. Paytin throughout the year has done a great job of taking whatever is there. He can be a physical runner when we need a couple of tough yards, and the last couple of weeks has shown the ability to hit the long runs that have really swung momentum in our games.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Moriarty leads the Tigers with 84 total tackles, a pair of forced fumbles and a scoop-and-score while Tyson Horkey leads the pass rush with 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Trevino and Johnson have also contributed three and 2.5 sacks, respectively.

For the Rebels, Luke Iverson and Quinten Lewis lead the way with 3.5 and three sacks, respectively, while Brayden Gilb and Carter Hanson have been a dynamic duo in the secondary with four picks — including a pick-6 — for Gilb and three interceptions for Hansen.