By John Rittenhouse
Red Rock Central denied Adrian a berth in the Minnesota State Class C Football Tournament when the teams met in Adrian Friday to settle the Section 3A championship Friday.
In a showdown of a pair of 9-1 teams, No. 1 Adrian was hoping to ride the home field advantage into its first state tournament appearance since 1998.
RRC, however, had its sights set on a section title as well. With an offense that displayed an ability to strike quickly and a defense that thwarted some scoring opportunities by the Dragons, the second-seeded Falcons pulled off a mild upset by topping AHS 28-13.
The 10-1 Falcons will host McLeod West, the champion of Section 2A, in a state quarterfinal-round game in Lamberton tomorrow. Adrian ends a 9-2 campaign.
"We tip our hats to RRC," said Adrian coach Randy Strand. "They are a good outfit. That’s why they are a 10-1 team."
Adrian, a team that took advantage of its scoring opportunities during a 7-1 regular season, was unable to continue the trend against RRC.
The Dragons turned the ball over four times in the game, and two of them ended second-half drives that could have produced some important points.
After yielding touchdowns to RRC in each of the first two quarters, the Dragons came out strong in the second half and cut what was a 14-0 halftime deficit in half at 14-7.
The tide seemed to shift in Adrian’s favor when the Dragons recovered a fumble deep inside RRC territory as the third quarter progressed, but the Falcons reclaimed the momentum by keeping AHS out of the end zone before scoring on a pair of big plays to put the game away in the fourth quarter.
"We didn't click offensively when we had the ball in the red zone the last few games. That hurt us again Friday. Then we gave up two quick touchdowns that took the wind out of our sails," Strand said.
After forcing the Falcons to punt to start the second half, the Adrian offense put together a 12-play, 64-yard drive that trimmed RRC's lead to seven points at 14-7.
After hooking up with Bryce Block for a 19-yard pass that gave the Dragons a first down on the Falcon nine-yard line, quarterback Levi Bullerman capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run at the 3:56 mark of the third quarter. Bullerman also added the extra point.
It looked like the Dragons would tie the game when Brandon Schettler recovered an RRC fumble moments later, but an intentional grounding penalty on the final play of the third quarter all but ended the scoring threat.
RRC took command of the game moments later.
Four plays after taking possession of the ball on their own 28, the Falcons regained control of the game when quarterback Cory Fisher tossed a 57-yard touchdown pass to Lee Schaffran. Kirk Engen kicked the extra point to make it a 21-7 difference with 7:31 left to play.
After forcing the Dragons to punt moments later, RRC iced the game when Colby Pack scored on a 54-yard run on the first play of the ensuing possession.
Trailing 28-7 with 7:31 left to play, the Dragons showed some character by driving 61 yards in seven plays. Block tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Bullerman at the 5:03 mark of the period, but the toss for a two-point conversion fell incomplete.
Adrian's next offensive possession turned into a drive that ended with RRC picking off a pass in its own end zone.
The Dragons got the ball back one more time, but another RRC interception ended Adrian's final offensive possession of the year.
RRC dominated the game's first half.
After stopping the Dragon offense to start the game, the Falcons drove 63 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead with a one-yard touchdown run by Pack at the 5:31 mark of the first quarter.
An interception in the second quarter gave RRC good field position on the Dragon 17. Six plays later, Fisher scored on a four-yard run to make it a 14-0 difference with 5:44 left in the first half.
Team statistics
Adrian: 96 rushing yards, 205 passing yards, 301 total yards, 14 first downs, three penalties for 25 yards, four turnovers.
RRC: 200 rushing yards, 169 passing yards, 269 total yards, 11 first downs, five penalties for 40 yards, two turnovers.
Individual statistics
Rushing: T.Bullerman 10-22, Nate Bullerman 7-31, L. Bullerman 9-22, Joe Kruger 4-21.
Passing: L.Bullerman 14-30 for 163 yards, Block 2-2 for 44 yards.
Receiving: Dusty Henning 5-45, Block 6-98, Pete Hohn 1-14, T.Bullerman 2-16.
Defense: Kruger 17 tackles, T.Bullerman 12 tackles, Schettler 10 tackles and one fumble recovery, Henning one interception.