BEMIDJI – When the Bemidji High School football team faced St. Cloud Tech on Sept. 20, it was a 55-0 victory in front of a home crowd at Chet Anderson Stadium on a breezy Friday night.
Tuesday’s rematch in the Section 8-5A tournament quarterfinals was a completely different ballgame, but the Jacks still came out on top.
Third-seeded BHS defeated the sixth-seeded Tigers 35-21 on a chilly night in Chet, overcoming self-inflicted mistakes with strong offense and will play second-seeded Alexandria in Saturday’s sectional semifinal. earned the right.
“It always feels great (to advance),” senior Alec Newby said. “We knew we were the better team here, so (we) had to work. It didn’t go as well as we wanted, but we have to work on it heading into Saturday. I’m glad I won.”
Bemidji senior Owen Frazier carries the ball against St. Cloud Tech in the first round of the 8-5A Tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Chet Anderson Stadium.
Jared Rubado / Bemidji Pioneer
On the day, the Lumberjacks committed three turnovers (two fumbles in the first half and one interception in the second half) and racked up penalties, especially in the fourth quarter.
“If we adjust and play a little more disciplined, that should take care of itself,” head coach Brian Stoffel said. “I expect our guys to do a better job of that and play a cleaner game on Saturday.”
However, the offense continued to move the ball efficiently on most drives, overcoming mistakes with surprisingly solid play from the offensive line and running backs collectively.
“Our offense is really good right now,” Newby said. “We have to make sure we limit the turnovers against Alex, but we know we can score.”
Leading the way for the Jacks was senior running back Ephraim Boucher, who had two goal line carries and led in rushing touchdowns.
Bemidji senior Alec Newby carries the ball during a game against St. Cloud Tech in the first round of the 8-5A Tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Chet Anderson Stadium.
Jared Rubado / Bemidji Pioneer
“Mistakes happen all the time,” Boucher said. “You recover from that, shake it off and make the next play.”
Additionally, the Jax didn’t just move the ball on the ground.
Leading 7-6 in the second quarter and facing a near all-out battle, sophomore quarterback Owen Vandermeer dropped to a pass and fired a deep missile well past the defensive back and toward a wide-open Newbee. I typed.
Vandermeer caught Newby with a bang, and the senior receiver paced the Tigers’ defense for a 90-yard touchdown.
“It seems like every game we get a few more passes dialed up,” Newby said. “That was just a perfect ball. … I was on adrenaline, so I was fine.”
Bemidji senior Cohen Donato sacks St. Cloud Tech senior Noah Theis during the first round of the Section 8-5A tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Chet Anderson Stadium. .
Jared Rubado / Bemidji Pioneer
Newby also had a 9-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter, running around the left edge of the St. Cloud Tech defense on a reverse, extending the Jacks’ lead at the half.
“Al was really great today with a couple of touchdowns and some big plays,” Stoffel said. “He’s a third-year starter and can play either way. That’s what we expect from our kids, to be big players when we need them. And he stepped up. and made it happen.”
The night started with vintage Bemidji Drive. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Jacks embarked on a 5:27 drive that featured solid chunk play on the ground and gains through the air.
Boucher put an exclamation point on the drive with a 2-yard touchdown rush, giving BHS a 7-0 lead.
“He’s a stubborn kid,” Stoffel said. “He has paid a price to get where he is and you can always rely on that type of kid.
St. Cloud Tech senior Jackson Sheets carries the ball against Bemidji in the first round of the 8-5A Tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Chet Anderson Stadium.
Jared Rubado / Bemidji Pioneer
But by the start of the second quarter, it was clear St. Cloud Tech wasn’t going to let it get by easily.
Bemidji’s defense was forced to make a stop after the scoring drive and quickly gave the key back to the offense. But just a few plays later, a fumble occurred and St. Cloud Tech took control deep in BHS territory.
The Tigers committed a turnover on the first play of the second quarter when quarterback Noah Theis completed a clutch fourth-down pass from 11 yards to Gavin Gall. St. Cloud Tech missed the next point after each try, but was able to pull within one point and already have more points than they lost in September.
On their next drive, the Jacks fumbled just five plays and gave the ball away at their own 32-yard line.
“The first drive went really well,” Stoffel said. “After that, I felt like we made some mental mistakes and got in our way at times. We had some fumbles, we had some turnovers. That’s just me. It stopped us and slowed us down.”
Bemidji sophomore Jerry Farmer runs into Tigers senior Ethan Lanning during kickoff against St. Cloud Tech in the first round of the Section 8-5A tournament Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Chet Anderson Stadium. make a tackle.
Jared Rubado / Bemidji Pioneer
This time, however, the Tigers were unable to capitalize on Bemidji’s mistakes. In fact, they were guilty of their own sins.
St. Cloud Tech, about to score first, fumbled and the Jacks recovered. Two plays later, Newby made a 90-yard touchdown catch for a 14-6 lead.
Bemidji came on fire in the second quarter, with a 38-yard rushing touchdown and Newby’s second touchdown of the night giving the home team a 28-6 lead heading into the locker room.
But then again, the Tigers weren’t completely tamed. The visiting team started the second half with an 80-yard scoring drive to pull within two points.
The Lumberjacks fought back with another scoring drive, capped by Boucher’s 1-yard touchdown rush to make it 35-14.
St. Cloud Tech quickly moved back down the field and converted a fourth-down conversion with a 16-yard touchdown pass deep in Bemidji territory to bring the game back within two points in the fourth quarter.
Bemidji senior Owen Frazier carries the ball against St. Cloud Tech in the first round of the 8-5A Tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at Chet Anderson Stadium.
Jared Rubado / Bemidji Pioneer
It was the last time either team reached the end zone. After the Tigers’ final touchdown, things got a little chaotic. There were three interceptions along the way, Vandermeer threw one pass, and Gunners Ganske and Nick Strand each scored for Theis.
The Lumberjacks’ sectional semifinal matchup against Alexandria will take place this Saturday at 6 p.m. If they win, they will advance to the sectional final against either No. 4 Brainerd or No. 1 Moorhead on Friday, Nov. 1.
“This is a fun group to coach. We’ve said that all year long,” Stoffel said. “It’s been a really fun season and I want to keep it going for as long as possible.”
The Bemidji High School football team comes out of the tunnel before facing St. Cloud Tech in the first round of the Section 8-5A Tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024 at Chet Anderson Stadium.
Jared Rubado / Bemidji Pioneer
Bemidji 35, St. Cloud Tech 21
SCT 0 6 8 7 – 21
BHS 7 21 7 0 – 35
1st Q – BHS TD, Boucher 2-yard run (Briggs PAT), 7-0 BHS.
2nd Q – SCT TD, 11 yard catch on goal (no PAT), 7-6 BHS. BHS TD, Newby 90 yard catch (Briggs PAT), 14-6 BHS. BHS TD, Vandermeer 38-yard run (Briggs PAT), 21-6 BHS. BHS TD, Newby 9-yard run (Briggs PAT), 28-6 BHS.
3rd Q – SCT TD, 46th 2-yard run (2-point conversion successful), 28-14 BHS. BHS TD, Boucher 1-yard run (Briggs PAT), 35-14 BHS.
4th Q – SCT TD, Stein catches Tice (PAT) for 16 yards, 35-21 BHS.
