Being road warriors isn’t quite as hard when you have a Jett.
That would be junior Jett Feeney, the dynamic Moorhead quarterback who rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more as the Spuds defeated Centennial 35-21 in a Class 6A state quarterfinal matchup on Thursday night at Spring Lake Park High School.
The Spuds (7-4) — who have now had to make the three-and-a-half hour-plus drive to the Twin Cities metro seven times in their first season in Class 6A — advance to meet the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between Maple Grove and Lakeville South (scheduled for 6 p.m. at Eastview High School) in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Cougars finished their season 9-2 overall.
It was a neutral site Thursday, but the trip from Centennial High School to Spring Lake Park was just 6.8 miles. Moorhead, meanwhile, traveled just over 228 miles.
Yet, the Spuds showed no signs of travel lag on their first possession. After taking over on the Cougars’ 38-yard line following a shanked punt, Feeney kept the drive alive with a 24-yard pass to junior Taye Reich.
Two plays later, the quarterback scored untouched from 7 yards out to put his team on top 7-0.
Centennial answered back, tying the score on a 50-yard touchdown run by senior Calvin Coopersmith with 2:55 to play in the first quarter.
Feeney put the Spuds back on top early in the second quarter, connecting with junior Zak Walker on a 44-yard pass before scoring again on a 3-yard touchdown run.
But once more, the Cougars responded, marching 75 yards to score on a 5-yard touchdown run from senior Caleb Melser that tied the score 14-all with 4:45 to play in the second.
However, Feeney and the Moorhead offense struck again just before halftime, helped by a costly pass interference call against the Cougars that set the stage for a touchdown pass to junior David Mack on 4th-and-1 at the Centennial 4. That sent the Spuds into the locker room leading 20-14.
And the momentum continued to start the second half when Reich returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. The 2-point conversion expanded the Moorhead lead to 28-14.
Centennial again had an answer, scoring on a 28-yard touchdown run by sophomore Edwin Ekah to cut the gap to seven.
Yet, the Cougars just couldn’t slow down the Spuds’ offense. Moorhead scored again late in the third when Feeney connected with senior Jaimeson Dunlap on a 14-yard touchdown pass.
Centennial had the ball inside the Spuds’ 20 in the fourth but ended up turning it over on downs. Feeney and company then ran out the clock to move on to the semifinals and yet another road trip to the Twin Cities.
Moorhead is trying to win its first state championship since beating Winona 13-7 in the old Class AA classification in 1987.
0 Comments