2024 Football, Class Nine-Player Semifinals: Hills-Beaver Creek 26, Mountain Iron-Buhl 20
Posted: Thursday, November 14, 2024 - 5:38 PM
It’s been a quarter of a century since Hills-Beaver Creek last played in a Class Nine-Player championship game. In that 1990 season, the Patriots emerged as the champion. That long dry spell finally ended on Thursday, Nov. 14, but it came with some anxious moments.
The Patriots recorded a 26-20 victory over Mountain Iron-Buhl in the semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis, but the exhilaration of winning wasn’t felt until senior defender Sawyer Bosch snared an interception with 30 seconds left in regulation time when Mountain Iron-Buhl was frantically trying to rally.
The victory not only knocked Mountain Iron-Buhl from the undefeated list, but also sent Hills-Beaver Creek into the Prep Bowl Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 23 against the winner of the second semifinal which featured Fertile-Beltrami and LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle/Pacelli.
Junior quarterback Jamin Metzger was part of a balanced attack that powered the Patriots (12-0) when he completed 19 of 23 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Micah Bush was his favorite target with 12 receptions for 115 yards, including 76 yards after the catch. Senior running back Beau Bakken added 90 rushing yards.
Senior running back Derik Dahl rushed for 91 yards and scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:24 remaining in regulation time for the Rangers (12-1). It came on the heels of Mountain Iron-Buhl looking at a 12-point deficit when good fortune struck after recovering a fumble on the 5-yard line of Hills-Beaver Creek. Dahl scored four seconds later.
