2024 Football, Class A Semifinals: Springfield 30, Mahnomen/Waubun 16
Posted: Saturday, November 16, 2024 - 12:38 PM
Springfield returned to its familiar formula of finishing strong during its 30-16 victory over Mahnomen/Waubun in the Class A semifinals of the Minnesota State High School League’s Football State Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
The Tigers (12-0) used a 30-point blitz in the fourth quarter to erase what had been a two-score deficit to plow their way into the Class A Prep Bowl Championship game on Friday, Nov. 22. It will be Springfield’s third consecutive trip to the Class A championship game. In the previous two, the Tigers finished as the runner-up to Minneota.
In earning a spot in the semifinals, Springfield needed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to defeat Goodhue 20-14.
Springfield’s latest comeback was ignited by a 10-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Parker Kuehn to junior wide receiver Isaac Fredin with just more than a minute elapsed in the fourth quarter. It was followed by three touchdowns in a span of just more than four minutes that quickly reversed a deficit into a comfortable lead.
In the spree, sophomore tailback Aiden Moriarty scored on a 3-yard run and then Kuehn found ninth-grade wide receiver Madden Lendt on a 13-yard scoring connect. Senior running back Gavin Vanderwerf capped the run with a 7-yard touchdown dash with 1:49 left in regulation. Vanderwerf finished with 112 yards rushing and Kuehn was 21 of 29 for 197 yards.
Junior quarterback Blake McMullen rushed for 152 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Thunderbirds (11-1).
