Bearcats defeat Vikings 49-0 in quarterfinal game

By Nick Johnson
assistant coach
The KCC Bearcats opened Minnesota 9-man Football State Tournament play on Thursday, Nov. 6 with a quarterfinal matchup against the champions of Section 7, the Cook County Vikings. The Bearcats, the top-ranked team in the north bracket, met the fourth-seeded Vikings at Grand Rapids High School for a chance to advance and play at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Bearcats opened the game with fireworks on offense. On the first play of the game, Ashton Knutson took the handoff, hit the hole opened by the offensive line, and sprinted 71 yards to the endzone and jumped KCC out in front 7-0. The Bearcat defense also started the game off well, forcing the Vikings to punt after just 3 plays.
Getting the ball back, the Bearcats again struck quickly, scoring in just 2 plays. A long run by Eli Muir set up Ashton Knutson for his second touchdown run of the day, this time from 22 yards out. From there, the Bearcats went on to completely control the game, scoring 49 first-half points while holding the Vikings scoreless.
The third KCC touchdown came on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Eli Peterson to Kellen Johnson. Eli Muir got in on the scoring on the next possession, stretching the Bearcat lead to 28-0 with a 53-yard touchdown run. The next score was James Cerkowniak’s, as he connected with quarterback Eli Peterson on a 25-yard touchdown catch.
The next Bearcat offensive possession saw Eli Peterson score a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
Eli Muir scored the final touchdown of the day for the Bearcats on a 33-yard run, giving KCC the 49-0 halftime lead.
The second half of the game was played with shortened quarters and with substitutions by both teams. This led to a unique opportunity for the junior varsity players for the Bearcats to play meaningful snaps in a state tournament game. The Bearcat defense, now made up mainly of freshmen, created the story in the second half. Cook County moved the ball, but was still held scoreless as the young Bearcat players got three takeaways to stop the Vikings’ drives.
Evan Schwenzfeier and Daniel Knapp combined to force a Viking fumble that Ryder Vig recovered. On the next Viking possession, the defense made a goal line stand with Aidan Weise forcing another fumble that Brett Faken recovered.
Lastly, with just minutes left in the game, Asher Peterson forced a third Viking fumble that Mason Ogorek recovered to keep the shutout intact for the Bearcats.
In an unusual situation for a state tournament playoff game, the Bearcats made the most of the opportunity and advanced to the semifinals of the Minnesota State 9-man football tournament with the 49-0 victory over the Vikings. The Bearcats will take on the Comets of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter:
Ashton Knutson 71 yard touchdown run (Brewer kick Good)
Ashton Knutson 22 yard touchdown run (Brewer kick Good)
Eli Peterson 47 yard touchdown pass to Kellen Johnson (Brewer kick Good)
Eli Muir 53 yard touchdown run (Brewer kick Good)
Eli Peterson 25 yard touchdown pass to James Cerkowniak (Brewer kick Good)
KCC 35 – CC 0
2nd Quarter:
Eli Peterson 1 yard touchdown run (Brewer kick Good)
Eli Muir 33 yard touchdown run (Brewer kick Good)
KCC 49 – CC 0
3rd Quarter:
KCC 49 – CC 0
4th Quarter:
Final:
KCC 49 – CC 0

KCC Offensive Leaders
Passing:
Eli Peterson – 2/2, 72 yds, 2 tds
Rushing:
Ashton Knutson – 5 att, 118 yds, 2 tds
Eli Muir – 4 att, 117 yds, 2 tds
Eli Peterson – 4 att, 33 yds, 1 td
Karsynn Peterson – 8 att, 29 yds
Receiving:
Kellen Johnson – 1 rec, 47 yds, 1 td
James Cerkowniak – 1 rec, 25 yds, 1 td

KCC Defensive Leaders
James Cerkowniak – 4 tkls, 1 ast, 1 tfl
Mason Ogorek – 4 tkls, 1 fmr
Kellen Johnson – 3 tkls, 2 tfl, 1 sack
Brock Scalese – 2 tkls, 1 ast
Brody Scalese – 2 tkls, 2 tfls
Keaton Brewer – 2 tkls
Tucker Anderson – 1 tkl, 1 tfl
Connor Tuziw – 1 tkl, 0.5 tfl
Daniel Knapp – 1 tkl, 0.5 ff
Evan Schwenzfeier – 1 tkl, 0.5 ff
Asher Peterson – 1 tkl, 1 ff
Aidan Weise – 1 ff
Ryder Vig – 1 fmr
Brett Faken – 1 fmr