Bearcats fall to Comets in state semi-final game

By Nick Johnson
assistant coach
The KCC Bearcats took on the Hillcrest Lutheran Academy Comets in the semi-final round of the Minnesota state 9-man football tournament on Thursday, Nov. 13 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Both teams entered the contest undefeated and looked to advance to the championship game.
The Comets got the ball to open the game and started fast on offense, putting together an 11-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Ethan Swedberg connected with receiver Drew Fischer for a 19-yard touchdown pass, giving the Comets the early 6-0 lead.
The Bearcats failed to get anything going offensively, being forced to punt on their first possession. However, the Bearcat defense found its footing, forcing a turnover on downs by the Comets deep in Bearcat territory. Sadly, this stand was negated by the first miscue of the day. Eli Peterson’s pass was tipped and intercepted by the Comets, setting them up with the ball deep in Bearcat territory. Two plays later, Ethan Swedberg found the endzone on a 3-yard touchdown run, extending the Comet lead to 13-0.
The Bearcat offense finally found some momentum and made a key response midway through the second quarter. A 10-play, 66-yard drive was capped off by a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Eli Peterson, cutting the Comet lead to 13-7. The Comets answered with a scoring drive of their own. Before the half, Swedberg connected with Fischer on a 2-yard touchdown pass, giving the Comets a 21-7 lead at the half.
The third quarter saw the defenses make adjustments early. Neither team was able to find the endzone until near the end of the quarter. The Comets added to their lead late in the third with a fourth Swedberg touchdown of the day, this time scrambling in from 5 yards out to extend the lead to 27-7.
From here, the Bearcats put on a fierce rally to battle back and give themselves a chance to win. Early in the fourth quarter, the Bearcats strung together an 85-yard scoring drive, with Eli Peterson connecting with Ashton Knutson for a 9-yard touchdown pass and trimming the Comet lead to 27-14. The Bearcats’ special teams made a key play, converting an onside kick and setting up the offense with a chance to cut into the lead yet again.
Five plays later, the Bearcats did just that, with Peterson finding Kellen Johnson for a 22-yard touchdown pass and cutting the lead to 27-21. The Bearcat defense gave the team another opportunity forcing a turnover on downs by the Comets. However, a turnover stalled the Bearcats’ comeback bid, and the Comets sealed the 27-21 victory.
With the loss to the Comets, the Bearcats finished the season with a record of 11-1 — a remarkable season that saw them beat their biggest rivals twice, win Section 8, and advance all the way to the prep bowl, and come up just short of a chance to compete for a championship.
That however, is nothing to be disappointed about. KCC demonstrated again that they are a top 9-man program in the state of Minnesota, and the players showed the determination and winning spirit that their fans, schools and communities should be immensely proud of.
The KCC football program would like to thank everyone for the continued support throughout the season, it made for an unforgettable season for our players and coaches!

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter:
Swedberg 19 yard touchdown pass to Fischer (Swedberg run No Good)
Swedberg 3 yard touchdown run (Stender kick Good)
KCC 0 – HLA 13
2nd Quarter:
Peterson 6 yard touchdown run (Brewer kick Good)
Swedberg 2 yard touchdown pass to Fischer (Swedberg pass to Berge Good)
KCC 7 – HLA 21
3rd Quarter:
Swedberg 5 yard touchdown run (Stender kick No Good)
KCC 7 – HLA 27
4th Quarter:
Peterson 9 yard touchdown pass to Knutson (Brewer kick Good)
Peterson 22 yard touchdown pass to Johnson (Brewer kick Good)
KCC 21 – HLA 27

KCC Offensive Leaders
Passing:
Eli Peterson – 13/25, 160 yds, 2 tds, 2 ints
Rushing:
Ashton Knutson – 8 att, 62 yds
Eli Muir – 13 att, 50 yds
Eli Peterson – 9 att, 32 yds, 1 td
Brock Scalese – 2 att, 16 yds
Kellen Johnson – 2 att 13 yds
Receiving:
Kellen Johnson – 5 rec, 69 yds, 1 td
Eli Muir – 4 rec, 14 yds
Ashton Knutson – 2 rec, 54 yds, 1 td
James Cerkowniak – 1 rec, 13 yds
Brody Scalese – 1 rec, 5 yds

KCC Defensive Leaders:
Track Folland: 11 tkls, 2 ast, 1 pd
Brock Scalese: 5 tkls, 2 ast, 1 tfl, 1 pd
Eli Muir: 6 tkls
Brody Scalese: 4 tkls, 2 ast
Willie Nelson: 4 tkls, 1 ast, 1 tfl
Kellen Johnson: 4 tkls, 1 ast , 1 tfl
James Cerkowniak: 2 tkls, 1 ast
Ashton Knutson: 3 tkls
Sam Webster: 2 tkls
Keaton Brewer: 1 tkl