The Minnesota West Blue Jays, ranked second in the most recent NJCAA Division 3 football poll, scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns Saturday and won on the road at Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range 28-12.
The 3-0 Bluejays got a one-yard TD on the ground from Ja’Koeb Tucker and a six-yard pass from Elijah Alexander to Dezmond Clark – both in the second quarter – to go up 14-0. A Mesabi Range touchdown before the end of the first half made it 14-6, and a third-quarter score from the Norse made it 14-12. Alexander, though, hooked up with Joshua Yarborough on a seven-yard scoring pass, and Alexander later added a one-yard TD run.
Hunter Grathwohl carried 18 times for 102 yards for Minnesota West and had a team-best 48 receiving yards. Alexander rushed for 49 yards and passed for 122. Defensively, Deante Porter led the way with 13 total tackles, while Jayvarion Peters and Dyler Williams each chipped in with seven total tackles apiece.
Minnesota West hosts Central Lakes at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday.
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The fifth-ranked Minnesota West Lady Jays volleyball team went 1-1 Friday in a pair of matches in Sioux City.
In the first match, the Lady Jays edged Central Community College of Columbus, Neb., 3-2, by game scores of 25-21, 18-25, 25-21, 14-25, 15-12. Ella Hesse had 15 kills, 13 digs and four blocks, and Abby Loosbrock contributed 14 kills and a pair of blocks. Kadyn Paulson had 42 digs in the match; Lexi Schreurs passed for 39 set assists and added 23 digs.
Minnesota West was then beaten 3-0 by Western Iowa Tech by scores of 25-23, 25-14, 25-21. Sadie Krahling had 10 kills and 10 digs, Hesse added eight kills and 11 digs and Paulson had 15 digs for the Lady Jays, who are now 14-3 and host Rochester at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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Host Worthington fell just short of its first victory of the football season Friday night as Belle Plaine fended off a late comeback attempt and held on for a 20-14 win at Trojan Field.
The Tigers, who improved to 1-2, took a 7-0 lead with 1:17 to go in the first quarter on an eight-yard run by Walker Koepp. That came a drive after Worthington’s Dawson Svalland picked off a Belle Plaine pass in Trojan territory.
The score moved to 13-0 with 1:40 left in the first half when freshman Belle Plaine quarterback Reed Creighton hit Mason Bungarden for a 33-yard TD on 4th-and-10. WHS proceeded to fumble away the second-half kickoff, but the Trojan defense held before Worthington marched down the field and got to within 13-7 on a 21-yard scoring run by Jacari Swinea.
Creighton threw a nine-yard TD to Josh Sparby with 2:37 to go in the fourth quarter to make it Belle Plaine 20, Trojans 7, but Fino Noeno returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for six points and Alex Galvez kicked his second PAT night for a 20-14 score. Worthington, though, would get no closer.
The Trojans will host 3-0 New Ulm for Homecoming at 7 p.m. this Friday.
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Worthington’s Fanuel Wolday placed fifth for Trojans Saturday at the Heartland Preview at Yankton Trail Park in South Dakota with a time of 15 minutes and 44.10 seconds.
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In area high school football Friday night, it was:
Mountain Lake Area 49, Granada-Huntley-East Chain-Truman 22
Red Rock Central 34, New Ulm Cathedral 18
Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 74, Westbrook-Walnut Groce 20
Hills-Beaver Creek 42, Edgerton 8
Murray County Central 22, Windom Area 16 (OT)
Adrian-Ellsworth 20, St. James Area 7
Martin County West 44, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 29
Pipestone Area 13, Maple River 7
Luverne 56, Sibley East 0
Jackson County Central 63, Blue Earth Area 0
Waseca 20, Marshall 14
Emmetsburg 55, Sheldon 14
Unity Christian 28, Sioux Center 14
West Lyon 33, OABCIG 7
Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 35, West Sioux 29 (OT)
Western Christian 35, Pocahontas Area 0
LeMars 35, Boyden-Hull-Rock Valley 2
Sibley-Ocheyedan 28, South O’Brien 22
MOC-Floyd Valley 35, Okoboji 14
Spirit Lake 41, Spencer 7
MMC-RU 44, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 0
Harris-Lake Park 35, Northwood Kensett 25
In area high school football Saturday:
Fairmont 47, Albert Lea 7
In area high school volleyball Saturday:
MACCRAY 2, Southwest Minnesota Christian 1
Wabasso 2, Southwest Minnesota Christian 0
Redwood Valley 2, Southwest Minnesota Christian 0
Southwest Minnesota Christian 2, Springfield 0
MACCRAY 2, Southwest Minnesota Christian 0
Pipestone Area 2, BOLD 0
Pipestone Area 2, Springfield 1
Central Minnesota Christian 2, Pipestone Area 0
MACCRAY 2, Pipestone Area 0
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