BEMIDJI 鈥� Down 2-1 in the waning minutes of the 2023 Section 8-3A semifinal against Sartell, the Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 boys soccer team couldn鈥檛 find an equalizer.
It was a game and a result that plagued the Lumberjacks for 368 days. Then they got their chance at redemption at Chet Anderson Stadium.
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Down 2-1 to No. 6 Moorhead, second-seeded BHS found the tying goal it missed a year ago.
鈥淭he (doubt) was there, but we have a really tough group of guys that just keep battling,鈥� junior Austin Riewer said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 give up, it was awesome that nobody quit on that field. They were all locked in.鈥�
Riewer tied the game, then the Jacks found two more in a 4-2 win over the Spuds to grab the second and final spot in the Section 8-3A championship.
鈥淚t鈥檚 senior leadership,鈥� head coach Rick Toward said. 鈥淭hat group of kids who watched their season end 2-1 last year, they saw the same thing potentially happening again. They just dug within themselves, calmed themselves down and said, 鈥楾his is not going to happen.鈥欌��
When it looked like the Lumberjacks couldn鈥檛 find a spark in the attacking third, Riewer whittled a pair of sticks together. He finished off a similar cross as he did in the third minute, this time from Al Toward. Riewer鈥檚 second goal came in the 53rd minute to make it 2-2.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not always the highlight reel goals,鈥� Coach Toward said. 鈥淗e gets the grind-it-out, gritty goals you get in front of the net. But they all count the same, so the one that Austin got off of Al鈥檚 header, that was the difference-maker. 鈥� That bought us a little confidence.鈥�
Moorhead protested the equalizer, claiming it hit Riewer in the arm. The officials convened and determined the goal was a good one.
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鈥淚t was close,鈥� Riewer said. 鈥淚鈥檇 say it was more off my shoulder, more off my chest than anything. I have to give a lot of credit to my guys Al and Isaac (Stone). They had beautiful (passes) right to me. I was just in the right place at the right time.鈥�
Bemidji moved into the driver鈥檚 seat in the 70th minute. Reed Johnson led an attack into the offensive third, carrying the ball into the penalty area. So when a Spuds defender took him to the ground, Stone was left to ensure the Jacks a spot in the Section 8-3A title game with a penalty kick.
Stone stood over the ball looking at Yusuf Hassan, who relieved Gyvan Beljulji, Moorhead鈥檚 typical keeper. Stone went to Hassan鈥檚 right, while Hassan leaned to his left in the 70th minute.
Stone sealed the win in the 77th minute with his second goal, assisted by Sam Byrne.
鈥淗e always plays on edge,鈥� Toward said of Stone. 鈥淗e was sitting on a yellow card 15 minutes into the game. But he had to play within himself for the next 55 (minutes) when I got him back out there. He鈥檚 always going to play on the edge. That鈥檚 his style, that鈥檚 his play. When I put him out there, he can鈥檛 let me down. So far, he has not disappointed.鈥�
BHS got out of trouble during a few Moorhead threats in the opening minutes of the first half, then made the Spuds pay for it. Riewer finished off Stone鈥檚 cross deep in the 18-yard box to give the Jacks a 1-0 lead in the third minute.
Stone received a high through ball from Levi Renn in the midfield to set up the game鈥檚 first goal.
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Reiwer鈥檚 finish was the lone goal for either team in the first half. Both teams combined for just three shots on target.
An offensively stagnant first half flipped on its head in the opening minutes of the second. Broderick Hansen headed in the equalizer in the 37th minute on a free kick for Moorhead. Then, a minute later, Bemidji鈥檚 Charlie Zellmann redirected another Moorhead free kick from the midfield off the post and in to give the Spuds a 2-1 lead.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the gut check,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where that senior leadership comes in, where the kids have to dig within themselves and trust each other.鈥�
On top of being down a goal, the Lumberjacks (13-3-2) were also playing against the emotions of a hotly-contested game. Renn, Stone, Brady Riley and Lincoln Schmitt were all served yellow cards on Tuesday. If any of them had received a second, they would be ruled out for the section final.
鈥淧laying on a yellow for Brady, Lincoln or Isaac is not a new thing,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e played a lot of their careers on yellow. They play with emotion, intensity and such heart, and sometimes, it spills over. They鈥檙e 17-year-old kids, they鈥檙e going to have those moments. But in the end, the scoreboard was right.鈥�
The Spuds (5-9-4) also posed entirely different threats than Brainerd did in the 8-3A quarterfinal.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what Moorhead brings 鈥� chaos,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淚t was a big adjustment from Thursday. Brainerd did not press the way Moorhead presses. They pushed us hard and tried to win the ball back early on the field, and it took an adjustment for our boys to figure that out. We tried to play small ball, we tried to play cute in the back. The adjustment in the second half was the ball getting off Charlie, Levi and Dash (Hiller鈥檚) feet quicker to find space.鈥�
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Only top-seeded Buffalo (11-3-4) stands in the way of Bemidji reaching its fourth state tournament. With a win at Buffalo High 歪歪漫画 on Thursday, it would be the first time the Lumberjacks won a section championship since being moved to Class 3A.
BHS earned a 2-2 draw with the Bison on Sept. 23 on the road. The Jacks trailed 2-0 in the first half of the game.
鈥淏uffalo plays the long ball really well,鈥� Riewer said. 鈥淭heir keeper plays it very far. We have to win the 50/50 balls and just battle like we did tonight. 鈥� We need to focus and play how we typically play, moving the ball around as a team.鈥�
For 30-year head coach Rick Toward, who鈥檚 preparing to coach in his seventh section final, the feeling of getting there doesn鈥檛 tire.
鈥淚t never gets old,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淪ometimes the ride is exhausting, sometimes the ride is aging. But when I look back on it, it鈥檚 never boring. It鈥檚 what keeps me coming back after 30 years.鈥�
No. 2 Bemidji 4, No. 6 Moorhead 0
MHD 0 2 鈥� 2
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BHS 1 3 鈥� 4
Bemidji 鈥� Riewer 3鈥� (Stone), 53鈥� (Toward); Stone 70鈥� (PK), 76鈥� (Byrne).
Moorhead 鈥� Hansen 42鈥� (Totorice); Own Goal 43鈥�.
Saves 鈥� Heuer (BHS) 2; Beljulji (MHD) 0; Y. Hassan (MHD) 1.
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