BEMIDJI 鈥� Tuesday鈥檚 Section 8-5A Tournament quarterfinal football game between Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 and St. Cloud Tech was a roller coaster, and senior Sam Gish kept getting back in line for the ride.
Trailing 47-41 with 1:42 left, the Lumberjacks drove 80 yards in just over a minute to tie the game on Gish's 10-yard scamper. Gavin Osborn punched in the 2-point conversion to give BHS the lead with 34 seconds left.
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An errant kickoff gave the Tigers the ball back on the Jacks鈥� 48-yard line. SCT quarterback Noah Theis hit Gavin Gail with five seconds left before spiking the ball inside the red zone. With one second left, Gail attempted the game-winning 27-yard field goal.
That鈥檚 when Gish cemented an ageless performance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about paying them back,鈥� Gish said. 鈥淚 made a mistake (in pass coverage). I didn鈥檛 make the best play on the play before. We鈥檝e been grinding that PAT block and field goal block all year, and we hadn鈥檛 gotten one. That鈥檚 the best time to get it right there.鈥�
Just seconds after allowing a completion to put the Tigers in range for the winning kick, Gish blocked a field-goal attempt to keep his high school career alive for at least four more days.
鈥淗igh school football rewards kids like Sam,鈥� BHS head coach Bryan Stoffel said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 put the time in. He鈥檚 worked his tail off, and he鈥檚 earned the right to have a fourth quarter like he did. He鈥檚 paid a price, and when you have kids who have paid that price, they鈥檙e the ones that consistently come through when the game is on the line.鈥�
Fourth-seeded Bemidji鈥檚 49-47 win over fifth-seeded St. Cloud Tech was a predictable shootout that ended unpredictably. But getting to the end was a stress-inducing process.
St. Cloud Tech started the scoring less than three minutes into the opening frame on Batuo Teboh鈥檚 6-yard TD run. Bemidji answered on its ensuing drive when Ephram Boucher converted a fourth-down run at midfield, then scored on a 1-yard punch.
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The Tigers took a two-possession lead early in the second quarter. SCT marched down the field to set up Connor Harnes鈥� 1-yard score. Jacob Imdieke recovered a fumble for St. Cloud Tech on the first play of the Lumberjacks鈥� next offensive possession. Jackson Sheetz doubled The Tigers鈥� lead from a yard out with 10:52 left in the first half.
BHS got back into the game on a deep passing connection between junior quarterback Kobe Brown and Alec Newby. Brown launched a 44-yard pass to the end zone, where Newby caught the ball in stride. Spencer Briggs鈥� second extra point cut the Jacks鈥� deficit to seven points.
鈥淚 like the resiliency they showed tonight,鈥� Stoffel said. 鈥淲e kept finding a way to make one more play, to keep clawing back into it. When we got to the fourth quarter, we were able to finish it. 鈥� I love the response from this team. We continue to respond. That鈥檚 a great quality for a young team.鈥�
Neither team punted in the first half, but Bemidji still got a needed stop on defense midway through the second quarter. A turnover on downs preceded the game-tying 10-yard touchdown run from Osborn. Brown tossed his second touchdown pass early in the third quarter to Gish from 25 yards out to give BHS a 27-21 lead.
Bemidji鈥檚 wheels flew off in the third quarter. Theis hit Sheetz for a 63-yard catch-and-run score to take a 28-27 lead following the extra point. The Tigers forced a punt on Bemidji鈥檚 next possession, but the ball never got off the ground. A bad snap rolled into the end zone from 20 yards out, then Slayden Bahner pounced on it for a touchdown.
The Jacks kicked off the fourth quarter with Reece Mostad鈥檚 11-yard touchdown run. Mostad tied the game at 35-35 with the conversion. From there, each offense broke out a string of big plays.
Harnes got loose for a 40-yard touchdown run to put SCT up 41-35. Osborn followed with a 60-yard sprint, setting up a double-reverse run play on fourth down that got Alec Newby into the end zone with 7:11 left. Both Bemidji and St. Cloud Tech were knotted at 41-41 after missing extra points.
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The Tigers put together a lengthy drive that ended in Max Kiffmeyer鈥檚 1-yard run. Another poor snap on the extra-point attempt held SCT鈥檚 lead at 47-41 with 1:42 left.
Brown and the Lumberjacks鈥� offense strung together a seven-play, 80-yard drive that ended in Gish鈥檚 game-winning touchdown run.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been my guy since last year when we played JV,鈥� Brown said of Gish. 鈥淩ight now is for the seniors. We wanted this for the seniors because this is it for them. We鈥檙e just trying to get them another game.鈥�
Bemidji will travel to top-seeded Alexandria on Saturday, Oct. 28, to compete in the Section 8-5A Tournament semifinal.
Bemidji 49, St. Cloud Tech 47
SCT 14 7 14 12 鈥� 47
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BHS 7 14 6 22 鈥� 49
First quarter 鈥� SCT TD, Teboh 6-yard run (Gail PAT), 7-0 SCT; BHS TD, Boucher 1-yard run (Briggs PAT), 7-7; SCT TD, Harnes 2-yard run (Gail PAT), 14-7 SCT.
Second quarter 鈥� SCT TD, Sheetz 1-yard run (Gail PAT), 21-7 SCT; BHS TD, Newby 44-yard catch from Brown (Briggs PAT), 21-14 SCT; BHS TD, Osborn 10-yard run (Briggs PAT), 21-21.
Third quarter 鈥� BHS TD, Gish 25-yard catch from Brown (Briggs PAT no good), 27-21 BHS; SCT TD, Sheetz 63-yard catch from Theis (Gail PAT), 28-27 SCT; SCT TD, Bahner fumble recovery (Gail PAT), 35-27 SCT.
Fourth quarter 鈥� BHS TD, Mostad 12-yard run (2-pt. conversion good), 35-35; SCT TD, Harnes 40-yard run (Gail PAT no good), 41-35 SCT; BHS TD, Newby 4-yard run (Briggs PAT no good), 41-41; SCT TD: Kiffmeyer 1-yard run (Gail PAT no good), 47-41 SCT; BHS TD, Gish 10-yard run (2-pt. conversion good), 49-47 BHS.
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