Spring Grove’s Defense Leads Way To Win Over Lanesboro
The Spring Grove Lions and the Lanesboro Burros found themselves in a tight battle with the wind blowing on a chilly night for the Section 1 9-man Quarterfinals. The #3 seeded Lions were able to stay disciplined on defense to get a 21-12 win over the #6 seeded Burros.
In a game where the offense was tough to hit on, three big-plays in the game set the tone for the night. In the first quarter, Mitchell Reynolds hit on a 63-yard touchdown run to give the Lions a 6-0 lead. Later that quarter, Reynolds fumbled the football at the two-yard line, but Kyle Hagen was right there to catch it and fall into the endzone to get the Lions a 12-0 lead.
From there, Spring Grove tacked on another score to go up 18-0 before the half, but Lanesboro wasn't going away quietly. The Burros got a 51-yard touchdown run from J.T Rein to make it 18-6, but a key field goal from Isaac Griffin right as the buzzer sounded at the half made it 21-6 at the break.
Seth Semmen scored late in the fourth quarter to get the final score of 21-12, but both defenses were really good in the second half. The difference-maker in the game was that Spring Grove forced four Burro's turnovers. Those extra opportunities allowed Spring Grove to milk extra time off the clock to get the win.
Reynolds finished with 119 yards and two scores, while Rein led Lanesboro with 116 yards and a score. Caden Grinde finished with nine catches for 114 yards in the win as well, taking home the honor of the Kingsley Mercantile Game Ball award.
Spring Grove will advance to take on #2 Grand Meadow on Saturday night.