MINNEAPOLIS — This didn’t go as planned. That was a big problem for Blooming Prairie, though it worked out wonderfully for Dawson-Boyd.
In a game where at least the offensive success of the respective teams was a complete switch from what most expected, Dawson-Boyd passed at will against the Blossoms and emerged with a 50-27 win in the state Class A football semifinals at the Metrodome on Saturday morning.
It was the No. 8-ranked Blossoms who entered with the vaunted passing attack. And No. 3 Dawson-Boyd? It had hung its hat on its devastating ability to run the ball.
Turned out that none of that came to fruition Saturday. Instead something else did. It was Dawson-Boyd and its quarterback Joey Lee showing that it can get things done through the air when necessary.
It was necessary against Blooming Prairie, which was in the state semifinals for the second time in the last three years. The Blossoms — save for one long romp by Esten Weber — were all over Dawson-Boyd’s running game, continually stuffing it. What they couldn’t contain was the Blackjacks’ passes.
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Lee finished with 240 yards passing, 171 of it going to Zach Stelter. Lee threw four touchdown passes, Stelter grabbing three of them.
Dawson-Boyd had passed for 1,190 yards entering the state quarterfinals and rushed for 3,884.
Again, Blooming Prairie and its star quarterback Luc Zellmer was supposed to be the sweet passers. The Blossoms threw for 2,773 yards heading into state.
But against Dawson-Boyd, which hung tightly on the Blossoms receivers, Zellmer was intercepted twice and finished just 14-for-34 for 168 yards.
Blooming Pairie finished 11-2 overall. Dawson-Boyd takes a 13-0 record into the state finals, where it will meet fellow unbeaten Mahnomen.
