JANESVILLE — The top team in Class AA all season — Blooming Prairie — didn’t resemble that Friday night. With it, the Blossoms’ football season is over.
Big, strong and tough Maple River pushed its way to a lopsided 40-18 win over Blooming Prairie in the Section 2AA championship game.
The loss ended a 29-game winning streak for the Blossoms, who were state champions in 2019 while playing in Class A. There was no state tournament a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was the Eagles’ running game that proved the difference. Maple River rushed for more than 400 yards. That included getting a bunch of it in its wildly productive first quarter, when the Eagles had three rushing touchdowns and built a 19-6 lead.
Maple River scored on runs of 8, 1 and 63 yards in that span. Mason Schirmer had the 8 and 63-yard TDs.
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Blooming Prairie, which was the top seed and finished its season 10-1, did make a game of it, at last early. The Blossoms trimmed their deficit to 19-12 late in the second quarter when star quarterback Drew Kittelson scored from 2 yards out. Earlier in the game, he’d connected on a 52-yard scoring strike with Cade Christianson.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, Kittelson getting Blooming Prairie’s on a 12-yard scamper.
But No. 2 seed Maple River, now 10-1, closed out the game by outscoring Blooming Prairie 14-0 in the fourth quarter.
Kittelson finished 11-for-29 for 192 yards and one touchdown, but was intercepted three times.
Tyler Archer rushed for 52 yards for Blooming Prairie. Colin Jordison had three catches for 64 yards. Christianson had 59 yards receiving and Archer 54.
Maple River had just 76 passing yards.
Maple River 40, Blooming Prairie 18
Blooming Prairie-6-6-6-0—18
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Maple River-19-0-7-14—40
