Bengals battle Minnetonka tonight in state quarterfinals
by Malik Mitchell
The Blaine Bengals (7-3) are back in the Class 6A Quarterfinals for the first time in almost six years after sliding past Forest Lake (7-3) 53-21 in the section finals last week.
“It felt good,” senior quarterback Sam Shaughnessy said. “It’s been a little bit too long for us. “In my whole high school career, we haven’t been able to be in this position. We knew we had a special team going in this year.”
Shaughnessy put on another big performance completing 12 passes for 232 yards and five touchdowns after playing three weeks at home. Shaughnessy connected with four different targets.
The Bengals scored 18 unanswered points before the Rangers got on the board at the end of the second quarter. Blaine went on another run scoring 21 points later in the third quarter to end the game.
“The last game at Rosemount, we ran the ball a lot,” Shaughnessy said. “Forest Lake, they had our ground game in the book. We have the ability to throw the ball. Some teams don’t know that about us, but we can throw it or run it on anyone. We proved it against Forest Lake which is an excellent defense.”
Shaughnessy has thrown for 28 touchdowns on the season as Blaine enters state with a 7-3 record. PHOTO SUBMITTED
Shaughnessy Show
Shaughnessy put on a record-breaking performance the week prior against Rosemount making him the top single-season (1,490 yards) and career rusher (2727 yards) in program history. The UMD commit rushed for 260 yards giving him a new career high.
With a current total of 28 touchdowns, Shaughnessy also leads Class 6A in most total yards.
“Sam’s a dog and sometimes that phrase gets overused a little bit, but we really think that he represents that,” head coach Mike Law said. “One of, if not the best players in the state of Minnesota as far as what he’s able to do on a Friday night. His impact on the game is huge. He runs the ball at a really high level in 6A football.”
Blaine’s Boost
Blaine beat Rosemount 38-36 on a last-second 29-yard field goal by Kicker Jared Killian. Blaine avenged their season-ending loss to Rosemount 51-7 in the Class 6A First Round last season.
“An unbelievably high-pressure scenario,” Shaughnessy said. “The whole season kind of was down to that moment and he was perfect not only on the field goal right there, but on the extra points as well previously. We had faith and Jared, he’s been able to hit those in practice.”
Despite only rushing for 117 yards against Forest Lake, the Bengals rushed for at least 190 rushing yards in four consecutive games coming into the matchup.
Two of the Bengals three losses came from conference opponents Maple Grove (10-0) and Anoka (7-3). Teams who lead the conference.
“We’re always advocating and supporting the North Metro here,” Law said. “We think Anoka is a great football team. Maple Grove and Shakopee are two other good football teams in the state.”
Upcoming Blues
Blaine (7-3), now on a two-game win-streak in the postseason, has bumped their record to 7-3. The Bengals face Minnetonka (8-2) on neutral grounds at Osseo High School on Nov. 7.
Minnetonka, currently leading the Metro West, is coming off two home victories against Park of Cottage Grove and Rochester Mayo. They scored 45 points or more while holding those opponents to seven points.
The last time the two matched up against each other was in 2022. Minnetonka escaped with a close victory 21-14 at Bengal Stadium. Since then, the coaching staff at Minnetonka has grown significantly.
Coach Matt Lombardi, who started his 25th season as a Class 6A football coach, took over as defensive coordinator at Minnetonka this season. After serving 12 years as head coach at Maple Grove, Lombardi achieved a combined record of 102-37, seven visits to the state tournament, five trips to US Bank, two Prep Bowls, and a state championship.
“We have an immense amount of respect for the football they play,” Law added. “Coach Lombardi who was over at Maple Grove for a long time as a head coach and produced a ton of winning seasons in the state championship as a defensive coordinator. We know defensively they will be ready and expect a great challenge there, the same thing offensively. They are well coached.”
