Panthers ground game too much for Cadets

It’s been a long time coming for Spring Lake Park football fans. The last time the Panthers made it to the Prep Bowl was 1991 when they defeated Cold Spring for the Class A title.

Now, they are back.

The Panthers exploded in the second half to defeat St. Thomas Academy in a battle of unbeatens. Both teams came into the contest 11-0. St. Thomas Academy has been no stranger to the state tournament, having reached the finals in 2023 where they lost 34-31 to Chanhassen, and they battled hard against a talented Spring Lake Park squad that proved to be too much to handle, especially in the second half where they outscored the Cadets 27-6.

The Panthers opened the scoring late in the first quarter when quarterback Nolan Roach scored form the 1-yard line. STA blocked the extra point for a 6-0 SLP lead.

The Cadets answered on the following drive when Todd Rogalski scampered in from 36 yards out. Toren Piltingsrud kicked the extra point for a 7-6 lead.

The Cadets then went ahead midway through the second quarter when Dominic Baez plowed into the end zone from the 1-yard line. Another Piltingsrud extra point made it 14-6.The Panthers rallied four minutes later when Lamari Brown scored on a 11-yard run as SLP pound the running game at the Cadets defense. After the two-point try failed, STA’s Piltingsrud kicked a 21-yard field goal towards the end of the half for a 17-12 lead.

But that lead was short-lived as the Panthers came out a different squad in the second half. Their defense stepped up big when Marcus Snyder picked off a pass and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown and an 18-17 lead. They followed up with scores on their next two drives, a 25-yard run by EJ Monluo and a 5-yard TD run by Brown. They were finally able to convert on their extra points as Sam Wolde drilled a pair for a 32-17 lead at the end of the third quarter.

STA wasn’t out of it, however, and Rogalski scored on a 7-yard run to make it a 32-23 game after a missed extra point. Still a two-possession game with the clock ticking, the Panthers put the game away when Roach broke free with 3:33 left on a 44-yard touchdown run and after a Wolde kick a 39-23 lead, which is how it ended.

The Panthers running game was just too much for the Cadets as they gained 405 yards on the day on 53 carries, averaging 7.6 yards per run. Roach ran for 190 yards on 15 carries and Brown ran for 139 yards on 30 carries. Monluo had 48 yards on two carries. Roach did complete six of nine passing attempts for 43 yards.

The Cadets gained 183 yards on the ground with Rogalski leading the way with 109 yards and two scores. Tristan Karl was 8-for-12 passing for 117 yards.

Spring Lake Park improved to 12-0 while STA fell to 11-1.

The Panthers will play the winner of Chanhassen and Elk River next Saturday at 4 p.m. for the Class 5A title. Elk River is the defending champion after beating Alexandria 33-24 last season.

Full Game Stats: https://www.mshsl.org/sites/default/files/2025-11/2025-fb-sf-aaaaa-slp-sta.pdf

Please support our sponsors: