Barnesville is methodical in 34-20 victory over Minneapolis North in 2A playoffs

Barnesville sophomore Adam Tonsfeldt hadn't played quarterback before this season. But he's also a natural leader with teammates who respond to him, according to his coach, Bryan Strand.

"I pulled him in last year and I said, 'You're going to be the quarterback next year,' " Strand said. "He's a 10th-grader, and he plays like a senior."

Tonsfeldt helped lead a powerful Barnesville offense to a dominating 34-20 victory over previously undefeated Minneapolis North in the Class 2A semifinals Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Tonsfeldt rushed for 99 of Barnesville's 366 yards. His passing stats? Zero-for-zero. The Trojans ran 59 times for 366 yards, compared to 147 rushing yards for Minneapolis North.

Barnesville senior Preston Snobl set the tone when he returned the opening kickoff 43 yards into Polars territory. That help set up his 6-yard touchdown run for a quick 8-0 lead. The Trojans made it 16-0 about three minutes later, capitalizing on a North fumble.

"We popped some right away," Tonsfeldt said. "[The Polars] had a tough time finding the ball."

The Trojans (11-2) had the ball for 30 minutes, 8 seconds, compared to just 17:52 for North. Keeping the ball out of the hands of the high-powered Polars offense was part of the plan, Strand said.

"If we've got the ball, they can't score," Strand said. "And we used the game clock. Got it down to 5 seconds almost every time because we weren't going to give them time."

The 34 points were the most Minneapolis North (11-1) allowed in a game all season.