Seven touchdowns from junior running back Jason Williamson helped Owatonna overwhelm Mahtomedi en route to 59-34 victory Saturday in the Class 5A quarterfinals.
Williamson and the potent Huskies offense scored on nine consecutive possessions to earn a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium for the semifinals. They face Brainerd at 7 p.m. Saturday.
"My offensive line gave me a lot of holes to run through," said Williamson, a 6-1, 190-pound runner with speed and power. "They make it easy for me."
The game marked the second time this season Williamson has scored seven times in a game. He has 37 total touchdowns to pace one of the state's most potent attacks.
Owatonna senior quarterback Abe Havelka has thrown for more than 2,300 yards this fall but the run game took center stage at Lakeville North High School.
"Our goal coming in was to be more physical than them, and I think we won that battle," Williamson said. "The scoreboard shows it."
Mahtomedi kept pace, cutting the Owatonna lead to 21-14 in the second quarter on Adam Olson's short touchdown run. The plan was set up when quarterback Brodi Larson and receiver Tim Lindquist connected on a 58-yard completion to the 1-yard line. Lindquist might have scored without Williamson, a safety, knocking him out of bounds just short of the goal line.
Then Owatonna (10-1) answered in less than two minutes on a 42-yard Williamson scoring dash.
