class 3A st. croix lutheran 3, proctor 0

Recap: It took St. Croix Lutheran (10-2) until about 30 seconds before halftime to cross Proctor's 30-yard line. Then it took until three seconds before the final whistle to score the breakthrough and defeat the Rails (9-3). St. Croix Lutheran junior kicker Sasha Bornschlegl made a 23-yard field goal to break the deadlock in the Class 3A semifinals.

Key of the game: The Crusaders offense managed 248 rushing yards to the Rails' 86 and 33 passing yards to zero. Thirty of those passing yards came on the scoring drive. Senior quarterback David Ponath connected with senior tight end Caleb Olson for 30 yards to the Proctor 16. Then senior running back Hans Klingenschmitt led the offense to the 5, setting up the game-winner. Klingenschmitt recorded 135 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Quote: "Their defense is amazing. … In the end, it just came down to our offense. And just pounding them in there and [getting some] big runs." — Klingenschmitt

One thing to know: Proctor's defense kept the Rails' chances alive. Senior linebackers Calen Porter, Logan Ecklund and Andrew Kiminki tallied 15, 13 and eight tackles, respectively. Porter had four tackles for a loss of nine yards; Kiminki had four tackles for a loss of 11 yards and a sack for a loss of five.

MEGAN RYAN