Hutchinson rolling on road to playoffs

The Hutchinson football team -- which is on one heck of an impressive roll -- is looking ahead to the postseason after rolling past Prior Lake 56-14 Tuesday night in the regular-season finale at Hutchinson. But you get the feeling the high-flying Tigers would like to get another crack at Glencoe-Silver Lake.

After scoring on every possession in the first half and winning for the seventh week in a row, Hutchinson has racked up a string of blowouts.

But things weren't quite so rosy around town late on the evening of Sept. 4. On that opening day of the season, Glencoe-Silver Lake came to Hutch and put a 41-0 whuppin' on the Tigers.

That was big. Hutch had not been shut out since a 2004 loss to Holy Angels and had not given up that many points since Northfield beat the Tigers 42-14, also in 2004. Another important note about 2004: Hutch was 4-4 in that regular season but made it all the way to the Metrodome before losing to Totino-Grace in the Class 4A state semifinals.

So yes, football redemption can be found. But after that September defeat to Glencoe-Silver Lake, Hutchinson coach Andy Rostberg was a bit agitated.

In a memorable interview with Steve Thomson on WCCO radio's postgame scoreboard show, Rostberg said this: "I think a bunch of kids in blue jeans could have beaten us tonight." And this: "There are all-state and all-conference players, but tonight I don't think we had anybody who would have made all- backyard."

The Tigers were all-Earth Tuesday night. And they stayed very close to their home planet, throwing exactly one pass in the first half while outrushing Prior Lake 316 yards to 36. Jaedon Scott ran for 233 of the Tigers' 488 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns. Quarterback Jack Haffley ran into the end zone three times. Hutchinson has punted only once in the past three games, winning by a combined 149-40.

"We started trying to plug holes and right the ship," Rostberg said of the turnaround since the season opener. It was coming to work every day and bringing the lunch pail."

Tuesday's contest was the final Missota Conference game for both teams. Hutchinson (7-1) won the Missota title and will join the Wright County Conference next year. Prior Lake (3-5) will be in the South Suburban, the new league consisting of the Lakers and nine teams currently in the Lake.

But first comes the postseason.

Hutchinson will be the second seed behind defending state champion Mankato West in the Class 4A, Section 2 playoffs, and Prior Lake will be seeded in the bottom half of the 5A Section 3 bracket.

Hutchinson, which has had a winning record for 38 years in a row, gave up six rushing touchdowns in that season-opening loss to Glencoe-Silver Lake.

No other team scored on the ground against the Tigers until Prior Lake's Alex Blanch went in from 4 yards in the first quarter Tuesday.

As for any thoughts of a Hutch-Glencoe rematch, it will come to those who wait. They will meet in the final week of the Wright County Conference season in 2010.

John Millea • jmillea@startribune.com