Anoka's brisk offense prevails

Anoka does not pass the football often, but the Tornadoes can still score points in a hurry.

They scored on three touchdown drives of 2 minutes or less, the final coming with 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining in Tuesday's thrilling 31-28 victory against Forest Lake at Goodrich Field.

Pat Cotter's 33-yard touchdown, his second score of the game, allowed the Tornadoes (6-3), the No. 4 seed in Class 5A, Section 7, to advance to the semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at No. 1 seed and defending section champion Blaine.

"We called a sweep right and we blocked it perfectly," said Cotter, who rushed 15 times for 105 yards. "When I got free and saw the end zone it was the most exciting thing ever."

The comeback ruined a stellar night by Rangers quarterback Zach Riedeman, who rushed for three TDs and threw for a fourth.

The teams combined for two costly turnovers and 29 points in a wild final 14 minutes. Forest Lake, the No. 5 seed, fumbled a long punt return to give Anoka the ball on the 5-yard line. The Tornadoes drove 95 yards for a touchdown and a 23-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Riedeman brought his team right back, cutting the deficit to 23-20 on his third rushing touchdown of the game.

Then Anoka committed its first turnover of the game, a fumble Forest Lake (4-5) recovered at the Anoka 39. Running back Kevin Nelson's 13-yard touchdown pass from Riedeman and a two-point conversion gave the Rangers a 28-23 lead, their first of the game.

In the first half, Anoka quarterback Parker Trewin hit Matt Hastings on a slant for a touchdown with 14.6 seconds left.