A 26-14 halftime lead might have given members of the Minneapolis Washburn faithful a false sense of security Friday night in the Class 3A, Section 2 title game. A few fans started talking about a possible second-half blowout of visiting Waseca.

But the two-score bulge was hiding some truths: Waseca really only trailed because of four huge turnovers. And Washburn hadn't done anything to stop the Bluejays running game.

Waseca eliminated those game-changing turnovers and kept running the ball at will on the third-seeded Millers. The result was a 27-26 victory, stunning Washburn and its home crowd and propelling fourth-seeded Waseca into the state football tournament for the first time in school history. Sam Milbrett ran for all four Waseca touchdowns.

"I have an expression I always repeat," Waseca head coach Brad Wendland said. "If you can run on them in the first half, you sure as heck can do it in the second half."

With what seemed like all of Waseca occupying the visiting stands, the Bluejays did just that. First, though, they let Washburn tie the score 7-7 on an interception return by Cedric Chappell. A fumble on the first play of their ensuing drive led to another Washburn score, while yet another first-play fumble later in the half gave the Millers another short field for a touchdown. Fittingly, Waseca's final drive of the half ended with an interception deep in Washburn territory.

In the second half, it was Washburn's turn to stumble. The Millers muffed the opening kickoff; Waseca recovered. The shift in field position eventually helped the Bluejays get within 26-21. With poor field position, Washburn couldn't score; Waseca drove 75 yards in 14 plays (12 runs) to take the lead midway through the fourth and held on from there.

"I'm in awe of the kids," said Wendland, whose team lost three of its first five games but has since won six in a row. "I've never coached a team that wanted to win like this team."