5A: Mounds View 23, Stillwater 17

Down nearly an entire starting backfield, Mounds View's offense spent a half getting acclimated to new faces, then roared to life in the second half, scoring 23 points to upset host Stillwater 23-17 for the Class 5A, Section 2 championship.

Considering how the first half went for Mounds View, the outcome was most unexpected. The Mustangs (9-2), missing leading rusher Kyle Mauricio and starting quarterback Stephen Jensen, managed just three first downs and 39 total yards before halftime. Gerritt Schoener, the backup quarterback, was out of synch, misfiring on all eight of his passes.

"I told our guys at halftime that the way we looked in the first half, it might be next year before we scored a point," Mounds View coach Jim Galvin said.

Stillwater looked every bit like the No. 2-ranked team in the state. The Ponies, on a 5-yard touchdown run by QB Miles Heller, led 7-0 at halftime,

Mounds View came out of the locker room determined to put on a better show than in the first half. It didn't take long, as Schoener found tight end Jimmy Duffy down the left sideline for a 59-yard touchdown on the team's third play from scrimmage.

Stillwater (9-1) rallied to take a 17-7 lead, but Mounds View, playing with renewed energy, fought back. Jordan Dornbush hit Blake Anderson for a 35-yard touchdown on a halfback pass to make the score 17-14. Dornbush gave Mounds View the lead for good with a 3-yard run late in the fourth quarter, capping a nine-play, 63-yard drive.

"I tell you what, coming back like this, it's ridiculous how good it feels," said Billy Turner, Mounds View's star offensive tackle.

The victory gave Mounds View its third consecutive section championship. Galvin called it the sweetest of the three.

"To do it the way we did, with injuries and to come from behind like that, it's extremely satisfying," he said.

JIM PAULSEN