Hutchinson piles up points on Stewartville in Class 4A football quarterfinal

AJ Ladwig said it's hard to win if you can't run the ball.

No team in the state embodies that more than the Hutchinson Tigers.

Ladwig starred with 21 carries for 283 yards and four touchdowns in Hutchinson's 60-22 Class 4A state quarterfinal win over Stewartville on Thursday at Lakeville South High School.

"It was all my O-line," said Ladwig, who exceeded 1,000 yards on the season. "Without them, we couldn't do it. Every ball carrier was able to march down the field because of them."

Levi Teetzel is usually the headliner. He's nearing 2,000 yards after chipping in 15 carries for 89 yards.

The game had the trappings of a state championship matchup. Stewartville (10-1) entered No. 1 in the Class 4A rankings and Hutchinson (10-1) No. 2.

Section 1 champion Stewartville was up for the challenge for one half of this all-Tigers matchup. It led 7-6 after one quarter. Carter Miller returned a kick 75 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to respond to a pair of Hutchinson touchdowns.

It was still a 14-point game after three quarters, but Stewartville couldn't get a timely stop in the fourth.

Stewartville had a 1,000-yard back in senior Owen Sikkink. Hutchinson was without senior linebacker and University of Minnesota commit Alex Elliott because of an ankle injury.

The defense didn't skip a beat. It held Sikkink to 17 carries for 44 yards and the Tigers under 50 rushing yards as a team.

Sikkink's inroads came through the air with seven receptions for 96 yards.

"We tried to get our athletes in space as much as we could," Stewartville coach Garrett Mueller said. "They did a nice job defensively, as well, making it tough to get Owen the ball. They doubled him when we put him out in space and committed eight or nine guys to the box when we tried to run the ball."

"We just came out and played our football," Hutchinson coach Andy Rostberg said. "Physical, we're going to block you, tackle you and run the ball hard."