Elk River tops Rogers 20-14 in Class 5A playoffs

This was not what anyone expected.

When Elk River and Rogers met 10 days ago in the football regular-season finale, the two teams combined for 76 points and about 900 yards of offense.

A shootout in the rematch Saturday was practically a given.

Instead, the respective defenses made their presences felt. And a pair of plays by Elk River senior defensive back Bobby Heinzen stood above all others in leading the Elks to a 20-14 victory over the host Royals in the Class 5A, Section 6 semifinal.

The game started off as anticipated. Rogers took the opening kickoff and marched swiftly downfield. Quarterback Easton Miller hit Joe Moss on a slant for a 14-yard touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.

Elk River quickly answered when running back Ryan Wilson swept around right end for a 50-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, leaving Rogers with a 7-6 lead.

Just 25 seconds later, Heinzen made the first of his game-altering plays. After Rogers had reached the Elk River 10-yard line on a long run, Miller's pass into the right flat was intercepted by Heinzen, who outran the Royals defense for a 90-yard touchdown, and Wilson's conversion run made it a 14-7 Elks lead less than six minutes into the game.

Just as quickly as the flood of points happened, the spigot ran dry. Neither team scored again until Miller, scrambling to his right on fourth-and-4 from the Elk River 31, directed Austin Auld to head downfield, then hit him in stride for a game-tying touchdown with less than three minutes left in the half. The teams were tied 14-14 at halftime.

Elk River mounted an epic 17-play, 64-yard drive lasting more than nine minutes to start the second half. The Elks appeared poised to take the lead, only to fumble the ball away on the Rogers 1.

"It felt like that could have been the moment when we lost it," Elk River coach Steve Hamilton said. "But the defense stepped up and made plays. Obviously, that's the best defense we've played all year."

Elk River took the lead midway through the fourth quarter when Wilson went 68 yards for another touchdown on a play identical to his first score.

"I was just trying to catch the edge," Wilson said. "As soon as I saw the opening, I just ran as fast as I could."

"I knew that play was coming," Heinzen said. "Normally all you hear about is our offense. We were angry. So we came out here, did our job, and this is what happens."