A generous number of the Hutchinson football faithful gave Thursday's Class 4A state tournament quarterfinal game at Lakeville South a pro-Tigers vibe.
The visitors were right at home watching their boys roll to a 44-12 victory against Totino-Grace. Junior running back Nathan Thode ran for three Tigers touchdowns in the first half (four overall) to set the romp in motion.
No. 2 Hutchinson (9-2), victorious 20-3 on Sept. 15 at Totino-Grace (7-4), advances to the semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"Our town is amazing," senior offensive lineman Anton Kadlec said. "Everywhere you go, everyone has an H on their car."
After the game, Grady Rostberg, legendary former Hutchinson football coach, zeroed the focus of the Tigers offensive attack on Kadlec, all 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds of him.
"We've had two guys in the NFL, and he's just as good as them," said Rostberg, still an assistant coach. "He's big, he's smart, he plays basketball, he ran a 4.82 for the Gophers. But they'd like him to be 6-foot-5. And it just bugs me because he just dominated everybody."
Totino-Grace would agree. With Kadlec, a third-year varsity player, blowing open holes, Thode punctuated long drives with some breakaway runs to keep Hutchinson in control.
"It's great to see him really step up and become a leader this year," Kadlec said. "He runs hard, he plays hard and tackles hard. When our backs are giving their all for us, the offensive line will give it all back. Both groups do it for the other."
Junior running back Marquel Keten cut the Totino-Grace deficit to 14-6 in the second quarter with his 31-yard touchdown dash on fourth down. Keten heated up, but Thode and the Tigers offense never cooled down.
Hutchinson scored at least 30 points for the sixth consecutive game. Its lead ballooned to 44-6 to trigger running time — which sent their crowd home extra happy because they got a head start on the 70-mile trip.
"All the teams I've played on have been really good," Kadlec said. "But this team — we have a lot of great players."
