Pierz playmaker Matthias Algarin entered the postgame news conference with a paper drinking cup in his teeth, his helmet in his right hand and the Class 3A Prep Bowl championship trophy in his left.
Matthias Algarin scored three touchdowns as Pierz won its fourth state football title
He scored the winning TD with 38 seconds left.
Algarin's hands were full throughout the top-ranked Pioneers' 28-27 escape from unranked Dassel-Cokato on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. He rushed for a game-high 165 yards and three touchdowns, caught two passes for 44 yards, made five tackles on defense and returned two kicks.
Whatever it took for Pierz (14-0) to claim its fourth Prep Bowl title. The others came in 2004, 2015 and 2017.
Algarin, a senior and a preferred walk-on for the Nebraska football and track and field teams, shined brightest on the Pioneers' go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
Facing fourth-and-1, Algarin delivered a 3-yard run. On the next play, quarterback Peter Schommer threw a ball right into Algarin's midsection for a 22-yard advance to the Chargers' 3-yard line. Two plays later, Algarin scored with 38 seconds left in the game.
"That's what he does," Pierz coach Dan Saehr said. "The kid's a playmaker."
The clutch catch stood out for Algarin.
"Peter put up a great ball and I just had to do what I had to do to get both my hands on it," Algarin said. "It felt amazing to come down with it. Right away I looked over at my teammates because we worked the last six years for this moment."
The feeling propelled him to score the go-ahead touchdown, which in turn inspired the defense to stop one final possession by Dassel-Cokato (10-4).
In the first half there was no stopping the Chargers, especially Eli Gillman. He converted all four times he was involved in fourth-down plays, and scored two touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving.
"We knew they were a really good team and we had to make the most out of every drive, and for the most part we did that," Chargers coach Ryan Weinandt said.
Two incomplete passes, a Pierz sack, and one more failed pass ended the final Dassel-Cokato drive at its own 34.
"We just played with heart," Algarin said. "The whole last quarter came down to who was going to play with heart."
After watching the Lynx from the sidelines last season, the Hall of Famer is eager to return as an assistant coach.