Spring Grove's late burst sinks Fertile-Beltrami in Nine-Man semifinals

Credit instinct, credit training, credit a lifetime of athletic pursuits. However you frame it, Spring Grove took care of Fertile-Beltrami 27-6 in the Nine-Man semifinals Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium with a stable of athletes unafraid to do what needed to be done.

There was no hesitation when opportunities presented themselves, no worry about making mistakes.

"These guys are good football players, but they're also good all-around athletes who play a variety of sports," Lions coach Kody Moore said. "When you play a variety of sports, you just get used to making plays in the game flow."

Two plays in the first half stood out.

First, senior wide receiver Tysen Grinde bobbled a punt, secured it and raced for a 76-yard touchdown, giving the Lions (13-0) a 14-6 lead.

"I was like, 'Just don't fumble,'" Grinde said. "And then I saw that I had a block, I cut back and it was just open from there."

Later, quarterback Elijah Solum rolled to his left. The Fertile-Beltrami defensive line was in pursuit when Solum spotted Caleb Griffin open in the flat and shot-putted a pass over the defense to Griffin, who turned it into an 11-yard gain.

A fumble two plays later ended a promising drive, but the point had been made. Spring Grove, which won Nine-Man titles in 2017 and 2018, was playing do-what-it-takes football.

Fertile-Beltrami (11-1) kept the game close until the fourth quarter, but Solum scored on two short runs.

"Our defense was playing pretty good," Fertile-Beltrami coach Brian Nelson said. "It was 14-6 for quite a long time in the second half. It just kind of got away from us at the end."