Offensive and defensive line play was dominant in opening holes and filling gaps.
Rochester John Marshall overpowered St. Paul Harding, earning a 25-0 shutout in the Class AA finals. It was the first of back-to-back championships for the Rockets.
"They just killed us," St. Paul Harding coach Ken Mauer said. His squad only ran three offensive plays in the first quarter and didn't get its initial first down until there was only a minute left in the second quarter. "I was surprised how well they moved on us. They held the ball and ran right over us."
Kent Kitzmann opened the scoring with a 22-yard run in the first quarter while Mike Bailey followed with a rushing and receiving touchdown. Kitzmann carried the ball 29 times for 147 yards.
"We just beat 'em to the punch off the ball all night," Rockets coach John Drews said.
In Class B, Terry Connelly scored on a 3-yard run to cap a time-consuming drive in the third quarter as New Prague edged Appleton 13-7 for the crown. The Trojans would win two of their three championships back-to-back.
"Line blocking was the key," New Prague senior running back Alan Bisek said. "It was the tightest defensive game we've played all year."
In Nine-Man, Lake Benton's line controlled Lake Benton in a 50-12 triumph in the finals. Halfback Lonnie Willert ran for four touchdowns, scoring on runs of 6, 15, 17 and 24 yards. Lake Benton would repeat as champions the following year.
