Mike Thai ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns, quarterback Eric Kline threw another TD and the Bengals shut down Andover’s typically high-octane offense in a 33-13 drubbing of the Huskies.
With the victory, Blaine (6-1) likely wrapped up the top seed for the Section 7-5A Playoffs.
And the Bengals made it look surprisingly easy.
Led by strong-armed quarterback Tyler Finnes, Andover (5-2) had averaged more than 400 yards of offense and 33 points a night. But Di-Jon Starr and the rest of the Bengals limited the Huskies to just 209 yards. Finnes, who came in with 1,570 passing yards, struggled to a 12-for-27 night and 74 yards.
“We came in with the mind-set that we don’t care how many yards per game they get,” Starr told the Pioneer Press. “We know we’re a strong defense that plays its hearts out. The scoreboard will take care of itself.”
Blaine, ranked third in Class 5A, closes out the regular season at Elk River next week. Andover, the ninth-ranked team in 5A, hosts Maple Grove.
Here’s a look at other intriguing games from around the state:
Cretin-Derham Hall 20, Mounds View 0: The Raiders turned Mark Alt’s absence into a non-story by turning in a sparkling defensive effort against the 10th-ranked squad in 5A. Alt’s replacement, Joe Miller, threw for 131 yards and two scores to help Cretin-Derham Hall (6-1) rebound from last week’s loss to Stillwater – the first game for the Raiders after Alt, the all-world QB, suffered a broken collarbone that could keep him out for the rest of the season. The Mustangs fall to 5-2.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s 30, St. Michael-Albertville 10: The Red Knights (5-2) nearly knocked off perennial power Totino-Grace earlier in the season, but fell 48-44. Wednesday, they made good on an upset bid by stunning St. Michael-Albertville (5-2), which is ranked sixth in Class 4A.
Caledonia 20, Southland 7: In a matchup of the Nos. 1 and 10 teams in Class 2A, top-ranked Caledonia’s defense was too much. The Warriors have now given up just 26 points all season. They improve to 7-0, while the Rebels fall to 6-1.
Sartell-St. Stephen 38, Sauk Rapids-Rice 13: Sartell-St. Stephen goes to 7-0 with another nifty victory over a tough opponent. Sauk Rapids-Rice drops to 5-2.
Best of the rest:
Dassel-Cokato 18, Delano 13
Hutchinson 40, Shakopee 13
Minneapolis Washburn 20, Minneapolis Southwest 18, OT
Stillwater 17, White Bear Lake 3
Albany 32, Foley 6
Information from the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune was used for this report.
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