Ada-Borup's Mitchell Ruebke knocks down a pass intended for Nevis' Gerald Beckerleg during Thursday's section championship game at the Fargodome in Fargo.
There’s a new top dog in Minnesota section 6, 9-man football.
Check that. Top ‘cat.’
The Nevis Tigers won its first section championship game since 1993 to return to the state tournament with a 38-35 win over Ada-Borup Thursday at the Fargodome in Fargo.
After winning the section championship four consecutive years, it was only a matter of time before second seeded Ada-Borup was knocked off its tall pedestal of repeating success.
Nevis (11-0) will play the winner of Friday’s section 5 championship game between Cromwell and South Ridge.
The No. 1 seeded Tigers got cracking early, as quarterback Collin Huckbody connected with Gerald Beckerleg for a 72-yard touchdown after Beckerleg outran his defender with a perfectly ran route.
The Cougars were quick to answer, as an offensive attack composed of significant gains by Lance Ruebke and Blake Fetting set up a 1 yard score by Ruebke. Fetting gave Ada-Borup the lead with the PAT, 7-6.
It looked as though Nevis would just take the lead back, threatening just 7-yards from the goal line, but Fetting picked off a rushed Huckbody. It was Huckbody’s first mistake; he would throw another interception, but Ada-Borup (9-2) never made Nevis pay.
“Talking to the kids all week, we told them to just weather the storm,” Nevis coach Shawn Klimek said. “With their (Ada-Borup’s) experience, we thought we would have crumbled after making some mistakes, but we ended up making the plays that saved us.”
Huckbody weathered the storm by creating one of his own.
Nevis’ Huckbody recovered from his first interception by leading three scoring drives which he finished every single one with touchdowns from a yard out, all on quarterback sneaks. Huckbody totaled 140 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns and 223 yards through the air.
“Collin makes great plays every game,” Klimek said. “He’s a great player who isn’t afraid to take the game into his hands. He’s explosive.”
After Huckbody’s three scores, Nevis held a 24-7 advantage, and it seemed Ada-Borup was doomed before the first half even ended.
All Ada-Borup needed was something positive to happen, and gaining a first down after not doing so for 18 minutes and 30 seconds was enough.
Following the movement of the chains, Ruebke ran 9 yards into the end zone, shortening the gap to 24-13. Then after the defense forced the Tigers to punt, Lance’s cousin, Mitchell Ruebke received JD Kappes’ pass for a 50-yard touchdown.
Mitchell Ruebke would score again with a 22-yard touchdown reception, and Ada-Borup, after scoring 21 points in just 3 minutes and 17 seconds led at the half, 28-24. Mitchell Ruebke ended the game with 165 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
“Mitchell made things happen himself. He ran his routes to perfection and gave us a chance to win it,” Ada-Borup coach Nathan Brager said. “We felt great at the half, but Nevis just outperformed and shut us down in the end.”
Specifically, Nevis’ offensive line provided enough pocket space and running room for Huckbody and company at the fourth quarter’s start, as the senior quarterback overcame three third and long situations with accurate passes and leadership throughout a 10 play drive which resulted in a touchdown and 32-28 lead.
Ada-Borup’s Mitchell Ruebke would score once more, but only after Nevis did again, and the Cougars’ walked off the field without the familiar post game celebration.
“It’s amazing knowing that we’re headed to the state tournament,” Klimek said. “This group of guys put a lot of effort to get to where they are now, and they deserve it.”
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