ALEXANDRIA -- The ROCORI Spartans football team is heading back to the high school football state tournament.
The second-seeded Spartans defeated the previously undefeated and top-seeded Detroit Lakes in the Section 8-4A championship game on Friday night in Alexandria to claim the section title and earn a trip to the Class 4A state tournament.
In a snowy atmosphere at Alexandria High School in the section championship contest, ROCORI took down Detroit Lakes 14-6 to win clinch a spot in the state tournament.
The Spartans kicked off the scoring in the game in the opening quarter, when quarterback Jack Steil ran for a one-yard touchdown that was followed up by a two-point conversion to put ROCORI up 8-0 over Detroit Lakes after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lakers narrowed the game down to 8-6 when they returned an interception for a touchdown, but the Spartans were able to maintain the lead.
Later on in the frame before halftime, ROCORI put the game away for good when Steil ran for a seven-yard touchdown that brought the game to the final of 14-6.
Steil paced the way the Spartans offense on the ground in the victory, finishing with 174 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Luke Humbert finished with 69 yards rushing on 14 carries, Brady Linn added 17 yard on the ground on four rushing attempts and Jayden Philippi pitched in with 13 yards rushing on five carries for ROCORI, which tallied a total of 271 rushing yards in the contest.
On the defensive side of the ball, Isaac Massmann led the way for the Spartans with 7.5 tackles and one tackle for loss. Steil finished with 6.5 tackles, including two tackles for loss, while Humber and Drew Schneider each added 4.5 tackles a piece. Camdyn Bauer and Andrew Anderson each finished the game with one interception for ROCORI.
With the win and berth into the Class 4A state tournament, the Spartans will kick off action in the state tournament when they face the Delano Tigers -- a team ROCORI beat 27-7 in the regular season -- at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 8) at Husky Stadium on the campus of St. Cloud State University. The winner of that game will face the winner of Winona/Simley in the Class 4A semifinals on Nov. 15 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The second-seeded Spartans defeated the previously undefeated and top-seeded Detroit Lakes in the Section 8-4A championship game on Friday night in Alexandria to claim the section title and earn a trip to the Class 4A state tournament.
In a snowy atmosphere at Alexandria High School in the section championship contest, ROCORI took down Detroit Lakes 14-6 to win clinch a spot in the state tournament.
The Spartans kicked off the scoring in the game in the opening quarter, when quarterback Jack Steil ran for a one-yard touchdown that was followed up by a two-point conversion to put ROCORI up 8-0 over Detroit Lakes after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lakers narrowed the game down to 8-6 when they returned an interception for a touchdown, but the Spartans were able to maintain the lead.
Later on in the frame before halftime, ROCORI put the game away for good when Steil ran for a seven-yard touchdown that brought the game to the final of 14-6.
Steil paced the way the Spartans offense on the ground in the victory, finishing with 174 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Luke Humbert finished with 69 yards rushing on 14 carries, Brady Linn added 17 yard on the ground on four rushing attempts and Jayden Philippi pitched in with 13 yards rushing on five carries for ROCORI, which tallied a total of 271 rushing yards in the contest.
On the defensive side of the ball, Isaac Massmann led the way for the Spartans with 7.5 tackles and one tackle for loss. Steil finished with 6.5 tackles, including two tackles for loss, while Humber and Drew Schneider each added 4.5 tackles a piece. Camdyn Bauer and Andrew Anderson each finished the game with one interception for ROCORI.
With the win and berth into the Class 4A state tournament, the Spartans will kick off action in the state tournament when they face the Delano Tigers -- a team ROCORI beat 27-7 in the regular season -- at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 8) at Husky Stadium on the campus of St. Cloud State University. The winner of that game will face the winner of Winona/Simley in the Class 4A semifinals on Nov. 15 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.