BLAINE, MN - The 2010 High School Football season has been a battle week in and week out. And as two Northwest Suburban teams met up in the Section Finals, fans could expect nothing less than a solid contest between the top two seeds in Section 7 of Class AAAAA. The top-seeded Blaine Bengals (10-0 overall) earned home field advantage through the Section Playoffs when they went undefeated through the Northwest Suburban Conference regular season; which up until the start of this game, earned them the #2 ranking in the Minnesota Sports Online Class AAAAA Polls. The first half of this game was quite entertaining as the two spread offenses went toe-to-toe in front of a packed house in Blaine, MN. Both teams were led offensively tonight by Senior Quarterbacks that were at the top of the conference in both rushing and passing statistically. Eric Kline (Blaine) and Tyler Finnes (Andover) did not disappoint in this Section Championship Game as their play on the field led them to be named our MSBN Players of the Game.

After a Blaine punt on their first possession, the Andover Huskies (8-3 overall) looked good moving the ball against a stout Blaine defense picking up a couple first downs on just a handful of plays. Finnes attempted a long pass to the endzone on the sixth play of the drive, but the ball was intercepted on a controversial play by Blaine Sophomore Cornerback Joe Robel. The ball hit the ground after Robel made a play on the ball in the air, but he came out of a pile with the ball and the referees gave Blaine the rock on their own 3 yard line. This possession would leave to a 14 play, 97 yard drive capped off by a Ben Pigorsch 7-yard Touchdown run. This drive was impressive by the Bengals, as the team mixed the run and the pass pretty equally and gave Andover's defense match-up fits.

The Huskies though would not be beaten down by this score as Finnes led his team into the endzone himself on a 4-yard Touchdown run after a 12 play, 69 yard drive. Finnes did much of the damage on the ground during the game himself, but was complemented nicely by Sophomore Running Back Camden Briggity, who in the end, matched Finnes carry for carry and beat out the Senior QB by 2 yards on the final box score. The Quarterback combatants looked like masters of the sweet science, as they traded punches back and forth from drive to drive. After Finnes' TD to make it 7-7, Kline took the field with the Bengals and made short work of the Andover Huskies defense scoring a 29-yard Touchdown on a nifty run through multiple tacklers. This 6 play, 61 yard drive was short and sweet, but Senior Kicker Jon Ketola's extra-point attempt was no good and the score stood at 13-7 Bengals with 7:20 remaining in the 2nd Quarter.

This quick score by Blaine, seemed to knock the wind out of the sails of the visiting Huskies, as they punted on their final two offensive possessions of the 1st Half. The first of those punts, led to another quick and deadly drive by Blaine, as Eric Kline found the endzone again from 11 yards out and Blaine went into the locker room at Halftime leading 20-7 over the Huskies on a cold night in early November.

The 2nd Half looked like Andover would catch a defensive break as Junior Cornerback Tyler Bridgeman Intercepted a Kline pass on the goal line and looked to fall into the endzone, but was ruled down at the 1 yard line, instead of getting the touchback. This led to a compromised position for the Huskies and on the shadow of their own goal line, they fumbled the ball on the two and gave the Bengals great field position which would lead to another Kline Touchdown. This Touchdown looked to spell the end for Andover as Eric Kline walked into the endzone on the first play after the fumble and made the score 27-7.

Andover couldn't stop the bleeding as Kline continued his brilliance and scored one of the most exciting individual Touchdowns for the entire 2010 HS Football season on the Bengals next offensive possession. Blaine started the drive on their own 28 yard line and moved the ball 29 yards on five plays. The sixth play of the drive was a highlight reel Touchdown by the Senior Kline who ran all over the field spinning out of tackles and making would be pursuers collapse in his wake. The 43-yard Touchdown run made the score 34-7 with 1:30 remaining in the 3rd Quarter.

Andover attempted a comeback on their return with the ball and made it into the redzone, behind superb grit and determination by Finnes and the entire Huskies team, including on the drive a sensational outstretched catch by Senior Wide Receiver Jake Wagner. The positivity behind the Huskies looked promising and just as they thought they had one last push on the scoreboard, Senior Linebacker Chris Thomas Intercepted a Tyler Finnes pass and returned the ball 94-yards on the return to score a defensive Touchdown for the second week in a row. The Thomas "Pick-6" made the score 40-7 with 11:15 remaining in the 4th Quarter.

Tyler Finnes would add one more rushing Touchdown on the game, when he scampered in from 6 yards out on a drive that started after a Blaine fumble by Running Back Ben Pigorsch. The Touchdown halfway through the 4th Quarter was a too little too late in the game and on the season for the Huskies. The Huskies would fall 40-14 in the Section Final and end their season at 8-3 overall. The win propels the Bengals into the State Tournament Quarterfinals and Blaine will take on the #1 ranked team in Class AAAAA, the Wayzata Trojans next Thursday, the 11th of November from Osseo High School in Osseo, MN. LIVE broadcast coverage of that State Quarterfinal and many more can be heard right here on MnSportsNetwork.com. Check the MSBN Full Schedule for updates of times and match-ups of all State Tournament games leading up to the Prep Bowl from the Metrodome on November 26th and 27th.

MSBN Players of the Game:
Andover - QB Tyler Finnes - 7 for 17 for 86 yards; 19 carries for 65 yards, 2 TDs
Blaine - QB Eric Kline - 12 for 18 for 141 yards; 24 carries for 183 yards, 4 TDs