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Fairmont pockets 1st-round sectional bye

FAIRMONT — Mat Mahoney had compiled a 67-37 overall record, including a second-place showing at the 2011 Class AAA Prep Bowl and a state quarterfinal appearance in 2013, during his first 10 years as Fairmont’s head football coach.

Despite a .644 winning percentage, the Cardinal gridders had never earned the No. 1 seed in the sectional playoffs under Mahoney’s esteemed tenure.

Thursday morning, that changed.

“This is a first being first (in Section 3AAA). It’s a tremendous feeling knowing that all the hard work that our players and coaching staff did during the offseason and throughout the first eight weeks of the regular season paid dividends,” said Mahoney. “We have nine days to get ready for our next game, so we’re going to give the guys the next couple of days off.

“We’ll get back to work on Monday, find out Tuesday night who we’ll face next Saturday and take it from there.”

Senior quarterback Nate Kallenbach completed 14 of 20 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to running for 64 more yards and another score on 11 carries, to power the Class 3A No. 6-ranked Cardinals to a 42-7 regular-season finale win over New Ulm on Wednesday night.

Middle linebacker Collin Steuber and safety Brady Allen each produced interceptions to lead to two of Fairmont’s three second-quarter TDs to help secure the section’s No. 1 seed and an opening-round bye on Tuesday night.

Despite Week 8 losses on Wednesday night, the Class AAA No. 3-ranked Sibley East Wolverines and No. 10-rated Jackson County Central Huskies held their respective No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the final QRF rankings, while the next four sectional spots shifted.

“To be honest with you, the section got shaken up after last night’s results,” said Mahoney. “A number of things changed that I didn’t predict prior to kickoff. That’s the beauty of high school football.”

Here’s an inside glance at the Section 3AAA football postseason bracket’s 7 p.m. kickoffs Tuesday night.

No. 1-seeded Fairmont (7-1) receives a first-round bye on Tuesday night, and awaits to play host to the winner between Luverne and Worthington in a 3 p.m. sectional semifinal on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Mahoney Field in Fairmont.

Fairmont carries a five-game winning streak into the playoffs, geared by a defense that allows only 12.5 points per outing and an offense that erupts at a 31.4-point clip.

Kallenbach has thrown for career-bests of 1,779 yards and 19 TDs, with senior wide receivers Wyatt Quiring and Sam Schwieger being the top recipients of his accurate throws. The 6-foot-3 Quiring tops Fairmont with 52 catches for 779 yards and nine scores, while the 6-3 Schwieger holds the team’s No. 2 spot with 21 receptions for 351 yards and four TDs.

Schwieger and Allen pace the Cardinals’ secondary with four interceptions apiece, while Steuber and linebackers Zac Ringnell and Jordan Wolter pace the tackling charts.

No. 5-seeded Worthington (2-6) at No. 4-seeded Luverne (4-4): After opening the regular season with four straight losses, Luverne head coach Todd Oye’s Cardinals have reeled off four consecutive victories to pick up momentum heading into sectional play.

Junior quarterback Ben Serie threw for 237 yards and two TDs, while senior running back Declan Beers delivered two more scores via the ground to power Luverne to a 34-7 regular-season finale win over Windom Area on Wednesday night.

Senior running back Kasyn Kruse proved double-trouble out of the backfield, catching two Serie spirals for 96 yards to complement 50 more yards on 11 carries.

Senior wideout/defensive back Tyler Reisdorfer displayed his multi-tasking skills for Luverne by making a 14-yard TD catch before producing a pick-6 by returning an interception for another score for Luverne.

But don’t count out Worthington head coach Geno Lais’ Trojans, who dropped a 47-0 decision to Class AAAA power Waseca on Wednesday night.

When healthy, senior quarterback Logan Huisman proves a dual-threat with both his legs and a strong accurate throwing arm. Senior tight end Tyler Linder can catch passes in bunches, and standing 6-4 and tipping the scales at 210 pounds, is difficult to bring down.

Senior defensive end Mason Byrne plays solidly against the run and pass, and garnered two fumble recoveries against Fairmont during the regular season.

No. 6-seeded St. Peter (2-6) at No. 3-seeded and Class AAA No. 10-ranked Jackson County Central (6-2): The Class AA No. 6-ranked Pipestone Area Arrows halted Jackson County Central’s four-game winning streak by outdueling the Huskies 35-18 during a Week 8 showdown on Wednesday night.

Junior linebacker Matt Enger delivered two defensive gems — an 86-yard fumble return for a TD and a 28-yard pick-6 — to pace the Arrows’ season-finale win.

Head coach Tom Schuller, however, will have his two-time Section 3 champion Huskies prepared for their quarterfinal clash with St. Peter mentor Brian Odland’s Saints on Tuesday night in Jackson.

Senior running back Jacob Tvinnereim still managed an impressive 148 rushing yards and one TD to pace JCC’s effort against Pipestone Area, while highly-skilled sophomore quarterback Rudy Voss contributed a 22-yard scoring run.

Voss, Tvinnereim and the Huskies’ offense has generated 30.1 points per game, while the JCC defensive scheme has limited opponents to a 15.8-point average this fall.

St. Peter helped its own postseason cause by edging Tri-City United, 25-21, via sophomore quarterback Wyatt Olson’s 12-yard TD pass to junior tight end Brock Hanson with 7:55 remaining in regulation. The Saints ended a five-game losing skid with the comeback triumph.

Olson finished with 201 passing yards and three TDs for St. Peter, junior receiver Hunter Wilmes made nine catches for 93 yards and a TD, while senior running back Alex Chadwick contributed 90 yards and one score on 20 totes to the four-point win on Wednesday night.

The Saints, who moved from the No. 7 spot to No. 6 via the Week 8 win, allow 27.8 points and score 16.9 points per outing.

No. 7-seeded Tri-City United (2-6) vs. No. 2-seeded and Class AAA No. 3-ranked Sibley East (7-1) in Arlington: Alan Halverson guided the Wolverines to seven straight victories during his head coaching debut along the Wolverines’ sideline this fall before losing to Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, 32-7, on Wednesday night.

Senior quarterback/defensive back Gavin Bates, a talented two-way starter, will look to guide Class AAA No. 3-ranked Sibley East to a sectional quarterfinal win over TCU on Tuesday night.

Bates has demonstrated the skill to effectively run and pass the football out of the backfield, in addition to topping the Wolverines’ secondary with four interceptions prior to Wednesday night’s Week 8 finale.

Sophomore Lincoln Carpenter fuels Sibley East’s three-pronged rushing attack from a running back spot, while senior Kevin Durham Jr. also supplies a legitimate threat on the ground for an offense that scores at a 26.4-point clip this season.

Senior linebacker Lucas Chavez and senior lineman Jaden Podratz will headline a Sibley East defense that holds opposing offenses to 12.3 points per outing.

TCU mentor Ken Helland and the Titans will look to bounce back from the narrow four-point loss to St. Peter during Week 8. Quarterback Peyton Collins unleashed 18 passes for a staggering 294 yards and three TDs against the Saints on Wednesday night.

TCU scores at a 22.9-point pace, while allowing 27.1 points per game to its opponents.

The higher-seeded winner between JCC–St. Peter and Sibley East–TCU will be the sectional semifinal host at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. The Section 3AAA championship clash will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, at New Ulm Public’s turf field.

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