Ivan Martin

FAIRMONT — Perennial playoff rivals.

In their roles as high school activities directors, Fairmont’s Mat Mahoney and Luverne’s Todd Oye almost could pencil in their football teams squaring off in a postseason game on the last Saturday afternoon in October.

When Class AAA No. 8-ranked and No. 1-seeded Fairmont (8-1) plays host to No. 4-seeded Luverne (6-3) in today’s 2 p.m. Section 3AAA game at Thomas Mahoney Field in Fairmont, it will be the fifth time in the last eight years the two Cardinal gridders have clashed in the semifinal round.

“We’re definitely not strangers when it comes to the playoffs,” said Mahoney. “Our coaching staff knows Luverne’s tendencies and their coaches know what we like to do, so no real surprises there.

“Although … this is probably the first season I’ve coached that our rushing game is averaging more yards each time out (213.1) than our passing game is throwing for (144.1).”

Junior running back Elijah Johnson enters this afternoon’s playoff game with a team-leading 1,244 yards and 19 touchdowns on 132 carries. Ironically, Johnson erupted for a first-quarter school-record 171 rushing yards and four TDs during Fairmont’s 38-0 sectional quarterfinal rout over No. 8-seeded Albert Lea on Tuesday night.

“We’re a lot more balanced offensively this season than in the past,” Mahoney said in reference to senior quarterback Blaze Geiger’s stellar numbers of 1,189 passing yards and 13 TDs in conjunction with senior split end Levi Pooley’s team-high 37 catches for 641 yards and six scores. “Defensively, we’ve been lights out, highlighted by four shutouts and allowing only 8.9 points per game.”

Luverne demonstrated its deft skills at playing smothering defense by gaining today’s sectional semifinal on the strength of a low-scoring 6-2 win over No. 5-seeded Tri-City United four nights ago.

The Cardinals and Titans played to a scoreless tie through three completed quarters before Luverne outside linebacker Gavin DeBeer recovered a TCU fumble 10 seconds into the fourth frame.

Sophomore quarterback Josh Hansen zipped a long-distance spiral to Elliot Domagala out of the backfield to eventually set up running back Sam Rock’s dive into the end zone to account for the playoff game’s only TD.

“Luverne uses multiple formations and their coaching staff does a good job of getting their players in the right spots to succeed,” said Mahoney. “DeBeer is athletic on both sides of the ball (receiver and outside linebacker), while they can use three different players at quarterback in (Conner) Connell, Hansen and (Carter) Sehr, while rotating each of them to receiver or out of the backfield.

“They’ve got good size up front, averaging almost 250 (pounds) per blocker, so they like to run the football.”

The winner between Fairmont and Luverne advances to face either No. 2-seeded Waseca and No. 3-seeded Jordan at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, on the artificial turf at New Ulm High School for the sectional championship and a Class AAA state bid.

Fairmont has defeated Luverne in the sectional semifinals four consecutive times — 2022, 2021, 2017 and 2016 — while only playing during Week 5 of the 2019 regular season.

The two Big South Conference teams did not play in 2018 or 2020.