The Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms met a familiar foe in the Section 1A football final Friday night at Triton High School in Dodge Center in the personage of the Goodhue Wildcats.  The two teams were meeting in the playoffs for the 10th time in the last 12 years, and for the third straight year in the 1A final.  The Wildcats had held the unbeaten Blossoms to their lowest point total of the season in Week 4 in a 27-6 Blooming Prairie win, but the Blossoms’ offense, averaging just over 50 points a game was at its high-flying best Friday night in a 59-12 rout of Goodhue and a second straight Section 1A title.

Blooming Prairie never trailed as a 4-yard touchdown run by Gabe Hagen put the Blossoms in the lead 7-0, and a 35-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Colin Jordinson increased BP’s lead early on to 10-0.  After a Goodhue touchdown cut the lead to 10-6, the Blossoms pulled away from there as a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kaden Thomas to Hagen increased Blooming Prairie’s lead to 17-6, and a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Matthew Prior boosted the lead to 24-6.  An 8-yard touchdown run by Bradley Simon made the score 31-6 in favor of Blooming Prairie, and later an interception by Zach Weber led to another touchdown run for Prior, another 3-yard plunge that increased the Blossoms’ lead to 38-6.  Blooming Prairie kept pouring it on to lead 45-12 at the half, and they put up 14 more second half points for the final score.

Blooming Prairie, who was ranked No. 2 in the final Class A poll from the AP is now a pefect 10-0 on the season, and they head back to the State Class A football tourmanent for the second year in a row.  The Blossoms will meet Springfield, the champions of Section 3  in the quarterfinals next Saturday in Janesville at 12 noon.  The Tigers, who are also 10-0 edged Martin County West 23-21 in the Section 3A  final Friday afternoon at SMSU in Marshall.  You will be able to catch the play-by-play of the game next Saturday on US Country 99.9, with the pre-game at 11:30 a.m. and kickoff at noon.  You’ll also be able to hear the game online at myuscountry.com, and also via the I Heart Radio app.