In an exciting back-and-forth ballgame, the fifth-seeded Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda Coyotes prevailed with a 32-25 victory over the fourth-seeded Madelia Blackhawks in Madelia last Tuesday night (October 22) in the opening round of the Section 3 9-man high school football tournament.
Tuesday’s victory was the first playoff win in the two-year history of the combined program (HL-O and Fulda) and advanced the Coyotes to the section semifinals against top-seeded Mountain Lake Area (see separate story).
“What a fun night it was in Madelia, getting the first playoff win in Coyote history,” HL-O/F co-head coach Jonathon Curry said. “It was a great game, back-and-forth all night long. The kids really made play after play when we needed it to come out on top.”
HL-O/F, which improved to 3-6 with the win, scored the go-ahead touchdown with 4:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. Trailing 25-24, the Coyotes scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Eli Fest to Zach Thier — plus a two-point conversion run by Fest — to take a 32-25 lead.
The Coyotes then got a big defensive stop on Madelia’s final possession and ran out the clock to secure a seven-point victory on the road.
“We played well on both sides of the ball,” Curry said. “We ran the ball for 331 yards on 60 carries and had some key pass plays, as well. The defense also played great and held an explosive offense in check, making big plays at the end to seal the victory.”
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