Minnetrista, MN – In what seemed like an impossible situation, Westonka used a 65-yard touchdown catch by Blake Reinbold with 1:46 left to play in the fourth quarter to propel Westonka to a 28-27 victory over Providence Academy in a Section 6AAAA Quarterfinal Playoff game at Haddorff Field on a cold, blustery, Tuesday evening. The White Hawks now move on to the Section 6AAAA Semifinals against Orono on Saturday afternoon at Pesonen Stadium. Game time is set for 3pm.
For the first time in program history, Westonka (3-6), has won a playoff game in back-to-back seasons. Last year, the White Hawks demolished Delano 47-0 in the Section 6AAAA Quarterfinal game at Haddorff Field, in a game that saw Reinbold tally two touchdowns in that win.
After an opening three-and-out by the White Hawks offense, the Lions took over at midfield, but the Westonka defense held, forcing a Providence Academy punt. The punt bounced at the 28-yard line and bounced into the hands of returner Brandt Tebbs, who took the ball at the 20-yard line on the right hashmarks, avoided a tackler by running right, and then cut back to his left all the way across the field before being pushed out of bounds. The 47-yard return set up Westonka at the Lions 33-yard line. However, a false start penalty stalled the drive and senior quarterback Cade Newell’s fourth down pass to Tebbs went incomplete.
Providence’s ensuing drive led to a 10-play 67-yard drive capped by Daniel Fahnlander’s 8-yard run with 1:48 to play in the first quarter. Noah Boro’s extra point was blocked by sophomore Dane Sewell. The White Hawks would return the favor by embarking on a 7-play 72-yard drive using a Newell to Tebbs pass of 14 yards, a Wyatt Stepanek 12-yard run, and a Newell 21-yard dash to the right pylon that was ruled out of bounds at the half yard line. Newell would keep it himself for the 1-yard TD, but his subsequent run for the two-point conversion was stopped just short, leaving the game tied 6-6 with 8:57 left in the 2nd quarter. “Our offense has continued to improve with each and every week, and Tuesday night was another showcase of that," said White Hawks Head Coach Nick David.
The Lions would get to the Westonka 30-yard line on their next possession, but their fourth down pass was dropped at the White Hawks 22-yard line. Newell would lead an almost identical drive as the last, hitting Tebbs (2 catches, 28 yards) for 14 yards, plus getting a roughing the passer penalty on the play, moving the ball down to the Lions 26-yard line. Stepanek then found room up the middle for 14 yards. Then, Newell’s second down pass was intercepted deep in the end zone, but cornerback Quinn LaCombe brought the ball out and was hit by Tebbs who stripped the ball loose allowing offensive lineman Andrew Hoisington to scoop it up at the 13-yard line, and as Chris Berman on ESPN would say, “rumbling, bumbling, stumbling” his way but falling just short of the goal line. Newell would eventually punch it in from a yard out with just 1:46 to play in the first half. Leif Hagen’s extra point gave the White Hawks their first lead at 13-6. “Playoff games are won and lost in the trenches and I was very pleased with the way the offensive line came out and battled. They continue to get better with each and every game,” said White Hawks offensive line coach Brandon Brakstad.
With under a minute to play in the half, Providence’s quarterback, J.J. Rooney tried to find leading receiver Nolan Schneider, but Newell stepped in front of the pass and took the interception down the left sideline to the Lions’ 28-yard line. Stepanek (9 carries, 40 yards) found some daylight on the left side going out of bounds and stopping the clock with 11 seconds left. On the next play, Newell rolled to his right to pass, looked to run but then found Reinbold in the back of the end zone for the 7-yard touchdown with just 4 seconds remaining. Hagen’s extra-point increased the lead to 20-6. “That last touchdown of the first half ultimately turned into a broken play due to the defensive pressure, and it just looked like Cade and Blake were playing recess football. It was so much fun to see them make a play,” stated Westonka offensive coordinator Mike Wallace.
Providence came out in the 3rd quarter running the ball on seven consecutive plays going 70 yards with leading rusher Dae Dae McCrimmon taking it in from 2-yards out cutting the lead to 20-13 with 7:15 left. On the subsequent kickoff, Stepanek bobbled the bouncing ball before trying to fall on it, however, the Lions were able to come out of the pile with the ball at the Westonka 35-yard line. Two plays later, Reinbold would run stride-for-stride alongside Lions receiver Kennedy Capp, before turning and leaping for the ball near the goal line and intercepting it, but was called for a controversial holding penalty giving Providence Academy great field position inside the red zone. “Blake really couldn’t have played that ball better than he did. Though that play didn’t end up with the result we wanted, we are going to keep coaching our defensive backs up to do exactly what he did,” asserted Westonka defensive backs coach Brian Ibs. Once again, McCrimmon would cap the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Boro’s extra-point knotted the game at 20-20 with 3:24 left in the 3rd quarter.
Westonka’s offense, which used a great mix of run and pass on the night, drove to the Lions’ 32-yard line but faced a 4th-and-10. Newell hit Reinbold on a screen pass to the left, which he carried right at the first down marker. The referees brought the chains out and the ball was six inches short of the line-to-gain giving Providence possession. The Lions were able to milk most of the fourth quarter clock as they marched down the field covering 77 yards in 13 plays. Fullback Ayden Hanssen bounded up the middle for the 11-yard TD run, and the subsequent extra-point by Boro gave the Lions the lead with just 4:11 remaining in the game. “We played really well in the first half on Tuesday night, but lost momentum throughout most of the second half. There are a lot of things we need to clean up moving into Saturday’s semifinal game,” declared White Hawks defensive coordinator Kyle Ague.
What transpired next was nothing short of a miracle, and for some fans, brought back fond memories of the Minneapolis Miracle where Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, caught one of the most improbable touchdown passes in NFL history, on the last play of the 2018 NFC Divisional game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The White Hawks started the miraculous drive on their own 20-yard line after a touchback on the kickoff. The first three plays resulted in one total yard bringing up 4th-and-9. On a great play design, Tebbs took two defenders deep allowing Reinbold to run a deep out from his slot receiver position, allowing Newell to find Reinbold just inside the Lions sideline. The 14-yard catch gave them breathing room and on the next play Newell would overthrow Tebbs in the middle of the field, but Providence was called for roughing the passer giving Westonka a first down at midfield. After an incompletion and a Stepanek one yard run, The Lions coaching staff called timeout with about two minutes left in the game. On 3rd-and-10, Newell was pressured immediately up the middle and forced him to his right, but as he turned to scramble he slipped and fell at the Westonka 35-yard line bringing up fourth and forever, which translated to 4th-and-26 with the season on the line.
The potential play seemed as if the senior’s high school football careers were about to end. Nonetheless, a play was sent in to try and save the season. Eric Donelan, Tebbs and Reinbold set up in a trips formation to the right with Reinbold nearer to the ball. At the snap, Reinbold (5 rushes, 28 yards; 8 catches, 109 yards) ran around Tebbs on a scissor route, which took him down the right hashmarks, he then cut in front of the two deep Lions defenders making a leaping catch two yards short of the first down marker causing two defenders to collide and fall down, but then Reinbold was able to break a tackle at the 41-yard line and sprint into the end zone for the 65-yard touchdown. Westonka’s coaches didn’t hesitate on going for the win and lined up for the two-point try. Newell crashed in over left tackle where Remington Nelson, Hoisington, and Dawson Leinfelder created a push allowing lead blockers Dane Sewell and Will Pioske to generate enough of a hole for Newell giving Westonka the lead with 1:46 to play in the game. Then, on the consequent kickoff, Hagen placed a perfect “pooch” kick that literally back spun at the Lions 35-yard line allowing the White Hawks’ Maddox Hill to fall on the ball. With the Lions still having two timeouts, Westonka needed to pick up a first down and they did just that on 4th-and-1 with Newell following big Phil Pisarchuk over the right side ultimately ending the game and sending the White Hawks faithful into a frenzy.
Newell, who began the season as a first-time varsity starter, blossomed on this otherwise dreary night, throwing (10-24-137 yards) and running (16 carries, 49 yards) for a combined four touchdowns, while also intercepting a pass that led to one of Reinbold’s two scores. Defensively, Tebbs, Sewell and Hoisington each tallied 10 tackles with Tebbs, Anders Mjelstad (8 tackles), and Carter Holappa (6 tackles) registering a tackle-for-loss. Newell added five tackles from his free safety position and Pisarchuk finished with five tackles. Leinfelder added three tackles, with Max French tallying three tackles, which included a huge hit along the Westonka sideline. Reinbold, Will Pioske, and Emmitt Johnson each had two tackles.
