Trojans to face Cambridge-Isanti on Friday, Nov. 11
The Wayzata football team was seeded second in Section 6-5A. But after their 31-14 section final victory over Maple Grove, the Trojans don’t look ready to play second fiddle to any team in the state.
The Trojans built a 31-0 lead early in the second half, as the Crimson didn’t score their two touchdowns until garbage time late in the fourth quarter.
While the Crimson seemed shell shocked, the Trojans seemed to take it all in stride.
“We always come out and say we want to control the game,” senior running back Joey Miller said. “Coach always says if we can get the ground attack going and control the pace of the game that we’ll have a good chance. We might not have expected this, but it’s not a surprise.”
The Trojans took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in 14 plays while eating up over six minutes of the clock.
Senior quarterback Ben Gaither completed five of six passes on the drive, including two completions on fourth downs to keep the drive alive. Fullback Jimmy Sharpe eventually scored from three yards out.
“I thought Ben Gaither came out and right from the start really showed how much he has developed as a quarterback,” head coach Brad Anderson said. “He is a big-time quarterback and he made some plays for us tonight.”
After the Wayzata defense forced the Crimson to punt for a second time, Miller had the punt bounce past him all the way back to his own 14 yard line. Miller retreated, scooped up the ball and shook off two initial tacklers before sprinting down the sidelines for a 62-yard gain.
“That’s one of those where I’m yelling, ‘No, no, no’ and then ‘Go, go, go,’” Anderson said with a laugh.
It’s the second game in a row that Miller has made a big play on special teams. In the Trojans’ 35-0 section semifinal victory over Cooper, Miller returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown.
“I love punt returning; it’s something I’ve been doing for a long time,” Miller said. “I knew if I could pick up the ball and make a couple guys miss, that I would have a bunch of blockers there for me.”
Three plays after Miller’s most recent punt return, he gave the Trojans a two touchdown lead with a seven-yard scamper into the end zone.
The Trojans tacked on a field goal and led 17-0 when the Crimson shot themselves in the foot late in the second quarter.
With just 35 seconds remaining in the first half, the Crimson could have taken a knee. Instead, they tried to run the option. Quarterback Kyle Knudson pitched the ball behind running back Pat Whinnery and the Trojans pounced on the ball at the Crimson 15 yard line.
Two plays later Gaither connected with senior receiver Ben Vanderheyden on a 13-yard touchdown pass. It all but buried the Crimson’s hopes as the Trojans took a 24-0 lead into halftime.
At halftime the Crimson hadn’t completed a single pass. They ran for 23 yards and recorded only one first down.
The Trojans didn’t let up in the second half as they made another defensive stop to start the third quarter. Four plays later Gaither threw his second touchdown pass — a 14-yard strike to tight end Tommy Becker — for a 31-0 lead.
Gaither finished the game nine of 17 for 78 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Miller had only one carry in the second half, but still managed to run for 105 yards on 17 attempts.
Defensively the Trojans didn’t budge an inch as they held the Crimson running back tandem of Pat Whinnery and Ethan Magstadt to 64 yards on 20 carries. Whinnery and Magstadt had been averaging 165 yards rushing per game.
The Trojans now move on to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament on Friday, Nov. 11. They will host Cambridge-Isanti, which defeated St. Cloud Tech 20-6 in the Section 8-5A final.
The other quarterfinal in the Trojans’ half of the bracket features the Section 3-5A champions from Stillwater taking on the Section 1-5A champions from Eastview.
The other two quarterfinals will see Eden Prairie take on Mounds View and Cretin-Derham Hall face Anoka.
A preview of Wayzata vs. Cambridge-Isanti
With the exception of their geographical location, the Trojans and Blue Jackets have many similarities between them.
Both teams are 10-1 on the season, and both suffered their only loss to a team that also qualified for the state tournament.
Wayzata lost to Eden Prairie, which qualified in Class 5A, while Cambridge-Isanti fell to Becker, which qualified in Class 3A.
Both teams balance the run and pass at almost the same rate. Trojans quarterback Ben Gaither has 156 pass attempts, a little more than 1,100 yards passing and 16 touchdown passes.
Blue Jackets quarterback Hayden Vavra has 124 pass attempts, a little more than 1,200 yards passing and 12 touchdown passes.
Both teams can also run the ball, as Miller has 1,230 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns for the Trojans. The Blue Jackets have two capable running backs in seniors Joe Lindgaard and Chase Ostman.
Lindgaard has 868 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on the season, while Ostman has 529 yards rushing.
Both schools also have a rich tradition of fielding strong football teams. The Blue Jackets are making their 13th state tournament appearance. They won the Class 4A title in 2000 and won back to back state championships in 1986 and 1987.
The Trojans are making their sixth state tournament appearance after losing in last year’s Class 5A Prep Bowl to conference rival Minnetonka.
Orono falls to New Prague
The Orono football team missed a chance to punch their ticket to the state tournament when they fell 7-6 to New Prague in the Section 6-4A section final.
Junior quarterback Nick Baller ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, but was also intercepted five times.
Baller scored on a 40-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. But the Spartans missed the extra point, which would have tied the game. The Spartans finish the season with an 8-2 record.
Barber starring in NFL
Wayzata alum Marion Barber III has seen increased playing time with the Dallas Cowboys after starting running back Julius Jones went down with an injury. In a 34-13 Cowboys’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Barber ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
