, 
Although the Hills-Beaver Creek football team also won the Section championship in 2020, the 2021 HBC football team went on to play in the quarter-finals of the Minnesota State Tournament for nine-man football for the first time since 2001.
The Section 3 Champions defeated the Section 2 Champions, the Renville County West Jaguars 30-7 in Marshall on a windy, cold and snowy evening Friday, Nov. 12, at the Southwest Minnesota State University Stadium.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Jaguars were able to garner two first downs, but the Patriot defense stiffened and forced a punt.
The Patriots managed a quick first down on a Cole Baker run, but a fumbled snap on fourth down later in the drive gave the ball back to the Jaguars at mid field.
The rest of the quarter remained scoreless as each team fought against the other’s defense and the winter-like conditions.
The Patriot defense held the Jaguar offense in check for the majority of the game.
Defensive linemen Max Scholten and Cody Moser and defensive ends Donavon Leenderts and Cole Baker continually stymied the Jaguar offense throughout the evening.
Meanwhile, the linebacking corps of Casey Kueter, Austin Allen and Brayden Metzger stepped up to fill the gaps and make the stops.
In the second quarter at 7:21, Baker took an option pitch over the right side from quarterback Oliver Deelstra and sprinted 75 yards for the first score of the game.
The two-point conversion was good on a nifty backward pass to Ty Bundesen, who then passed the ball forward to Andrew Harris camped in the end zone. This sprung the Patriots to an 8-0 lead.
After the score the Patriot defensemen continued their physical play and kept the Jaguars out of the end zone the rest of the half. A late first-half, Baker’s interception of a Jaguar pass aided the Patriots’ first-half defensive efforts.
The third quarter began with the Patriots receiving the kickoff. However, on the first play, a Jaguar defender deflected a Deelstra pass and intercepted it deep in Patriots territory.
But the Patriots defense answered the call as Drew Leenderts scooped up a Renville County West fumble on the second play and rumbled 20 yards to their own 45-yard line.
The Patriots were soon forced to punt where the Jaguars took over at their own 20-yard line. Three plays later, Patriot nose guard Scholten used a swim move to get past the center and fall on the mishandled Jaguar snap.
H-BC’s offense took over at the Jaguars’ 17-yard line, but the Patriot drive fell short of the end zone, inside the one-yard line.
The Patriot offense again took over after a wind-shortened Jaguar punt.
On a critical fourth and five from the 30-yard line, Deelstra connected with tight end Kueter on a seam pattern up the middle of the field for a touchdown with just one second remaining in the third quarter. The conversion attempt run was short, but the Patriots held a 14-0 lead going into the fourth quarter.
After a defensive stop by the Jaguars, the Patriots were punting from their own 49-yard line. Bundesen’s was misjudged by the Jaguars’ return man, and H-BC’s Gideon Taubert pounced on the muffed ball at the 10-yard line.
Three plays later, Deelstra ran the ball in from the 5-yard line. Bundesen ran in the two-point conversion, and the Patriots’ lead was extended to 22-0 with 7:31 left in the game.
Later, on defense, Austin Allen returned an interception to the 25-yard line. Six plays later, Kueter from the fullback position, powered the ball across the goal line from the five-yard line. The two-point conversion pass from Deelstra to Andrew Harris was good, and the score stood at 30-0 with 2:09 left in the game.
Renville County West was able to add a late score on a 40-yard pass. The successful extra-point kick ended the game’s scoring at 30-7 with a Patriots win.
Hills-Beaver Creek will play undefeated Fertile-Beltrami in the state semi-finals on Friday, Nov. 19, at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Game time is 9 a.m.
Patriot Head Coach Rex Metzger said the Patriots players will need to show up ready to play.
“Fertile-Beltrami is a physical team that will come at you with a lot of different things, under center and out of the gun,” Metzger said.
“We will have to be disciplined but still have it on attack mode.”