Trojans head into section playoffs Tuesday after a win in St. Cloud

Scoring all its points in the opening half and then turning the game over to the defense in the second half, the New Prague High School football team heads into the section playoffs with a win last Wednesday, Oct. 16, over St. Cloud Tech.
The win in the Granite City sends No. 4 seeded New Prague into the section playoffs against No. 5 seeded Rochester Century tomorrow evening, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. at Trojan Stadium. The winner will face the section’s top-seeded team, undefeated Owatonna Saturday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m., in Owatonna. The Section 1AAAAA title tilt is slated for Nov. 1.
New Prague defeated winless Rochester Century, 35-6, Sept. 20 in Rochester. Owatonna topped the Trojans, 19-7, Sept. 13, in New Prague. The Huskies average just over 33 points a game while their defense held opponents in single digits in six of eight games.
Rochester Century has ramped-up its passing game via a quarterback change. The Panthers are throwing the ball more often, said NPHS coach Jacob Norby. With the team listed as “healthy heading into the playoffs,” Norby said NP is throwing the ball better since the switch to Carter Den Hartog has become the team’s starting quarterback. The team’s initial quarterback, Michael Bruner, is helping the team with a switch to wide receiver and safety, Nordby said.
The Trojans need to establish a dominant physicality early in the contest and establish its ground game to control the ball and enhance its chances of a trip to Owatonna. Holding the Panthers’ ground attack in check and limiting big plays are also important facets, the coach said.

Trojans 21, St. Cloud Tech 12
New Prague led the contest throughout. The Trojans took advantage of an early interception by TJ Washtock, who returned the picked-off pass from the Tech 45-yard line down to the 30. Six plays later, Colin Buetow rumbled across the goal line on a two-yard touchdown run. Thomas Geiger’s point-after kick gave New Prague a 7-0 lead with 8:21 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers managed their lone score of the first half with 1:28 left in the first quarter. A big catch-and-run pass play moved the ball down to New Prague’s 5-yard line. It took Tech three plays to reach the end zone against a stingy NP defense. A failed point-after kick preserved NP’s lead, 7-6 head into the second quarter the Trojans dominated.
The Trojans upped their lead to 14-6 with a 69-yard touchdown drive spanning 4:18. It ended with Buetow once again running into the end zone. The point-after gave NP a 14-6 lead.
New Prague scored again late in the first half to take a 21-6 lead to intermission. Having run the ball on six of eight plays, Den Hartog connected with a wide-open receiver, Sawyer Jasperson, on an 18-yard touchdown connection with just 16 seconds left before intermission.
In the second half, an interception gave the Tigers the ball deep in NP territory. But it was the only score the Tigers could muster in the final two quarters. NP controlled and protected the football and held off St. Cloud Tech’s late offensive possessions. The Tigers could get no closer to the NP end zone than the Trojans’ 36-yard line. The Tigers missed a field goal attempt with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter.