The St. Thomas Academy Cadets will take on the Owatonna Huskies at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in St. Thomas Academy's favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last eight matches.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but St. Thomas Academy had no problem doing just that on Friday. They claimed a resounding 43-14 victory over Jefferson on the road. The result was nothing new for St. Thomas Academy, who have now won seven matches by 21 points or more so far this season.
St. Thomas Academy's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Savion Hart, who rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Hart is absolutely dominating the rushing touchdown category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the field this season. Luke Dobbs also deserves a shout-out for his three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Owatonna waltzed into Friday's contest with three straight wins but they left with four. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Northfield 35-6 on the road. Owatonna might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won five contests by 26 points or more this season.
Owatonna's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jacob Ginskey led the charge by throwing for 227 yards and two touchdowns while completing 92.3% of his passes, and also punching in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Brennan Sletten, who rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Their wins lifted both teams to an identical 8-2.
St. Thomas Academy took their victory against Owatonna when the teams last played back in November of 2019 by a conclusive 21-0. Will St. Thomas Academy repeat their success, or does Owatonna have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
