By Jake Schroer
Crow River News Sports
The Knights scored 21 points in the first quarter and never looked back as they defeated the Elk River Elks in the section 6AAAAA semifinal 35-12.
STMA drove down to the goal line on the opening drive, where Eric Sjelin snuck in for a 7-0 lead. Mitchell Kartes scored on a 29-yard run on STMA’s next possession for the team’s second touchdown.
Elk River got a drive going, but eventually gave the ball back to the Knights late in the opening quarter. Veire hit Isaiah Weston for an 85-yard touchdown and the Knights rolled out to a 21-0 lead.
Things slowed down in the second quarter, but STMA extended the lead further with a 29-yard run by Sjelin. The Knights’ defense kept up the pressure and took a 28-0 lead into halftime after the Elks missed a field goal.
Elks quarterback Trent Pink got Elk River on the board in the second half, but the Knights blocked the extra point to keep the score 28-6. STMA responded with another 29-yard Kartes touchdown run.
Pink found Jack Kolar for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Knights came away with a 35-12 victory to advance to the section final game.
Kartes finished with 111 yards (two TDs), Weston finished with three catches for 111 yards (one TD), and Sjelin finished with 137 yards (two TDs). Defensively, Ronsen led the way with 11 tackles, Jake Ross had 10, Will Berning and John Zimmer each had eight.
Head coach Jared Essler said he was happy with how soundly his team played the Elks.
“Overall, the Elks are a hard team to prepare for and I thought our defense did a good job of taking care of their assignments,” Essler said.
STMA plays Rogers on Friday in the section final game at 7 p.m. The Knights face the Royals for the second time in three seasons with the state tournament on the line.