Tigers talk section title win over MCC

Photo by Jake McNeill/Marshall Independent
Springfield quarterback Parker Kuehn (12) greets Gavin Vanderwerf (28) as he holds the Section 3A Championship plaque over his head following the Tigers’ win over Murray County Central at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD — Three different opponents, three similar results.

Friday’s Section 3A Football Tournament Championship game at Southwest Minnesota State University saw the Springfield Tigers defeat the Murray County Central Rebels 20-10, giving the Tigers the section title and a Class A state tourney ticket for the third year in a row.

After defeating Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 40-28 in the 2022 section finals and Sleepy Eye United 36-18 in the 2023 section finals, the Rebels became the Tigers’ third new victim in a row Friday.

Tigers senior running back Gavin Vanderwerf had his share of work with 28 carries for 106 yards, but sophomore quarterback Parker Kuehn got involved also with 153 yards through the air and two touchdown passes. Without good blocking, however, the Tigers could easily be talking right now about how they “almost” made it to state three years in a row.

One big blocker for the Tigers this season and during the game was senior Jacob Meidl, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound offensive lineman.

“They brought a lot of A-gap pressure and Bs,” Meidl said of MCC. “We’ve just got to keep practicing for it. We watch film, we practice hard with our scout team and just prepare the best we can for it.”

MCC’s pressure did cause Kuehn to throw the ball a little quicker, but he still handled himself well and his linemen kept him upright for the most part, allowing just one sack.

“I think they brought more pressure up front, I think they were bigger than what we’d seen in the past,” Kuehn said. “I just wasn’t able to have as much time to throw as I would have, but we still had great time in the pocket to make some plays.”

After being led into the state tournament by standout quarterback and 2023 grad Jakob Nachreiner the last two seasons, Kuehn will be somewhat new to the state experience this year as he prepares for his first state tournament start this coming Friday, with a location and opponent pending. Kuehn was on the varsity team last year as a backup quarterback.

“It’s very special to go three times [in a row] now and it’s just a blessing for me,” Kuehn said. “I’ve had a great team that’s helped me get there, so all credit goes to them and my coaches. But I’m very grateful to have a big position in this run here.”

Senior defensive back Russell Beers helped the Tigers ice the game late with an interception in the closing minutes.

“Going into that drive, I was really confident in how our defense was stepping up,” Beers said. “And honestly I was expecting a pass, but with how much MCC runs the ball, you never really knew. I kind of dropped back and they threw it up and I saw Madden [Lendt] coming in from the other side and we both went up to get it and I just came down with it. Honestly, that’s about as complex as it was, I wasn’t really thinking in the moment, it just kind of happened.”

Beers also has family in MCC territory in Slayton and his parents also attended MCC, so the win over the Rebels to go to state was extra special for him.

“I have grandparents that still live in Slayton and they are full Springfield supporters,” Beers said. “It always feels good to win against MCC, and I know my grandpa likes to talk a lot of smack, so he always thanks me when we beat MCC [laughs].

“But I also actually did a job shadow there on Wednesday up in Slayton, so I was talking a little smack there, too. So with family, I think they were rooting for us to win so they didn’t have to go through getting made fun of by friends back home [laughs].”

Repeating a trip to the state tournament is a rare feat in itself, but doing it three times in a row has given this group of Tigers a lot of extra bonding time as a family.

“It’s a pretty cool experience, especially doing it with a team like ours,” Meidl said. “It’s a family thing really.”