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Blaine defeats Andover 33-13 to lead Northwest Suburban Conference
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Blaine defense takes down Andover's high powered air attack.
Blaine, 5-1, coming off of a birth in the state finals last year, had something to prove against the 5-1 Andover Huskies. With the lead of the Northwest Suburban Conference and a first- round bye on the line, the Bengals jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back in a stunning 33-13 win over the Huskies.
Blaine's Junior quarterback Eric Kline's 40-yard scamper and senior running back Mike Thai's 27-yard run up the middle gave the Bengals a quick 14-point lead. Before the half, the Bengals would add to their lead with a 17-yard strike to Junior Nathaniel Mortenson giving them a 21-point halftime lead.
The Huskie air attack, led by Tyler Finnes coming into the game averaging 262 yards per contest, was shut down by the tough Bengal defense which allowed only 12 of 27 passing for 74 yards. Finnes rushed for 108 yards for the game but couldn't find the time to convert the needed first downs. The Huskies were forced to punt the ball six times and lost one possession to an interception and only got past midfield once in the first half.
The third quarter didn't look too promising for the struggling Huskie defense either. Blaine added two more scores by running backs Mike Thai and Justin Craft, with two failed extra-point conversions, to build a 33-0 lead. Andover finally got on the board with 11:57 remaining in the 4th quarter on a run by Finnes. The following Blaine drive was cut short with 9:40 remaining by an interception by Andover's senior DB Chase Vasquez, who returned the interception to Blaine's 5-yard line. A quick Andover score, again scored by Finnes, gave hope to the Huskies, but a failed onside kick and an interception on their next drive sealed the game for the Bengals.
Losing for a second week in a row, Andover falls to 5-2 and out of the hunt for a conference championship. Blaine, still in a battle with Centennial, who defeated Maple Grove 34-21 on Wednesday, needs a victory next week and a Centennial loss to take the conference championship. However if both Blaine and Centennial win next week, Blaine would still receive the No. 1 seed in the section playoffs due to the strength of their schedule setting up a possible rematch between Andover and Blaine.
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