Falcon Field Goal Wins Playoff Game

Faribault took a time-out with 3.5 seconds to go and junior kicker Eric Gannon booted a 22-yard field goal on the last play of the game to give the Falcons a 24-21 win over Mankato East on Wednesday night.

The Wolverton Field crowd was hushed and the Falcon fans across the field from the media box were jumping up and down with glee along with the Faribault players.

The Falcons are 1-0 in the playoffs and travel to Southwest State University in Marshall to play top seed Marshall on Tuesday. The game will be on Power 96 Radio, 95.9 FM.

It didn't look good early.

The first score was a bit of a gift from Faribault. Gannon is also the punter and was unable to get a punt off deep in Faribault territory and ended up getting tackled at the Falcon 29. That's where the Cougars would begin their second drive scoring on a 12-yard run by junior Desmond Bassett with 1:50 to go in the first quarter.

The second Cougar touchdown was a defensive score on a Faribault fumble. Junior Joshua Hamond scooped the ball up and ran about 35 yards for the score with 10:50 to go in the half.

In the first quarter, the Cougars had 34 yards rushing and 38 passing and Faribault tallied 14 rushing and 10 passing yards.

The Falcons were very successful throwing the ball in the second quarter. Junior quarterback Kade Hart threw unofficially for 120 yards in the quarter.

Faribault was at the 11-yard line and Hart connected with senior Ramsey Shaffer over the middle for a 52-yard gain. The Falcons would finish the 89-yard drive in eight plays, scoring on a 1-yard TD by junior Felipe Ramirez with 7:35 to go in the half.

On the next Mankato East offensive series, there would be a fumble and senior Brady Combs would recover for the Falcons when it looked like the Cougars were going to score. They had the ball at the one and fumbled on fourth down.

Faribault would start this drive at their own 10 and march 90 yards in 11 plays before Hart hit senior receiver Winfield Hunter on a 34-yard slant where the defender just stopped running. Hunter caught the ball and wasn't even pursued into the end zone.

It was 14-14 at the half and Faribault was getting the ball to start the second half.

The Falcons had a three and out to start the second half, then a snap over the punter's head found Gannon recovering at the Faribault 2-yard line. Two plays later, sophomore Caleb Miller would score on a 1-yard dive into the end zone with 9:45 to go in the third.

Faribault senior Edwin Santiago recovered a Cougar fumble at the Mankato East 48-yard line and the Falcons immediately went to the air for a 42-yard hookup with Ramsey Shaffer. Two plays later, Ramirez would score his second touchdown on a 2-yard run to tie the game at 21.

Both teams traded possessions with no scoring accomplished before Faribault started their final drive on their 34 and Ramirez picked up six yards on a third and five. The Falcons then rode the 5-foot-10, 220-pound junior all the way to the Cougar 6-yard line before taking the time-out just before the winning Gannon kick.

Faribault's second half defense was the best it's been all year. One Falcon assistant told me it was fun to see the unit play as a team.

Our Faribault State Farm Insurance Agents Jason Krohn and Tony Langerud players of the game were Brady Combs, Edwin Santiago and Taylor Borgstahl on defense; Ramsey Shaffer, Kade Hart, Felipe Ramirez on offense and, of course, Gannon for his game-winning kick.

That kick doesn't happen however if the snap by senior Tyler Kubinski isn't perfect to junior holder Cody Ehlers, who placed the ball down properly for Gannon to execute the kick.

Ramirez only carried the ball eight times for 16 yards in the first half and then Faribault used him like a battering ram in the second half. He would finish runs by delivering punishment to his tacklers.

Hart finished the night with more than 200 yards passing. Faribault had pass plays of 52 and 34 yards in the first half and 30 and 19 in the second half, just to name a few.