Owatonna’s offensive line won the battle in the trenches and the team won the game on the scoreboard in a punishing 28-13 victory in both team’s non-district regular season finale on Wednesday night at Federated Field.

With the win, the Huskies conclude the regular season with a 4-4 overall record — a massive turnaround for a team that started 0-3 for the first time in several decades.

“We have really just been making sure that everyone is on the same page,” Owatonna senior captain and two-way starter, Logan Risser, said after the game. “Everyone has increased their leadership. We all clicked together. We (the offensive line) are all making sure that we are going to the right place and blocking in the right area, and that’s what is getting it done.”

Owatonna senior tailback, Tristan Graham, spearheaded a ground-and-pound OHS rushing attack that racked up 312 yards. Graham scored three touchdowns and rolled up exactly 200 yards on 29 carries, finding the end zone on runs of 20, 1 and 7 yards — giving the senior eight touchdowns and 970 yards on the season. Kade Hullopeter took over for Graham in the fourth quarter and added 84 yards and one touchdown.

“I think we have amazing size,” Graham said of his offensive line that averages 262 pounds per player. “I think we have really started to utilize their size and for me, it’s about reading the gaps and the holes that they are always creating.”

Apple Valley got on the board first, finding the end zone on its second possession of the game when it capped a penalty-aided 40-yard drive with a 13-yard connection between receiver Tylan Ward and senior receiver-turned-quarterback, Quieris Barnslater. The touchdown came after one of the Eagles’ two first half interceptions.

Owatonna finally countered in the final few minutes of the first half, taking over on downs just beyond midfield and feeding its star tailback until Graham found an opening on the right side of the line and busted loose into the end zone for a game-tying 20-yard touchdown with 1 minute, 17 seconds remaining before the break. Landen Sturges’ extra point was true and the Huskies would eventually take a 7-6 lead into halftime.

That is, only after a wild series of events that ended with a devastating gaffe by Barnslater.

After Graham’s touchdown, Apple Valley went to work through the air, driving more than 60 yards with zero timeouts. However, after completing a pass to the Owatonna 15, Barnslater rushed his team to the line and panicked, bending to one knee instead of spiking the ball and allowing the remaining two seconds on the clock to melt away without giving his team an opportunity to attempt a go-ahead field goal.

Having fully wrestled momentum back to the home sideline, the Huskies went to work right away after receiving the kick to open the third quarter, methodically driving the short field and eventually cashing in when Graham stretched across the goal line from 1 yard out with 4:09 on the clock. The scoring drive took 12 plays and chewed nearly eight minutes off the clock.

The Huskies — whose average starting field position on their four scoring drives was their own 49 yard line — scored twice in the third quarter to all-but cinch the victory.

Defensively, OHS subdued Apple Valley’s typically effective ground game, holding the Eagles to just 62 yards on 17 carries (3.6 YPC). Risser led Owatonna’s with six tackles while Ryan McIntosh’s devastating sack and forced fumble on Barnslater served as the singular highlight of the unit’s strong and unified effort on Wednesday night that.

Nolan Rolloff’s leaping, acrobatic interception late in the fourth quarter also played a key part in thwarting any potential comeback attempt by the Eagles (3-5).

Moving forward, the Huskies have officially been rewarded the No. 3 seed on the six-team Section 1-5A tournament and will open up against No. 6 Rochester Century at home on Tuesday evening. The Panthers beat the Huskies, 12-7, in Week 3 in Rochester to send OHS to 0-3.

Since then, Owatonna has won four of its last five games with its only loss in the stretch coming in Week 6 at Northfield

Century, on the other hand, lost four consecutive games after beating the Huskies and is 2-6 overall after narrowly defeating Class 4A Winona on Wednesday night.

FINAL STATS

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