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Two Harbors running back Spencer Ross finally broke away from Proctor’s defense for his 20th touchdown of the season, a 69-yard run to tie Proctor 10-10 in the fourth quarter of their 7AAA semifinal. Photo credit: John Gilbert

The setting was perfect at Proctor for the Section 7AAA high school semifinal between Two Harbors and Proctor. Unless you consider 30-something temperature and the snow piled up to ring the artificial turf field.
Actually, the Proctor ground crew did a remarkable job clearing the record 10.5-inch snowfall from the field, but while the turf was perfect, there was no way to shield the players’ hands from the harsh chill. Passing was pretty much reduced to a rumor, and Proctor won the game 20-10 with a strong fourth quarter to advance to this week’s 7AAA final.

I really liked both those teams. We saw Two Harbors in the season-opening game at Denfeld when a hard-charging halfback named Spencer Ross slashed through the Hunters line to score five touchdowns in a 41-14 rout that I surmised might have been the most lopsided victory ever for Two Harbors over a big Duluth school.

I also saw Proctor a couple of times, and I didn’t think I saw all their potential come together the way it did at the end of the season. When I checked the schedule and saw they didn’t play each other, I was disappointed. But they came together at playoff time, Proctor getting a bye as No. 2 seed, while Two Harbors got rolling with a 68-6 romp over International Falls in a playoff opener. Proctor obviously showed great potential on defense from the start, and it seemed to be up to quarterback John Pioro to get the offense together, with a running cast led by Jerid Parrott, as they had led the Rails to a powerful finishing run.

Proctor quarterback John Pioro was the difference, scoring two touchdowns as the Rails topped Two Harbors 20-10 to gain Thursday’s 7AAA semifinals against Esko. Photo credit: John Gilbert

The harsh cold had more impact than I imagined, although as we went up into the Proctor press box at Terry Egerdahl Memorial Field, we thought we could escape from the cold to do our 1490 “The JOCQ” broadcast. We were wrong. It was bone-chilling even inside there. But at least we didn’t have to handle the ball.

 It quickly turned into a battle between who could survive their own challenges -- Two Harbors had to overcome a rash of fumbles and a couple interceptions, while Proctor had to learn to live with an unrelenting rash of penalties, all timed to eliminate crucial gains, and most of them for holding, although maybe they were just trying to keep their hands warm.

Two Harbors quarterback Ryan Darsow barely got this pass away over Proctor’s Adam McRae in the 7AAA semifinal at Proctor. Photo credit: John Gilbert

The Rails took an early lead when Pioro ran a “read-option” play where he partially hands the ball off to a running back as the two of them head toward the line. Pioro spotted an opening, so he pulled the ball back and raced 16 yards for the opening touchdown.

Despite the cold, when Two Harbors was stopped at the start of the second quarter, Ryan Darsow - who plays quarterback, a little defense, and punts for the Agates -- proved he also can place-kick. Without flinching, he drilled a 42-yard field goal to close the gap to 7-3, and from its trajectory, he could have made it from 52.

 Ben Harnell got those three points back before halftime with a 33-yard field goal for Proctor. C’mon, this is high school ball! And these kids are booting 33 and 42 yard field goals, the kind the NFL stars tend to miss.
Down 10-3 at halftime, things looked bleak for Two Harbors. As projected, Proctor’s defense did a great job of containing Spencer Ross, who tried repeatedly but couldn’t find running room. But great running backs often need to weather being contained, and keep persevering. Ross did that, and late in the third quarter he broke free on the right side, got to the corner, and outraced the Proctor defense for a spectacular 69-yard touchdown run.

When the fourth quarter started, it was 10-10. Jordan Linder ran that kick back to near midfield, and Pioro got free for a 30-yard run that set the stage for another Harnell field goal, this one from 31 yards, to break the 10-10 tie. Proctor’s defense struck again as time grew critical, chasing Darsow into a scramble, and when he threw the ball away it was called intentional grounding. That put the Agates in a fourth and 25 at their own 1, and with time now an issue, they went for it Darso completed a pass, but for nowhere near the required yardage, and the hungry Rails took over on downs, closed in, and Pioro scored another touchdown on first and goal from the 5.

For the game, Pioro ran for 155 yards, which rounds his season total to exactly 600 yards. Because passing was at a premium, that total is about the same as Pioro’s passing, because he came into the game with 589 passing yards.
Spencer Ross, meanwhile, gained 154 yards and finishes a fantastic senior year with 1,541 rushing yards, and he notched his 20th touchdown. But Two Harbors takes its 8-2 record home after an outstanding season, and Proctor gets the chance to move on, at 7-2.
It starts on Thursday night, in the class 7AAA final, when No. 2 seed Proctor takes on No. 1 Esko (8-1) at 7 p.m. at Malosky Stadium. That one should be a highlight of the week.
That is not to diminish the 7AA final, which will be part of a doubleheader on the artificial turf at Esko, with Moose Lake-Willow River (5-5) tangling with Royalton (8-1) at 7:30, right after the 7A title game at 4:45 p.m. when Hinckley-Finlayson (6-2) meets Braham (9-0).
On Friday, the action continues, and defines why the state high school league has so many classes. At 7 p.m. in Public Schools Stadium Cloquet (9-0) faces North Branch (7-2) for the 7AAAA championship. Otherwise, we go back to Esko where 9-man football takes the spotlight, with North Woods (8-1) meeting Cook County (9-1) in the Section 7 final at 4:45 p.m., followed at 7:30 p.m. by the Section 5 title match between Wrenshall (8-2) and Cromwell-Wright (10-0).

Nice that the high schools finish everything in time to turn Malosky Stadium back to its rightful prime tenant, when UMD faces Minnesota-Crookston at 1:05 p.m. At 7-2, UMD has won six straight games following two early losses in interconference games, leaving the Bulldogs in command of the North Division of the Northern Sun Intrercollegiate Conference, not only undefeated but with three consecutive shutouts after blanking co-leader Bemidji State 17-0 last Saturday in Bemidji. While ranked No. 9 in this Super Region, the Bulldogs only have two more games to climb up into the top seven, which is required to get invited to the post-season playoffs.

UMD’s football team retains its chance to win its 10th straight North Division title in the NSIC Saturday, and next week at the University of Mary, but a couple of the teams ranked ahead of the Bulldogs need to lose to help them make the playoffs.
It is remarkable how John Larson, UMD’s third quarterback at the start, has taken the team through this midseason surge of success, both running and passing -- and for his astute selections when it comes time to audible. It is not unlike the Vikings, who have found success and moved to the top of their division with their No. 3 quarterback while highly regarded Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford mend from injuries.

St. Scholastica had its seven-game winning streak snapped by Eureka last Saturday in a 40-34 scoring fest. The Saints play MacMurray Saturday at Public Schools Stadium. Zach Edwards threw four touchdown passes for St. Scholastica, but the Saints had no answer for Leanthony Reasnover, Eureka’s amazing running back who carried the ball an exhaustive 53 times for an incredible 355 yards and five touchdowns. The Saints are 7-1 in the UMAC, same as Eureka.