HS Football Team Miraculously Wins Playoff Game With 3 Improbable TDs in Final Minute
It ain't over 'til it's over.
True, those words may have been said by baseball legend Yogi Berra, but they certainly apply to football.
Case in point: the Minnesota Class 6A state quarterfinal matchup between Maple Grove High School and St. Michael-Albertville.
St. Michael-Albertville had the game all but wrapped up last week, holding a commanding a 27-10 lead with 59 seconds to play. That's when Maple Grove decided to cue a comeback that's the stuff of Hollywood lore.
Maple Grove wrapped up a 70-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown -- on a 4th and 17, no less -- from Curtis Haugen to Joe Raymon with 59 seconds to play to cut into the deficit. The Crimson managed to recover the ensuing onside kick and, on the very next play, Haugen and Raymon connected once again, this time for a 49-yard TD pass.
Maple Grove, now trailing only 27-22, somehow recovered another onside kick. The Crimson then put together a five-play drive, culminating in Evan Hull sauntering into the end zone for a one-yard game-winning score, with four seconds to play, helping his team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The kicker tacked on the extra point and, just like that, Maple Grove went home with a stunning 29-27 victory to advance to the next round.
“Just like we drew it up,” Maple Grove head coach Matt Lombardi told his squad after the game. “It just shows as bad as things might seem for you, you can never give up. You have to keep playing and hope things fall in your favor.”
Take a look at the highlights below.