Fertile-Beltrami’s offense had to find another gear Saturday in the Prep Bowl’s Nine-Player state championship at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Falcons, ranked third in the Nine-Player state rankings, scored on three consecutive possessions in the second half en route to 20-8 victory over No. 4-ranked Hills-Beaver Creek, giving the program its first state championship.
The Falcons (13-0) finally broke a scoreless deadlock when senior running back Jonah Harstad bulled into the end zone from the 2-yard line midway through the third quarter.
Fertile-Beltrami took a two-touchdown lead on senior running back Isaiah Wright’s 3-yard sweep around the right end on their following possession. Wright finished the game with 185 yards on 33 carries.
The Patriots (12-1) quickly answered when senior wide receiver James VandenBosch fended off two would-be tacklers and stayed in-bounds while tiptoeing the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jamin Metzger.
Harstad gave the Falcons a two-score lead again two minutes into the fourth quarter when he capped an 8-play, 50-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Wright set up the score with a 38-yard run