Patriots punch third straight ticket to state tournament

Upsala/Swanville Area faced Benson Nov. 6 at the Fargodome in the Section 5A Championship game. The Patriots faced the Braves for the second time this season after defeating them 54-7 in Week two. Upsala/Swanville was looking for another win to earn its third consecutive trip to the state tournament and remain undefeated.

The Patriots did just that, defeating Benson 36-12 to earn a trip to the state tournament.

Upsala/Swanville jumped out to an early lead when Cal Leners found the end zone on a 14-yard run. Dalton Welinski then ran the ball in for the two-point conversion, giving the Patriots an 8-0 lead. Benson was able to cut the lead to 8-6 after failing on its two-point attempt. The Patriots responded with another touchdown by Leners on a 14-yard run. A successful two-point conversion by Leners extended the Patriots’ lead to 16-6 at the end of the first quarter.

Welinski scored the only touchdown of the second quarter on a 21-yard run. The Patriots failed on their two-point attempt but held a 22-6 lead over the Braves at halftime.

Benson got the scoring started in the second half with a 30-yard touchdown run but failed to convert on its two-point attempt, making it 22-12 in favor of the Patriots. Upsala/Swanville responded when Welinski scored his second touchdown of the game on a nine-yard run. Leners converted the two-point attempt, giving the Patriots a 30-12 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, William Schafer added to the Patriots’ lead with a 23-yard touchdown run. Upsala/Swanville missed the extra point but went on to secure the 36-12 victory.

Upsala/Swanville did most of its damage on the ground, finishing with 339 rushing yards compared to 14 passing yards. Benson also relied heavily on its running game, recording 304 rushing yards and just 11 passing yards. The Patriots converted 18 first downs, while the Braves converted 17.

Welinski and Leners led the Patriots’ offense. Welinski carried the ball 15 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while Leners had 12 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Leners also had one reception for 14 yards. Schafer completed his only pass attempt for 14 yards while adding 50 rushing yards on five carries and a touchdown. Carson Primus also carried the ball twice for 27 yards, while Noah VanHeel had four carries for 18 yards.

The Patriots’ defense was led by Colby Twardowski with 15 tackles and one tackle for loss. Evan Pipenhagen added 12 tackles and one tackle for loss. Noah Ripplinger recorded eight tackles, while Milo Hutchins had seven tackles and one tackle for loss.

Upsala/Swanville will travel to Big Cat Stadium in Morris Nov. 13 to take on the undefeated Park Christian Falcons in the state quarterfinals.