Pierz Advances To Class AAA Title Game With Win Over Jordan

The Pierz Pioneers football team is headed to the Class AAA championship game after a blowout 55-26 win over Jordan on Saturday evening at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Pierz (12-0) led the entire game and got out to a good start after scoring on its first possession of the game with a four-yard run by Carson Huls.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Jordan returner fumbled within the Jordan 10-yard line, with the Pioneers recovering. The turnover led to an eight-yard touchdown run by Jalen Jansen to put the Pioneers up 14-0 after the first quarter.

Pioneers leading rusher Reese Kapsner finally got in on the scoring action on the first play of the second quarter for the Pioneers on a breakout 30-yard run to put Pierz firmly ahead with a dominating 20-0 lead with 11:50 left to go in the second quarter.

The Pioneers would score two more times (a Jansen nine-yard run and a 24-yard receiving touchdown from Preston Rocheleau to Cohlton Boser) for a commanding 34-0 lead before Jordan finally got on the board with a long 52-yard pass from Jonathan Dreheaim to Adam Kreuser. That would send the score to 34-6 going into the halftime.

Pierz came out firing out of the half, capping off a 67-yard drive with a Kapsner 34-yard run on the Pioneers’ first second half possession.

After another Kreuser touchdown reception for Jordan, a pair of touchdown runs by Alex Funk would make the score 55-12 after three quarters to favor the Pioneers.

That would be all the Pioneers scoring in the game as the fourth quarter was spent running the clock out, moving Pierz to yet another shot at a state title after the clock struck triple zeros with a score of 55-26.

Pierz ran for a total of 421 yards in the game, led by Kapsner who ended the game with 161 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. Funk and Jansen finished with 73 and 72 yards rushing, respectively, and two touchdowns.

The Pioneers will play next Saturday at 1:00 P.M. at U.S. Bank Stadium against the winner of St. Croix Lutheran and Pequot Lakes.