The Loop
Minnesota high school football team completes 17-point comeback with less than a minute to play
The NFL's Thursday Night Football (TNF) package has been nothing sort of disastrous since its inception. For the most part, it's featured bad matchups between two equally unprepared teams and almost always ends with multiple players suffering injures. But what about Thursday Night Minnesota High School Football (TNMHSF for short)? Well, that's an entirely different story.
On Thursday night in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, the Maple Grove Crimson took on the St. Michael-Albertville Knights in the Class 6A state quarterfinal with a trip to the state semifinals on the line. The Knights dominated for 47 minutes, taking a commanding 27-10 lead and all but ending Maple Grove's season. Instead, with just 59 seconds remaining, the Crimson put together a comeback they'll be talking about in the Gopher State for years to come. Check it out:
After scoring just 10 points the first three-plus quarters, Maple Grove ripped off 19 in less than a minute, and remarkably recovered two onside kicks in the process to upset the Knights 29-27. There have been some wild football comebacks in recent memory, most notably in last year's Super Bowl, but none of them hold a candle to a 17-point rally with less than a minute to go. It was all part of Crimson coach Matt Lombardi's plan:
“Just like we drew it up,” Lombardi laughed as he addressed his team 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.”
Never a doubt! Next up for Maple Grove is a date with 11-0, No. 1 ranked Eden Prairie. Let's hope the Crimson have another miracle left in them.