Indians edge McLeod West

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- For the Sleepy Eye High Indians, the third time was the charm.

Travis Bussler's game-winning 30-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds in the game fell short to give Sleepy Eye High -- a bridesmaid the last two years in state quarterfinal play -- a 26-24 Class 1A quarterfinal win over the McLeod West Falcons.

The bridesmaid finally caught the bouquet. The Indians (10-2) will play the Murray County Central Rebels at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the Metrodome in Minneapolis in the semifinals.

"We have been so close over the last five or six years; we have been in a section championship game five of the last six years," said Indians coach Dean Deibele. "We lost by a touchdown at both Goodhue and Le Center. We finally got a (state quarterfinal) game on our home field and it feels good to win this one."

The Indians trailed halftime before they came out of the break to score twice to take a lead that they would not relinquish.

After McLeod West went three and out to open the third quarter, Sleepy Eye High got to work, namely in the form of sophomore fullback Jose Saenz. Saenz, who carried the ball only five times for 26 yards, broke off runs of 19, 11 and seven yards as the Indians marched from their own 40 to the Falcons' 3-yard line where quarterback Bryce Belseth, who toted the ball twice for 20 yards in that drive, scored from three yards out with 8:39 left in the third quarter for a 20-16 lead following a failed extra point attempt.

Taking over with 4:06 left in the third quarter, the Sleepy Eye offense journeyed from their own 5-yard line to the Falcon 8. In the process, they ate up the remaining four-plus minutes of the third quarter and almost six minutes of the fourth quarter.

Saenz carried the ball 10 times for 47 yards with Cody Walter moving 24 yards on five carries before he went the final eight yards for the touchdown that increased the Indian lead to 26-16 with 6:16 left in the game.

McLeod West (10-2), cut the lead to 26-24 as they used a 63-yard, 12-play drive converting on two fourth-down situations -- the last resulting in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Bussler to Evans who sliced between two defenders to reach the end zone.

After Sleepy Eye High could not get a first down, McLeod West took over with 2:06 left in the game, deep in their own territory at the 13. But on third down, Bussler connected with Matt Maiers for a 41-yard gain and then Bussler found Dean Loncorich for a 14-yard gainer to the Indian 16. But McLeod West could muster only three yards in three plays, forcing the field goal attempt.

Sleepy Eye High, which lost to McLeod West 48-38 in the first game of the year, scored first on its second possession of the game. Beginning on their own 7, the Indians moved into Falcon territory as Seanz broke lose for a 12-yard run and Belseth hooked up with Travis Keil for a 38-yard gain.

The Indians scored six plays later when Cody Walter turned an inside handoff into a 41-yard touchown run.

But McLeod West wasted little time to take an 8-7 lead when Evans scored from five yards out late in the first quarter and then moved ahead 16-7 midway through the second quarter on a 10-yard strike from Bussler to Chad Genz.

Sleepy Eye cut the lead to 16-14 with less than a minute to go in the half on an 11-yard pass from Belseth.

MCLEOD WEST 8 8 0 8--24

SLEEPY EYE HIGH 7 7 6 6--26

FIRST QUARTER

SLEEPY EYE: Walter, 41 run. PAT; Jeremy Ibberson, kick.

MCLEOD WEST: Evans, 17 run. PAT:Bussler, run.

SECOND QUARTER

MCLEOD WEST: Genz, 10 pass from Bussler. PAT:Loncorich, run.

SLEEPY EYE: Walter, 11 pass from Belseth. PAT; Failed.

THIRD QUARTER

SLEEPY EYE: Belseth, three run. PAT:Failed.

FOURTH QUARTER

SLEEPY EYE: Walter, eight run. PAT; Failed.

MCLEOD WEST: Evans, 29 pass from Bussler. PAT:Genz, run.