Senior quarterback Jack Wiste started games under Centennial earlier this season, until the Cougars went to a more run-heavy option in Wesley Kukkonen.
But Wiste keeps answering every time he’s called upon. Such was the case late in the first half of Friday’s Class 6A quarterfinal against Shakopee.
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With just a minute remaining in the second quarter and Centennial facing a 3rd and 5 from the Shakopee 41 yard line, Wiste was inserted. He immediately hit Brett Pullman for a 10-yard strike to move the chains. Then Wiste found Nolan Larson for a five-yard gain.
Then Wiste went back to Pullman for a 13-yard connection.
After taking a sack, Wiste hit Larson again, this time for an 18-yard touchdown with 21 ticks remaining in the half to give Centennial a 7-0 lead en route to its 10-6 victory over Shakopee.
The Cougars will meet Champlin Park in the state semifinals at 7 p.m. Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Centennial fell, 14-7, to the Rebels back in September.
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Shakopee scored early in the fourth on Friday on a Blake Betton 6-yard touchdown run. But Shakopee’s ensuing extra point try was blocked by Samson Skudlarek to maintain Centennial’s one-point advantage.
Keegan Prigge snuck a 38-yard kick over the crossbar later in the quarter to rebuild Centennial’s lead to 10-6.
Centennial’s defense finished the job from there, effectively putting the game on ice with a 4th down sack on Shakopee’s ensuing possession.
Monona Grove 30, New Richmond 7: New Richmond trailed its Division 2 state semifinal 17-0 at the half, but responded with a touchdown run from North Dakota State commit Austyn Wittek early in the third quarter to pull within 10.
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New Richmond then stonewalled Monona Grove on 4th and goal from the 1 yard line on Monona Grove’s ensuing drive, but couldn’t find anything else offensively for the remainder of the night.
Rock Ridge 21, Glenwood City 15: Jack Main hit Brock Wood on a 4-yard scoring strike on 4th and goal with 5 minutes, 37 seconds to play to bring the Hilltoppers to within 21-15 in the fourth quarter of its Division 7 semifinal on Friday.
Glenwood City then got a defensive stop and had a chance to win the game in the closing minutes, but a pair of incomplete passes near midfield led to a turnover on downs with 80 seconds to play to end the Hilltoppers’ season.
