By Ernie W. Webb III
NEWTON – Meade has a rich tradition as an 11-man power, winning state championships in 2A in 1972 and 1980 and 2-1A in 2010 and 2012. Now the Buffaloes are at the top of the mountain in Eight-Man Division I.
Meade (13-0) built an early lead against defending state champion Little River, then came up with a key stop late in the fourth quarter for a 22-14 win.
Trailing by eight late in the final frame, Little River (12-1) survived a field goal attempt that sailed wide right with 3:06 remaining, then blocked a second boot at the 1:40 mark to keep its season alive.
Little River drove deep into Meade territory and had a first-and-goal from the 6 with 50 seconds left. But, after Little River spiked the ball to stop the clock on first down, the Buffaloes forced three straight incompletions to clinch the school’s fifth state title.
Meade got off to a torrid start, scoring on the first play from scrimmage when quarterback Torren Haynes raced through the defense for a 46-yard touchdown. Korben Clawson added the conversion for an 8-0 lead just 16 seconds into the game.
After a turnover on downs, the Buffaloes pushed the advantage to 14-0 when Haynes connected with Brock Keith for a 52-yard scoring strike. Clawson’s run made it 16-0 a little more than three minutes into the opening quarter.
Little River made a habit of rallying from early deficits in playoff wins against Burlingame, Madison and Canton-Galva, and mounted a comeback for the fourth straight game.
Rylan Konen hit Braxton Lafferty on a 60-yard toss to pull Little River within 16-6. Three possessions later, Little River had a chance to draw closer with a first-and-goal at the 7. But Meade came up with a stop on fourth down, leaving the margin at 10 points after the opening frame.
The Buffaloes then drove 76 yards in 10 plays, consuming more than five minutes off the clock, to take a 22-6 lead. Clawson, who rushed for 107 yards on 31 carries, capped the series with a 1-yard run.
Little River took advantage of an interception deep in Meade territory late in the half, scoring on a 6-yard pass from Lafferty to Grant Stephens. Konen’s run made it 22-14 at the break.
Neither team scored in the second half, as both defenses buckled down. Little River stuffed Meade on a fourth-and-one from the 34 midway through the third quarter, but the Buffaloes answered with an interception.
Little River had a first down at Meade’s 16 early in the final frame, but the Buffaloes forced incompletions on third- and fourth-and-long. Meade drove from its own 17 to Little River’s 9 before missing a field goal.
After the blocked field goal with 1:40 remaining, Braden Young connected Andrew Smith for 31 yards on a reverse pass to start Little River’s final series. On third-and-7 from the 23, Konen hit Smith for 17 yards with 50 seconds left to set up first-and-goal, but the Buffaloes’ defense did not allow another yard.
Haynes finished with 263 yards, including 120 rushing and 143 passing, while Keith has 72 yards receiving. Lafferty had 182 yards (79 rushing, 60 receiving and 43 passing), and Stephens 126 yards (46 rushing, 46 receiving and 34 passing).
MEADE 22, LITTLE RIVER 14
Little River 6 8 0 0 — 14
Meade 16 6 0 0 — 22
Meade – Torren Haynes 46 run (Korben Clawson run)
Meade – Brock Keith 22 pass from Haynes (Clawson run)
Little River – Braxton Lafferty 60 pass from Rylan Konen (Run failed)
Meade – Clawson 1 run (Pass failed)
Little River – Grant Stephens 6 pass from Lafferty (Konen run)
LR MD
First Downs 17 11
Rushes-Yards 30-132 46-227
Passing Yards 189 143
Passing 9-29-1 7-13-1
Total yards 321 370
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties 2-20 2-10
Punting 2-28.0 N/A
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Little River – Lafferty 15-79, Stephens 9-46, Konen 3-5, Young 3-2. Meade – Haynes 15-120, Clawson 31-107.
Receiving: Little River – Lafferty 1-60, Smith 2-48, Stephens 3-46, Young 2-32, Bruce 1-3. Meade – Keith 2-72, Stapleton 2-31, Volden 2-29, Clawson 1-11.
Passing: Little River – Konen 3-20-1 112, Lafferty 4-6-0 43, Young 2-3-0 34. Meade – Haynes 7-13-1 143.