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Breck's horses overcome Bombers

Posted Online: 11/5/02

By Greg Hunt

The Nov. 1 Section 4AA championship between Breck and host Braham played out as most had expectedñthe Bombers' brute strength on the ground vs. the Mustangs' big-play potential. In the end, it was Breck finding the end zone with a 3-yard touchdown pass with 58.7 seconds remaining to end the Bombers' season in heartbreaking fashion with an amazing 40-35 win.

The victory will have Breck hosting Sect. 1AA champ Kingsland in the first round of State Nov. 8; Kingsland defeated section top-seed Dover-Eyota 28-12 to gain the Class AA tournament.

Braham, the 4AA top-seed, stopped no. 2 seed Breck on a three-and-out series to start the game, held on a chilly autumn night which also had a constant west wind ripping across Froyen Field. Braham senior fullback Tory Auger began what would be an immense night with a 1st-down run into Mustang territory, then on a 3rd-and-7, he rolled through the defense for a 1st down at the Breck 20. Sophomore quarterback Josh Vaughan followed with a 19-yard TD pass to senior end Adam Flynn on a crossing pattern for a 6-0 Bomber lead.

Breck's big-play man, junior Brandon Robinson, made himself known with a 30-yard kickoff return to their 41. The Mustangs, led by junior QB Liam O'Hagen, quickly showed Breck's deft passing attack, completing five passes on the drive culminated by a 4-yard pass to Mark Jagiela and a 7-6 lead.

Right back Braham responded with a 63-yard drive featuring runs by Auger and a sneaky 4th-down keeper by Vaughan. Auger then steamrolled a Mustang safety on a 25-yard scoring run, and he added the two-pointer to have Braham up 14-7.

O'Hagen showed his running ability on Breck's ensuing possession, weaving through the Bomber defense on a long keeper, before he threw a perfect 21-yard pass to the back of the end zone which Jagiela hauled in with a well-timed dive. The kick was no good, however, as Braham held a 14-13 lead.

The Bombers then put together a blistering 21-point session which made the game look like it was to be a blowout.

With less than a minute left in the first half, Braham d-end Adam Flynn made the hit on a screen and recovered the fumble at the Breck 42. An Auger run and a Vaughan scramble brought the team inside the 20 yard line. With 3.2 seconds left, Vaughan bought time on a rollout and found Flynn for a second time on a 5-yard TD pass as the Bombers took a 20-13 lead into the locker room.

Braham got the ball first in the third quarter, and quickly Auger sprinted on 53-yard run to the Breck 3-yard line. One play later, Auger went in from the left side, and Braham led 28-13. Breck was forced to make their second punt, and the Bombers drove downfield 52 yards on runs by Auger and Spar. Vaughan snuck over from the 1, and Dan Powell added the extra point kick for the 35-13 lead.

The Braham side of the field couldn't have been more excited. Auger was well on his way to gaining 351 yards rushing on the night. Then tragedy in the form of Robinson struck.

The speedy Mustang grabbed the ball on the ensuing kickoff, zipped up the middle and was gone on a 77-yard kick return. With Braham facing a 3rd-and-15 on the next possession, Robinson picked off a pass in the flats for a 44-yard touchdown return. Just like that it was 35-28.

The Mustangs had the wind in the fourth quarter, and they passed their way to a 4th-and-goal at the 5 before Braham safety Clayton Hageman picked off the pass with 11 minutes remaining. On that Bomber possession, Braham's outstanding tackle, senior Tony Bankers, went down with a separated shoulder. Auger had two more long runs to midfield, but a punt was forced.

"Losing Tony at the point was huge. He was our no. 1 offensive blocker who controlled the tempo of our rushing attack. Plus he moved the pile on our pass rush on defense," said Braham head coach Terry Bodeen.

Three plays later, O'Hagen's great pump fake caused the Braham corner to bite, and he hit T.J. Thiel on a 42-yard bomb. Again, the kick was missed as Braham's lead was down to 35-34.

Robinson nailed his kickoff for a touchback, and Braham started on their 20 with 3:24 to go. The Mustangs knew Auger was getting the ball, and they forced a punt on a 4th-and-2 at the 28 after three Auger runs. Robinson's return had Breck at the Bomber 34 with 2:04 remaining. A 10-yard pass was followed by an O'Hagen scramble to the 9. On 3rd-and-goal, the Mustang QB rolled left to buy a load of time and found Thiel in a seam for the winning score.

The night then seemed much colder on the Braham side.

"Our guys were totally devastated after the game. We played our best game of the year, but a series of unfortunate mistakes cost us the game," said Bodeen. "Ultimately, Breck's overall team speed got us. They have four quality athletes who we were able to contain for a while. But that Robinson was a game-breakerñhe is an unbelievable kid. And O'Hagen throwing across his body and finding Thiel on that last touchdown was pretty unbelievable, too."

Asked if the coaches thought about Braham going for it on that last 4th down in an attempt to keep the ball out of Breck's hands, Bodeen responded, "We were still ahead at that point. We figured after the punt, they would still have to make three 1st downs. Maybe we could pick the ball off. Or maybe they would have Robinson try a game-winning field goal, and he already had missed two extra-points. No matter what, we wanted Breck to have to go a longer distance."

The loss was the Bombers' first this season, closing 2002 with a 10-1 record. It was an amazing year highlighted by late-game heroics in the victories over Hinckley, East Central and Pine City.

"You have to realize we started this season with a brand new line which came together, along with Tory's running, to get us some big victories during the conference schedule," said Bodeen. "You've also got to give our four captainsñTory Auger, Tony Bankers, Adam Flynn and Travis Lakebergña lot of credit for their leadership this season. We benefitted from some great off-season work by our players. Overall, the team attitude and work ethic was phenomenal."