“They match up really well with us,” GFW head coach Pat Hentges said. “Defensively, they are so aggressive. And we just couldn’t get the pad level we needed to stop them offensively. Defensively, I thought we did a great job early especially, and then they just wore us down. They have such a good athlete at quarterback and their running backs – they really found out who they are, and I wish them well.”

GFW managed just 69 total yards on offense on the day. Cayson Gosewisch had the lone touchdown for the Firebirds, along with 31 yards rushing. Defensively, Garrett Stegeman had six tackles, while Jose Oscar Farias Bandda had six tackles, two for loss. Owen Swenson had five tackles and a fumble recovery, and Matthew Lee had another fumble recovery.

The Firebirds’ first fumble recovery came on the opening drive of the game, with Swenson falling on a fumble on the Bulldogs’ second offensive snap. GFW couldn’t convert on the drive, however, turning it over on downs.

Lester Prairie made it into GFW territory before putting another ball on the dirt, this time to be recovered by Lee and returned all the way to the GFW 21-yard line. This time, the Firebirds were able to punch it in, with Gosewisch running it in from 1 yard out for a 6-0 lead.

Photo by Ari Selvey Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop’s Cayson Gosewisch takes the ball over the goal line during the Section 2A Football Championship game against Lester Prairie Friday at New Prague High School.

Lester Prairie responded with a 65-yard drive, ending in a 30-yard touchdown connection from Axel Bahena to Harrison Engen, with Kaisen Walstrom rushing in the 2-point conversion for an 8-6 lead. GFW went four-and-out on its next drive, and while Lester Prairie was able to make it to the GFW 30-yard line, time ran out for the Bulldogs as Mason Ahlbrecht dragged down Eli Zebell short of the goal line before halftime.

GFW managed just two first downs in the second half as the Bulldogs offense got going. Bahena ran it in from 3 yards out after his 43-yard run put Lester Prairie in striking distance, then Bahena added an 8-yard touchdown run to make it a 22-6 game. Finally, the Bulldogs sealed it with a 23-yard touchdown run by Walstrom to take the final score to 30-6.

The Firebirds end their season with a 6-5 record.

“It’s just been amazing,” Hentges said. “Any time you get to spend time with kids and coaches like this, you just have to appreciate every moment. Obviously it hurts, but we’ll look back and we’ll laugh and we’ll cry. We’re going to enjoy the bus ride home and enjoy each other and then see how we can help each other through the rest of the year and next year.”

Photo by Ari Selvey Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop’s Matthew Lee (5) tracks down Lester Prairie’s Jack Madsen (21) during the Section 2A Football Championship game Friday at New Prague High School.