Hawley turns to seeds for second-half excitement during easy playoff victory against Cass Lake-Bena

HAWLEY, Minn. -- The Hawley sideline was abuzz with oddly directed activity.

Fervent stretching, a brief water fight, salty treats.

Bored with Cass Lake-Bena, the Nuggets' needed something to hold their attention.

"That was the first time we've had sunflower seeds on the sideline," Hawley senior quarterback Joey Grandbois said. "We've never had this much of a blowout."

This was a blowout from go.

The Nuggets scored on their first five possessions en route to a 47-6 victory Saturday in the Minnesota Class 2A, Section 8 football semifinals.

By the time its starters were replaced on the second series of the second quarter, Hawley led 34-0 and had outgained the Panthers (4-6) 213 yards to 8.

"They took us right out of our game," said Cass Lake-Bena coach Mike Hanson, who noted his team threw for more than 1,400 yards this fall.

"They're a tough, tough teams, and I think our kids were a little scared."

That air of superiority was non existent in September when Hawley, ranked as high as No. 2, dropped consecutive games.

Any previous ills, however, seemed to have been cured in two playoff victories.

The Nuggets (7-3) have outscored opponents 100-6; their starters have played just three total quarters.

"You can't come in and expect to blow people out," said Grandbois, who ran for 106 yards and two scores. "The last three games there's been a lot more intensity. In the lockerroom you can feel it, you can feel something."

But is could the cakewalk be counterproductive?

The Nuggets face rival Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the Fargodome for the section championship.

And the Rebels will likely hang around for more than three quarters.

"(Not playing,) that's bad," Hawley senior running back Jesse Larson said. "It's not that fun."

It's not pad-your-stats fun, more like healthy-for-the-next-round fun.

Larson, for example, tore his anterior cruciate ligament last season. Saturday, after breaking the 1,000-yard plateau, he sat out the final three quarters to stretch the surgically repaired knee.

Get the rest where you can, was the opinion of Hawley coach Peder Naatz.

Besides, the light-hearted respite was earned, the result of a superb opening quarter.

"I don't care about that," Naatz said of the sideline antics, "as long as their mind is in the game when they're on the field. And they did that."

Cass Lake-Bena 0 0 6 0-- 6

Hawley 27 14 0 6--47

H--Larson 1 run (Baxter kick)

H--J. Grandbois 2 run (Baxter kick)

H--Baxter 6 run (Baxter kick)

H--J. Grandbois 40 run (kick failed)

H--A. Martodam 1 run (Baxter kick)

H--Rutten 1 run (Baxter kick)

CLB--Wuori 1 run (run failed)

H--Mattson 9 run (run failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: CLB, Wittner 5-0, Wuori 7-17, K. Kolkin 6-25, Baird 5-17, Littlewolf 4-6, D. Kolkin 2-8. H, Larson 10-60, J. Grandbois 6-106, Baxter 4-17, Rutten 4-13, A. Martodam 7-27, Jegtvig 5-47, K. Nelson 7-(-2), Hinrichs 4-21, Dahlin 5-14, Mattson 3-5.

PASSING: CLB, Wittner 4-18-3 50 yards. H, Grandbois 0-1-0 0.

RECEIVING: CLB, K. Kolkin 2-14, Baird 1-20, Frazer 1-17.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Terry Vandrovec at (701) 241-5548