The top-seeded Jackson County Central football team opens the Section 3AA tournament Tuesday night against eighth-seeded Windom.
The two teams kick off the postseason at 7 p.m. at Swearingen Field.
JCC won the regular season meeting between the two teams 48-6 on Sept. 23 in Windom.
The winner of tonight’s game plays Saturday against either No. 4 Redwood Valley or No. 5 Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial.
The Huskies enter the postseason unbeaten for the sixth time in school history, joining the 1997, 2000, 2003, 2016 and 2019 teams.
JCC head coach Tom Schuller said winning every regular season game is nice, but it guarantees nothing.
In fact, of JCC’s four teams to make it to the state finals, only the 1997 team was unbeaten until that point. The 2016 and 2019 teams lost to the eventual state champions in the state tournament and the 2000 and 2003 squads lost in the section finals.
“It’s special going 8-0,” he said. “We told them going in it was a big goal. Now we’re going to wipe it off because it’s 0-0. It’s a great accomplishment, but it’s gone.”
Senior Gabriel Wolff said he’s pleasantly surprised how well the team has done this season.
“If you would’ve told me this summer we’d be 8-0, I’d be ecstatic,” he said. “It’s awesome.”
He said there have been plenty of high points throughout the regular season, which led to perfection.
“Each game we had our highlights and we were working to piece each one together and complete the puzzle as we go into the playoffs,” he said.
Going unbeaten in the regular season was a nice accomplishment, fueled by last year’s loss in the section finals.
“It’s pretty special coming off a heartbreaker last year against Pipestone,” senior Caleb Vancura said. “It meant a lot to us to come back this season and get better.”
Now the fun starts, Wolff said.
“We’re 0-0 now,” he said. “It’s go time.”
Click here to see the section 3AA football bracket: www.mshsl.org/tournaments/2022-section-3aa-football-tournament
Leave a Reply