1 out of 10

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli’s Dylan Christianson embraces teammate Camden Hungerholt after the Cardinals clinched the Section 1A Nine-Man title against Kingsland on Friday night at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

A LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli fan holds up a State Bound sign after the Cardinals won the SEction 1 Nine Man championship Friday night at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli celebrates a late fumble recovery against Kingsland in Friday night’s Division 1 Nine-Man championship at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli football players celebrate a late touchdown pass to Tyson Stevens (21) that gave the Cardinals the lead over Kingsland in the Division 1 Nine-Man championship on Friday night at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli’s Landon Meyer tries to avoid getting tackled by Kingsland’s Caden Reiter after the reception at the Division 1 Nine-Man championship at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli’s Dylan Christianson tries to get close to Kingsland’s Zach Reiland during Friday night’s Division 1 Nine-Man championship at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli’s Red Hungerholt secures the ball after a reception against Kingsland in Friday night’s Division 1 Nine-Man championship at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli’s Tyson Stevens competes against Kingsland in the Division 1 Nine-Man championship Friday night at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

LeRoy-Ostrander’s Carson Roe paces Kingsland’s Kaleem Reiland during Friday night’s Division 1 Nine-Man championship at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli’s Camden Hungerholt is set to make a move against Kingsland in Friday night’s Section 1A Nine-Man championship at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/[email protected]

It was a dramatic moment, but there was no doubt on the sideline of the Cardinal football team as it overcame the odds to defeat No. 3 Kingsland (8-3 overall) 38-27 in the Division I nine-man championship game at Art. Hass Stadium on Friday night.

LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli trailed most of the night, but the team took the lead on an improbable play when senior Tyson Stevens threw a high spring pass for a 50-yard TD from senior Camden Hungerholt on a fourth-and-13 play. He put his team ahead 32-27 with 4:14 left.

“I felt like the ball was going to stay in the air forever, then I went up and picked it up. I can’t explain how I felt (when I scored),” Stevens said. “It didn’t hit me right away until my teammates came to celebrate with me.”

LOLP head coach Trevor Carrier may have sweated Hungerholt’s tough fight, but he never lost faith.

“Kingsland has a great program and it was a great game tonight. What a fourth quarter that was,” Carrier said. “We made the play we wanted to make, but it didn’t go as planned. Call it divine intervention or whatever you want, but sometimes these guys make plays and they make me look good out there.”

LOLP (11-0 overall) trailed 27-18 in the third quarter when Hungerholt found Carter Sweeney for a six-yard score to keep things close.

Hungerholt had only two runs of more than 20 yards, including a 66-yard TD in the third, but he threw for 227 yards and four TDs with one interception. He said the team never gave up, even when they were down 13-0 in the first quarter and 19-6 in the second quarter.

“We weren’t there sulking. “We’re never going down,” Hungerholt said. “They’ve got me cornered, but you can’t stop us.”

While the Cardinal offense took the lead with big plays in the fourth quarter, the defense also made a big splash. Stevens broke up a fourth-down pass to end a Kingsland drive, and the Cardinals were also forced into a pair of turnovers as Dylan Christianson recovered an errant kick and Ryder Stern tipped for an interception and collected a pass to close out the game.

“We had to start doing our job and get off the edge, and we did that in the second half,” Stern said. “This means a lot to us. We’ve wanted to go to state and win since fifth grade. Now it’s at our fingertips.”

This is the first year of the collaboration between LeRoy-Ostrander and Lyle-Pacelli, making it the program’s first state tournament appearance. LeRoy-Ostrander won the nine-man state title in 2021. The Cardinals will open state tournament play on Thursday or Friday at a location to be determined.

SCORING SUMMARY

Kingsland 13 6 7 0 – 27

LOLP 0 12 12 14 – 38

first quarter

(W) Zach Reiland 52 runs (Rieter kick) (3 plays, 65 yards) 10:59

(W) Parker Johnson 57 passes from Kaleem Reiland (kick failed) (11 plays, 91 yards) 2:25

second quarter

(LOLP) Reid Hungerholt 29 passes (kick failed) from Cam Hungerholt (7 plays, 67 yards) 11:55

(W) Kaleem Reiland 5 runs (kick failed) (6 plays, 32 yards) 2:59

(LOLP) 18 passes (kick failed) from Carter Sweeney Hungerholt (3 plays, 74 yards) 10:28

third quarter

(LOLP) Camden Hungerholt 66 rush (pass failed) (3 plays, 74 yards) 10:28

(W) Zach Reiland 50 runs (Reiland run) (4 plays, 65 yards) 8:55

(LOLP) Sweeney 6 pass from Cam Hungerholt (pass failed) (14 plays, 65 yards) 3:16

fourth quarter

(LOLP) 50 passes from Tyson Stevens Hungerholt (Hungerholt run) (3 plays, 47 yards) 4:14

(LOLP) Hungerholt 6 runs (kick failed) (6 plays, 20 yards):47

LOLP STATISTICS

I hasten: Camden Hungerholt, 29 for 173, 2 TDs; Stevens, 5 to 38

Last: Camden Hungerholt, 14-for-27, 227, 4 TDs, INT

Taking: Reid Hungerholt, 3-for-66, TD; Carter Sweeney, 6-for-65, 2 TDs; Stevens, 1-for-50, TD; Landon Meyer, 2-for-23; Talon Lewison, 1 for 20

Defense: Logan Diemer, 1 sack; Ryder Stern, 1 tackle; Dylan Christianson, 1 fumble recovery