Chisago Lakes kicker Bryce Thompson hit a game-winning 29-yard field goal with just three seconds remaining to give the Wildcats a 3-point upset victory Friday over Mississippi 8 rival St. Michael-Albertville.
It was Thompson’s first-ever game-winning kick.
“It was nuts,” Thompson said. “I didn’t know what to do with myself.”
Thompson, a junior, redeemed himself after missing two field goals and an extra point earlier in the game.
“I wasn’t very confident, but coach (Bill) Weiss gave me a little speech before the kick,” Thompson said. “He just told me to have confidence and that I hit it in practice all the time. It was an unbelievable feeling.”
Both teams entered the game undefeated at 4-0. St. Michael-Albertville was ranked No. 2 in Class 5A. Chisago Lakes was ranked No. 9 in Class 5A. With the victory, the Wildcats turned the tables on St. Michael-Albertville. Last season, Chisago Lakes’ lone regular-season loss came at the hands of St. Michael-Albertville, 37-26, on the road.
“We’re really good,” Chisago Lakes senior running back Joe Virga said. “We haven’t even played our best game yet. If we clean it up I don’t know how good we’ll be.”
St. Michael-Albertville scored first, with quarterback Jackson Greenwaldt connecting with Trevor Rothstein for a 13-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
However, led by its triple-option running attack, Chisago Lakes scored three-consecutive times to go up 21-7 and take control of the game in the third quarter.
St. Michael-Albertville wouldn’t go away. A 95-yard kickoff return by Landon Bridell, with just 21 seconds left in the third quarter, cut the Knights’ deficit to 21-14. Then, Greenwaldt threw a beautiful touchdown pass to junior Isaiah Weston, 45 yards over the Wildcats’ defense, to tie the game at 21.
That set up the last-second heroics by Chisago Lakes.
“That was a great team win,” Virga said. “A lot of fun.”
Key of the game: Chisago Lakes senior William Gillach intercepted a pass by St. Michael-Albertville quarterback Jackson Greenwaldt, jumping a route and cutting off the receiver, to give the Wildcats the ball at the Knights’ 24-yard line with 53 seconds remaining in the game.
Quote: “We run first and pass second. That’s what we do really well. We run really hard.” -- Chisago Lakes senior running back Joe Virga
One thing to know: Virga had 16 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
