Park Christian stands tall in fourth quarter to win first section title

Lexi Hills / The Forum By Ryan Spitza Today at 10:54 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? FARGO — Facing a fourth-and-5 from the Mahnomen/Waubun 36-yard line with 57 seconds remaining, Moorhead Park Christian lined up in punt formation. Falcons head coach Matt Baasch gave Logan Giese the green light to either punt or run for the first down. ADVERTISEMENT Giese had zero thought of punting. "I wasn't going to punt the ball," Giese said. Instead, Giese ran seven yards for the first down. One more kneel down in victory formation gave Park Christian a 21-20 win over Mahnomem/Waubun in the Minnesota Section 8, Class A football championship game at the Fargodome Thursday. "I knew I could get the first down, so I had to go make a play for my teammates," said Giese, who finished with three total touchdowns and two fumble recoveries. In just their second year of 11-player football, the Falcons have their first section title after downing the five-time reining 8A champion Thunderbirds. "God is great," Baasch said. "I told our guys before the game that we're a team that believes we're going to pour our hearts out for Jesus and pour our talents out that he's given us and whatever happens, happens. "Those are two great teams going to battle. That was a great football game. I'm proud of us and I'm proud of Mahnomen/Waubun. They set the bar and they've set the standard for a long, long time. That's a great football team." ADVERTISEMENT Giese finished with 123 yards rushing on 33 carries to go with a touchdown. Through the air, the senior quarterback completed 14 of 27 passes for 169 yards and two TDs. The Falcons defense had five total turnovers, with Giese's two fumble recoveries coming in the fourth quarter. Pierce Killerlain added a fumble recovery and an interception while David Pettys also picked up a fumble for the Falcons. "We're great punchers of the ball," Baasch said. "We knew they were a little loose with the ball going into practice, so we worked on that all week trying to get the ball out and the guys did a great job of that." Lexi Hills / The Forum Park Christian (11-0) will now advance to the Class A state quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 13, with opponent and site to be determined. "We've got to enjoy it for (today) and then we've got next Friday to look at and get ready for the next game," Giese said. This is a developing story. Check back to InForum.com for updates. Lexi Hills / The Forum Lexi Hills / The Forum Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags FOOTBALL MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE PARK CHRISTIAN FALCONS PREP SPORTS By Ryan Spitza Ryan Spitza joined The Forum in December 2021 as a sports reporter. He grew up in Marquette, Mich., a city of 20,000 on the southern shore of Lake Superior. He majored in multimedia journalism and minored in public relations at Northern Michigan University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in May 2019. While attending college, Spitza gained real-world experience covering high school and college athletics for both The Mining Journal and The North Wind. Spitza can be reached at 701-451-5613 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ryspitza. Twitter Instagram Facebook Linkedin Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Prep Kittson County Central's returners deliver in Section 8 9-man title win over Goodridge/Grygla 1h ago · By Alex Faber Prep Follow Minnesota's section football games at the Fargodome on our live blog 2h ago · By Staff reports Prep Clearbrook-Gonvick routs Blackduck to take home first section title in 31 years 2h ago · By Leo Pomerenke ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads Pro Carson Wentz will start for Vikings against Bills 9h ago · By Dane Mizutani / St. Paul Pioneer Press Moorhead 'Our faith is in action': Moorhead church provides kits for those preparing for winter 4h ago · By Kevin Wallevand Arts and Entertainment Guitar invention puts more music in your hands 11h ago · By Tracy Briggs Business Lotus Blossom Asian grocery has closed in Fargo 16h ago · By Stephanie Dickerson