Offensive and defensive line play was dominant in opening holes and filling gaps.
Rochester John Marshall overpowered St. Paul Harding, earning a 25-0 shutout in the Class AA finals. It was the first of back-to-back championships for the Rockets.
"They just killed us," St. Paul Harding coach Ken Mauer said. His squad only ran three offensive plays in the first quarter and didn't get its initial first down until there was only a minute left in the second quarter. "I was surprised how well they moved on us. They held the ball and ran right over us."
Kent Kitzmann opened the scoring with a 22-yard run in the first quarter while Mike Bailey followed with a rushing and receiving touchdown. Kitzmann carried the ball 29 times for 147 yards.
"We just beat 'em to the punch off the ball all night," Rockets coach John Drews said.
In Class B, Terry Connelly scored on a 3-yard run to cap a time-consuming drive in the third quarter as New Prague edged Appleton 13-7 for the crown. The Trojans would win two of their three championships back-to-back.
"Line blocking was the key," New Prague senior running back Alan Bisek said. "It was the tightest defensive game we've played all year."
In Nine-Man, Lake Benton's line controlled Lake Benton in a 50-12 triumph in the finals. Halfback Lonnie Willert ran for four touchdowns, scoring on runs of 6, 15, 17 and 24 yards. Lake Benton would repeat as champions the following year.
In another final, quarterback Bob Pazzelli threw two touchdown passes in a 59-second span late in the first half as Eveleth rallied from an early 18-0 deficit to beat Willmar 28-18 to win the Class A championship in its only state tournament appearance. Duffy Novak gave the Bears the lead with an 11-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
"We were flat. I don't know if we were scared or what," Eveleth coach Dick Lawrence said. "Willmar came at us and blew us off the field at the start."
State championship games
Class AA: Rochester John Marshall 25, St. Paul Harding 0
Class A: Eveleth 28, Willmar 18
Class B: New Prague 13, Appleton 7
Class C: Gaylord 29, Holdingford 6
Nine-Man: Lake Benton 50, Brandon 12
