JCC advances to Class 2A state football semis; MCC also moves on

Jackson County Central got off to a dominating start in the Minnesota Class 2A football tournament on Saturday, and senior Roman Voss led the way.

Voss set a school record by rushing for five touchdowns and ended the game with a career-best 264 yards rushing as the Huskies rolled to a 42-15 win over Caledonia in a quarterfinal game. Top-ranked JCC led 14-7 early in the second quarter and went on to score 28 consecutive points from there.

Voss, who also passed for 88 yards and a TD, had scoring runs of eight, 68, one, 14 and 25 yards. Gage Johnson also rushed for 111 yards for the Huskies, which totaled 509 yards of total offense.

JCC, the defending state Class 2A champion, is now 11-0 overall and will next meet 9-2 Eden Valley-Watkins at 9 a.m. Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Another area team bound for the Bank is Murray County Central, which knocked off previously unbeaten Fillmore Central 29-26 in a Class 1A quarterfinal Friday night. Teague Meyer, who like JCC's Voss is a senior quarterback, ran for 201 yards and scored three touchdowns.

The Rebels will next sixth-ranked Breckenridge, which is 12-0, at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. MCC has won nine straight after losing its first two contests of the season.

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The Minnesota West men's and women's basketball teams each picked up victories Friday in the Sanford Classic tournament at Worthington's Center for Health & Wellness. Both squads did not play Saturday, as Northwestern College's JV teams did not travel that day.

The Bluejay men improved to 2-0 on Friday with an 84-62 triumph over the Dordt University JV. The game was tied 35-35 at the half, but Minnesota West blew the game open after the break.

Sophomore Kewone Jones had a game-high 28 points for the Bluejays and also pulled down eight rebounds. Keion Irvin contributed 20 points and was a sharp 8-of-11 shooting from the floor. Owen Beilke chipped in with 11 points and made all five of his shots from the field and his lone attempt from the foul line. Zach Hayenga led the way in rebounds with 12.

In the women's game, the Lady Jays — who trailed 26-5 after one quarter in their season opener — led 31-10 after the first 10 minutes on Friday. Minnesota West was up 57-27 at the half and coasted the rest of the way.

Sophomore Katrina Schutz topped the Lady Jays, now 1-1, in scoring with 20 points and rebounds with seven. Maddie Kamm added 14 points and also passed for eight assists, and Izzy Klumper had 12 points.

Both Minnesota West basketball squads are now idle until Friday, when they each travel to Northland.