Photo by Ari Selvey: Minneota running back Destin Fier races to the end zone after a big catch during the Class A State Football Tournament against Parkers Prairie Saturday at US Bank Stadium.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneota cruised its way to a 45-0 shutout of Parkers Prairie Saturday in the Class A State Football Semifinals at US Bank Stadium, its second shutout of the state tournament in two games.

The team looks to be in a class of its own in Class A, even among other state tournament programs. Perhaps the most telling stat that shows this is how much the Vikings outgained the Panthers in the first half, getting nearly 10 times the yardage before the halftime break, 329-33, and scored on each of its first five possessions. 

“I think part of it is staying focused and staying healthy,” Minneota head coach Chad Johnston said. “This time of year, you’re banged up and you’re just trying to stay healthy. We’ve tried to do our best all year long to keep us healthy, get guys breaks when we get into some of our blowout games. Get guys experienced, but keep guys healthy with the intent that we’re in it for the long haul.

“Offensively, I thought we did what we needed to do. We controlled the line of scrimmage, created holes, ran well. Did the things we needed to do. Defensible, our big concern was big plays. That [Mason] Boesl kid is a heck of a running back and we’ve seen him run off some big yards. We were really hoping to keep him contained, and we did. We did a nice job and I think the fact we got a lot of three-and-outs on defense and also on offense just taking time off the clock and methodically marching it down the field was key there.”

Minneota now looks to make it three state championships against Springfield in a row as the two clash on Friday at 10 a.m. at US Bank Stadium.

Parkers Prairie was held to 72 yards rushing in the game on 33 attempts, while Minneota collected 303 yards on the ground on 36 attempts, nearly four times as efficient on the ground. Leading the group was Ryan Meagher, with 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Lucas Rybinski had 56 yards rushing, while Destin Fier had 44 yards and a touchdown on the ground along with 78 yards and a touchdown receiving. Brody Larson had 122 yards passing with a touchdown and added a rushing touchdown.

Larson got the scoring started with a 2-yard sneak in the first quarter. Meagher added to that with a 10-yard rush later in the same quarter to make it a 14-0 game. Fier got explosive in the second quarter, building on a 24-yard rushing touchdown with a 54-yard receiving score on a deep pass from Larson to make it 28-0.

Meagher collected his second touchdown on a 12-yard rush to close out the half with a 35-0 lead. 

Parkers Prairie finally forced Minneota’s first punt of the game, but Kellen Bradley immediately turned that into a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown on the Panther’s ensuing possession. A 34-yard field goal by Ian Myhre put the Vikings up 45-0 before the end of the third quarter as Minneota’s reserves were able to give the starters some rest for the fourth quarter. 

For Parkers Prairie, Boesl finished the game with 46 yards on 14 carries. The Panthers finished the game with a total of 33 passing yards on 12 attempts, as well as a pair of interceptions.

Minneota now heads into a rematch with Springfield, who the Vikings defeated in their previous two state championships.

“It’s different because this is obviously the third year in a row for us seeing them,” Johnston said. “They’re familiar with us, we’re familiar with them. Not like it’s a short week, but playing on Saturday and playing on Friday again, it’s not like you can put a whole lot of new things in. It’s going to basically come down to execution and plays. They’re going to look back at last year with what was successful, what was not successful. Make those adjustments, we’re going to do the same thing. I told the guys that it’s a cool thing that you’re not only playing for a three-peat, but a three-peat against the same team. That doesn’t happen a whole lot, and that gives them an opportunity to do something very great.”