Leading into the Minnesota girls state final, Armstrong coach Jimmy Hanson anticipated one of the best championship matches that the league has seen in a long time. Hanson proved prophetic, as his side had to rally from a first-half deficit to eventually overcome North Suburban 31-17 – a score that belies the intensity and competitiveness of the game itself.

“North Suburban did a nice job of playing very aggressively, maintaining possession and stringing long series of phases together,” Hanson recounted the first half. “We played pretty solid defense and were able to keep them from making much progress up the field, even when they were able to hold onto the ball for long periods of time.”

Armstrong sent Brijana Tulimasealii and Renee Gonzales across for first-half tries, while Chloe Thomas’ first of three conversions gave the reigning champ 12 points. The team did leave some attacking opportunities on the field, however, as a few knock-ons and forward passes nullified some good field position.

North Suburban had kept it close with a Tatum Johnson try (12-5), and with about 10 minutes left in the half, started to wrest control of the game. Forcing Armstrong mistakes and holding onto possession, North Suburban saw Haley Picco and Brooke Miller dot down for tries, while Sam Duenow added a conversion for a 17-12 lead into the break.

“At halftime, our conversation was calm, and focused on returning to what we'd practiced - controlling our mistakes and minimizing penalties,” Hanson remembered. “We felt that if we could tighten up our play, we would be able to outscore them in the second half. Beyond that, we decided to use deep kicks to the corners to try and keep the ball deep in their territory, and it worked out well.”

A nicely placed kickoff and subsequent restart set up attacking series that put Kpenkai Carter and Thomas in for tries. Thomas’ conversion gave Armstrong the 24-17 lead. North Suburban remained calm despite the lead change, holding up three tries, and leaning on an excellent fitness base that allowed the squad to surge back into Armstrong territory.

One of North Suburban’s most promising scoring opportunities occurred with about eight minutes remaining. After a long series of domination, the team was finally penalized, and the change in possession allowed Armstrong some time to regroup and work the clock.

With two minutes on the clock, North Suburban had regained the ball near midfield and methodically worked through its phases toward the try line. But then, with no time on the clock, a big tackle near the sideline forced a drop ball that bounced into the arms of Armstrong freshman Molly Jaeger, who raced 70 meters for the Thomas-converted try, 31-17.

Armstrong certainly had to earn its sixth consecutive title this year, and North Suburban has proved that it’s closing in on the perennial state champion. Many of these players will now boot up with the Minnesota Tundra, as the all-star team prepares for the Rocky Mountain Challenge, the West’s Regional Cup Tournament, in Denver.