The Luverne Tigers dropped number one ranked Trinity from the ranks of the undefeated and out of the playoffs with a 34 to 28 win last Friday night.

Luverne scored 28 unanswered points in the first half and then held on as the Wildcats made a valiant effort to remain undefeated. The Tigers have faced two undefeated region champs and one Number 2 seed in their climb to perfection.

Trinity is a quality team and played as such in the second half. The Tigers started the scoring in the first quarter with a 17 yard run by Ryan McGhee, who finished the night with 226 yards rushing. It ended an 11 play, 92 yard drive. The PAT was kicked by Cody Chrzastek. The next Tiger possession covered 70 yards in 7 plays with McGhee taking it in from 28 yards out. The PAT was missed and with less than a minute left in the first quarter, the Tigers had a 13-point lead.

The second quarter saw the Tigers controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the line. LHS scored with 6:30 left in the second quarter. The score came on a 1 yard run by Monterio May. The drive was a 9 play drive that covered 62 yards. The PAT was scored by a pass from Evan Richardson to Lonnie Freeman.

The Tigers received the kick off and wasted little time in moving in for the first score of the second half. The drive lasted just under 4 minutes, and it covered 62 yards in 8 plays. The TD came on a 2 yard run by Lance Brooks, and Cody Chrzastek split the uprights for the extra point.

After this, the Wildcats got their passing game going. Quarterback Jack Poundstone hit Mark White for a 21 yard scoring strike with 4:52 left in the third quarter. The PAT was good, and the Tiger lead had been cut. On the next Tiger possession the ball got loose, and it was recovered by the Wildcats at the Tiger 38 yard line. The Wildcats used just 4 plays to go the distance; the TD was on a Poundstone to White aerial that covered 38 yards. With the PAT, the Tiger lead was cut in half. Neither team could score in the remaining time of the third quarter, but the Tigers started their game-winning drive on their last drive of the third quarter.

As the 4th quarter started, the Tigers had the ball on the Wildcat 29 yard line. In three plays the Red Cats cashed in on their final score of the night. It came on a 3-yard Ryan McGhee run. The PAT was missed. The drive covered 12 plays and 65 yards. After this the Tigers took up a notch in their belts and played the old bend but don’t break style defense. The Wildcats scored 2 more 4th quarter TDs, but when it counted, the Red Cats made the plays to seal the deal. Cody Chrzastek picked off a Poundstone aerial to end one threat, and then with time running out, Seth Wood picked off the last ditch effort of Poundstone to White to seal the deal for the Tigers in a 34 to 28 win.

On offense the Tigers were led by Ryan McGhee with 226 yards on 31 carries. Lance Brooks had 97 in 20 carries. Montero May was 4 of 6 passing for 57 yards. The Tigers picked up 25 first downs on 394 total yards of offense, while the Wildcats picked up 12 first downs for the game on 7 yards rushing and 254 through the air.

The Tigers were led by Cody Chrzastek on defense with 5 tackles and 1 pass interception; Seth Wood had 3 stops and the game-winning interception. Dranarris Lovejoy and Lenny Brooks had 6 tackles each. In all it was a team effort. The offensive line opened large holes for the running backs, and the defense played as champs should.

The Tigers will host Cordova this Friday night in AHSAA Class 3A Semi-final playoff action. Kickoff is 7.p.m. in Glenn Daniel Stadium.