Grand Meadow 48, Edgerton/Ellsworth 0

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A fast start and stout defense led to a second straight state football title for Grand Meadow.

Michael Stejskal threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns as Grand Meadow beat Edgerton/Ellsworth 48-0 Friday in the 9-Man Championship at the Prep Bowl.

Landon Jacobson rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns and Cody Ojulu had a pair of touchdown receptions for Grand Meadow (14-0), which shut out five of its final six opponents.

Jake Post threw four interceptions for Edgerton/Ellsworth (12-2), which was held to 181 total yards.

The Superlarks first-team defense allowed just five touchdowns all year — three in one game.

"We're not the biggest team, so we depend on our speed and quickness," said Jacobson, who picked off a pass and recovered a fumble. "We all have to play our position and then lean on the other guy to play their position. If everybody does a good job our defense is almost unstoppable."

Grand Meadow, located in southeast Minnesota near Austin, stormed out to a big first-half lead, 33-0, and never looked back. The Superlarks outscored their opponents 470-32 in the opening two quarters this year.

"People gear up to stop the run so much that as soon as they do that it creates openings in other places and we were able to exploit that usually," said coach Gary Sloan.

Jacobson scored from 1-yard out on Grand Meadow's opening drive and — after a 29-yard punt return by Jacobson — he scored on a 13-yard run to make it 14-0 before the first quarter was half over.

"Getting that two-touchdown lead gave us a lot of momentum," he said.

Wyatt Richardson made a pair of field goals — from 23 and 34 yards — early in the second quarter to make it 20-0. The latter was set up by Jacobson's interception.

Edgerton/Ellsworth, located near the southwest corner of Minnesota, drove deep into Grand Meadow territory late in the first half before Post was intercepted by Blake Olson.

"When we didn't play our best Grand Meadow really made us pay," said Edgerton/Ellsworth coach Andrew Fleischman. "Today was their day, it wasn't ours."

Two plays later Stejskal and Ojulu connected on a 56-yard score for a 27-0 lead.

Stejskal then recorded the Superlarks third interception of the half, and two plays later found Olson for a 58-yard touchdown pass.

"I told the kids that they need to play in a very aggressive mode and I'm going to be very aggressive in my play calling," Sloan said. "Getting those two before the half really put it away, I think."

Ojulu had a 21-yard reception in the third quarter and Jacobson added a 7-yard run in the fourth.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)