Mahnomen-Waubun will get its rematch against Ada-Borup-West in the Section 8A championship game.
The Thunderbirds (8-1) Stymied Polk County West (8-2) 12-3 in the 8A semifinal on Saturday afternoon to get one game closer to state. Will Starkey and Dennis Ashley punched in first-half rushing touchdowns while the Mahnomen-Waubun defense allowed only three points.
Starkey led all rushers with 123 yards on 24 carries. Tanner Pazdernik ran for 100 yards on 28 carries and threw for 27 yards. Starkey led the team in tackles with 4.5.
The Thunderbirds outgained Polk County West 286 yards to 134. Most of Mahnomen-Waubun's yards came on the ground.
The Thunderbirds' only loss of the season was on the road at Ada-Borup-West on Oct. 1 by a score of 33-13. The Cougars are 8-1 this season and the top seed in Section 6A. They took care of Red Lake County at home by a final of 42-14.
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Kickoff is at 8 p.m. at the Fargodome, where the winner advances to the Class A state tournament.
POLK COUNTY WEST 0 3 0 0 - 3
MAHNOMEN-WAUBUN 6 6 0 0 - 12
SCORING- FIRST QUARTER- MAHNOMEN-WAUBUN- Will Starkey 5-yard TD run, Tanner Pazdernik two-point conversion pass no good, 6-0, 1:17; SECOND QUARTER- POLK COUNTY WEST- Cullen Rohrich 23-yard FG, 6-3, 10:23; MAHNOMEN-WAUBUN- Dennis Ashley 10-yard TD run, two-point conversion run no good, 12-3, 5:58
MAHNOMEN WAUBUN TEAM TOTALS- 286 yards total offense, 27 passing yards, 259 rushing yards, 5 penalties for 50 yards, 1 turnover, 1 sack, 18 first downs, 8/13 third down, 0/2 fourth down
MAHNOMEN-WAUBUN OFFENSE- RUSHING- Will Starkey 24 carries, 123 yards, TD; Tanner Pazdernik 28 curries, 100 yards; Dennis Ashley 3 carries, 36 yards, TD; PASSING- 2-2, 27 yards; RECEIVING- Ashley 1 catch, 21 yards; Loden Clark 1 catch, 6 yards
