Watch: Elk River football beats Chanhassen to advance to 5A Prep Bowl

Elk River opened the 2024 football season with a lopsided victory over Chanhassen, the defending Class AAAAA state champion. While the Storm were hoping for a different result on Friday when the powers meet again, they instead saw their title run come to an end.

The Elks, known for their mystical running game where opponents aren’t sure who has the ball, rushed for 240 yards and controlled the ball for just over 25 minutes to record a 21-19 victory in the Class AAAAA semifinals at US Bank Stadium Stadium. in downtown Minneapolis. Elk River (11-1), coming off a 22-point win over the Storm on Aug. 29, couldn’t breathe until a desperate midfield punt was blocked as time expired.

***Click the video box above for Elk River vs. Chanhassen highlights***

The win sends Elk River to the Class AAAAA Prep Bowl Championship game against Owatonna or Alexandria on Saturday, Nov. 23. These two semi-finalists will play in the final game of the day on Saturday, November 16. Elk River was the Class AAAAA champion in 2022 and also in 2016. The Elks were state runners-up the other two seasons.

Chanhassen opened the scoring on a 23-yard connection from junior running back Nathan Ramler to senior wide receiver Noah Kloske. It would be the only time the Elks trailed. Elk River extended its lead to 21-12 when sophomore running back Carsyn Kleffman scored on a 17-yard run with 8:10 left in regulation.

The Storm, playing in desperation mode, made it 21-19 on an 8-yard pass from Ramler to James Kopfmann with 1:44 left in regulation. Elk River was running at a slower tempo and turned it over on downs to the Storm with seven seconds left and no timeouts.