Caleb Langager (4) carries the ball for the Bucs.

Turnovers proved to be the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers’ undoing when they faced the Maple River Eagles in the semifinal round of the Section 2AA football playoffs in Mapleton on Saturday, Oct. 28. The Eagles scored once in the first half and added two more scores in the second half on their way to a 21-0 victory.

Both teams struggled to move the ball on the cold and windy October afternoon, but miscues by BEA gave Maple River great field position, and the Eagles took advantage of it.

A fumble by the Bucs on their own 10-yard line set the Eagles up for their first touchdown.

Maple River quarterback Zach Trio gained eight yards to the Bucs’ two-yard line and running back Tyler Hollerich punched it into the end zone on the next play. The PAT was no good so the Eagles took a 6-0 lead and that is where the score stayed for the remainder of the first half.

The Bucs fumbled again on their second possession of the third quarter. This time the Eagles recovered the ball at the BEA three-yard line.

After stopping Hollerich on first down, Trio kept the ball himself on second down and carried it into the end zone for the touchdown. Chad Schull ran the ball in for the two-point conversion to put the Eagles on top 14-0.

Maple River’s final touchdown of the game came on a 10-play 52-yard drive in the fourth quarter which was capped off with Schull carrying the ball into the end zone from two yards out to give the Eagles a 20-0 lead. Julius Jeroncic kicked the ball through the uprights for the extra point and a 21-0 Maple River lead.

The inability of both teams to move the ball resulted in neither team gaining 100 yards of offense. BEA came close with 99 yards while the Buccaneer defense limited the Eagles to just 75 yards of offense.

The Bucs ended the game with seven first downs to only six for the Eagles. BEA ran a total of 50 plays to 38 for Maple River.

However, the Bucs turned the ball over five times to only one for the Eagles.

And, those five turnovers resulted in Maple River having the advantage in the one statistic which really matters, the final score, where they prevailed 21-0.

Maple River’s victory moved them into the Section championship game which was played on Friday, Nov. 3, in Janesville. The winner of that contest advances to the Class AA Minnesota State High School Football Tournament.