International Falls went to the air Friday when the Broncos scored three first-half touchdowns and took the lead momentarily while hosting Hermantown for homecoming.
Falls quarterback Gunnar Anderson placed himself on top of the all-time list of Bronco passers who have thrown at least 150 yards in a single game by completing 12 of 27 attempts for 262 yards, surpassing the previous single-game record of 240 yards set by Shawn Brown against Greenway in 1991.
Though Anderson’s final touchdown pass and subsequent throw for the 2-point conversion gave Falls the lead with 1:03 left before halftime, it was all Hermantown after that point as the Hawks went on to win, 48-20.
The loss dropped the Broncos’ season record to 0-5 overall and 0-4 in the Sea-Range Conference, while Hermantown improved to 4-1 overall and 4-0 in the Sea-Range.
“Hermantown’s a fantastic ball team,” said Falls head coach Jay Boyle. “We were thinking all week that this was probably the best team that we were going to see all year, unless we make it into the state playoffs somewhere.”
The Hawks scored first with 6:39 to play in the first quarter when Parker Anderson returned a punt for a touchdown from 72 yards away. Kevin Folman ran in the two-point conversion to give Hermantown an 8-0 lead.
The Broncos got on the scoreboard with 3:21 left in the opening quarter when Gunnar Anderson connected with junior end Luke Spilde on a 32-yard touchdown pass.
Despite being sent back 10 yards on two procedure penalties for the 2-point conversion, Falls still had an opportunity to tie the game. However, unlike the touchdown, Spilde wasn’t able to hold onto the pass in the end zone.
Hermantown extended its lead with 7:41 remaining in the first half when Adam Smith capped off a scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The lead remained at 14-6 when the Hawks’ extra point was blocked.
The Broncos quickly responded with a touchdown of their own. Anderson threw to sophomore end Ben Humbert, who broke a tackle along Falls’ sideline en route to the end zone on a 75-yard pass play. Falls still trailed 14-12 when a run play failed on the 2-point conversion.
Humbert also made a key defensive play late in the first half to give the Broncos good field position to take the lead.
After Hermantown called timeout with 1:39 left in the second quarter facing a third down with three yards to go at Falls’ 18-yard-line, an interception by Humbert gave the Broncos the ball deep in their own territory.
Anderson then connected with senior running back Nick Janttie on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Falls its first lead of the game. A pass to Humbert on the 2-point conversion extended the Broncos’ lead to 20-14.
“I was very proud of the way that we played in the first half,” Boyle said. “We did a great job of giving our quarterback protection and having the time to find the open receivers.”
Falls also sustained a key injury late in the first half when senior lineman Beau Herzig left the game and did not return. Herzig, who starts on both offense and defense, had also blocked a kick.
“We got banged up a little bit, and that always hurts,” Boyle said. “But younger guys need to step up until everyone can get back.”
With 1:03 left in the half, Hermantown had enough time before intermission to drive down the field and take the lead.
The Hawks benefited from a pass interference penalty on the Broncos before scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run by Olson in the final seconds. A successful 2-point conversion gave Hermantown a 22-20 halftime lead.
The Broncos opened the second half with a defensive stand, forcing Hermantown to turn the ball over on downs at their 6-yard line with 7:35 left in the third quarter, before Falls’ fake punt on the subsequent possession backfired.
When Humbert dropped back to punt, Anderson received the direct snap and threw an incomplete pass intended for Janttie, giving Hermantown the ball on Falls’ 22-yard line.
When asked after the game about the fake punt deep in the Broncos’ territory, Boyle said there was a miscommunication on the play, in which the ball should have been punted.
“It was a decent situation for (a fake punt), which is why our quarterback apparently thought that I called it, but it was not the play that I tried to send in,” he said. “Our intention was to punt it.”
Hermantown extended its lead with 4:49 left in the third quarter when Justin Brendon caught a 16-yard touchdown pass. Parker Anderson’s extra point gave the Hawks a 29-22 lead.
The rest of the game was in stark contrast to the first half as Hermantown added three more touchdowns to outscore the Broncos, 26-0, in the final two quarters.
Of the Hawks 462 yards on offense, 353 came running the football. The Falls, on the other hand, had only 52 yards rushing out of 314 total yards.
“They had the run stuffed up pretty good inside,” Boyle said. “But we have some very good athletes on the outside, and we just decided to let them make plays (Friday night), and they did.”
Humbert led the Broncos with 102 receiving yards on four catches, while Janttie added 92 receiving yards on five catches and Spilde had 68 yards with three catches.
Falls’ next game this coming Friday against Melrose Area, though considered a home game for the Broncos, is being held at a neutral site at Grand Rapids, given the distance between the two teams.
Boyle said the Falls is playing better than its 0-5 record going into the final three games of the regular season, prior to the playoffs.
“The score (against Hermantown) ended up looking very lopsided, but especially in that first half, we looked like we can play with them,” he said. “If we can play with Hermantown, we can play with anybody.”
Herm. 8 14 13 13 — 48
I. Falls 6 14 0 0 — 20
Scoring: IF: Luke Spilde, 32-yard pass from Gunnar Anderson (pass failed); Ben Humbert, 75-yard pass from Anderson (run failed); Nick Janttie, 15-yard pass from Anderson (Humbert pass from Anderson).
Rushing: IF: Nehemiah Olson, 2-18; Anderson, 8-13; Janttie, 5-11; Cole Miggins, 1-7; Jakob Ettestad, 3-2; Humbert, 1-1; Aaron Geiselhart, 1-0.
Passing: IF: Anderson 12-27, 262 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs; Miggins, 0-2, 0 yards.
Receiving: IF: Humbert, 4-102, 1 TD; Janttie, 5-92 1 TD; Spilde, 3-68, 1 TD.
