(KWMN)- Senior running back Jonah Bunke dazzled in the section 1A quarterfinal in route to 252 yards on the ground and four scores as Rushford-Peterson football dominated Wabasha-Kellogg, 42-6.
Bunke, who has a season average of seven yards per carry, was the driving–or running–force behind the Trojans success. He had three different carries for 20+ yards, and another two of 40+ yards. His long on the night was a 66 yarder in the 3rd quarter.
“That kid just runs hard,” head coach, Joel Hinke said after the game. “Every time he touches the ball, he’s got the mentality that he’s going to score…He’s done a really good job of taking that next step as a leader. He does a great job leading by play and example, but now he’s done a great job of using his words, and making sure the words he uses helps our team.”
The Bunke name is no anomaly for Rushford-Peterson football, as many Bunke’s before Jonah have made their mark on the program. More recently it was Dawson over the last four years, before that it was Malachi Bunke, brother to Jonah, that led the Trojans to the State Tournament.
Luckily for the RP Football program, Jonah won’t be the last,
“We got a few more coming up in the ranks, but the Bunke family has been a big part of this football program for a long time,” Hinke said with a laugh, when asked what Rushford will do without a Bunke, “I’m excited to give one of ’em one more opportunity on Saturday.”
Bunke will hope to continue to make an everlasting mark on the program, like his brother before him, when Rushford-Peterson plays Goodhue on Saturday in the Section 1A semifinal.
Of course, Bunke wasn’t the only player that showed up for the Trojans last night. Carson Johnson scored his fifth touchdown of the season on a reverse play, while Caden Lea, the sophomore QB making just his fifth career start, managed the game brilliantly in the victory. Lea did have one interception, but it was in the final seconds of the half, trying to push the ball down the field, so it barely counts.
The defense is what impressed Hinke the most, regardless of the 42 points scored, “Our pursuit of the ball…We went back to the basics the last couple of days…I thought that paid dividends tonight,” he said, when asked what he liked most about the win.
It’s been a long season for the Trojans, injuries to senior QB Caden Johnson, close losses to Blooming Prairie and Lewiston Altura. Yet now they’re here in the Section semifinal anyway. It’s pride that’s kept them afloat, says Hinke,
“Just proud of our boys. We’ve had a tough season, we battled against Blooming, we battled against Fillmore, Battled against Lewiston. Lotta things that unfortunately haven’t fallen our way…We’re starting to turn that tide. We talked about playing with pride all week and what it means to have Trojans on our chest, and I thought our guys did a great job of representing Rushford-Peterson tonight.”
They’ll need that pride again, and then some, with Goodhue on the Horizon. Goodhue earned the top seed in the section after an undefeated season that saw them climb to the 4th ranking in all of Class A. That season included a 31-6 win over Rushford-Peterson. Goodhue obliterated Bethlehem Academy in the section quarterfinal 63-0 to advance on to Saturdays game.
For Hinke, in his first section tournament in charge of the program, fresh of his first career playoff win, he relishes in the underdog role,
“The last thing I told the guys in the huddle before we broke it down was, ‘we’re the #5 seed–Good’.”
Other Area Scores and Schedule
#4 Winona 2-0 #5 Austin
-Austin forfeited the game, giving a free win to Winona. Winona will face #1 Byron on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. We’ll have the live coverage on the Winona Sports Network, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
#4 Dover-Eyota 28-0 #5 Cotter
#3 Lewiston-Altura 40-14 #6 St. Charles
-LA moves on to face the #2 seed in the section 1AA bracket in Caledonia.
#4 Southland 27-14 #5 Houston
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