A gallant comeback by Maple Grove High School was spoiled when Robbinsdale Armstrong kicked a 27-yard field goal with three seconds left, lifting the Falcons to a Section 6 football quarterfinal win over the Crimson Tuesday, Oct. 26 at Armstrong.

"Armstrong has got to be the most athletic team we played this year," Maple Grove coach Craig Hansen said. "We were down 20-8 but we came back. Our defense came back and our offense clicked."

The Crimson took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter on a 43-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Mike Klosterman to junior running back Josh Throndson and a two-point pass from Klosterman to senior receiver Jake Johnson. Toward the end of the half, Johnson almost had another touchdown but he was pushed out at the 1 yard line after catching a pass and running about 30 yards.

Things turned sour for the Crimson in the second quarter when Armstrong exploded for three touch-downs to grab a 22-8 halftime lead.

Maple Grove's defense put a clamp on the Falcons while the offense struck for 14 answered points. Throndson scored in the third quarter on a 6-yard touchdown run but the two-point try failed. The Crimson then launched a game-tying 92-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter with Klosterman connecting with Johnson for a 22-yard scoring strike. The two then combined for the two-point conversion that tied the score at 22-22.

"Our kids played with so much guts and determination,” Hansen said. “We were down 20-8 and we were stumbling a bit, but we came back."

Unfortunately for Maple Grove, there were three minutes left on the clock when Armstrong got the ball and the Falcons methodically marched down the field and ate up the clock. They reached the Maple Grove 17-yard line with about three seconds left and booted the winning field goal.

"It's a heartbreaker," Hansen said. "You fight back and put 56 much into it and it happened. But Armstrong is such a good team. They barely lost to Wayzata and Hopkins."

The Crimson finished the season with a 4-5 record.

"You are disappointed that it ended," Hansen said. "I thought our kids have really put the game together and are playing at a good level now. Armstrong was tough but it was fun to play them. I was really excited to see where we started from with the new players and how we jelled and came together and improved. By the end of the season we were playing good football. I couldn't be prouder of the kids. They worked very hard to improve."