DODGE CENTER — The Caledonia High School football team probably didn’t do much to be happy about when it played Triton during the regular season.
It was Week 3, and the Warriors had split their first two games before putting together just one field goal in a 13-3 loss to the Cobras, who used that win to get the No. 2 seed in the MSHSL Section 1AA tournament.
Caledonia had to head back to Dodge Center on Saturday with a spot in the section championship game on the line and played more like it has in the past month.
The third-seeded Warriors (8-2) pulled away from a seven-point halftime lead with a 25-point second half to beat second-seeded Triton 39-7 and qualify for that championship game, which will be played at Paul Giel Field in Winona next weekend.
But Caledonia won’t get the second anticipated meeting with top-ranked Chatfield after fourth-seeded Rochester Lourdes (7-3) beat the Gophers 21-7 in the other semifinal. The Warriors and Eagles will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Senior Noah Schroeder gave Caledonia a 14-7 halftime lead with a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Hunter Frank, Schroeder, Will Allen and Chase Hauser then scored second-half touchdowns as Caledonia pulled away for its seventh straight victory. Schroeder’s second touchdown covered 7 yards and came in the third quarter.
Allen rushed 11 times for 174 yards as the Warriors gained 387 yards on the ground. He scored on a 59-yard run in the fourth quarter and also completed 7 of 11 passes for 104 yards.
Frank added 74 yards and a 16-yard scoring run, and Bodie Knutson carried eight times for 69 yards.
Hauser’s touchdown came from 55 yards out, and he finished with 61 yards on three attempts.
While offensive explosion was impressive, Caledonia continued to dominate opponents defensively.
The Warriors have allowed 24 points in their past five games and just 89 in 10 games. Triton’s touchdown on Saturday came in the second quarter.
