Roseville High Football Suffers Heart-Breaking Homecoming Loss

A Roseville Raiders homecoming rush on Friday night ended in the Forest Lake Rangers spoiling the party.

“I told the guys they had their hearts in it,” Raiders coach Chris Simdorn said about his team’s 43-42 loss to the Rangers. “It came down to the final play.”

The two teams combined for more than 500 yards rushing and 10 rushing touchdowns. Rangers running back Tommy Tyson had the last run with a stretch and dive for the end zone on a two-point conversion to edge the Raiders 43-421 in overtime at Roseville. The Raiders held off the Rangers to end regulation on a missed field goal by the Rangers following a short punt by the Raiders.

“We came together as a team,” Raiders senior running back/linebacker Jacob Brandt said.

Emeche Wells opened the extra frame for the Raiders with a 10-yard TD run on a sweep. But the Rangers answered back on TD run by their back-up quarterback Dan Johnson, which led to Tyson’s game-winner.  

“I told them, ‘I know what I’m saying isn’t going to matter a whole lot,’” Simdorn said. “I told them that I care about each of them a lot. I felt for every player and every coach that prepared hard to get it done tonight, and unfortunately, we just didn’t.”

The Raiders took the early momentum with a 14-0 first quarter lead as quarterback Jaques Perra ran for a TD and connected with Dale Miller for another TD. Wells kept the Raiders ahead by two scores, 21-6, in the second quarter with an 11-yard TD.

The Raiders knocked on the door again with a 21-14 lead late in the first half, but Perra threw an interception deep in Ranger territory. The visitors tied the game 21-21 with a rushing TD by Johnson in the final seconds of the first half.

“Their (Rangers) back up quarterback stepped up,” Simdron said. “The kid ran hard and played well.”

Matthew Peckham put the Raiders ahead again on an 8-yard TD run at 6:41 in the third quarter. Tyson tied the game for the Rangers on a 6-yard run 28-28.

The Raiders missed an opportunity when linebacker Frank McGraw recovered a fumble at mid field, but it led to no points. Instead, the Rangers took their first lead of the night, 35-28, with a 35-yard TD run by Glen Miron.

“We just need to come up with some stops defensively,” Simdorn said. “We got a little worn down by them.”

Wells responded for the Raiders with an incredible play as he cut through the Rangers defense for a 68-yard TD run after a catch. Wells caught a pass from Perra in the backfield, and he ran to the opposite side of the line of scrimmage and danced around multiple Ranger defenders to break away from the maroon-and-white crowd.

“He’s good,” Brandt said about Wells.

Raiders receiver/defensive back Zack Moriarty set-up the field position for Wells’ run with a 32-yard kick return. He also saved a fumbled punt return later in the final quarter when he knocked the loose ball out of bounds.

“He’s a central player maker for our team,” Simdorn said.

The Raiders will have a big string of tests in the season’s final stretch with Woodbury, Stillwater and Cretin-Derham Hall. They’re three of the top four teams in the Suburban East Conference.

“These are the times we need each other the most, so hopefully the boys stick together,” Simdorn said. “There’s still a lot of season left, and a play here or there can change the outcome of some of these games.”