FINAL: Stillwater Beats Hastings 21-14, Claim Share of SEC Title

The Ponies football team is Suburban East Conference champions.

In a hard-fought battle in Hastings Wednesday night, the No. 4 ranked Ponies (7-1) beat the Raiders 21-14 to claim a share of the SEC title with Mounds View (7-1).

Stillwater got out to an early lead against Hastings after Danny Laudet kicked a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter to put the Ponies up 3-0.

The Raiders answered in the second quarter when Raiders quarterback Alex Wiese ran the ball for a 19-yard touchdown. Hastings missed the extra point, but went into halftime leading the Ponies 6-3.

The Ponies tied the game up in the third quarter with a 33-yard field goal by Laudet to tie the game 6-6.

With 4:37 seconds left in the game, Laudet’s field goal attempt was blocked.

On the next play, Stillwater defensive back Grant Moden picked off Wiese’s pass and returned it for a touchdown, putting the Ponies up 13-6 with 4:21 seconds left in the game.

But with just over 3 minutes to play, the Raiders Wiese connected with Ross Dylla for a 63-yard touchdown, and converted on the two-point attempt to take a 14-13 lead.

The Ponies marched the ball downfield—and with about 12 seconds left on the clock, sophomore running back Zach Knox scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Ponies then converted on a two-point attempt with a pass from Nate Ricci to Joey Quinn, sealing a 21-14 win and a conference title.

UPDATED FROM 5:30 p.m.

The Ponies will head to Hastings tonight for the final regular season game of year.

No. 4 ranked Stillwater (6-1) will play for a share of the conference title when they take on Hastings (3-4) in a Suburban East Conference matchup. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Stillwater and Mounds View sit atop the SEC with 6-1 records. Mounds View plays Park in their season finale.

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“The best part is our football team has gotten a little bit better each week,” Head Coach Beau LaBore told the Stillwater Gazette. “I think the SEC is a very good football league and to have the opportunity to come out on top is a great accomplishment for our program and to do it three times in four years would be outstanding. In the end, we need to stay focused, we need to play four quarters of football in all three aspects of the game and if we take care of Stillwater we’ll have a lot to celebrate.”

The Ponies will be without senior running back Nick Anderson for the rest of the season.

Click here to read the Stillwater Gazette's preview of tonight's game.

Stillwater Patch is proud to bring you a livestreaming video broadcast from Pony Stadium, courtesy of the Ponies Touchdown Club. Of course, we encourage folks to attend the game and show the athletes your support.

You can also click here to watch the livestream on the Ponies official team website. Play-by-play will be provided by KLBB's Tim Daigle. The broadcast will start about 30 minutes before game time.

Keep up with the Ponies this season by following @Ponies_Football on Twitter, or liking the Ponies Football Facebook page.

Click here to read stories about some of the Ponies volunteer efforts during the off-season.

You can also listen to the game on the radio by tuning into KLBB AM-1220. 

Schedule:

Aug. 31: at Woodbury 7 p.m. (W, 20-18)

Sept. 7: White Bear Lake 7 p.m. (W, 28-19)

Sept. 14: at Cretin Derham Hall 7 p.m. (L, 27-13)

Sept. 21: Forest Lake 7 p.m. (48-0)

Sept. 28: Mounds View 7 p.m. (17-14)

Oct. 5: at East Ridge 7 p.m. (24-21)

Oct. 12: Roseville 7 p.m. (28-19)

Oct. 17: at Hastings 7 p.m.