HALLOCK, Minn. — Senior Eli Muir handled return duties for Kittson County Central on the opening kickoff of the second half against Win-E-Mac, but the ball slipped past him and took a few bounces toward his own goal line.
"I was like, 'Oh shoot, I've gotta get this thing and get going,'" Muir said. "I got it, I saw green grass and I got good blocks."
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Muir scooped it up at the 4-yard line and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bearcats all the momentum.
First-seeded Kittson County Central (10-0) cruised to a 50-12 Section 8 9-man tournament semifinal win over fourth-seeded Win-E-Mac (7-3) Saturday afternoon, earning a spot in the championship game at the Fargodome for the second year in a row.
"It's been a goal for, I think, all of us," Muir said. "We knew we could do it, but it just took hard work, and we managed to go there again."
It wasn't the only return touchdown of the day for Kittson County Central. Fittingly, the other came courtesy of senior Ashton Knutson, the Bearcats' other star running back.
Kittson County Central already had a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when senior quarterback Eli Peterson connected with senior Kellen Johnson for a 21-ya...