ESKO — Up a touchdown on Aitkin in the second quarter in the Section 7AA final Thursday, Moose Lake/Willow River senior Parker Samarzia saw an outside lane.

MLWR had been “pounding down the middle” most of the game, he said, and they had been successful, with sophomore Brayden Strand already picking up a short touchdown run.

The Gobblers had driven down deep in MLWR territory, but a fumble stopped them from evening the score and gave MLWR the ball at their own 23-yard line.

As Samarzia took the handoff, Strand made a key block.

“I was able to hit the outside and nobody was there,” he said. “I just didn’t want to get caught — I was looking at the end zone.”

Samarzia’s 77-yard touchdown run put MLWR up 13-0. They went on to win 28-0, their 19th section title in 21 years. He also scored

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