Offensive balance fuels Kittson County Central run to state tournament

Chris Flynn / The Forum By Tom Miller Today at 9:53 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? GRAND FORKS — Like most strong Minnesota 9-man football teams, Kittson County Central has a dominant rushing attack that has piled up nearly 3,400 yards this year. The Bearcats, though, aren't offensively one-dimensional. That balanced offense is a key as KCC (North No. 1 seed) takes on Cook County (North No. 4 seed) at 6 p.m. Thursday in Moorhead in the state tournament quarterfinals. ADVERTISEMENT In 10 games, KCC quarterback Eli Peterson, a senior and third-year starter, is 50-for-74 passing for 960 yards, 20 touchdowns and one interception. "That experience goes a long way as far as what we're trying to do with our offense," KCC coach Cory Waling said. "With the backs we have with Ashton Knutson and Eli Muir, play-action is our game. Coming out of play-action, Eli has one or two reads and the ball is out. That has paid dividends. That really helps those backs out, too. If you're going to try stop them, you might get beat on that route." KCC leaders RUSHING: Ashton Knutson 108-1,347, Eli Muir 98-857, Karsynn Peterson 31-306 PASSING: Eli Peterson 50-74-1, 960 yards, 20 TDs RECEIVING: Kellen Johnson 14-342, James Cerkowniak 14-191, Muir 11-184, Knutson 7-111 TACKLES: Track Folland 64, Johnson 62, Knutson 56, Keaton Brewer 51, Karsynn Peterson 40 INTERCEPTIONS: Karsynn Peterson 3 SACKS: Brewer 5, Tucker Anderson 3 Knutson, a two-year starter and third-year regular, has 108 rushing attempts for 1,347 yards and 15 touchdowns. "He's a little guy with quick twitch," Waling said. "He reads his blocks and sets up his blocks so well. He's fun to watch. He bobs and weaves through stuff." Muir has added 98 carries for 859 yards and nine touchdowns. The receiving unit is led by Kellen Johnson, who plays a wing role that mixes blocking and pass-catching. Johnson has 14 grabs for 342 yards and eight touchdowns. James Cerkowniak also has 14 grabs for 191 yards and eight touchdowns. The Bearcats, 11-0 with five shutouts on the season, played Cook County in the state quarterfinals last season and won 49-0. ADVERTISEMENT Waling, however, said that Cook County team was dealing with extensive injuries and the core of the team returns in 2026. After beating Cook County last season, KCC lost 27-21 to Hillcrest Lutheran in the state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. "That was a fire-starter for our guys," said Waling, whose team has won a section title four of the last six seasons. "They wanted to get another shot at the Bank game and get to the championship. It proved in their minds they're at a level to compete for a state championship." Waling said KCC's experience has been evident from Day 1 this season with eight seniors and a battle-tested junior class. "You see it in lots of ways in June and July," Waling said. "You're usually doing stuff in June and July that is more basic installs and drills, setting up for fall practices. A majority of our guys this year had all that stuff down, so June and July you're doing deep install and drills that are the next level. When fall starts, you basically have your whole offense in and you're a step ahead in what you're teaching. "The biggest dividends, though, are the in-game play. Coaches can only coach so far. When it's in the game, they have to get it done on their own. The communication of this group is second to none. They're changing schemes and adjusting ... then coming off the field and telling us what they did. They're saying we saw this happening. So, it's okay, those are the tools we have put in your toolbox." Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags FOOTBALL By Tom Miller Miller has covered sports at the Grand Forks Herald since 2004 and was the state sportswriter of the year in 2019 (NSMA, NDAPSSA), 2022 (NSMA, NDAPSSA), 2024 (NDAPSSA) and 2025 (NDAPSSA). His primary beat is UND football but also reports on a variety of UND sports and local preps. He can be reached at (701) 780-1121, [email protected] or on Twitter at @tommillergf. 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