Bombers win Section 7A championship

• Warpula carries

Daniel Warpula (28) of Barnum rushes the ball during game action against Cook County at Public Schools Stadium Thursday night during the Section 7A Championship game. Barnum defeated Cook County to advance to the state tournament. Clint Austin photo

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DULUTH – Barnum senior Daniel Warpula rushed for 148 yards on nine carries, including touchdown runs of 58 and 60 yards, to lead the Bombers to a 30-18 victory over Cook County in the Section 7A championship game last Thursday evening at

Public Schools Stadium in Duluth.

“When I see green grass, I’m going,” Warpula said. “But it starts with our line; they open it up so much and make it really easy. I have three different choices of where I can go.”

The Bombers are now going to their third state tournament in the past seven seasons, their first since 2010. Barnum (9-2), winners of nine straight, will face top-ranked Mahnomen in a state Class A quarterfinal Saturday at noon, again at PSS.

“This has been our goal since the beginning of the football season; it’s an awesome feeling, I can’t even describe it,” said Barnum sophomore Brandon Newman, whose older brother, Justin, played on the 2010 team. “We just kept pushing; kept chopping.”

Warpula chopped the Vikings on the game’s first possession last week, as the 5-foot-11, 150-pound running back took a handoff on the right side of the Bombers’ double-wing offense and sprinted 58 yards down the left sideline. The highlight-reel score has become usual for Barnum this fall, using more big plays to stretch the field.

Zac Carlson hit Colton Selix for a 59-yard scoring heave, and Warpula later raced 60 yards for his 19th touchdown to surpass the 1,100-yard mark for the season. Newman added a 1-yard plunge midway through the second quarter of a game in which Barnum never trailed, adding to a 30-7 win over host Cook County Sept. 14.

The Bombers led 30-12 at halftime, following a pair of Colin Everson scores for Cook County. Kale Boomer added a third-quarter touchdown for the Vikings, who didn’t give up in their fight for the title.

“I told the guys 30 points wasn’t going to be enough; fortunately it was,” said first-year Barnum Coach Brian Robertson. “I don’t think since the last time we played up at Cook County that we’ve played a full four quarters with our varsity guys.”

In the fourth quarter, Boomer was stuffed just inches from the goal line on a quarterback keeper on fourth-and-8. The Vikings, which finished 8-2, watched Barnum run out the final 5:41.

“We made a few mistakes and they capitalized with some big plays – a lot of plays to keep me up tonight,” said Cook County Coach Mitch Dorr. “We didn’t play well enough in that first half. We got in a hole and you can’t get in holes against good teams.”

Robertson, who played for Stephen-Argyle’s state championship team in 1999, said week one and two losses to Moose Lake-Willow River and Cloquet are his team’s motivation.

“They still look back at those games; they remember that feeling of not being on top,” he said. “They’ve worked hard all offseason and season long. This is all very deserving for them.”

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