Woodbury football: Bauer, Eagan end Royals' season with 63-29 loss

It was the Drew Bauer show on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Woodbury High School as visiting Eagan dealt the Woodbury football team a season-ending 63-29 loss in the Section 4AAAAA semifinals.

Bauer, the Wildcats’ senior all-purpose quarterback, amassed 365 total yards and five touchdowns in third-seeded Eagan’s win over the second-seeded Royals (6-4). In the game, Bauer scored three-straight touchdowns helping Eagan (6-4) turn a 21-14 advantage into what proved to be an insurmountable 42-14 lead.

After Woodbury junior quarterback Sawyer Moon found Connor McKeen for a 58-yard catch-and-run to make it a 28-14 game in the second quarter, Bauer hit Michael Bush with a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it a 28-14 game and then, on Eagan’s next possession, found Eric Woodcock for a 34-yard touchdown to make it a 35-14 game going into halftime. After the break, Bauer capped the stretch with a backbreaking 59-yard touchdown run, making it a 42-14 game midway through the third quarter.

In the game, Bauer had a season-high 214 yards rushing to go along with 151 yards passing. On the year, Bauer has 1,146 yards rushing and 1,177 yards passing.

The 34-point defeat was the second-worst loss for Woodbury this year. The Royals lost by 36 points to No. 2-ranked Cretin-Derham Hall back on Oct. 14. Eagan now takes on those same Raiders in the section finals.

For Woodbury, Moon finished with 163 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions and junior running back Quran Al-Hameed had 114 yards total yards and a touchdown to lead the Royals. Also, McKeen and Cam Maslonka each scored touchdowns for the Royals.

Woodbury must now say good-bye to 26 seniors, including senior receivers Jordan Voit, McKeen and Ryan Fritze. Voit led the Royals in receiving during the regular season with 364 yards on 27 catches and McKeen had a team-high 28 catches. The losses also include senior running back Junius Wilson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the year, and key defenders Cam Maslonka and Andrew Norlander along with Trevor Lo, the team’s solid place-kicker.

However, Moon, Al-Hameed, junior tight end Tucker Benjamin and junior defensive lineman Ryan Winter will be among the key players returning to the Royals next fall.

On the year, Moon finished third in the Suburban East Conference in passing yards with 1,364 yards to go along with eight passing touchdowns. Including playoffs, Moon passed for 1,763 yards. Filling in for the injured Wilson, Al-Hameed rushed for a team-high 714 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year.

See the full story and additional photos in the Nov. 2 issue of the Bulletin

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