Roman Voss was already the greatest football player in Jackson County Central history before he walked onto the field for his last high school game in Friday’s Prep Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Voss accounted for more than 10,400 total yards and 130 touchdowns in five years, beginning as an eighth-grade starting quarterback.

The state’s top senior, signed with the Gophers, likely will be most remembered, though, for ending his career with a game-winning drive — helping Jackson County Central overcome six turnovers to pull out a 20-15 win vs. Goodhue for a second straight Class 2A crown.

“We knew the whole game we are the better team,” Voss said. “Six turnovers to win is unheard of, but it shows our coaches and culture. We don’t break.”

Voss, a powerfully built 6-4, 230-pound senior, seemed unbreakable as he powered through multiple defenders the entire game. Voss had 38 carries for 252 yards and three touchdowns, but the crowd’s biggest celebration came after his 2-yard go-ahead scoring run with 4:13 to play in the game.

Until Friday, Voss had done everything but lead his team to a state title after sitting out last year’s championship with an ankle injury. He also was carted off the field with a serious concussion in the state semifinals as a sophomore.

“I definitely got a little emotional at the end,” Voss said. “To come out here with my brothers for one last game and to come out with a win and the way it happened, I just thank the Lord.”

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The Huskies (13-0) won their 26th straight game Friday, tying Barnesville (2022-23) for the longest winning streak for a Class 2A program since Caledonia’s 71-game streak ended in 2021.

They’re also the first back-to-back Class 2A state champion since Caledonia won five straight Prep Bowls from 2015-19.

Friday’s was the closest game JCC has played in two seasons; the previous closest this season was the 30-6 win against Le Sueur-Henderson in the Class 2A, Section 3 championship last month.

“We’ve got players with only one toe left on their feet,” Huskies coach Tom Schuller joked. “Because they shot the rest of them off by fumbling … and a massive amount of other stuff that happened. But Goodhue is a really good football team. I’d like to play a little bit better than that. But I’m elated to get the victory and overcome adversity.”

The biggest game of Voss’ storied career came with the Huskies facing the most adversity since their star’s injury last season. He was dealing with lower back soreness for the last two weeks, but the team had no excuses Friday.

“We dreamed of this since third grade in youth football,” said senior linebacker Carson Kolander, who bounced back from an ankle injury in the first half. “We always wanted to be remembered and be legends. I think we did that. It was all or nothing.”

Six Jackson County Central turnovers included five lost fumbles, tying a Prep Bowl record set in 1985 by Jackson High before it merged with other area schools to become Jackson County Central.

The Huskies trailed 15-12 in Friday’s game with just under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for Voss’ heroics.

Known his entire career as a runner, Voss made one of the biggest plays of the night with his arm, throwing a 29-yard pass to Brody Anderson. Voss had eight carries for 43 yards on the drive, which ended with his third touchdown run.

Goodhue’s Luke Roschen, who finished with 209 yards passing and two total touchdowns, converted a combined six third and fourth downs Friday, but JCC’s defense forced two straight incomplete passes to get the ball back on downs with under three minutes left.

The Huskies then let Voss run out the clock with his legs to seal their comeback win.

“Defending state champ and No. 1 recruit, obviously he was [as good] as advertised,” Goodhue coach Tony Poncelet said. “But I guess our mantra for the week was let’s be better than them for two hours. And we were close.”

In eight of the past nine years, the Huskies had a Voss starting at quarterback. Rudy Voss, who went on to win a national title at South Dakota State, lost in the Class 2A semifinals on a last-minute touchdown vs. Pierz as a senior in 2019.

“It’s been in our heart and on our minds for a long, long time,” Rudy said about the Voss family hoping Roman could lead JCC to the state title.

The Huskies went 49-2 the past four years, and only one of those losses was with Roman Voss playing the full game. Voss’ best friends and teammates Weston Rowe and Ben Gallagher had been pretty much unbeatable since their youth football days.

Rudy Voss, a JCC assistant the past three years, had a blast coaching his alma mater and seeing his brother show what he could do in an entirely healthy season.

Friday put a bow on Roman Voss’ legendary prep career, but he was humble when it was all done.

“I want to make sure to say how much my brother did for me and what it means to win this with him,” Voss said. “I always looked up to him.”