Moorhead has made its presence known in its first season in Class 6A football, a process that reached a peak Thursday, when the Spuds secured a state quarterfinal victory at Spring Lake Park.

The Spuds defeated Centennial 35-21, winning a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium for their first state semifinal appearance in a decade. Centennial, the top seed in its eight-team quadrant of the Class 6A tournament bracket and fourth overall among the 32 teams, ended the season 9-2. Moorhead, seeded sixth in the quadrant and 21st overall, will take a 7-4 mark to the semifinals.

“This has been the motto all year, go to the Bank,” junior quarterback Jett Feeney said. “We’ve finally made it, so now we have to go there and do something about it.”

Click the video box above to see game highlights and hear more from Jett Feeney and Kevin Feeney.

This moment of victory is one head coach Kevin Feeney is grateful to share with his son Jett, who missed five weeks of the season because of a shoulder injury.

“So proud of him. So proud. And he’s put in so much work,” Kevin Feeney said. “He’s had a tough year with the injury. And he’s never faltered or never wavered on his belief in himself and his teammates.”

It was fitting that Jett Feeney, who produced 215 passing yards and 23 on the ground, was the first to run into the end zone Thursday. That was followed by a 50-yard run by Centennial’s Calvin Coppersmith to tie it 7-7.

The second quarter featured Feeney’s second rushing touchdown, followed by a Caleb Melser score for the Cougars. David Mack’s touchdown run gave the Spuds a 20-14 lead at halftime.

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Momentum shifted strongly to Moorhead’s favor in the third quarter as the opening kickoff landed in Taye Reich’s hands and he returned it for an 82-yard touchdown. He, Mack and Jett Feeney are all juniors and sought-after Division I recruits.

“We’ve got some playmakers, man. These guys made some huge plays when it counted the most,” Kevin Feeney said.

Centennial came back to within one score with an Edwin Ekah touchdown, but Moorhead’s Jaimeson Dunlap wrapped it up with a catch in the end zone at the end of the third quarter.

Moorhead advances to a semifinal Nov. 14 and will find out its opponent Friday night. The Spuds will take on the winner of the quarterfinal between top overall seed Maple Grove and eighth overall seed Lakeville South.