In a moment of pure hysteria, Champlin Park senior Jack Elsnes could only revert to his own personal flashbacks.

Two years ago, Elsnes had a field goal opportunity that would have lifted the Rebels' sophomore football team to a victory over Maple Grove.

He missed it.

  But on Friday, Sept. 11, fate handed him a second opportunity. This time, his 35-yard attempt was never in doubt.

Elsnes drilled a game-winning field goal with 10 seconds left and then proceeded to make a game-saving stop on the final play of the night as Champlin Park completed an improbable, come-from-behind 31-28 win over visiting Maple Grove.

The kick capped a final drive that, like most of the night, had a little bit of everything. But it was Elsnes' tackle on the ensuing kick-off that ended what was a memorable night in Champlin.

Maple Grove's Kevin Hanken was on the receiving end of the night's last play, and moments after Elsnes' kick sent the Rebel fan base into hysterics, it looked like Hanken would suck the air right back out of them.

He made a pair of would-be-tacklers miss, then busted into the open as time ran out. He was gone before Elsnes tracked him down just shy of the endzone, forcing Hanken to lateral back into a wave of Champlin Park defenders chasing him. They pounced on the loose ball, putting an end to a game neither side will soon forget.

"I was the kicker, so I had to be back on the play," Elsnes said. "I was going to catch him no matter what, and when he fumbled it, I was like 'Thank God.'"

Said Champlin Park head coach Mike Korton, "Jack is a track athlete, and Jack caught him. Jack can run and he can kick too, he's doing pretty well there. I was nervous, but it was fun to be apart of this. What a game."

Much earlier, it didn't look like it would be much of a game, as the Rebels raced to a quick 14-0, first-quarter lead. Brandon Marquardt started it with a 69-yard touchdown after taking a snap out of the wildcat formation. Then, with the Rebels in the same formation, Marquardt tossed 21-yard score to Trevaur Nolen for a two-touchdown lead.

But by the half, Maple Grove would have the lead. Sophomore Brady Jacobs, in just his second career varsity start, passed for three, second-quarter touchdowns, two of which ended up in the hands of Jordan Harrell, to give the Crimson a 20-14 edge at the break.

They added to that lead in the third when Hanken bounced in from two-yards out late in the quarter, and after a two-point conversion, Maple Grove carried a 28-14 lead into the fourth.

The Rebels got one score back with 8:21 to play on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Steven Harvey to Nolen, but Maple Grove had a chance to put it away with just under five minutes left in regulation.

The Crimson drove to the Champlin Park 14-yard line, but instead of attempting a short field goal that would have pushed the lead to 10, Maple Grove went for it on 4th-and-1. The Rebel defense made the stop, and six plays later, Harvey found Dillon Hager across the middle for a 50-yard touchdown with 2:33 to go to tie the score at 28 each.

"We were going to go for it," said Maple Grove head coach Craig Hansen when asked about the fourth down call. "We felt we could do it and we felt it was there. We have a good field goal kicker, we just felt we could get the first down. They ended up scoring, but I still would have gone for it."

Maple Grove didn't have that option on its next possession, and after a Crimson punt from it's one 30 on 4th-and-11, the Rebels found some magic.

Harvey tossed up a prayer to Nolen that bounded off a Maple Grove defender before landing on Nolen's chest while he was sprawled out on his back for a 40-yard gain. And after a seven-yard completion to Hager moved the Rebels into field goal range, Elsnes sought his revenge.

"Before the kick, all I was thinking about was that miss my sophomore year," he said. "When I was kicking it, my mind was blank, and afterwards I saw it was just perfect, I was just num and then I freaked out. It was crazy."

Said Hansen: "Friday nights are special, and this is why.

"Mike Korton and those guys, they do a great job and their kids played hard, and I'm so doggone proud of our kids. The last play of the game is a testament to them, we just came up short. It went both ways, and it came down to whoever executed and made plays at the end. It was an exciting night."