ALDEN &045; Ross Hemmingsen&8217;s 29-yard touchdown reception as time expired in the first half gave Alden-Conger the spark it was looking for as the Knights went on to beat Madelia 42-8 in the quarterfinals in Section 2 nine-man football Tuesday.

The Knights found themselves in a battle early on holding a slim 8-0 lead after one quarter of

action thanks to a 17-yard touchdown strike from Mitchell Kleinschrodt to Ryan Wach.

A-C would strike in the second quarter on a 55-yard connection from Kleinschrodt to Anthony Wittmer as the Knights were forced to go to the air with Madelia stacking the line to stop Wach.

That strategy worked with Wach being held under 100 yards rushing for the first time this season. However, the passing lanes were

left wide open with Kleinschrodt throwing for 138 yards and two scores and Alex Bute added 140 more and a pair of touchdowns.

Bute started the game under center but injured his ankle early on and missed most of the first half. Kleinschrodt replaced him but was forced to the sideline in the second half with his own ankle injury. Bute would return to finish the game.

&8220;I think they will be ready to go Saturday,&8221; A-C head coach Chad Mattson said. &8220;When Mitchell went down we didn&8217;t have another quarterback and our defense suffered too, but Alex came back in and we were able to simplify the offense for him.&8221;

Madelia would score on a 2-yard run in the second quarter to pull within a touchdown before Hemmingsen made the big catch.

&8220;He grabbed it in the back of the end zone just as time expired,&8221; Mattson said. &8220;That was huge for us because that gave us some momentum. I think we were able to wear them down from there.&8221;

Madelia doesn&8217;t boast a large roster and some tired legs may have helped contribute to three A-C scores in the third.

Bute would hit E.J. Knight on a 21-yard strike for the first touchdown. That was followed by a a 3-yard Wach run to pay dirt, and he also accounted for the final score as he returned an interception 50-plus yards to cap the scoring in the game.

Hemmingsen had a huge night receiving collecting six catches for 160 yards.

The Knight defense also played well led by Knight&8217;s 10 tackles while Wittmer added seven tackles and a fumble recovery.

A-C will have a chance to earn a measure of revenge in the next round when it hosts Westbrook-Walnut Grove Saturday. Westbrook-WG ended the Knights&8217; season at the same point one year ago.