MANKATO — With both teams playing musical chairs at the quarterback position, the Packers didn’t have enough firepower as they lost their regular season finale 21-14 in Mankato East Wednesday.

The Packers (3-5 overall, 3-5 Big Nine) lost starting quarterback Nate Conner for the game due to an injury in the first half and Jesse Synoground and Jakob Crouch both saw time in relief.

The Cougars (4-4 overall, 4-4 Big Nine) lost their starting quarterback Nic Seiler after the first series of the game and they used Cooper Wolfe and Cody Olson in relief.

Crouch gave the Packers a late spark when he hit Elijah Andersen down the left sideline for an 80-yard TD pass that made it a 21-14 game with 9:01 left in the game. The Austin defense kept the Cougars scoreless on their next two possessions, but the Packers had two turnovers in their own territory on their final two possessions.

Crouch didn’t think he’d be playing going into Wednesday’s game, but he was able to throw for 100 yards in limited time.

“When Nate got hurt, I felt there was a chance to have a chance to play, but otherwise I wasn’t really thinking about playing,” Crouch said. “I was afraid of getting hit at first, but once I took my first hit I was fine. There are some areas I need to work on to make me and the team better.”

Austin head coach Brett Vesel said Crouch played pretty well, but the Packers will still be starting Conner at quarterback if he’s healthy enough to go in Tuesday’s playoff opener. If Conner isn’t ready, Crouch could get another chance at quarterback next week.

“We knew he had a strong arm,” Vesel said of Crouch. “We’ve just got to be good in all phases of the game. If he needs to play, hopefully we can make improvements so we have a chance to win.”

The Cougars struggled to pass the ball without their top quarterback, but they used a consistent rushing attack to gain 265 yards on the ground. East used a 40-yard drive that was sealed by a Robert Miller 1-yard TD run to go up 21-7 with 9:17 left and they took a 14-7 lead when Wolfe ran it in from nine yards out on a third and eight with 3:28 left in the first half.

The Packers got on the board in the first half when Kole Igou blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a TD that tied the game up at 7-7 in the first quarter.

“I think the big thing is they’ve just got to want it more than the opposing team and the opposing team is essentially all seniors as opposed to [our] juniors,” Austin head coach Brett Vesel said. “I think with juniors, they think they’ve got next year, but you’ve got to do it now.”

The Packer defense continued to show improvement as they held their third straight opponent to less than 22 points after they allowed more than 40 points to their first five opponents.

“We’re slowing people down, we’re right in the game and we have a chance to win it. That’s all we can ask right now,” Vesel said.

SCORING SUMMARY

Austin 7 0 0 7 — 14

Mankato 7 7 0 7 — 21

First quarter

(M) Nicholas Brink 4 pass from Nic Seiler (Ben Schwartz kick) (8 plays, 92 yards) 9:31

(A) Kole Igou 0 punt block recovery (Riley Grinstead kick) (1 play, 0 yards) 3:28

Second quarter

(M) Cooper Wolfe 9 run (Schwartz kick) (10 plays, 55 yards) 3:28

Third quarter

No scoring

Fourth quarter

(M) Robert Miller 1 run (Schwartz kick) (5 plays, 40 yards) 9:17

(A) Elijah Andersen 80 pass from Jakob Crouch (Grinstead kick) (2 plays, 80 yards) 9:01

AUSTIN STATS

Rushing: Brandon Edgar, 13-for-22; Jesse Synoground, 2-for-1; Jackob Crouch, 1-for-1; Nate Conner, 6-for-(-2); passing: Conner, 2-for-3, INT; Crouch, 4-for-12, 100, TD, INT; receiving: Elijah Andersen, 3-for-87, TD; Jason Stoulil, 3-for-24; Edgar, 1-for-(-2); sacks: Jayden Erie (1); Damian Ryks (1); penalties: 4-for-25

EAST STATS

Rushing: 265; passing; 46; penalties; 6-for-35