LEROY -- Ben Adams had a family heritage to uphold and LeRoy-Ostrander had more than just another home game.

Adams rushed for 231 yards and five touchdowns as the fifth-ranked Cardinals overcame an upstart Grand Meadow team for the Section 1 9-man football title Saturday afternoon. The win was the last in LeRoy for 31-year head coach Stan Olson, who will retire at the end of this season.

"Our guys showed tremendous heart and tremendous desire in the fourth quarter," Olson said after his final home game. "Ben Adams is a terrific athlete. He epitomized what I think we needed to have today.

"It's a tremendous way to go out on this field, but for a while there I wasn't sure I was going to get it."

Grand Meadow (7-3) led 28-21 entering the fourth quarter until the Cardinal running game and defense stopped the Superlarks. Adams, who had five touchdowns in last year's 45-18 Section 1 finals win over Grand Meadow, racked up three scores in the fourth quarter. His older brother Joe had six touchdowns for L-O in a playoff game against Grand Meadow during his career.

Adams had 173 yards and four touchdowns in the second half as the Cardinals (9-1) racked up 341 rushing yards -- 246 in the second half. Eric Nelson added an 18-yard touchdown to the end of the fourth quarter with Grand Meadow's defense reeling from taking a beating.

"The line did a great job, it didn't matter what play we did," Adams said. "This is exactly the way we wanted to (send out Olson), and it was great that we did it against Grand Meadow.

"(My brother) told me to go out and get seven touchdowns."

Grand Meadow returned two kickoffs for touchdowns to answer L-O's comeback attempts in the second and third quarter. Kyle Breitbarth scored three touchdowns in his last hurrah for the Superlarks, including an 87-yard kickoff return that gave GM the 28-21 lead midway through the third quarter.

"I really thought we were in pretty good shape, I thought our depth would be more of a factor for us," said GM coach Gary Sloan. "The game didn't turn on anything more then on them pounding us."

The win in Olson's final home game clinched L-O's 11th state tournament appearance. LeRoy-Ostrander will make its fourth consecutive trip to the first round Friday at Verndale at 1 p.m. The Pirates (10-0) are ranked second in the state, beating Isle 42-14 in the Section 4 finals Thursday night.

L-O put the first points on the board behind sophomore quarterback Neal Bucknell, who hit Dustin Thorson on a crossing route for a 29-yard touchdown on fourth-and-four midway through the first quarter.

The Superlarks answered with a 13-play drive that spanned 60 yards and six minutes, ending with a 2-yard plunge by Tyler Knutson. Breitbarth's two-point conversion run put GM in the lead, and his 22-yard touchdown run five minutes later put the Larks ahead 14-7.

The Cardinals responded with an 11-play drive and Adams' first of five touchdowns, but GM's Zac Benson broke loose on the ensuing kickoff and took it 80 yards to paydirt.

LeRoy-Ostrander received the opening kickoff of the second half but was forced to punt before netting a first down. Nick Norby's kick sailed into a slight wind out of the south and Breitbarth ran up on it to make a fair catch. The ball slipped through his fingers and Mitch Lunning pounced on the loose ball.

Five plays later, Adams busted off a 17-yard run up the middle, breaking three tackles on his way to the end zone.

Down but not out, Breitbarth took the following kickoff back 87 yards for the touchdown and Grand Meadow regained the lead midway through the third quarter.

"To give up two kickoff returns (for touchdowns), it looked a little bleak," Olson said. "Then to come back and win, that's never happened in a game of mine."

In true championship form, LeRoy-Ostrander stormed back after a controversial call near midfield. Adams rumbled seven yards before running into a hoard of Grand Meadow defenders and Zach Swanson emerged from the pile with the ball. Though Adams' progress had obviously been stopped, the whistle never blew and the Superlarks got the ball back.

The play only ignited a fire for L-O and the Cardinals cashed in. Chad Doocy's punt four plays later was blocked and the Big Red running game got on track. LeRoy-Ostrander took the momentum and went 70 yards on 13 plays, capped by Adams' third touchdown.

Thorson then picked off a Breitbarth pass and returned it to the 50-yard-line, and Adams bruised his way to a 16-yard touchdown and a 35-28 lead.

"Momentum is such a factor in these games," Olson said. "The boys did a great job when we needed to, and when we needed to put some points on the board they did."

Grand Meadow's offense was again held without a first down and L-O took over at the Superlark 30 after Doocy's punt sailed out of bounds. Adams trampled through defenders and turned the corner for a 20-yard touchdown run.

"They run a few plays, and they run them extremely well," Sloan said. "They were tough to stop. I thought we had a very good scheme."

Breitbarth captained Grand Meadow on a 59-yard drive and scored on a 4-yard quarterback keeper as time expired on the Superlarks' season.

Game summary:

Score by quarters

Grand Meadow81286-- 34

LeRoy-Ostrander77728-- 49

Scoring summary

LO -- Dustin Thorson 29 pass from Neil Bucknell (Chad Orum kick), 7:55

GM -- Tyler Knutson 2 run (Kyle Breitbarth run), 2:05

GM -- Breitbarth 22 run (pass failed), 9:30

LO -- Ben Adams 1 run (Orum kick), 4:32

GM -- Zac Benson 80 kickoff return (run failed), 4:15

LO -- Adams 17 run (Orum kick), 7:57

GM -- Breitbarth 87 kickoff return (Anthony Stejskal pass from Breitbarth), 7:42

LO -- Adams 1 run (Orum kick), 11:43

LO -- Adams 16 run (Orum kick), 7:04

LO -- Adams 20 run (Orum kick), 4:23

LO -- Eric Nelson 18 run (Orum kick), 2:11

GM -- Breitbarth 4 run, :00

Team stats

GML-O

First downs923

Rushing620

Passing33

Penalty00

Rushing

Attempts3062

Yards90341

Passing

Completions85

Attempts169

Yards970

Interceptions258

Total yards187399

Punting

Fumbles-lost2-12-1

Penalties-yards3-156-29

Individual leaders

RUSHING -- GM: Breitbarth 14-51, Ryan Ament 9-13, Benson 1-12, Stejskal 3-8, Chad Doocy 1-3, Knutson 2-3; L-O: Adams 34-231, Nelson 10-61, Kellen Bucknell 9-35, Thorson 3-20, Mitch Lunning 1-4, Bucknell 5-(-10).

PASSING -- GM: Breitbarth 8-16-2-97; L-O: Bucknell 5-9-0-58.

RECEIVING -- GM: Benson 4-68, , Derek Morrow 1-11, Doocy 2-9, Justin Olson 1-9; L-O: Thorson 3-48, Orum 2-10.

Call Ross Thede at 434-2234 or e-mail him at :mailto:sports@austindailyherald.com.