State title games of 2017 set up two standouts to make history

50 years in the making: Owen King of Caledonia and Jason Williamson of Owatonna scored five TDs each.

By Ron Haggstrom Star Tribune

October 18, 2022 — 6:34am

This is the fifth part of a 50-day feature looking back at the 50 years since Minnesota's high school football state tournaments began. You can see the other parts of the series here,

Year: 2017

"Coming out on top is what we came here to do, and I'm really excited we were able to accomplish that." — Caledonia quarterback Owen King

Caledonia senior quarterback Owen King concluded an exceptional career in the 2017 football state tournament, and Owatonna junior running back Jason Williamson remained in the midst of one.

Each tied a 23-year-old Prep Bowl record for touchdowns in title games. King passed for five and ran for one in Caledonia's 57-6 victory over Pipestone Area in the Class 2A championship game. Williamson ran for five and returned a kickoff for a sixth as Owatonna ran over Elk River 63-26 for the Class 5A championship.

It was the first of what became back-to-back titles for Williamson, who finished with 213 yards on 23 carries, and Owatonna. It was the third of five consecutive crowns for Caledonia.

King concluded a high school career in which he never lost a game, going 41-0 as the Warriors' starting quarterback. He departed as the most productive quarterback in Caledonia history with 8,158 passing yards and 137 touchdowns.

"I want to be remembered as a good teammate, first and foremost," King said, "a guy that would do anything to help his team win and help the team reach its goals."