by Scott DCamp
Reporter
Stingy defense and ball-control offense were the recipe for success for Thief River Falls in a 22-14 win over Perham Friday, Oct. 3 in a Heart O’ Lakes Conference North Division game at Lowell T. Swenson Field.
A blustery wind from the north limited the passing attacks of both offenses.
“We knew that we had to be more physical than them and we wanted to shut down their running game and force them to throw the football in the bad weather,” said head coach Aric Attig. “I thought we played at a more physical level then they did and did a nice job of being assignment sharp.”
Thief River Falls was able to move the ball on the ground and all but abandoned its passing attack. Instead, the Prowlers stuck to a ground attack that accumulated a misleading 220 yards on 55 rushing attempts.
Perham, on the other hand, chose to go away from the run for much of the game after being limited to just 49 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Instead, Perham chose to place its hopes on the right arm of quarterback Mason Malikowski.
Malikowski had some success, but was largely ineffective completing just 13 of 30 passes for 131 yards and two interceptions.
Perham won the toss and deferred its choice to the second half. Thief River Falls then chose to receive and Perham chose to kick into the wind to start the game.
After the teams alternated three and outs to start the game, the Prowlers put together an eight-play, 44-yard scoring drive that featured six Nathanael Holecek carries, including a 10-yard run for a touchdown that broke the scoreless tie. Brayden Ivaniszyn added the first of two extra points to make it 7-0 in favor of the Prowlers.
The teams again alternated possessions before Perham put together its first successful drive. Malikowski completed his first five passes on 10-play drive that saw the Yellowjackets get to the Thief River Falls five-yard-line early in the second quarter. An incomplete pass on second down and a 13-yard loss on third down led to a 35-yard field goal attempt with the wind. The kick fell short and rolled harmlessly into the end zone.
Perham went back to work after a Thief River Falls three and out. This time, the Yellowjackets didn’t give the Prowlers a chance to stiffen in the red zone as Malikowski connected with Cole Schmitz on a middle screen that turned into a 43-yard touchdown catch and run.
Thief River Falls moved the ball effectively on its next two possessions, the second of which reached the Perham 21 before stalling.
Thief River Falls reclaimed the lead on its first possession of the second half. Taking the ball after a Perham six-play, 15-yard drive, the Prowlers went 53 yards on eight plays to take a 14-7 lead.
Perham’s next possession ended abruptly with a Lucas Sandsmark interception. The Prowlers appeared to be on their way to turning the Perham turnover into points when a Nathanael Holecek fumble was recovered by Perham at its own 30.
Still struggling on offense, Perham again went three and out. This time, the Prowlers put together a five-play, 59-yard scoring drive that was keyed by a 45-yard run by Nathanael Holecek and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jeb Nelson to Grant Stewart. An offsides penalty on the PAT prompted the Thief River Falls coaching staff to roll the dice and go for two. The gamble paid off when Holecek scored on an inside run.
With the wind at its back, Perham took to the air to gain most of its yards in the fourth quarter. The Yellojackets had one three-play drive snuffed out by a Noah Hawkins interception and another that ended with a pair of incompletions on first and second down and a sack and eight-yard loss on third down.
Perham finally got something going on its third possession of the fourth quarter. The Yellowjackets put together a seven-play, 65-yard drive that cut the Prowler lead to eight.
The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Yellowjackets at midfield with 2:26 remaining. Perham had a hard time maintaining momentum after the recovery. Its drive was extended on third and 10 from midfield when Malikowski was the recipient of a halfback pass that was good for a 13-yard gain. Perham, would complete just one more pass in the game – a five-yarder from backup quarterback Dylan Perrine, who spelled an injured Malikowski for a couple of plays.
“If you take away the middle screen that we didn't cover very well, our defense played a very good football game,” Attig said. “Lucas Sandsmark and Noah Hawkins each had a big interception to help turn the momentum of the game. Nathanael Holocek had a great night of running the football. He was explosive and made guys miss all night.”
Scoring
1 2 3 4 T
Perham 0 7 0 7 14
Thief River Falls 7 0 7 8 22
Thief River Falls – Holecek 10-yard run, Brayden Ivaniszyn kick.
Perham – 44-yard pass from Mason Malikowski, PAT kick good.
Thief River Falls – Zeb Nelson 3-yard run, Ivaniszyn kick.
Thief River Falls – Grant Stewart 15-yard pass from Nelson, Holecek run.
Perham – Cole Schmitz 2-yard run, PAT kick good.
Team Statistics
n Fumbles (total-lost) – TRF 4-1; Perham – 2-0.
n Rushing (attempts-yards) – TRF 55-220-2TD; Perham 17-49-1TD.
n Passing – TRF 4-12, 28 yards, 1TD, 1 interception; Perham 15-34, 147 yards, 1TD, 2 interceptions.
n Total yards – TRF 248; Perham 186.
Individuals
n Rushing – (TRF) Nathanael Holecek 29-210, 1 TD; Tyjuan Brown 10-37;
n Passing – (TRF) Zeb Nelson 4-11, 28 yards, touchdown; (Perham) Mason Malikowski 13-30, 131 yards, touchdown, 2 interceptions.