Last time Thief River Falls opened post-season on the road was 2004. That was also the last time the Prowlers lost a first round high school football playoff game. Until Tuesday night when Little Falls’ Thomas Miller scored on a 3-yard run with nine seconds remaining to give the host Flyers a 20-14 Section 8AAAA quarterfinal victory.
 
Overtime appeared imminent as Thief River Falls lined up for a punt in the final minute of play. But the snap was dropped, putting the Flyers’ offense on the field at the Prowlers’ 19-yard line.
 
After an incomplete pass, three straight Miller runs put the ball in the end zone.
 
It was the first home playoff game win for Little Falls since 1985. The 6-3 fourth-seeded Flyers are in Detroit Lakes tonight (Saturday) for a semifinal match-up with the unbeaten, top-seeded, defending Section 8AAAA champion Lakers. The Prowlers’ season ended at 4-5.
 
A second half Little Falls rally carried the Flyers past the Prowlers 43-40 in the 2014 season opener at Lowell T. Swenson Field. Defense, not offense, was featured in the rematch that included a 7-0 Thief River Falls halftime lead and a 7-7 stalemate through three quarters.
 
“Great high school football game,” said Thief River Falls coach Aric Attig. “We played a very sound game. Give Little Falls credit; they stepped up and made the big play when they had to.”
 
Interceptions set up both Thief River Falls touchdowns.
 
The first pick by Wyatt Ortloff led to an 8-play, 44-yard scoring drive that ended with a 9-yard run by TyJuan Brown and a Brayden Ivaniszyn conversion kick with 3:39 left in the opening half.
Little Falls tied it with a 6-play, 55-yard scoring drive on the Flyers’ first possession of the third quarter as Austin Fenske threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Klein and Thomas Bell made the kick.
 
A Jacob Joppru interception stopped Little Falls at the Thief River Falls 7-yard line and the Prowlers promptly went 93 yards for a 14-7 lead with 9:15 remaining in the game. A 64-yard Nathanael Holecek breakaway covered most of those yards and he scored on a 1-yard run to finish it.
 
Little Falls, however, responded with a next-possession touchdown drive that covered 65 yards in 11 plays as Michael Orr scored on a 6-yard run with 6:14 to play.
 
The Flyers finished with a 290-283 edge in total yards. 
 
“Two very even football teams that both wanted to earn another playoff game,” offered Attig. “Unfortunately we came up a couple plays short. Kids deserve a lot of credit for battling all night long and playing a great four quarters of football.”
 
It was the final high school football game for 18 Thief River Falls seniors: Brown, Joppru Grant Stewart, Nathanael Holecek, Zeb Nelson, Stephen Holecek, Dominic Kruse, Lucas Sandsmark, Andrew Johnson, Keenan Sorvig, Ramon Castillo, Trevor Bromenschenkel, McLain Stennes, Austin Audette, Kyle Keefe, Trevor Johnson, Brody Poe and Jacob Bohl.
 
“Anytime you play your last game, it’s going to be a tough one,” said Attig. “Our seniors have done a great job of leading all year long and really put a lot of dedication and work in the Prowler football program. Our staff will always have a great deal of respect for these young men. They have led by example all year.”
 
Scoring
1 2 3 4 T
Thief River Falls 0 7 0 7 14
Little Falls 0 0 7 13 20
TRF – TyJuan Brown, 9-yard run; Brayden Ivaniszyn kick.
LF – Jeremy Klein, 12-yard pass from  Austin Fenske; Thomas Bell kick.
TRF – Nathanael Holecek, 1-yard run; Ivaniszyn kick.
LF – Michael Orr, 6-yard run; Bell kick.
LF – Thomas Miller, 3-yard run; kick failed.
Individuals
n Rushing – (TRF) Nathanael Holecek 28-148; TyJuan Brown 19-68; Noah Hawkins 3-22; Zeb Nelson 2-0; (LF) Thomas Miller 5-40; Michael Orr 10-47; Brighton Goodrich 10-33; Nicholas Masowski 1-4; Austin Fenske 2-2; Braden Backowski 2(-)1.  
n Passing – (TRF) Zeb Nelson 3-for-8, 45 yards; (LF) Austin Fenske 11-for-22, 127 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception;  Braden Backowski 5-for-8, 56 yards; Thomas Miller 0-for-1, 1 interception.
n Receiving – (TRF) TyJuan Brown 1-25; Jacob Joppru 1-10; Dominic Kruse 1-6; (LF) Kyle Kabanuk 7-99; Josh DeCann 4-34; Jeremy Klein 3-12; Bryce Zawatzke 1-31; Michael Orr 1-7.