by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
Goodridge/Grygla claimed a 16-8 double overtime win over Kittson County Central in a rematch of the 2022 Section 8 Nine-Man championship game to extend its winning streak to five games.
“This was a big win for the Chargers in the standings after playing three-and-a-half quarters of sub-par football,” said Head Coach John Wilebski.
Friday afternoon’s game was a polar opposite to last year’s section championship game between the Chargers and Bearcats. In the 2022 section championship, the Chargers dominated the opening half and took a 14-0 lead into the FargoDome locker room, but the Bearcats took the game over in the second half and won 35-20. On Friday, the Chargers got off to a rough start and the Bearcats started fast.
A cold, heavy rain drenched the field during the first quarter and portions of the second quarter, and it made for difficult footing between the hash marks. The Chargers’ opening kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving the Bearcats the ball at their own 35 to start the game. The Bearcats leaned on the legs of senior running back Morgan Muir and drove to the Charger 10-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.
The Chargers went three and out on their first possession to give the ball right back to the Bearcats. Starting around their own 40, the Bearcats put together a drive that consumed the remainder of the first quarter and first minute of the second quarter, with Muir giving the Bearcats an 8-0 lead.
“Weather conditions and very poor line play gave the Kittson County Bearcats momentum and an early 8-0 lead that held until the final three minutes of regulation,” Wilebski said.
After getting pushed around in the opening quarter and early part of the second quarter, the Chargers’ defense stiffened and kept the Bearcats off the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest.
The Bearcats defense, meanwhile, did not allow a first down until late in the first half. The Chargers finally got a first down with just over a minute left in the half on a screen pass to Lewis Jones that went for more than 20 yards. It was also the Chargers’ first time crossing midfield in the game. The drive would ultimately stall, but it gave the Chargers hope going into the halftime break.
Neither team could do much offensively in the second half until the Chargers tied the game with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
Blake Rychlock hit Owen Larson on a five-yard pass to make the score 8-6, and Lewis Jones passed to Larson for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 8.
The Bearcats went first on offense in overtime and were turned away on downs. The Chargers had a chance to win the game on their first overtime possession, but they also came up short with a fumble that was recovered by the Bearcats.
The Chargers had the ball first in the second overtime period and after losing a couple yards on first down, scored the game winner on a 12-yard pass from Rychlock to Jones. Rychlock scored the two-point conversion on a QB keeper to make the score 16-8.
With the game on the line, the Charger defense stood tall and dominated the line of scrimmage to hold the Bearcats out of the end zone to secure the win.
“I’m so proud of our players of how they fought back,” Wilebski said. “They never gave up and have the confidence that they’re going to come out with a top in these pressure-filled situations.”
“On the positive side, our D-line figured some things out the second half and controlled the line of scrimmage. Hopefully, the Chargers learn from this and can use this to get better. Things don’t get any easier as Goodridge-Grygla travels to Stephen-Argyle Thursday, Oct. 12 for a battle for the top spot in Section 8. Both teams sit at 5-1.”
Scoring
1 2 3 4 OT T
KCC 0 8 0 0 0 16
GG 0 0 0 8 8 16
First Quarter
No Scoring
Second Quarter
KCC – Morgan Muir 4-yard run (Muir run)
Third Quarter
No Scoring
Fourth Quarter
GG – Blake Rychlock 5-yard pass to Owen Larson (Lewis Jones pass to Larson)
First Overtime
No Scoring
Second Overtime
GG – Jones 12-yard pass from Rychlock (Rychlock run)
Individuals
• Rushing – (GG) Lewis Jones 10-65; Blake Rychlock 8-16; Kehan Nelson 5-7; Carson Rubischko 10-23.
• Passing – (GG) Blake Rychlock 10-for-19, 102 yards, 2 TD 1 Int.
• Receiving – (GG) Carson Rubischko 2-31; Kehan Nelson 2-13; Lewis Jones 4-46, 1 TD; Owen Larson 1-5, TD; Sawyer Jacobson 1-7.
• Tackles – (GG) Carson Rubischko 20, Gavin Aune 18, Kehan Nelson 13, Lewis Jones 12, Blake Rychlock 8, Owen Larson 8, Andrew Englund 7, Donny Johnsrud 6, Sawyer Jacobson 5, Hunter Vad 3.
• Sacks – (GG) Donny Johnsrud 1.
District 9 – West (North)
Division Overall
W L W L
Fertile-Beltrami 5 0 6 0
Goodridge/Grygla 5 0 5 1
Stephen-Argyle 5 1 5 1
Park Christian 4 1 5 1
Clearbrook-Gonvick 3 2 4 2
KCC 3 3 3 3
Fosston 2 2 3 3
WAO 2 3 2 4
Win-E-Mac 1 4 2 4
NCE/UH 1 4 1 5
Northern Freeze 1 5 1 5
BGMR 0 6 0 6
• Scores (Week 6) – Goodridge/Grygla 16, Kittson County Central 8; Stephen-Argyle 35, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 18; Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 16, Northern Freeze 6; Clearbrook-Gonvick 42, Win-E-Mac 12; Park Christian 40, Fosston 26; Fertile-Beltrami 57, Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdahl 6.
• Upcoming games (Week 7) – Warren-Alvarado-Oslo at Kittson County Central; Win-E-Mac at Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal; Goodridge/Grygla at Stephen-Argyle; Fosston at Badger/Greenbush-Middle River; Clearbrook-Gonvick at Park Christian.