by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
Thief River Falls dropped its second straight contest to open the 2025 season, falling 35-8 to No. 16-ranked (AA) Pillager Huskies Friday night at Lowell T. Swenson Field.
The loss is the second straight to a state-ranked opponent for the Prowlers, who fell 28-7 to eighth-ranked (AAA) Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton on the road on Friday, Aug. 29.
“Pillager was very physical,” said Head Coach Kurt Reynolds. “We just couldn’t match that. I thought we could after how physical – especially on defense – we were the previous week versus DGF. Offensively, we are still trying to find our way with the new offense. We did reel off a big play, but we need more consistency from everyone on offense.”
The Huskies utilized a powerful triple option attack to rack up 290 yards on the ground. Senior quarterback Grant Grimsley was decisive in his reads, but also did damage with his own legs, keeping the ball 12 times for 103 yards. The Huskies other ball carriers combined for 40 carries and 187 yards.
“Coach Kruse had a great game plan going in – we just had some of our defensive players, mainly our outside linebackers, get caught peeking in the backfield and chasing the wrong guys,” Reynolds said. “There were numerous plays where one of our guys bit on the dive, and that was all it took for Pillager’s excellent QB to get outside and around them.”
Following a three-and-out by the Prowlers to open the game, the Huskies scored on their first possession of the evening, with Tyson Decker capping a six-play, 60-yard scoring drive with a 20-yard touchdown run.
The Prowlers’ attempted to avoid a second consecutive three-and-out and attempted a fake punt on their own 24-yard line on their second possession of the play. Quarterback/punter Bridger Wilcox completed the pass to Wyatt Nelson, but Nelson was tackled immediately for no gain on the play.
The Huskies took advantage of the short field and put together a five-play, 23-yard scoring drive. Taten Rardin punched it in from a yard out and Gabriel Parrish added his second extra point of the game to make it 14-0.
The Prowlers’ three-and-out nightmare continued on the next possession, and the Huskies got the ball back at their own 46-yard line to begin their third possession. This time, the Huskies put together an eight-play, 54-yard scoring drive that ended with Trenton Thesing scoring on a five-yard run early in the second quarter. Parrish’s extra point was no good and the score stood at 20-0.
The score stayed 20-0 for a while as the teams traded possessions and turnovers. Among the turnovers was an interception by Tucker Grindeland – his second in as many games to open the 2025 season.
“Tucker is having an excellent year,” Reynolds said. “He is showing why he was an honorable mention all-district player last year. He is going to be a thorn in the side for every team we play this year. It is great having a true shutdown corner.”
The Prowlers put together their best offensive possession of the game late in the second quarter. On a second and 10 play from their own 25, Wilcox kept the ball on a triple option play for a six-yard gain to set up third and four at the 31-yard line. On the next play, he pitched to Spencer Anderson, who made one tackler miss before racing past the Pillager secondary for a 69-yard touchdown run.
“We finally had all 11 guys on offense doing each of their jobs,” Reynolds said. “The offensive line all blocked down. The fullback had a great fake. Bridger made a great read to pitch the ball early. Our wide receivers had great blocks, and Spencer showed off his wheels.”
Nelson added the two-point conversion on the following play, and the Prowlers had some momentum, trailing 20-8.
The Prowlers tried to keep the momentum with a surprise onside kick, and it nearly worked, as the ball bounced off a Pillager defender before players from both teams converged on the ball. The Huskies eventually came up with the loose ball.
The Prowlers still had momentum and were about to get the ball back when Grimsley was sacked for an eight-yard loss on a third and eight at the Pillager 45-yard line. The big play was negated by a face mask penalty and it gave the Huskies new life at the Prowler 43-yard line. One play later, Pillager running back Andrew Brown scored on an outside run where the Huskies got away with what appeared to the Thief River Falls coaching staff to be a blatant hold. Parrish added the extra point, and the Huskies took a 27-8 lead into the locker room.
The Prowlers never got any momentum back in the second half. The Huskies added a late score when both teams had removed their respective starters, with backup fullback Elliott Imdieke scoring on a five-yard run. Imdieke also scored the two-point conversion to conclude the scoring for the Huskies.
Scoring
1 2 3 4 T
Pillager 14 13 0 8 35
Thief River Falls 0 8 0 0 8
First Quarter
Pillager – Tyson Decker 20-yard run ( Gabriel Parrish kick).
Pillager – Taten Rardin 1-yard run ( Parrish kick)
Second Quarter
Pillager – Trenton Thesing 5-yard run (kick failed)
TRF – Spencer Anderson 69-yard run (Wyatt Nelson run)
Pillager – Andrew Brown 43-yard run (Parrish kick)
Fourth Quarter
Pillager – Elliott Imdieke 5-yard run (Imdieke run)
Team Statistics
• First downs – TRF 2; Pillager 18.
• Fumbles (total-lost) – Pillager 3-2; TRF 1-1.
• Penalties (number-yards) – Pillager 3-7; TRF 1-15.
• Punts (number-average) – Pillager 0-0; TRF 4-38.25.
• Rushing (attempts-yards) – Pillager 52-290; TRF 25-81.
• Passing – Pillager 1-for-7, 15; TRF 5-for-9, 5 yards.
• Total yards – Pillager 305; TRF 86.
Individuals
• Rushing – (Pillager) Grant Grimsley 12-103; Andrew Brown 5-63, touchdown; Tyson Decker 6-50, touchdown; Taten Rardin 10-34, touchdown; Trenton Thesing 7-32, touchdown; (TRF) Spencer Anderson 3-70, touchdown; Bridger Wilcox 12-21; Tucker Grindeland 1-7.
• Passing – (Pillager) Grant Grimsley 1-for-7, 15 yards; (TRF) Bridger Wilcox 3-for-7, (-1) yards; Lane Waldal 2-for-2, 6 yards.
• Receiving – (Pillager) Gabriel Parrish 1-15; (TRF) Noah Lee 1-6; Tucker Grindeland 1-2; Kaleb Mehrkens 2-(-3).
• Tackles – (TRF) Wyatt Nelson 11, Hudson Brouse 8, Connor Bruce 8, Spencer Anderson 6, Tucker Grindeland 6, Brody Arlt 6, Ian Winter 4, Joey Bruggeman 4, Knute Hams 2, Lane Waldal 3, Clay Nelson 2, Tucker Knott 2, Hudson Hall 2, Marshall Myhre 2, Bridger Wilcox 1, Teagan Syverson 1, Kaleb Merkhens 1, Keaton Tillett 1, Aiden Eidelbes 1, Gunnar Mapes 1, Noah Lee 1.
• Tackles for loss – Knute Hams 2, Joey Bruggeman 1.
• Sacks – N/A
• Interceptions – Tucker Grindeland 1.
• Forced fumbles – Keaton Tillett 1, Gunnar Mapes 1.
• Fumble recoveries – Spencer Anderson 1, Lane Waldal 1.
Mid Northwest Red District
Division Overall
W L W L
Warroad 0 0 1 1
East Grand Forks 0 0 0 2
Park Rapids Area 0 0 0 2
Pelican Rapids 0 0 0 2
Roseau 0 0 0 2
Thief River Falls 0 0 0 2
• Results Week 2 – Staples-Motley 59, Roseau 8; Warroad 17, Hawley 16; Pillager 35, Thief River Falls 8; Barnesville 44, Pelican Rapids 36; Perham 14, East Grand Forks 7; Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 42, Park Rapids Area 7.
• Upcoming games, Friday, Sept. 12 – East Grand Forks at Park Rapids Area; Pelican Rapids at Thief River Falls; Roseau at Warroad.