by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
Thief River Falls celebrated Homecoming 2025 with a 34-8 win over Warroad Friday night at Swenson Field.
The win over the Warriors followed a similarly dominant 37-16 triumph over Roseau on the road a week prior. Head Coach Kurt Reynolds was pleased with the continued improvement shown by his team.
“We executed on offense very well in the first half, despite a fumble on our first possession,” Reynolds said. “However, we sputtered for much of the second half with penalties – a holding call brought back a Bridger Wilcox touchdown run, turnovers – two fumbles, a blocked field goal, and then just young guys not knowing the plays well enough. Our defense, though, constantly kept the pressure on Warroad all night long. Outside of a short touchdown drive early on, they shut them down completely.”
The Prowlers won the coin toss and elected to defer their choice to the second half. The Warriors chose to receive and the Prowlers got off to a shaky start when they were flagged for being offsides on the opening kickoff. The Prowlers re-kicked from their own 35 and Wilcox’s kick into the wind died at the Warroad 35 and it was recovered by the Prowlers.
The Prowlers’ first possession was short-lived, however. On the second play from scrimmage, Connor Bruce carried for eight yards before he was stripped of the ball at the Warroad 20-yard line. The Warriors fell on the loose ball for the game’s first turnover.
The Prowlers were up to the task defensively after the change of possession and forced a three and out. The Warriors lined up to punt on a fourth and one at their own 29. Warroad quarterback/punter Brady Fast mishandled the snap. He attempted to pass and was hit by multiple Prowlers before throwing a floater that was picked off by Bruce at the 15-yard line and returned for a touchdown.
“We thought we could block a punt,” Reynolds said. “It helps when the punter bobbles the snap. Credit our guys who applied pressure on that play – namely Kaleb Mehrkens, Clay Nelson and Bruce. It was Nelson who laid a big hit on the punter, forcing him to toss up the pass in a half-hearted attempt to get the ball off, but Bruce made an athletic play, picking it off and scoring it. That play really opened the floodgates for us in the game.”
Wilcox added the two-point conversion to stake the Prowlers to an early 8-0 lead.
The Warriors put a drive together on their second possession, going 43 yards on the first six plays. The Prowlers took over from there, however, with Bruce tackling Warroad running back Sam Hard for a 10-yard loss to force the Warriors into a third and 19 situation at the TRF 29-yard line. The Warriors eventually turned the ball over on downs.
The Prowlers began their second offensive possession at their own 24-yard line. They gained nine yards on the first three plays and elected to roll the dice on a fourth and one from their own 33. The Warriors blew up the play with blitzers in both A-gaps and Hard tackling Wilcox for a six-yard loss.
The Warriors took advantage of the momentum change and went 27 yards on three plays to get on the board. Warroad running back Conner Lund carried the ball on all three plays, including the 19-yard touchdown run and the two-point conversion run, to tie the game.
Despite having a strong wind at their back, the Warriors elected to kick the ball short – possibly to avoid kicking to Tucker Grindeland – and the Prowlers got the ball at their own 47 to begin their third possession. Despite a strong wind in their face, the Prowlers were able to take to the air in their third possession. Wilcox connected with Grindeland for 18 yards on a third and 10 from the TRF 47-yard line, and Hudson Hall for a 32-yard completion on the next play to set up a three-yard touchdown run by Spencer Anderson.
The two-point try was no good and the score remained 14-8.
The Prowlers went back to work on offense following a three and out by the Warriors early in the second quarter. Gres Hruby and Anderson both had big chunk plays from the fullback spot, with Anderson scoring on a 10-yard run. The two-point try was no good and the score remained 20-8 in favor of the Prowlers.
“[Anderson] runs as hard as any back I have had in my five years here,” Reynolds said. “His emergence at fullback has really kicked our running game into high gear.”
The Prowler defensive unit forced another three and out to set up the offense with a short field. The Prowlers took over at the Warroad 38 and needed just four plays to put more points on the board. On a fourth and four at the Warroad 32, the Warriors forgot to cover Grindeland, who flew past the Warriors’ left corner and hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass from Wilcox. The score was the result of a pre-snap read in the Prowlers’ option scheme that effectively allows for a passing option on every play.
“Bridger was taking advantage of the mismatch against Grindeland all night long,” Reynolds said. “Adding the access throw component to our offense this season has been huge. If our opponents want to try to cover Grindeland one on one, good luck. Bridger will hit him all night on a variety of throws.”
Edgar Velasquez-Fernandez added the extra point to push the Prowler lead to 19 points.
The Warriors felt the game slipping away and elected to keep their offense on the field on a fourth and four play from their own 26. Lund was stuffed in the back field for a two-yard loss and turnover on downs.
The Prowlers took advantage of yet another short field, with five-play, 23-yard drive that ended with Wilcox throwing a one-yard touchdown pass to Ian Winter. Velasquez-Fernandez added the extra point and the Prowlers took a 34-8 lead into the locker room.
The Thief River Falls coaching staff would have liked to see the offense put one more drive together in the second half, but that didn’t happen. The Prowlers and Warriors’ combined for five turnovers on downs, three fumbles, an interception and a blocked field goal.
The Prowlers were responsible for two fumble recoveries and an interception by Wilcox.
In addition to the turnovers, the Prowlers held the Warriors’ potent rushing attack to just 80 yards.
“Coach [Ben] Thorstad has done an excellent job working with our D-Line,” Reynolds said. “Joey [Bruggeman], Knute [Hams], and [Brody] Arlt played very well on the line. Joey especially. He had a huge sack and then made life miserable for anyone trying to run the ball inside. Our linebackers read their keys and got off the blocks. Outside of that early touchdown drive, the linebackers played a very solid game.”
“Bruggeman had a fantastic game at left tackle and defensive tackle,” Reynolds added. “His emergence has really been a huge factor for us. Bridger continues to make plays at QB and corner. Ian Winter ran and caught the ball well. Chandler Pream did a nice job handling the nose tackle and keeping most of his snaps down. Teagan Syverson also had a nice night at right guard. Hudson Hall – playing the other wide receiver spot opposite Grindeland, had a fantastic catch on an access throw that sparked our first touchdown drive. It was nice to have Hudson Brouse back at outside linebacker setting the edge for us. When he got in later in the game, Gres Hruby ran the ball well. He just has to learn to lower his shoulders some, so he doesn’t take so many hits. Once he does that, watch out.”
Up next for the Prowlers is a key game against district and Section 8AAA rival East Grand Forks. The Green Wave are coming off a 20-14 home loss to the Pelican Rapids Vikings. Both the Prowlers and Green Wave are 2-3 so far in 2025.
“This is a huge game for us as we are still looking for our first win within the section,” Reynolds said. “EGF is not as big on their lines as they have been in the past, but their skill positions are solid. They are incredibly well-coached, especially on special teams, where they always seem to come up with a big play against us. So we will have our work cut out for us. We have to be physical on the O and D lines. If we can force some turnovers and keep EGF under 20 points, I like our chances. But that is easier said than done. We will be prepared and ready for them. This is a huge game as we have never beaten EGF at home in my five years as head coach. If we can get this one, that would be a huge win within the section.”
Scoring
1 2 3 4 T
Warroad 8 0 0 0 8
Thief River Falls 14 20 0 0 34
First Quarter
TRF – Connor Bruce 14-yard interception return (Bridger Wilcox run)
Warroad – Conner Lund 19-yard run (Lund run)
TRF – Spencer Anderson 3-yard run (pass failed)
Second Quarter
TRF – Anderson 10-yard run (pass failed)
TRF – Tucker Grindeland 32-yard pass from Wilcox (Edgar Velasquez-Fernandez kick)
TRF – Ian Winter 1-yard pass from Wilcox (Velasquez-Fernandez kick)
Third Quarter
No scoring
Fourth Quarter
No scoring
Team Statistics
• First downs – Warroad 7; TRF 11.
• Fumbles (total-lost) – Warroad 2-2; TRF 3-3.
• Penalties (number-yards) – Warroad 2-25; TRF 3-20.
• Punts (number-average) – Away Warroad – 2-19.5; TRF 1-40.
• Rushing (attempts-yards) – Warroad 34-80; TRF 36-178.
• Passing – Warroad – 6-for-11, 32 yards; TRF 7-for-15, 113 yards, 2 touchdowns.
• Total yards – Warroad 112; TRF 311.
Individuals
• Rushing – (Warroad) Conner Lund 12-57, touchdown; Sam Hard 11-44; Maddex Cole 3-17; (TRF) Spencer Anderson 10-94, 2 touchdowns; Bridger Wilcox 7-32; Gres Hruby 10-34.
• Passing – (Warroad) Brady Fast 6-for-11, 32 yards, interception; (Bridger Wilcox) 7-for-15, 113 yards, 2 touchdowns.
• Receiving – (Warroad) Conner Lund 2-17; Mason McMillin 1-7; Maddex Cole 1-10; (TRF) Tucker Grindeland 3-68, touchdown; Ian Winter 2-8, touchdown; Hudson Hall 1-32; Connor Bruce 1-5.
• Tackles – Ian Winter 9, Hudson Brouse 8, Wyatt Nelson 6, Tucker Grindeland 5, Tucker Knott 4, Aiden Eidelbes 4, Clay Nelson 4, Kaleb Mehrkens 3, Knute Hams 3, Marshall Myhrer 3, Spencer Anderson 3, Joey Bruggeman 2, Ian Hruby 2, Jaxon Van de Streek 2, Parker Kasprowicz 2, Kolton Almhjeld 1, Brody Arlt 1, Keaton Tillett 1, Noah Lee 1, Connor Bruce 1.
• TFL – Kaleb Mehrkens 3, Ian Hruby 2, Brody Arlt 2, Joey Bruggeman 2, Ian Winter 1, Hudson Brouse 1, Clay Nelson 1, Knute Hams 1, Marshall Myhrer 1, Connor Bruce 1.
• Sacks – Joey Bruggeman 2.
• Interceptions – Bridger Wilcox 1, Connor Bruce 1.
• Forced fumbles – Marshall Myhrer 1.
• Fumble recoveries – Kaleb Mehrkens 1, Spencer Anderson 1, Jaxon Van de Streek 1.
Mid Northwest Red District
Division Overall
W L W L
East Grand Forks 2 1 2 3
Park Rapids Area 2 1 2 3
Pelican Rapids 2 1 2 3
Thief River Falls 2 1 2 3
Warroad 1 2 2 3
Roseau 0 3 0 5
Section 8AAA
Overall QRF
W L
DGF 3 2 47.1
Minnewaska Area 2 3 39.0
Perham 2 3 34.0
East Grand Forks 2 3 30.2
Thief River Falls 2 3 24.7
Morris Area/CA 2 3 23.1
Park Rapids Area 2 3 22.8
• Results Week 5 – Park Rapids Area 20, Roseau 14; Holdingford 39, Minnewaska Area 6; Barnesville 20, Perham 13; Thief River Falls 34, Warroad 8; Staples-Motley 28, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 18; Pelican Rapids 20, East Grand Forks 14; Dassel-Cokato 42, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 28.
• Upcoming games, Friday, Oct. 3 – Park Rapids Area at Warroad; Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton at Hawley; East Grand Forks at Thief River Falls; Minnewaska Area at Sauk Centre; Perham at Pillager; Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta at Litchfield.