Park Christian uses the passing game to beat Polk County West Football

TThe Park Christian Falcon Football team is making the jump from 9-Man to 11-man football and it seemed to suit them just fine as they took advantage of two turnovers on the one yard line and beat the Polk County West Thunder 33-12 in East Grand Forks in the season opener for both teams.

1st Quarter –
Polk County West started the game with the ball at their own 35-yard line after the kickoff went out of bounds. PCW had two carries for six yards before they had a false start penalty that pushed the ball back five yards. After an incomplete pass, Nick Satterlund had a 29-yard punt with no return.
Park Christian started their first offensive drive at their own 35-yard line and had an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-five play to turn the ball over on downs.
Polk County West had the ball at their own 47-yard line and got a first down on a pass to Ty Torrence. The next Thunder play was an 11-yard run before an incomplete pass. After two running plays for 3 yards, PCW had the ball at the 19 yard line and Keane Melsa broke a run for 18 yards, but a great hustle play by Park Christian’s Logan Giese as he knocked the ball out of Melsa’s hands and the Falcons recovered the ball in the endzone for a touchback.
Park Christian’s first play was a 19-yard run before they had a 13-yard pass on a high snap. After an incomplete pass, Jayden Hanson found Freddy Leistikow for a 46-yard pass for a first down. After a two yard-run, Hanson found Gavin Giese for a 27 yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game. Hanson converted the two-point conversion to give Park Christian an 8-0 lead with 2:13 left in the first quarter.
Polk County West ran three plays before they had a pass intercepted at the end of the quarter.

2nd Quarter –
Park Christian started the second quarter with a short pass before the second pass was intercepted by PCW’s Rees Eckerdt. PCW had the ball at their own 32-yard line. Jaycer Davis, Ty Torrence, and Jace Motl each carried the ball to get a first down. Three plays later, the Thunder had a third down and one when Motl ran for three yards and another first down. Two plays later, Motl ran for nine more yards and another first down. Another three plays, and Motl ran for another first down to get the Thunder down to a first and goal at the nine-yard line. Eckerdt had two carries for seven yards before Motl ran for one yard to score. The two-point conversion failed, and Park Christian led 8-6 with 2:32 left in the half. The PCW drive was a 19-play, 68-yard drive that gobbled up 9:03 off the clock.
Park Christian started their next drive at their own 30-yard line and flew down the field with passes of 20, 15 and 7 yards before Hanson found Gavin Giese on a 28-yard touchdown pass for a 14-6 lead, which they took into halftime.

3rd Quarter –
Park Christian started the second half with the ball, and the first two plays went for 12 yards for a first down. After a one-yard loss and an incomplete pass, Hanson found Leistikow for a 47-yard pass down to the one-yard line. The next play was for no gain before Gavin Giese scored on a one-yard run, and after the two-point conversion failed, the Falcons led 20-6 2:01 into the half.
Polk County West had a big answer on the ensuing drive when Eckerdt ran for a seven-yard gain, and Jaycer Davis followed with a 58-yard touchdown run to bring the Thunder within a 20-12 deficit.
Park Christian responded with a third touchdown in three minutes when they had a 12-yard pass, no gain, a three-yard pass, followed by a 58-yard touchdown pass from Hanson to Leistikow for a 26-12 lead with 6:58 left in the quarter.
Polk County West tried to answer, and it was a great start when Satterlund ran for 19 yards. After a short run by Motl, Eckerdt ran for 13 yards and a first down. The drive continued with runs from Motl, Eckerdt to get the ball down to the one-yard line for a third and goal situation. The next play was a loss of two yards for a fourth and goal at the three. Eckerdt ran the ball and was stopped short of the goal line, and Park Christian came up with a big fourth-down stop.
Park Christian was held to a three-and-out and punted. The Thunder returner fumbled the ball and Park Christian recovered the ball. The Falcons had a three and out and punted, and Polk County West had the ball at their own 42-yard line. Three plays later, the Thunder had a fourth down and four yard play and only ran for three yards and turned the ball over on downs as time expired in the quarter.

4th Quarter –
Park Christian started the final quarter with the ball and had a drive going down the field before they ran into penalty problems and were forced to punt.
Polk County West was moving the ball down the field before the threw an interceptions and halfway through the quarter, Park Christian had the ball back at their own 16 yard line. The Falcons’ Gavin Giese ran the ball for 47-yards. Two plays later they had an 11-yard pass. After a penalty, they had two runs for 22 yards to set up a Hanson nine-yard pass to Leistikow for another touchdown and after an extra point kick was good, the Falcons led 33-12 with 4:39 left in the game.
PCW was looking to end the game on a good note and they moved the ball well, thanks to a Jaycer Davis 29-yard run, a Torrence run of 10 yards for another first down. The next two plays were incomplete passes. A few plays later the clock ran out and the game was over with Park Christian winning the game 33-12.

Polk County West drops to 0-1 on the year and will take on Ada-Borup-West next week. Park Christian improves to 1-0 on the year.

SCORING-
1st Quarter –
2:17 – Park Christian – Jayden Hanson 27 yard pass to Gavin Giese (Jayden Hanson run)

2nd Quarter –
2:32 – Polk County West – Jace Motl 1 yard run (run failed)
1:47 – Park Christian – Jayden Hanson 28 yard pass to Gavin Giese (run failed)

3rd Quarter –
9:59 – Park Christian – Gavin Giese 1 yard run (run failed)
8:59 – Polk County West – Jaycer Davis 58 yard run (run failed)
6:58 – Park Christian – Jayden Hanson 58 yard pass to Freddy Leistikow (pass failed)

4th Quarter –
4:39 – Park Christian – Jayden Hanson 9 yard pass to Freddy Leistikow (Zion Tofibam kick)

Click above to listen to Coach Darrin Byklum’s comments

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Skyler Berg

Jaycer Davis

Keane Melsa

Reez Eckherdt

Grady Horken

Nick Satterlund

Skyler Berg

Jaycer Davis

Keane Melsa

Reez Eckherdt

Grady Horken

Nick Satterlund

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