Crookston Pirate Football drops season opener to Nevis

The Crookston Pirate Football team started strong but could not keep up throughout the game with the Nevis Tigers, and they pulled away for a 46 win over the Pirates at Nevis High School on Friday night. It was Nevis’ first victory in 11-man football.

1st Quarter –
Crookston got the ball to open up the game, but were held to a three-and-out, forcing them to punt on their first possession. Nevis got the ball in prime territory and made the most of it, as they milked the clock for an 11-play, 40-yard drive, capped off by a 16-yard passing touchdown from Ethan Buckholtz to A.J. Bessler, which would become a common theme throughout the game. After the two-point success, it became 8-0 Nevis.
Crookston then got the ball back, and began to start to figure things out. They did not pass the ball in the entire second half, and Tate Hamre, who was the primary quarterback in the game, took the initiative and pushed the ball down the field, getting two first downs on back-to-back rushes of 16 and 18 yards. Jaron Knutson then got another first down with a 10-yard carry, and a few plays later, Hamre dove for the pylon and scored on a 12-yard rush, cutting the lead down to 8-6, after the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
Nevis got the ball next, and on a 3rd and 1, A.J. Bessler caught a 15-yard pass for a first down, which was the final play before the end of the quarter.

2nd Quarter –
It didn’t take long for Nevis to strike in the 2nd quarter, as Buckholtz aired it out deep to Bessler, and although that play hadn’t worked in the 1st quarter, the two connected for a 45-yard strike, and after the two-point conversion, the score became 16-6 Nevis.
The Nevis defense then stifled the Crookston offense for the remainder of the quarter, as the next three possessions for the Pirates were all three-and-outs. The Crookston defense began to play a little better, however, as on the next Nevis possession, the Pirate defense stood tall to stop the Tigers on 4th down, getting the ball back. After the next subsequent three-and-out, the Tigers turned to Bessler once more, and he hauled in a 3-2 yard TD, and after the successful two-point attempt, Nevis took a 24-6 lead. The Crookston defense was able to force another turnover on downs, but the half concluded with the Tigers maintaining the 24-6 advantage.

3rd Quarter –
The 3rd quarter had a significantly slower pace than the first half before it. Nevis got the ball first, and they took advantage of two crucial Crookston penalties to set up Peyton Benson, who rushed it in from 10 yards out, leading Nevis to a 32-6 advantage. When Crookston got the ball back, they went for it on 4th and 2 to prevent another three-and-out, but they were stuffed, giving the Tigers excellent field position. However, on a 3rd and 12, Jose Arriaga jumped a route over the middle and intercepted Buckholtz, turning the ball over for the first time in the game.
Crookston looked to take advantage, and chose to throw the ball for the first time in the game with 3:42 remaining. That unfortunately did not work for the Pirates, as Tate Hamre’s pass was picked off by the Tigers. Consequently, in two plays, Buckholtz threw his fourth TD of the game, this time being an 11-yard strike to Tyler York, putting the Tigers up 40-6.
The final play of the third quarter was a 4th and 4 play for the Pirates, and Jose Arriaga was able to get it to move the chains as the clock expired.

4th Quarter –
To start the 4th quarter, Crookston looked to build off the first down, but were forced to punt the ball back to Nevis. The Tigers got the ball back and continued to milk the clock, as both teams began to put reserves in the game. Nevis milked 6 minutes off the clock before they were stopped on 4th down by the Crookston defense for the 3rd time in the contest. The final possession for the Pirates ended in a failed fourth down conversion, and Nevis was able to kneel out the clock, clinching a 40-6 victory, their first win in 11-man football.

Crookston falls to 0-1 on the season and will host Mahnomen-Waubun next week. Nevis now has a 1-0 record.

SCORING-
1st Quarter –
5:29 – Nevis – A.J. Bessler 16-yard catch from Ethan Buckholtz (2 pt GOOD, Tyler York catch from Ethan Buckholtz)
1:05 – CROX – Tate Hamre 12-yard rush (2 pt NO GOOD)

2nd Quarter –
10:48 – Nevis – A.J. Bessler 45-yard catch from Ethan Buckholtz (2 pt GOOD, A.J. Bessler catch from Ethan Buckholtz)
5:07 – Nevis – A.J. Bessler 32-yard catch from Ethan Buckholtz (2 pt GOOD, Tyler York catch from Ethan Buckholtz)

3rd Quarter –
10:14 – Nevis – Peyton Benson 10-yard rush (2 pt GOOD, Ethan Buckholtz rush)
2:40 – Nevis – Tyler York 11-yard catch from Ethan Buckholtz (2 pt GOOD, A.J. Bessler catch from Ethan Buckholtz)

4th Quarter –
No scoring.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Tackle by Mauricio Arriaga

Tate Hamre

Paul Thornhill

Juan Ramirez

Jaron Knutson

Travis Blackbird

Tackle by Tate Hamre

Mauricio Arriaga

Tackle by Mauricio Arriaga

Tate Hamre

Paul Thornhill

Juan Ramirez

Jaron Knutson

Travis Blackbird

Tackle by Tate Hamre

Mauricio Arriaga

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