FERTILE-BELTRAMI FOOTBALL FALLS TO SPRING GROVE IN STATE SEMIFINALS

The Fertile-Beltrami Falcon Football team scored the first touchdown of the game, but the Spring Grove Lions scored 27 unanswered points, including 13 points late in the game to win the 9-Man semi-final 27-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. 

FIRST QUARTER –
Spring Grove received the opening kickoff to start the game and began their first drive at the Falcons’ 47 after a strong kickoff return from a short squib kick. The Lions looked to establish their run game on their first offensive series, but the Falcons’ defense refused to even give them a yard and caused them to go three-and-out.
Fertile-Beltrami took over at their own 17-yard line and tried a deep pass to Brayden Werpy. While the pass fell incomplete, a holding penalty on the defense moved the ball to their own 27. The Falcons tried a couple of running plays but found more success through the air after they picked up a first down with a pass to tight end Brody Raaen to move them to their own 43. Fertile-Beltrami returned to their run game as they moved the ball across midfield and found their way into the Lions’ territory with runs by Caiden Swenby and Isaiah Wright. On a fourth-and-one situation at the Lions’ 38, the Falcons elected to go for it and were able to convert to continue their drive. The Falcons continued to push down the field and Caiden Swenby found a leaping RyanVan Den Einde in the endzone for a 19-yard pass to get the first touchdown of the game. The two point conversion was stopped and Fertile-Beltrami led 6-0 with 4:33 left in the opening quarter.
Spring Grove began their next drive after the kickoff at their own 47 and looked to counter with a 28-yard pass to Tysen Grinde to get down to the Falcons’ 22. The Lions continued to move down the field and into the red zone with multiple screen passes to set up a quarterback sneak by Elijah Solum, who sprinted 14-yards into the endzone to tie the game one minute after Fertile-Beltrami scored.  Seeing a chance to take the lead, the Lions kicked the extra point to take the lead with about three and a half minutes left in the quarter 7-6.
Fertile-Beltrami received the kickoff and began their next drive at their own 41 and tried to respond, but the Lions’ defense clamped down to force the Falcons’ to punt. Spring Grove’s Tysen Grinde started to return the ball to the left and bounced it over to the right side of the field and found a large hole in the Falcons’ special teams to return it 74 yards for a touchdown to extend their lead 14-6 after another successful extra point kick.
Fertile-Beltram began their next drive at their own 35 after the kickoff bounced out of bounds, and looked to move the sticks down the field, but a holding penalty pushed them back inside their own 25. Despite a strong run by Brayden Werpy to get them to their own 29, they were unable to get a first down and had to punt once again.
Spring Grove began their next drive at the 50 and quickly moved the ball with a 17-yard run by Hunter Holland to get down to the Falcons’ 27.  They followed up with a 12-yard pass to Caleb Griffin to the 15-yard line to end the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER –
Spring Grove fumbled the ball inside the five-yard line and the Falcons’  Brayden Werpy recovered at the four-yard line for a huge stop.
Fertile-Beltrami followed with two runs by Isaiah Wright and Brayden Werpy up to the 10-yard line but was unable to get the first down and it looked like they were going to punt the ball. The Falcons faked the punt as Caiden Swenby ran 13-yards for a first down. The official initially marked Swenby short of the first down, but after a review, they gave Fertile-Beltrami a first down. Despite the fresh set of downs, the Falcons were unable to convert another first down and Swenby punted it 55-yards down to Spring Grove’s 14-yard line.
The Lions slowly moved the ball down the field until the Falcons’ defense came up big on a fourth down play, forcing an incomplete pass to get the ball at their own nine-yard line with 2:18 left in the half.
Fertile-Beltrami ran out the clock and Spring Grove took a 14-6 lead into halftime. 

THIRD QUARTER –
Fertile-Beltrami started the half with the ball at their own 18-yard line and returned to their run game and recorded a first down after three runs by Isaiah Wright. Spring Grove stopped the Falcon offense and forced them to punt.
The Lions began the ensuing drive at their own 22, and they quickly began to move down the field with some series of runs by Hunter Holland but were stopped just short of the first down near midfield and punted.
Fertile-Beltrami began their next drive at their own 10 after a strong 48-yard punt by Spring Grove. The Lions were able to hold the Falcons’ offense short of a first down, but a late hit by the Lions’ defense moved the Falcons to their own 34. Fertile-Beltram wasn’t able to take advantage and they were forced to punt.
The Lions began their next drive at their own 29 but it quickly ended as Elijah Solum’s pass was tipped by Derek Sorenson and was intercepted by Caiden Swenby at the Lions’ 36-yard line and momentum seemed to be on Fertile-Beltrami’s side. Derek Sorenson ran the Lions’ 13, but Spring Grove’s defense came up big and forced Fertile-Beltrami into a turnover on downs.
The Lions took over at their own seven-yard line and chose to keep it on the ground to eat the clock but the Falcons refused to let another chance get away from them and held them short of a first down to force them to punt it to the Falcons 45 to end the quarter. 

FOURTH QUARTER –
Fertile-Beltrami went with a couple of running plays to get a first down in Lions territory with runs by Isaiah Wright and Caiden Swenby. However, the Spring Grove defense wouldn’t let them go any further and they were forced to punt the ball.
The Lions found success with their run game with a 16-yard run by Hunter Holland up to their 35.  Spring Grove ran the ball up the middle of the field and the Falcon’s knocked the ball out and recovered the ball. But, the ball was returned to the Lions after a terrible horsecollar tackle penalty (there was no horse collar tackle.  It was so bad the MSHSL shut off the Jumbotron so the fans couldn’t see the replay) negated the fumble, and gave the Lions the ball at the Falcons’ 33. Spring Grove continued to run the ball and Hunter Holland nearly found the endzone with a 25-yard run to get down to the Falcons’ two-yard line. Elijah Solum finished the drive off with a two-yard run to find the endzone for another touchdown to put the Lions ahead by two scores, 21-6.
The Falcons began their next drive at their own 42 but it was quickly ended after a pass was intercepted by Tysen Grinde who returned it to the Lions’ 48.
Spring Grove continued to run the ball while trying to take as much time off the clock as possible and ended the drive with a four-yard touchdown run by Elijah Solum with 2:45 left on the clock to put the Lions up 27-6 after the extra point kick failed.
Fertile-Beltrami wasn’t able to respond on their next drive and the Lions kneeled the ball twice to run out the final minute of the game for a 27-6 victory.

Fertile-Beltrami ends the season with an 11-1 record and says goodbye to the following seniors – Brody Raaen, Brayden Werpy, Tucker Bolstad, Wesley Ramberg, Ryan Van Den Einde, Ethan Finseth, Lucas Iverson, and Will Stromstad.
Spring Grove advances to the State Football 9-Man championship against the Mountain Iron-Buhl Rangers on Saturday, December 3, at U.S. Bank Stadium. 

For the comments from Fertile-Beltrami Coach Brian Nelson click below.

1st Quarter –|
4:33-Fertile Beltrami-Caiden Swenby 19-yard pass to Ryan Van Den Einde (run failed)
3:22-Spring Grove -Elijah Solum- 14-yard run (Caleb Griffin kick)
2:12-Spring Grove- Tysen Grinde-74-yard punt return (Caleb Griffin kick)

2nd Quarter –
No scoring

3rd Quarter –
No scoring

4th Quarter –
8:32-Spring Grove-Elijah Solum-2-yard run (Caleb Griffin kick)
2:45-Spring Grove-Elijah Solum-4-yard run (kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATS