The Fertile-Beltrami Falcons’ football team used a solid running game. It forced three turnovers as they defeated the Clearbrook-Gonvick Bears 45-6 on Tuesday night at the Fertile-Beltrami Sports Complex in Fertile.
FIRST QUARTER –
Fertile-Beltrami got the ball to start the game and took advantage. The Falcons marched down the field in nine plays. Junior Everett Balstad finished off the drive with a six-yard touchdown run. Junior Levi Qualley ran the ball in for the two-point conversion to give Fertile-Beltrami an 8-0 led with 8:25 left in the first quarter. Clearbrook-Gonvick started their first drive at their own 35 and turned the ball over on downs, giving Fertile-Beltrami a first down at the Bears’ 47. Five plays later, the Falcons added to their lead. Senior Brandon Van Den Einde scored on an 11-yard touchdown run, and Balstad added the two-point conversion to put the Falcons up 16-0 with 4:57 left in the first. Things got worse for Clearbrook-Gonvick, as they fumbled on the third play of their ensuing drive. The fumble was recovered and taken 38 yards to the house by freshman Derek Sorenson. Qualley had a successful run for two, giving Fertile-Beltrami a comfortable 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
SECOND QUARTER –
Clearbrook-Gonvick had the ball start the second quarter, but their third possession of the game ended with a 28-yard punt, setting the Falcons up at the Bears’ 45-yard line. Fertile-Beltrami’s offense again went to work, moving 45 yards in seven plays. Junior quarterback Rylin Petry was able to score from two yards out on a QB sneak. The ensuing two-point try failed, but Fertile-Beltrami had a 30-0 lead with 7:01 left in the second quarter. Starting their next drive at their own 35, Clearbrook-Gonvick finally found some momentum on offense and started driving into Falcon territory. The Bears had a first-and-goal from the two, but junior quarterback Kyle Gerlofs was sacked for a loss of eight. After two straight incompletions, Clearbrook-Gonvick was faced with a 4th-and-goal from the 10 with 22 seconds left until halftime. Gerlofs tried to throw to sophomore Logan Westrum over the middle, but the pass was picked off by junior Tyler Stuhaug, ending a promising 12-play, 55-yard drive for the Bears.
THIRD QUARTER –
Clearbrook-Gonick got the ball to start the second half and tried going for it on 4th and short inside their own territory, but junior running back Aiden Churness had the ball punched out of his arm Tyler Stuhaug recovered the fumble. This gave Fertile-Beltrami a first down at the Bears’ 42. On the next play, Everett Balstad had a gaping hole and ran it in for a 42-yard touchdown. Rylin Petry added the extra point this time, putting the Falcons ahead 37-0 with 9:49 left in the third. Clearbrook-Gonvick started their next drive at their own 37 and once again found some momentum on offense. Faced with a third and long in Falcon territory, Gerlofs went long and found sophomore Ty Dyrdhahl in one-on-one coverage in the end zone for what ended up being a 32-yard touchdown reception. The two-point try failed, but the Bears got on the board, making it a 37-6 game with 4:41 to go in the third.
FOURTH QUARTER –
Both teams would have a turnover-on-downs late in the third and into the early part of the fourth quarter. With both teams keeping the ball on the ground, time went by quickly, but the Falcon defense came up with a fourth-down stop, which set their offense up with a first down at the Clearbrook-Gonvick 30. Five plays later, sophomore Kobe Bennefeld ran it in from two yards out to cap off a solid night for the Falcons. Brody Raaen’s successful run on the two-point try made it a 45-6 final score.
The Falcons improve to 5-1, while the Bears end their season at 0-5. Fertile-Beltrami is scheduled to host #6 seed Park Christian on Saturday, November 21, at a time to be determined.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Clearbrook-Gonvick | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Fertile-Beltrami | 24 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 45 |
1st Quarter
8:15 – FB – Everett Balstad 6-yard TD run (Levi Qualley run)
4:57 – FB – Brandon Van Den Einde 11-yard TD run (Everett Balstad run)
3:05 – FB – Derek Sorenson 38-yard fumble return for TD (Levi Qualley run)
2nd Quarter
7:01 – FB – Rylin Petry 2-yard TD run (pass failed)
3rd Quarter
9:49 – FB – Everett Balstad 42-yard TD run (Rylin Petry kick)
4:41 – CG – Kyle Gerlofs 42-yard TD pass to Ty Dyrdahl (run failed)
4th Quarter
1:30 – FB – Kobe Bennefeld 2-yard TD run (Brody Raaen run)
| TEAM STATS | Fertile-Beltrami | CG |
| Rushing Yards | 238 | 82 |
| Passing Yards | 31 | 77 |
| Total Yards | 269 | 159 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 0 | 2-2 |
| First Downs | 13 | 7 |
| Penalties-Yards | 3-25 | 3-15 |
| Punts | 1-35 | 2-58 |
INDIVIDUAL STATS
| Fertile-Beltrami | Clearbrook-Gonvick |
| Rushing | Rushing |
| Everett Balstad 11-123 | Aiden Churness 18-86 |
| Brandon Van Den Einde 7-42 | Alex Churness 3-14 |
| Kobe Bennefeld 6-23 | |
| Derek Sorenson 4-22 | |
| Rylin Petry 2-6 | |
| Passing |
Passing |
| Rylin Petry 2-5-0 31 yds | Tyler Gerlofs 5-16-1 77 yds |
| Receiving | Receiving |
| Everett Balstad 1-17 | Jensen Engberg 2-32 |
| Ryan Van Den Einde 1-14 | Ty Dyrdahl 1-32 |
