FERTILE-BELTRAMI FOOTBALL WINS SECTION 6 9-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP

The Fertile-Beltrami Falcons Football team used a strong second half to beat the Blackduck Drakes 46-14 in the Section 6 Class 9-Man Championship game at the Fargodome.  It’s the second straight championship for Fertile-Beltrami and they will advance to the first round of the State 9-Man tournament and will play the winner of Ogilve and Southridge in Grand Rapids on Thursday, Novembe 9 at 7:00 p.m.

1st Quarter –

Blackduck stared the game with the ball and methodically moved the ball down the field.  Once they had the ball in Fertile-Beltrami territory the drive sputtered a bit and the Drakes went for it on fourth down and were stopped for a turnover on downs.
Fertile-Beltrami took over close to midfield.  The drive was sparked by a 23-yard run by Isaiah Wright.  After the Falcon’s were slowed down for three straight plays, Wright broke through to score a two-yard touchdown to give the Falcons a 6-0 lead.  The two-point conversion failed and the score remained 6-0.
Blackduck started their second offensive series and slowly moved the ball down to the Falcons’ 25. But, the Falcons’ defense came up strong once again and with Blackduck going for it on fourth and short, they were stopped again.  Fertile-beltrami took over at their own 25-yard line and returned to their run game to push back to midfield, where they converted a fourth and short to end the quarter ahead of the Drakes 6-0.

2nd Quarter –

Fertile-Beltrami continued to move the ball down field in the second quarter as Caiden Swenby found a wide-open Brayden Werpy sprinting down the field for a 35-yard pass down to the Blackduck 10-yard line. Fertile-Beltrami couldn’t punch the ball in the endzone, but were helped by a pass interference play that gave them the ball at the two-yard line on the two-yard line on a fourth down. Swenby scored on a quarterback keeper and after a failed two-point conversion, Fertile-Beltrami led 12-0 with 9:43 left in the half. 

Blackduck was looking to answer, but the ensuing drive didn’t start on a good note.  They were called for a penalty before they loss of yards on a run play to set up third down and 16. The Drakes Evan Bilinski found Dante Frank on a screen pass for an 18-yard play to get a first down to keep their drive alive at the Falcons’ 42. After another penalty, the Drakes used a little trickery as Alexander Korteum got a handoff and threw a pass to Bryce Frenzel for a 47-yard touchdown to cut the Falcons lead in half and after the two-point conversion failed, Blackduck was within a 12-6 deficit. 

The Falcons began their next drive at their own 40, but were forced into a three-and-out.   After a 12-yard punt, Blackduck started the drive at their own 47. The Drakes continued to use their powerful run game to drive into Falcons’ territory. The Drakes continued to wear down the Falcons until Ridge Flatness broke through for a 28-yard touchdown to tie the game at 12-12.  The Drakes converted the two-point conversion for a 14-12 lead with less than five minuts left in the half.

Fertile-Beltrami looked to bounce back from the drives and began the ensuing drive at their own 45-yard line.  The Falcons Swenby found Wright for a 25-yard pass followed by a Brayden Werpy 19-yard touchdown for an 18-14 lead.  Swenby found the endzone on the two-point conversion for a 20-14 with over three minutes left in the half and Fertile-Beltrami took the 20-14 lead into halftime.

3rd Quarter –

Fertile-Beltrami started the second half with the ball at their own 45-yard line and they answered immediately with Wright finding breaking loose for a 48-yard touchdown run and 66-seconds into the second half, the Falcons led 26-14.
Fertile-Beltrami’s defense continued their domination and stopped Blackduck and got the ball back.  The Falcons converted a fourth down and four play when Swenby found Werpy in the endzone for a 28-yard touchdown pass. Wright extended the Falcons’ lead to 34-14 with a two-point conversion.
After Fertile-Beltrami forced a three-and-out, they started at their own 40 and Werpy got a handoff and flew down the field for a 56-yard run before being tripped down at the Drakes’ six yard-line. Despite the great field position, the Drakes defense stood strong to stop the Falcons short of the endzone and made them go for it on a fourth-and-goal at the one yard line. Derek Sorenson finally found the endzone for his first touchdown of the game and after a missed extra point kick, they led 40-14 with over three-minutes left in the quarter and that is how the quarter would end.

4th Quarter –

Fertile-Beltrami had the ball to start the fourth quarter and later turned the ball over on downs to the Drakes at their own 18. They moved the ball with a 42-yard pass to Bryce Frenzel, but a few plays later Fertile-Beltrami’s Werpy intercepted a deep pass to give the Falcons the ball back at their own 25. The Falcons turned to their run game to run down the clock and wear down the Drakes defense but ended up getting more when Wright busted a run to the near endzone and went all the way for a 59-yard touchdown for a 46-14 lead.

The Drakes began their next drive at their own 38 and returned to their passing game to quickly move down the field, and a 33-yard pass to Leo Kingbird set the Drakes up inside the Falcons redzone again at the Falcons 12. The Drakes tired to find the endzone for the third time and keep themselves in the game but Brody Raaen intercepted Evan Bilinski’s pass at the goalline to bring the drive to a sudden halt and give the Falcons the ball back at their own 11.  Fertile-Beltrami ran out the clock to earn a 46-14 victory. 

With the win, the Falcons are back-to-back Section 6 9-Man Champions with a perfect 10-0 record and will represent Section 6 in the Class 9-Man State Tournament and will play the winner of Section 5 on Thursday, November 10. 

Comments from Coach Brian Nelson are below –

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1st Quarter –
6:09-Fertile-Beltrami-Isiah Wright- 2-yard run (run failed)

2nd Quarter –
9:43-Fertile-Beltrami-Caiden Swenby-2-yard run (pass failed)
7:30-Blackduck-Alexander Korteum 47-yard pass to Bryce Frenzel (run failed)
4:44-Blackduck-Ridge Flatness-28-yard run (Evan Bilinski run)
3:28-Fertile-Beltrami-Brayden Werpy-19-yard run (Caiden Swenby run)

3rd Quarter –
10:54-Fertile-Beltrami-Isaiah Wright-48-yard run (run failed)
7:05-Fertile-Beltrami-Caiden Wsenby 28-yard pass to Brody Raaen (Isaiah Wright run)
3:15-Fertile-Beltrami-Derek Sorenson-1-yard run (kick failed)

4th Quarter –
5:33-Fertile-Beltrami-Isaiah Wright-59-yard run (kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATS