Fertile-Beltrami takes down Cromwell-Wright, advances back to State Semifinals

The Fertile-Beltrami Falcons had another dominant performance as they used a strong first and third quarter to beat the Cromwell-Wright Cardinals, 40-14, in the State 9-Player Football Quarterfinals at Moorhead High School on Thursday night.

1st Quarter–
The Falcons got the ball to start the game, and they burned the clock on their first drive. The Falcons put together an 11-play 79-yard drive with Gavin Aakhus completing all three passes on the drive, and he would be the one to cash in a 10-yard quarterback sneak for the first touchdown of the game, and after the two-point conversion, the Falcons led 8-0.
Cromwell-Wright got the ball next, after a great kick return to midfield, they were stopped on a fourth down play for a turnover on downs.
Fertile-Beltrami got the ball back and didn’t take as much time off the clock, and moved the ball down the field before Caleb Sather ran the ball in from 12 yards out for a touchdown, and after the two-point conversion, they led 16-0 with 2:13 left in the quarter.
Things got a little crazy at this point in the game. The ensuing kick went to the Cardinals, and Drew Nyberg took it 85 yards for a touchdown to cut the Cardinals deficit to 16-8.
The next kickoff went to Fertile-Beltrami’s Creed Tollefson, and he responded in a big way as he took the kick 91 yards for a kick-return touchdown, extending the lead to 24-8. The Cardinals would punt on the final play of the first quarter, giving the ball back to the Falcons.

2nd Quarter –
Both teams put together some lengthy, time-consuming drives, taking up the majority of the second quarter. The Falcons got the ball and gobbled up over four minutes off the clock, all the way down to 1st and goal on the 10-yard line. Cromwell-Wright’s Nyberg intercepted a pass, turning away the Falcons. Cromwell-Wright then had their best drive of the game, as they recorded their first four first downs of the game. However, once they got the ball into the Falcon red zone, they were stuffed and proceeded to turn it over on downs. The Falcons regained possession with 2:05 left, but they were forced to a three-and-out. After punting the ball, the Cardinals took the clock down to half, keeping the score at 24-8 going into halftime.

3rd Quarter –
Cromwell-Wright started the second half with the ball, and they proceeded to take over four minutes off the clock with a solid running game, pushing the ball down the field and into Falcon Territory. However, when they chose to throw the ball, things went awry, and the Falcons’ Steven Sather picked off a pass down the seam to give the ball to the Fertile-Beltrami. They would respond immediately, as Aakhus threw a 47-yard pass to Bryer Strem for a touchdown, putting the Falcons up 32-8 after the two-point try. The Cardinals got the ball back and moved down the field again, but were forced to punt.
In a carbon copy of the previous Falcon possession, Aakhus threw another pass to the electric Bryer Strem, who was able to score a 52-yard touchdown, putting the Falcons in complete cruise control at 40-8, which would be the number that would stick at the end of the third quarter.

4th Quarter –
The fourth quarter began with a decision for the Cardinals, as they had a fourth down on the first play of the quarter. They chose to throw it, but the pass was incomplete, and the Cardinals turned it over on downs once again. The Falcons got the ball back, not moving with a sense of urgency but still churning yards down the field. They were presented with a 4th and 2, and the Cardinals were able to stop a QB sneak to regain possession of the ball. Fertile-Beltrami put in the reserves, and Cromwell-Wright tried to take advantage as Lane Gervais ran for 43 yards on three carries, including a 17-yard score on the ground, which brought the score to 40-14 after a failed two-point try. The Falcons got the ball back, and after Julian Ystenes rushed for two first downs, the Falcons were able to kneel out the rest of the clock, winning the game 40-14 and booking their trip to US Bank Stadium next Thursday.

Fertile-Beltrami improves to 8-3 on the season and will play Hills-Beaver Creek on Thursday, November 13 at 1:00 p.m. in the State semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium in a rematch of the state championship game last year. You can hear the game on KROX Radio with the RiverView Health pre-game show at 12:30 p.m. and the Kittson County Central vs Fergus Falls Hillcrest will follow on KROX at 4:00 p.m.
Cromwell-Wright’s season ends at 9-2.

SCORING-
1st Quarter –
6:46 – FB – Gavin Aakhus 10-yard run (Gavin Aakhus pass to Bryer Strem)
2:13 – FB – Caleb Sather 12-yard run (Gavin Aakhus run)
1:58 – CW – Drew Nyberg 85-yard kick return (Lane Gervais run)
1:42 – FB – Creed Tollefson 91-yard kick return (Gavin Aakhus pass to Preston Hanson)

2nd Quarter –
No scoring.

3rd Quarter –
5:55 – FB – Gavin Aakhus 47-yard pass to Bryer Strem (Gavin Aakhus pass to Drew Gullickson)
1:50 – FB – Gavin Aakhus 52-yard pass to Bryer Strem (Caleb Sather run)

4th Quarter –
2:44 – CW – Lane Gervais 17-yard ru2 (Run failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Creed Tollefson

Bryer Strem

Gavin Aakhus

Braxton Paul to Julian Ystenes

Caleb Sather

Preston Hanson

Creed Tollefson

Bryer Strem

Gavin Aakhus

Braxton Paul to Julian Ystenes

Caleb Sather

Preston Hanson

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