The Stephen-Argyle Storm defeated the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies 42-14 in the Section 8 9-Player Championship game at the Fargodome at Thursday afternoon.
1st Quarter–
The first quarter was an offensive explosion for both teams. Stephen-Argyle started with the ball, and marched down the field thanks to strong running from Blaine Smith. Smith would put the first touchdown on the board from 11 yards out, with 7:25 to go in the quarter. The 2 point try was no good, leaving it at 6-0. The Ponies responded with a nine play touchdown drive, capped off by quarterback Kaden Pierce finding the endzone from about 21 yards away. The extra point kick made it 7-6 for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo. Two plays later, it was Storm quarterback Shay Setterholm finding Raydon Woinarowicz for a 60 yard touchdown to reclaim the lead. Caden Pognac caught a pass in the back of the endzone on the two-point try, giving Stephen-Argyle a 14-7 lead. The Ponies were able to start a long drive to end the quarter.
2nd Quarter –
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo had the ball to start the second, as they were just a few plays into a drive. They would pick up a third down reception of 20 yards from Noah Dvorak to continue the drive in scoring range, and Pierce scampered into the endzone from 13 yards away moments later. A made extra point kick brought the score to 14 all. The Storm would answer with a longer drive, riding the coattails of Blaine Smith, who would score his second touchdown of the day from 22 yards away. The good 2-point try made it 22-14 with about six minutes left in the half. The Ponies went three and out on their next drive, and were forced to punt. Stephen-Argyle would rally for a 15 play drive, but they were turned over on downs in the redzone with just under a minute to go in the half. The Ponies opted to kneel out the rest of the half.
3rd Quarter –
Warren-Alvarado-Oslo got the ball to start the third quarter and was down by one score. They would be led down the field by quarterback Kaden Pierce, but he was stopped at the line of scrimmage on a fourth and short on the Storm 35. Stephen-Argyle had a quick response, as Blaine Smith emerged from a pile of tacklers to score his third touchdown of the day from 52 yards out. Pagnac made the catch for the 2-point try, increasing the lead to 30-14. The Ponies got the ball back again, and a big catch from Owen Dvorak put them in a good position near midfield. A couple of plays later, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo was turned away on downs, as Pierce came up a few yards short of the line to gain. The Storm regained possession on their own 44, and three plays later found the endzone again. It was a 29 yard catch from Woinarowicz to extend the lead by another score. The Ponies were suddenly facing a large deficit with just under two minutes to go in the quarter, and Pierce was intercepted by Shay Setterholm on the second play of the drive. The Storm took over deep in their own territory, but Blaine Smith saved the day again with a 71 yard touchdown run to end the quarter. The 2 point try was no good, which kept the score at 42-14.
4th Quarter –
The Ponies got the ball to start the 4th, and tried to push the ball down the field for a final comeback try. The drive never got going, and the Ponies would punt. Stephen-Argyle got the ball back with just under 10 minutes to go in the game. The Storm would mix Blaine Smith runs with throws outside to pick up first downs and ran out the clock to win the game 42-14.
Stephen-Argyle is 10-1 on the year and will advance to the state playoffs and will play on Thursday, November 6 at either Moorhead or Grand Rapids.. Warren-Alvarado-Oslo”s season ends with a 6-5 record.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Warren-A-O | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Stephen-Argyle | 14 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 42 |
SCORING-
1st Quarter –
7:25 – SA – Blaine Smith 11 yard run (run failed)
2:43 – WAO – Kaden Pierce 21 yard run (Duqe Washington kick)
1:51 – SA – Shay Setterholm 60 yard pass to Raydon Woinarowicz (Shay Setterholm pass to Caden Pagnac)
2nd Quarter –
9:57 – WAO – Kaden Pierce 13 yard run (Duqe Washington kick)
6:09 – SA – Blaine Smith 22 yard run (Shay Setterholm pass to Blaine Smith)
3rd Quarter –
5:11 – SA – Blaine Smith 52 yard run (Shay Setterholm pass to Caden Pagnac)
1:52 – SA – Shay Setterholm 34 yard pass to Raydon Woinarowicz (run failed)
0:00 – SA – Blaine Smith 71 yard run (pass failed)
4th Quarter –
No Scoring
| TEAM STATS | Stephen-Argyle | Warren-A-O |
| Rushing Yards | 370 | 131 |
| Passing Yards | 162 | 31 |
| Total Yards | 532 | 162 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 0 | 0 |
| First Downs | 17 | 5 |
| Penalties-Yards | 5-45 | 5-35 |
| Punts | 0 | 2-87 |
INDIVIDUAL STATS
| Stephen-Argyle | Warren-A-O |
| Rushing | Rushing |
| Blaine Smith – 23-260 4 TD | Kaden Pierce – 23-103 2 TD |
| Shay Setterholm – 6-15 | Owen Dvorak – 8-19 |
| Raydon Woinarowicz – 5-35 | |
| Darby Bennit – 3-9 | |
| Colton Pagnac – 2-21 | |
| Kellen Johnson – 2-7 | |
| Anders Thompson – 1-9 | |
| Passing | Passing |
| Shay Setterholm – 12/14 162 yds 2 TD | Kaden Pierce – 3/6 36 yds 1 INT |
| Receiving | Receiving |
| Raydon Woinarowicz – 8-140 2 TD | Owen Dvorak – 1-11 |
| Ryan Swanson – 2-12 | Noah Dvorak – 1-20 |
