Bearcats fall to rival Storm
By Nick Johnson, assistant coach
KCC 20 — SAC 22
Kittson County Central tallied their second straight loss Friday, Sept. 20, falling 22-20 to the Stephen-Argyle Central Storm. The game included two halves of football that produced very different results for both teams, leading to a dramatic finish that sadly did not go in the Bearcats’ favor.
KCC took the lead early, scoring on their first offensive possession thanks to a 44-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Ashton Knutson. Keaton Brewer’s extra-point kick propelled Kittson County Central to a 7-0 lead. It did not last long however, as the Storm put together a scoring drive of their own on their first offensive possession. Senior running back Blaine Smith punched in a 1-yard touchdown run, combined with a successful 2-point conversion run gave the Storm a 8-7 advantage.
The rest of the first half saw the momentum swing heavily in the Bearcats’ favor. KCC reclaimed the lead in the second quarter on another touchdown run from Knutson, this one from 3 yards out, giving the Bearcats a 14-8 lead. Solid defensive play from the Bearcats got them the ball back moments later, thanks to an interception by linebacker Gavin Johnson. The interception ignited another scoring drive for Knutson to again find the endzone, this time from on a 34-yard run. The 20-8 lead for the Bearcats remained into the halftime break.
The second half had a much different result for the Bearcats. The Storm surged back, scoring 2 touchdowns and taking the lead. Blaine Smith added his second touchdown run of the game, cutting the lead to 20-14. Just minutes later, the Storm took the lead for good on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Shay Setterholm to Raydon Woinarowicz.
Offensive inefficiency was a major issue in the second half for the Bearcats, only running nine offensive plays. This was combined with extended time on the field for the defense, which struggled to get off the field third and fourth down.
The defeat to the rival Storm will drop the Bearcats to 2-2 on the season. The team will reset quickly after the loss however, as they look ahead to a matchup with the Fertile-Beltrami Falcons. This will be no easy task as the Falcons are perennial state championship contender and the current No. 2 ranked team in the state in 9-man football. That matchup will take place in Fertile on Friday, Sept. 27.
Scoring Summary
KCC 7 20 20 20
SAC 8 8 8 22
First Quarter
KCC_Knutson 44-yard touchdown run (Brewer kick good)
SAC_ Smith 1-yard touchdown run (Woinarow-icz run good)
Second Quarter
KCC_Knutson 3-yard touchdown run (Brewer kick good)
KCC_Knutson 35-yard touchdown run (Brewer kick no good)
Third Quarter
No scoring
Fourth Quarter
SAC_Smith 3-yard touchdown run (Setterholm pass no good)
SAC_Setterholm 55-yard touchdown pass to Woinarowicz (Setterholm pass to Carlson good)
KCC Offensive Leaders
Passing_Eli Peterson – 3-6, 63 yards
Rushing_Ashton Knutson – 21 att, 158 yards, 3 TDs; Eli Muir – 10 att, 24 yards
Receiving_ Ty Vig – 2 rec, 42 yards; Gavin Johnson – 1 rec, 20 yards
KCC Defensive Leaders
Brock Scalese – 4 tackles, 2 TFL
Gavin Johnson – 5.5 tackles, 1 int
Brody Scalese – 13.5 tackles
Ty Vig – 5 tackles, 1 TFL
BEARCAT ELI MUIR, No. 3, is tackled by Stephen-Argyle Storm defense during the game Friday, Sept. 20 in Hallock.
(Enterprise photo by Miranda Peterson)
BEARCAT NO. 5 ASHTON KNUTSON carries the ball through heavily guarded Storm territory during the Friday, Sept. 20 game. (Enterprise photo by Miranda Peterson)
BEARCAT NO. 19 TY VIG goes in to tackle a Stephen-Argyle Storm player, who works to defend himself against the Bearcat defense. (Enterprise photo by Miranda Peterson)
