Fertile-Beltrami Falcons defeat Bearcats in hard fought game

By Editor | October 14, 2024 |

By Nick Johnson, assistant coach
KCC 6 — F-B 44
The Kittson County Central Bearcats had a tough test on the road in week five, taking on the Fertile-Beltrami Falcons Friday, Sept. 27. The Bearcats come into the game with a record of 2-2 following back-to-back close losses against quality opponents. The Falcons came into the game with a record of 4-0 and ranked as the second best 9-man football team in the state. The Bearcats were up to the challenge against the powerhouse Falcons for most of the game, which made Fertile-Beltrami work hard for the victory.
The Bearcats got a stop on the first defensive possession of the game, thanks to an interception by Eli Peterson. On their first offensive possession they proved the ability to move the football offensively, putting together a six-play, 60-yard drive before being forced to punt. The Falcons scored first, on a 1-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Easton Petry. Tacking on a successful 2-point conversion run, the Falcons took an 8-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter opened with a drive by the Bearcats, picking up a first down before turning the ball over on downs. Fertile-Beltrami took advantage of the turnover, adding another touchdown on an 8-yard run by Jonah Harstad and extending the lead to 16-0. The Bearcats kept the game close however, thanks to a scoring drive capped off by a 10-yard touchdown run by Ashton Knutson, trimming the lead to 16-6 going into the halftime break.
The Bearcats kept the game within reach throughout the third quarter only allowing one score on another touchdown run by Harstad, this time from 25 yards out.
The Falcons ran away with the game in the fourth quarter, however, adding 3 more touchdowns against the reserve players of the Bearcats.
The Bearcats left the game feeling much more accomplished than the 44-6 defeat indicated.
Defensively they limited the big plays for much of the game, forcing the Falcons to work for their points and keeping themselves in the game. Offensively, points were hard to come by, but the Bearcats moved the ball against a stout Falcons defense. There are bright spots in every football game, regardless of the final outcome, and the team learned a lot about their ability and their toughness in this measuring stick game.
Now having lost three consecutive games to high quality opponents, the Bearcats drop to 2-3 on the season. Kittson County Central will continue their season with a homecoming game matchup with the Goodridge-Grygla Chargers in Lancaster on Friday, Oct. 4. With the most difficult part of their schedule behind them, the Bearcats look forward to starting a winning streak and building towards the playoffs.

Scoring Summary
KCC 0 6 6 6
F-B 8 16 24 44
First Quarter
F-B_Petry 1-yard touchdown run (Harstad run good)
Second Quarter
F-B_Harstad 8-yard touchdown run (Petry pass to Gullickson good)
KCC_Knutson 10-yard touchdown run (Knutson run no good)
Third Quarter
F-B_Harstad 25-yard touchdown run (Strem pass to Hanson good)
Fourth Quarter
F-B_Wright 17-yard touchdown run (Wright run no good)
F-B_Wright 30-yard touchdown run (Strem pass to Hanson no good)
F-B_Tollefson 88-yard touchdown run (Sather run good)

KCC Offensive Leaders
Passing_Eli Peterson: 6/13, 73 yds, 3 int
Rushing_Ashton Knutson: 14 att, 101 yds, 1 TD; Eli Muir: 12 att, 53 yds
Receiving_Ty Vig: 3 rec, 49 yds; Kellen Johnson: 2 rec, 22 yds

KCC Defensive Leaders
Brody Scalese: 8 tackles, 2 tfl
Gavin Johnson: 7.5 tackles
Ty Vig: 6 tackles, 1 tfl
Kamden Gullickson: 2 tackles, 1 tfl, 1 sack

BEARCATS NO. 3, Elijah Muir and No. 88, Kellen Johnson, tackle a F-B Falcon player during the Bearcats loss to the Falcons on Friday, Sept. 27 game.
(Enterprise photo by Miranda Peterson)

BEARCATS NO. 5 ASHTON KNUTSON receives the ball during the game on Friday, Sept. 27 against Fertile-Beltrami Falcons in Fertile. NO. 20 COLLIN SJOSTRAND is the background. (Enterprise photo by Miranda Peterson)

BEARCATS NO. 19 TY VIG and NO. 50 LANDON PANKRATZ work to keep F-B Falcons players at bay during the game in Fertile on Friday, Sept. 27.
(Enterprise photo by Miranda Peterson)