KCC Bearcats defeat SA Storm for Section 8 Football Championship

By Nick Johnson
assistant coach
The Kittson County Central Bearcats took on the Stephen-Argyle Central Storm in the Section 8, 9-man championship at the FargoDome on Thursday, Oct. 30. The Bearcats defeated the Storm 22-14 for the section win; and also defeated the Storm during the regular season 26-24. However, this matchup was even more intriguing with a trip to the state tournament on the line.
The Storm won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half, meaning the Bearcats got the ball first. After picking up one first down, the Bearcat offense stalled out and had to punt. However, a well designed fake punt sprung Ashton Knutson for a 20-yard gain and set up the Bearcats deep in Storm territory. A few plays later Eli Peterson connected with Eli Muir on a 17-yard touchdown pass, giving the Bearcats the early 8-0 lead.
The game saw both defenses make plays. The Bearcat defense forced a punt by the Storm, and the Storm defense followed suit. The Storm offense put together a 16-play scoring drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Shay Setter-holm, tying the game 8-8.
On the ensuing possession, the Bearcats struck again. Eli Peterson tossed his second touchdown pass of the day, this time finding Kellen Johnson for a 42-yard score and extending the lead to 15-8. The Storm got the ball back with 4 minutes left to go in the half, and again drove deep in Bearcat territory. This time the Bearcat defense had an answer. Storm had a 4th and goal from the one-half yardline and failed to convert a quarterback sneak by Setterholm, bringing the game to a 15-8 halftime score.
To open the second half, the Bearcat defense made a key stop, forcing the Storm to punt. However, the Bearcat offense was also forced to punt after failing to put together a drive. This pattern continued early in the second half, with both defenses getting the better of the offenses.
The Bearcat special teams providd a spark and extended the Bearcat advantage. Eli Muir returned a Storm punt 76 yards for a touchdown, pushing the KCC lead to 22-8. The defenses regained control of the game, forcing punts and turnovers on downs. The Storm offense had one more score in them, putting together an 84-yard scoring drive, with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Setterholm to Anders Thompson, cutting the lead to 22-14. The Bearcats had a chance to put the game away on offense, but turned the ball over on downs to the Storm with 1 minute left in the game.
The Bearcat defense had one last big play in them, forcing a fumble by the Storm, allowing the offense to kneel out the clock and seal the Section 8 championship.

Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter:
Peterson 17 yard touchdown pass to Muir (Knutson run Good)
KCC 8 – SAC 0
2nd Quarter:
Setterholm 1 yard touchdown run (Johnson run Good)
Peterson 42 yard touchdown pass to Kellen Johnson (Brewer kick Good)
KCC 15 – SAC 8
3rd Quarter:
Eli Muir 76 yard punt return touchdown (Brewer kick Good)
KCC 22 – SAC 8
4th Quarter:
Setterholm 2 yard touchdown pass to Thompson (Rivard kick No Good)

KCC Offensive Leaders
Passing:
Eli Peterson – 6/11, 106 yds, 2 tds
Rushing:
Eli Muir – 12 att, 66 yds
Ashton Knutson – 13 att, 56 yds
Eli Peterson – 8 att, 33 yds
Receiving:
Kellen Johnson – 2 rec, 47 yds, 1 td
Eli Muir – 2 rec, 41 yds, 1 td
Brody Scalese – 2 rec, 18 yds

KCC Defensive Leaders
Brody Scalese – 10 tkls, 5 ast, 1 tfl
James Cerkowniak – 8 tkls, 2 ast, 1 fmr
Keaton Brewer – 6 tkls, 3 ast, 0.5 tfl
Track Folland – 7 tkls, 1 ast
Kellen Johnson – 2 tkls, 6 ast, 0.5 tfl
Willie Nelson – 6 tkls, 1 ast
Brock Scalese – 5 tkls, 2 pd
Ashton Knutson – 3 tkls, 2 ast
Eli Muir – 3 tkls