While the Devils Lake offense will certainly have to put some points on the scoreboard in order to put themselves in a position to defeat Fargo Shanley in the Dakota Bowl on Saturday, the Devils Lake defense could play an even bigger role in determining whether the Firebirds return to the Lake Region with their first-ever state championship in tow.
Devils Lake coach Jay Schneider does not hold back in praising his bevy of standouts who have made life miserable for opposing offenses this season.
“Much of the credit for the success we’ve had has to go to the defensive effort we’ve had all year long,” said Schneider, who is leading the Firebirds into the state championship game for the second time in three seasons.
But, the praise does not end there for the Firebird mentor.
“Our assistants coaches have done a tremendous job of getting them ready week in and week out,” added Schneider. “”(Jake) Wateland (defensive coordinator), along with the other defensive coaches have put in a lot of work getting us to where we are.
“(Travis) Thielges has helped an enormous amount in preparation each week,” Schneider continued, “and (Will) Demke and (Josh) Jacobson have also contributed so much this season.”
The defensive coaches have set the tempo and the players, led by Dylan Ironheart, Jason Swenseth, Scott Bull, John Traynor, Karson Kuntz, and plenty of others, have risen to the occassion time after time since opening the season with a convincing effort against Valley City.
Ironheart, the undisputed emotional and vocal leader of the defense, also praised Wateland
“(Wateland) has done a great job of preparing us,” Ironheart said. “His speech before the games to the defense really seems to set up how we play the whole game. He has really changed the defense around and makes us some mean (players) to contend with once we get on the field.”
The Firebirds opened the season by knocking off the Hi-Liners 41-7 and gave up 181 yards in the victory.
They gave up less than that through the next two games combined, and seeminly found a defensive identity along the way.
Devils Lake held Grafton to just 91 yards of offense in a 34-14 triumph, while yielding a mere 41 yards in an impressive 29-0 shutout over Beulah in a homecoming victory that raised the Firebirds record to 3-0.
It was the first of two consecutive shutouts posted by the defense, which kept Bottineau out of the end zone the following week in a 33-0 win.
The defense shined the brightest down the stretch when needed the most. Devils Lake held Minot Ryan to 41 yards and closed the regular season with a mud-soaked 6-0 win over Carrington, while limiting the Cardinals to just 58 yards on their home turf.
The Lions and Cardinals, along with Central Cass, in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, all failed to dent the Firebird defense to find the end zone.
Devils Lake has logged five shutouts this season and has limited its opponents to an average of just 6.9 yards per game in 2009.
“This is one of the better defensive lines I have ever had the opportunity to coach,” Schneider said. “But, our linebacking play has also continued to improve as the season has progressed.”
As has the play in the secondary.
It was a Ben Wolf interception in the waning minutes last week that allowed the Firebirds to upset top-ranked Wahpeton 28-21 to earn a chance to play for Saturday’s state title.
The win over the Huskies was the first triumph for Devils Lake in the Fargodome.
The Firebirds are hoping that lightning can strike again and that history replays itself one more time as Devils Lake looks to grab that elusive state championship that has been nearly a century in the making.
The game is scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m.
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While the Devils Lake offense will certainly have to put some points on the scoreboard in order to put themselves in a position to defeat Fargo Shanley in the Dakota Bowl on Saturday, the Devils Lake defense could play an even bigger role in determining whether the Firebirds return to the Lake Region with their first-ever state championship in tow.
Devils Lake coach Jay Schneider does not hold back in praising his bevy of standouts who have made life miserable for opposing offenses this season.
“Much of the credit for the success we’ve had has to go to the defensive effort we’ve had all year long,” said Schneider, who is leading the Firebirds into the state championship game for the second time in three seasons.
But, the praise does not end there for the Firebird mentor.
“Our assistants coaches have done a tremendous job of getting them ready week in and week out,” added Schneider. “”(Jake) Wateland (defensive coordinator), along with the other defensive coaches have put in a lot of work getting us to where we are.
“(Travis) Thielges has helped an enormous amount in preparation each week,” Schneider continued, “and (Will) Demke and (Josh) Jacobson have also contributed so much this season.”
The defensive coaches have set the tempo and the players, led by Dylan Ironheart, Jason Swenseth, Scott Bull, John Traynor, Karson Kuntz, and plenty of others, have risen to the occassion time after time since opening the season with a convincing effort against Valley City.
Ironheart, the undisputed emotional and vocal leader of the defense, also praised Wateland
“(Wateland) has done a great job of preparing us,” Ironheart said. “His speech before the games to the defense really seems to set up how we play the whole game. He has really changed the defense around and makes us some mean (players) to contend with once we get on the field.”
The Firebirds opened the season by knocking off the Hi-Liners 41-7 and gave up 181 yards in the victory.
They gave up less than that through the next two games combined, and seeminly found a defensive identity along the way.
Devils Lake held Grafton to just 91 yards of offense in a 34-14 triumph, while yielding a mere 41 yards in an impressive 29-0 shutout over Beulah in a homecoming victory that raised the Firebirds record to 3-0.
It was the first of two consecutive shutouts posted by the defense, which kept Bottineau out of the end zone the following week in a 33-0 win.
The defense shined the brightest down the stretch when needed the most. Devils Lake held Minot Ryan to 41 yards and closed the regular season with a mud-soaked 6-0 win over Carrington, while limiting the Cardinals to just 58 yards on their home turf.
The Lions and Cardinals, along with Central Cass, in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, all failed to dent the Firebird defense to find the end zone.
Devils Lake has logged five shutouts this season and has limited its opponents to an average of just 6.9 yards per game in 2009.
“This is one of the better defensive lines I have ever had the opportunity to coach,” Schneider said. “But, our linebacking play has also continued to improve as the season has progressed.”
As has the play in the secondary.
It was a Ben Wolf interception in the waning minutes last week that allowed the Firebirds to upset top-ranked Wahpeton 28-21 to earn a chance to play for Saturday’s state title.
The win over the Huskies was the first triumph for Devils Lake in the Fargodome.
The Firebirds are hoping that lightning can strike again and that history replays itself one more time as Devils Lake looks to grab that elusive state championship that has been nearly a century in the making.
The game is scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m.
