Photos by Noah Clooten
DEVILS LAKE — For the first time in 2024, there were Friday night lights at Roller Field.
And the first time, there was a Firebird football victory.
Devils Lake beat Watford City 26-6 in front of the home crowd, fueled by an explosive performance from running back Bryar Exner and a defensive effort that only permitted one touchdown. After falling 34-27 on the road in the season opener, the Firebirds could breathe a joyous sigh of relief as they evened their record at 1-1.
“It’s good for the guys,” Devils Lake head coach Todd Lambrecht said. “They played hard. They practiced hard this week. We worked on our mistakes, and it got better today. It definitely showed. I’m just happy for ‘em.”
The Firebirds cleaned up the false starts that proved so detrimental in last week’s tight loss. They still didn’t play a flawless game; they missed two extra-point attempts along with a two-point conversion attempt, and they weren’t satisfied with their overall offensive effort. But they took steps in the right direction.
“Just focusing more,” Lambrecht said. “And they know it. It’s one of those things to where they know they made the mistake. We, as coaches, work on it. Do some extra things in practice… Focus on what they’re supposed to focus on, instead of everything else.”
The teams started by trading interceptions. Exner ran three straight carries on the first drive, but quarterback Mason Palmer was picked off on a pass attempt to Oliver Wirth. Then on third down for Watford City, cornerback Coby Dronen Levitt slipped and fell — but he managed to get up, collect himself and catch an errant pass.
The Firebirds just kept going to Exner. On one run, he appeared to nearly be down twice, but he broke multiple tackles and muscled his way for a gain of 20.
“It felt great. It feels good to be back,” Exner said. “The O-line got me enough holes so I could do something.”
Running back Kade Fee helped out on the drive, too, with a pair of first-down runs. With marginal gains on each play, Devils Lake ran its way to the first touchdown of the game. Exner’s point-after attempt was no good.
The Firebirds forced a turnover on downs, then went into the quarter break up 6-0 mid-drive.
Wirth opened the second quarter with a third-down catch and a gain of 18, avoiding two tackles on the way. Then Devils Lake went right back to Exner, who ran the ball for 11 yards on one play and the remaining 25 on the next. It was a 12-0 Firebird lead. The kick missed again.
Exner emphasized the trust he and his teammates have in each other.
“We rely on each other, and it worked good today,” he said.
Watford City responded by grinding out a touchdown drive. The Wolves went to four consecutive third downs — but each time, they converted. On fourth and 18, with just over three minutes left in the half, Devils Lake took a timeout. But when the teams came back out, Watford City heaved a long touchdown pass to get on the board.
The Wolves tried to capitalize on Devils Lake’s missed PATs with a two-point attempt. But it was unsuccessful. It was a game of sixes, with the Firebirds leading 12-6.
Multiple Exner carries got Devils Lake going again. He had a 15-yard run, followed by a catch from Weston Nelson for a gain of 14.
Then the Firebirds pulled somewhat of a surprise play: a pass in the end zone to Max Palmer, Mason’s smaller twin brother. Max narrowly stayed in bounds after Mason’s pass was nearly picked off. Max only recently came back from a pulled hamstring.
“It’s awesome,” Lambrecht said. “I love the kid. He’s working at earning his spot back. And he made vast improvements this week, and it showed in the game that he can play.”
Devils Lake had another unsuccessful two-point attempt. The squads went into the halftime break with an 18-6 score.
One play after linebacker Brody Forsberg nearly intercepted a pass that tipped off his hands, Isaac Woodhull recovered a fumble for a turnover. Devils Lake had the ball, and Fee and Exner combined for a gain of 31 on the next two plays.
But the Firebirds’ drive ended on an attempted quarterback sneak by Palmer on the two-yard line. They couldn’t capitalize on a first-and-goal.
After Watford City went three and out, Devils Lake faced a fourth down. Palmer threw a pass that bounced off the hands of multiple Wolves before somehow landing in the hands of Wirth. It brought the ball all the way up to the nine-yard line. On second down, Exner snuck in for the touchdown.
Moments later, Exner caught a pass to complete the two-point conversion. The Firebirds nabbed the 26-6 lead they would never relinquish.
“The running game, especially in North Dakota, is very crucial,” Lambrecht said. “And [Exner] is a very solid running back. He runs hard. He’s getting it figured out more and more… The offensive line did a great job creating some holes; kudos to them.”
The Wolves could never get much else going offensively. They were hurt by an illegal shift and had no response.
“Our tackling was better,” Lambrecht said. “Our front defensive line held the ground. And that was crucial, especially coming against this offense.”
Easton Encinas came in for Palmer at quarterback in the game’s final minutes. He had a run of 22, and a momentary touchdown run that was nullified due to a holding penalty. Will Heilman, who shined in the second half of the first game, had four carries on the Firebirds’ final offensive drive.
Devils Lake coasted into the finish line. Despite the stardom from Exner, it wasn’t necessarily an offensive onslaught — and the coaches let them know as much in the postgame huddle — but the Firebirds did more than enough to win.
“Our effort was rough in the first game,” Exner said. “And then our defense; Watford had trick plays where we had to really trust ourselves, trust our guys and stay home on everything.”
They cheered and roared as they met in the end zone. Now they can safely say they’ve won a football game this year, and they’ll look to keep it going as the competition gets tougher and the season gets deeper.
“We’re gonna go in confident,” Exner said. “We’re still humble. We’re gonna play our hardest, playing together, and leave nothing on the field.”
Devils Lake’s next opponent is Valley City on the road Friday night at 7:00.
