Max Palmer (3)
The Devils Lake Firebirds go into this week as winners of a football game.
Now, they’ll try to keep it going. Here are three takeaways as the team prepares for Valley City.
Bryar Exner looked like a star
It’s hard to know exactly what to expect when a player returns from injury.
In Exner’s case, it’s clear he’s prepared to make a serious impact.
That’s one of the biggest things to follow in the Firebirds’ next game: Will they keep going to Exner the way that they did in last Friday’s 26-6 defeat of Watford City? Exner was Devils Lake’s most dynamic and consistent force on offense, working well with quarterback Mason Palmer and running through routes created by the offensive line. With that formula working so well, it’s hard to imagine the Firebirds going with anything different as their go-to play.
But they have other options. Oliver Wirth is a dangerous wide receiver. Plenty of other kids have stepped up. With an overall offensive performance that still felt slightly lacking, it will be interesting to see how much Devils Lake’s plan of attack changes, if at all.
Kade Fee, Max Palmer came up big
While Exner led the way, players like Fee and Palmer were key too.
Palmer, like Exner, is a junior just coming back from injury. He made a touchdown catch in Friday’s game that opened eyes, somehow maneuvering his body to stay in bounds on a perfect pass from his twin brother. After the game, Lambrecht expressed the joy of seeing Palmer back in there.
Fee’s importance can’t be understated, either. He gives Devils Lake another really strong running back option besides just Exner, which should help the Firebirds from becoming too predictable if they need to rely on Exner again. Fee came into the season still trying to earn his spot, but his performance in Game 2 was a huge step towards doing that. That’s another theme to follow, to see if Fee can carry that success into Devils Lake’s next contest.
The competition will only get tougher
Around the Devils Lake team huddle after the game, there was a feeling of elation at winning, yes — but there was also a sense of not being satisfied.
A 26-point performance still isn’t where the Firebirds want to be. That was after 27 points in Game 1, which proved to not be enough. Devils Lake still needs to throw for more yards and find more consistency on offense — especially against tougher teams.
Its next opponent is Valley City, which plays in the same region as Watford City. The Hi-Liners won two more games than the Wolves did last year. Then Devils Lake plays Jamestown, which had a winning record last season and a 10-2 record each of the seasons prior. After that, the Firebirds jump into region play, starting with Wahpeton, and then four straight weeks of Fargo and Grand Forks teams.
So it’s not going to get any easier. The Firebirds have done a nice job of displaying their skills thus far, but they’re really going to need to apply them and play some cleaner football in the coming weeks in order to compete with the cream of the crop. It starts with taking incremental steps in this week’s matchup with Valley City.
