FORT TOTTEN — For the first time in Four Winds history, the Indians’ football team will host a playoff game.
The Indians had a goal this season: to make the playoffs. They clinched a postseason berth with their previous win, a 52-22 victory over Hatton/Northwood. But with Friday night’s regular season finale, a 44-6 win over Nelson County (3-4, 2-2), Four Winds (5-2, 3-1) assured home-field advantage in its playoff opener for the first time ever.
“It’s been a long, long road, man. I’m not gonna lie,” Four Winds co-head coach Travis Mertens said. “From when we first started at 0-8, to taking second in the region and getting to host our first playoff game ever.”
Added Mertens’ fellow co-head coach, Mark Bishop: “It’s kind of hard to believe it.”
Quarterback Kashton Keja Jr. led the way with an explosive game for the Indians. He ran for 134 yards in the first quarter alone, and 168 in the first half.
“It’s really, really satisfying for me, and probably for Bish, because of what he went through with the knee last year,” Mertens said. “To see him play at this level, man, that’s special.”
Richard Cavanaugh had two interceptions for Four Winds, while Wakinyanho Greybear and Tyler Black Jr. recorded big runs as the game wore on. The clock ran in the second half, and Four Winds didn’t allow any points until the fourth quarter.
Bishop credited the work of the offensive line, which the Indians refer to as “Geronimo,” in reference to the native Apache warrior. Before the Indians go out on the field to “do something crazy,” they’ll yell the word “Geronimo.”
And it brought them to victory Friday night.
“These boys come to practice ready to work,” Bishop said. “If we get boys that come to practice every day, we’re gonna be competitive, I feel like, every year. And this program is now in a spot where our boys come to practice every day ready to go to work. I feel like we’re always gonna be there competing for that playoff spot.”
How it happened
Four Winds got the scoring started on the very first drive. Keja Jr. had a strong kickoff return all the way to the Chargers’ 43-yard line. Then, as quarterback, Keja Jr. had 35 rushing yards en route to a touchdown. He completed it with a 29-yard run down the right sideline.
Keja Jr. also ran for the two-point conversion. Right from the start, it was all coming up Keja, and it was all coming up Indians.
After forcing a three-and-out, Keja Jr. went right back to running. Nelson County had a strong punt that forced the Indians to start from their own five-yard line. But after an eight-yard run by Keja Jr., and a marginal gain by Greybear, Keja unleashed for a 79-yard touchdown run.
He broke from the fold, and there was no stopping him.
“He’s a special, special kid,” Mertens said. “He’s had great leadership that’s got him there, though, too. He’s had two of his brothers play for us before… It just seems like Junjun, he even took it up another notch.”
After a successful conversion pass to Jadyn Robertson, it was a very quick 16-0 Indians lead.
Brody Rainsberry picked up a first down for Nelson County at Four Winds’ 25. But on third down, Cavanaugh picked it off.
The Indians eventually had to punt towards the start of the second quarter, but the defense responded well by forcing a punt on fourth and long. It was a poor punt, and Four Winds got the ball on the Chargers’ 25.
Keja Jr. took care of the rest by himself, running the necessary 25 yards over the span of three plays — including a one-yard rush that completed his third touchdown of the game. Black Jr. picked up the two-point, and the rout became 24-0.
A false start helped Four Winds force another three-and-out. Marial Deng returned the punt to Nelson County’s 40, and Greybear had a 24-yard run. On the very next play, Keja Jr. completed a pass to Deng, who got around a tackle and completed a 24-yard touchdown reception.
The two-point was no good this time. But it hardly mattered. The Indians led 30-0.
“You can tell they wanted that home playoff game,” Mertens said. “We knew that if we could essentially stop the run, that’d give us a good opportunity to win the game.”
After each team turned it over on downs, Cavanaugh finished the first half on a strong note, coming up with his second interception. The final play of the first half was a 50-yard run by Greybear, all the way from one 25-yard line to the other.
The second half, with the clock running, didn’t start much better for the Chargers. A sack forced them to punt, and Greybear came out with another big run, this time for 46 yards and a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt was caught by Deng’s outstretched arm in the end zone, and the Indians extended their lead to 38-0.
“I’ve told him his whole career, ‘Wakinyanho, man, you’re an overachiever,’” Bishop said. “He’s one of those tweeners. He’s not big. He’s not big enough for some things. He’s not fast enough for other things. But he just finds a way to get the job done. And yeah, he’s just unselfish.”
Four Winds scored its final touchdown on a 56-yard run by Black Jr. What began as the Keja Jr. show turned into a well-rounded, dominant team effort.
“It just felt like, ‘Now we’re playing some football,’” Mertens said. “Now they understand what it takes to be at that elite program level. I don’t know if we’re elite quite yet, but that’s where you need to get to.”
Nelson County ended the Indians’ shutout bid with less than five minutes to go. Holding was called on Jack O’Brien’s first run into the end zone, but he ran 13 yards anyway on the next play.
The two-point attempt was unsuccessful. Four Winds got the ball back, took a couple knees and the ballgame was over with a 44-6 final score.
And so, with little stress, the Indians clinched a home playoff game. They’ve now done what no other Four Winds football team can say they’ve done.
“I think of the last two years’ teams, we’ve been a good team. I think we’ve been a playoff team,” Mertens said. “We didn’t make the playoffs because of our region; our region was tough. But these boys have been through it… They’re fired up. They know what’s at stake.”
The Indians get a week off now to prepare for the highly anticipated playoff game. Mertens said part of him doesn’t want the break because of how well this team has played during the last couple of weeks. But it’ll give them extra time to practice and build themselves up for their biggest game of the season thus far.
The time and opponent are still to be determined, but the game will be played on Sat., Oct. 19.
“I don’t know if we’re finished yet,” Mertens said. “I still think that they’re still hungry for more.”