MCVILLE — The Nelson County Chargers are going to the playoffs.
It came down to the final day, with a decisive game against Larimore. The outlook was simple: Win, and clinch a playoff berth. Lose, and go home.
The Chargers won.
“It feels like a lot of hard work paid off for those kids,” Nelson County head coach Beau Snyder said. “Super excited for the seniors. We talked all week about desire, and playing with some heart and some passion.”
It was a 46-14 rout. Larimore (3-5, 1-4) tied it at 6-6 early in the first quarter, but Nelson County (4-4, 3-2) scored the next 40 points and didn’t allow another touchdown until the final minute of play in the second half.
Quarterback Axel Anderson had four touchdown passes and two touchdowns runs — including a kickoff return into the end zone to open the game.
“It feels amazing. It really does,” Anderson said. “We came in here knowing we beat them the first time, and we knew we could win again. There were some ups and downs in the game, but we pushed through it and came out with the win.”
Representing Region 3 as the No. 3 seed, Nelson County will face North Prairie on the road in the first round. The top two seeds from Region 3, New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock and Four Winds, will both be hosting playoff games on Oct. 19.
How it happened
Before either team even brought the ball to the line of scrimmage, Nelson County had a 6-0 lead.
Anderson returned the opening kickoff in typical territory, around the Chargers’ 20-30 line, but he avoided everybody as he took off for the end zone. Larimore got the ball on its own 33-yard line at 11:46, already trailing by a touchdown.
The Chargers’ defense, though, couldn’t get a clean stop on Larimore’s first possession. A false start immediately helped the Polar Bears, and, while relying on running plays, Larimore drove the ball all the way to Nelson County’s 29.
The Polar Bears were hurt by their own false start, however, as their drive came up just short. They went for it on fourth and 16 and turned the ball over on downs.
Nelson County very quickly turned it back over. After a first-down run by Brody Rainsberry, a fumble was recovered by the Polar Bears. And, on the very first play of the next drive, Case Knudson unleashed for a 52-yard touchdown run.
Halfway through the first quarter, it was tied. Both teams’ two-point conversion attempts were unsuccessful, making it a 6-6 game.
“When you’re practicing all week against your guys, we’re not running the offense quite like we’re seeing it on a Friday night,” Snyder said. “So I think it just took that first series to really see what they were doing and recognize what our jobs were.”
After Rainsberry got a first down, Anderson ran it 28 yards to get inside the 10. A potential touchdown run by Anderson was called back due to holding, but on fourth and 16, he connected with Rainsberry for a clutch touchdown that put the Chargers back on top. They converted the two-point this time, and led 14-6.
Larimore once again got the ball within Nelson County’s 40-yard line on the next drive, but the Chargers eventually forced a stop. Rider Schmidt swatted the ball away on a fourth-and-one try.
Back to work went the Chargers, who scored on their first possession of the second quarter to extend their lead to 22-6. Anderson came up with another big play on fourth down, finding an opening for a 53-yard touchdown run.
Anderson, a senior from Michigan, North Dakota, has only taken on the full-time responsibility of quarterback this season.
“You have to relearn everything, man. Because I played quarterback back in eighth grade, and ever since, I’ve been a tight end or wide receiver,” Anderson said. “So having to relearn everything was hard, but it’s coming along. It’s becoming smoother.”
Nelson County forced a three-and-out and then scored again. Running back Miles Fincher muscled his way for 18 yards to Larimore’s 17. Rainsberry had a touchdown run called back by another holding penalty, but Anderson connected with Fincher on the next play for a 17-yard touchdown. Fincher caught the ball inside the 10 before breaking a tackle and running the rest of the way.
“Miles showed up to play today,” Snyder said. “It was great to see. We know we have that potential in him, and it showed tonight. He can be a dynamite player for us, and we’re gonna try to keep finding ways to get him the football.”
The Polar Bears got it inside the 10 on their next possession, with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty getting them all the way to the two. But they couldn’t capitalize. They fumbled and turned it right back over to Nelson County.
The Chargers promptly scored on their next drive, as Fincher came up big again with a 60-yard touchdown. He bobbled it in his hands before regaining control.
Nelson County, after a 20-0 quarter, led 34-6 at halftime. And despite not quite reaching the 30-point threshold for a running clock, the playoffs were basically right in its grasp. From starting this season at 1-3, the Chargers were well on their way to winning their third of their last four games and squeezing into the postseason fold.
“It was hard to say right away, with how we started our first game,” Anderson said, referring to a 40-0 loss to Cavalier that opened the season. “But overall, I love the competitiveness. Everyone’s always fired up. Even the small plays. Even just hits. They’re always jumping around, hooting and hollering.”
The Chargers had a fumble and turnover early in the second half, but Anderson picked one off to get the ball right back. It was yet another way Anderson made an impact on Friday.
“I’m so proud of how far he’s come,” Snyder said. “He’s looked really good for us a lot of times. And he takes the bull by the horns, and when we need a big play, he makes it for us.”
On the very next play, running back Jack O’Brien exploded for an 80-yard touchdown run. Nelson County’s dominance continued, leading 40-6 at the end of the third quarter.
A 29-yard touchdown pass to Rainsberry ran the score up to 46-6 in the fourth quarter. Larimore scored on its very last possession, with mere seconds left on the clock. The two-point conversion was good, too. One could almost hear the surprise in the PA announcer’s voice, perhaps wondering where this had been all game. It was all Nelson County, nearly all night.
And so the Chargers celebrated. And laughed. And cheered. And finally got a chance to let loose, and declare themselves a playoff football team.
“One day at a time. One practice at a time,” Snyder said. “Preparation is key for us, so we’re gonna take a look at whoever we’re coming up against and prepare as hard as we can. And we talk about winning each play.”
Nelson County will travel to play North Prairie (6-2, 4-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Rolla High School.
“They’re gonna be tough, but if we come out like we did today, I think we should be able to pull along,” Anderson said.
