DEVILS LAKE — The Firebirds didn’t have their starting quarterback Friday night. Nor did they have any points in the second half.
But behind a big first half from Bryar Exner, and a gutsy, level-headed performance from third-string quarterback Talan Gregory, Devils Lake (5-3, 2-2) held on to beat Grand Forks Central (1-7, 1-3) 14-7 at Roller Field. The win clinched a playoff spot for the Firebirds and gave them their most wins in a season since 2017.
“It’s a great feeling,” Devils Lake head coach Todd Lambrecht said. “It was a slugfest out there. The field was wet… We were struggling moving the ball. Our defense played really well. They had some big stops.”
While Exner had the most explosive performance with 143 rushing yards in the first half, Gregory more than held his own while taking over for Mason Palmer — who has a fracture in his arm. Gregory converted a critical third-down touchdown pass to get the scoring started, and made passes of 20-plus yards to Oliver Wirth and Kade Fee. He even scored a touchdown of his own on a quarterback sneak.
“All week, we’ve been working with [Palmer]. We’ve been working on a wildcat formation,” Exner said. “And we’ve been working with Talan a lot. And he played great today. He had a lot of good throws. But we just worked hard, worked together. We had to trust Talan, and we did. And it worked well for us.”
After building a 14-0 lead, the Firebirds’ offense slowed down in the second half. But the defense did just enough to hold on.
“We’ve gotta watch film, because we have to figure out why they were stopping us,” Lambrecht said. “And we have to get it fixed.”
Devils Lake got the game started with an 80-yard touchdown drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock. Exner got the Firebirds to midfield with a 27-yard run, and Riley Johanson had a 10-yard reception from Gregory that got Devils Lake within the 40.
A holding penalty set the Firebirds back 10 yards, but Exner caught a screen pass and ran for 16 yards to make up for most of it. A seven-yard pass to Weston Nelson picked up the rest.
A 13-yard carry by Exner got Devils Lake to the 10. He was tackled for a loss of two on second down, setting up a critical third-down situation for Gregory. The young quarterback stayed calm, converting an 11-yard pass to Nelson in the end zone.
It was a long but satisfactory way for the Firebirds to get the scoring started. Exner had a net gain of 63 yards on the drive.
“He always makes an impact,” Lambrecht said. “He’s a 210-pound guy that can run, and he runs well. He runs hard. And the thing is, is what people don’t know: We’ve got a Weston Stromme and a Will Heilman that can run just as hard, and are a little bit faster than Bryar… But when you’ve got Bryar running so hard and running so well, it’s hard to get those other guys in.”
Central went three and out on each of its first two possessions, failing to pick up a first down until the second quarter. Devils Lake had another long drive on its second possession, but eventually turned it over on downs at the Knights’ 28-yard line.
On the Firebirds’ final possession of the first half, Gregory unleashed a 23-yard pass to Fee that got them inside the 40. Exner later executed another screen pass, then ran it 33 yards before getting pushed out of bounds at the two-yard line. He ended up with 143 rushing yards just in the first half.
“I’m so excited to be back,” said Exner, who missed three games in the middle of the season with an injury. “Taking every game like it’s the last one. Love being back. Love playing the game.”
Fee was stopped at the one-yard line on the next play, but Gregory finished off the 52-yard touchdown drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak.
“He has control of the offense when it’s out there,” Lambrecht said of Gregory. “He’s done an amazing job. For someone that just kind of got thrown in a little bit, he’s done fantastic. I’m happy, and I’m proud of the man.”
The Knights got the ball back with Devils Lake leading 14-0 and finally generated some offense in the final minutes before halftime. Wirth had a pass breakup that set up fourth and seven, but Central converted on a 21-yard play.
The Knights pushed it all the way to Devils Lake’s 21-yard line. Coby Dronen Levitt, however, picked off a potential touchdown pass and ran it all the way back to the 46. A face mask gave the Firebirds an extra 15.
Exner had a 10-yard carry, but Gregory was intercepted as the final seconds of the clock ticked away. Still, Devils Lake carried a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. Gregory was picked off for a second time, and Devils Lake went three and out another time. Central converted a fourth-and-one opportunity in the final seconds of the quarter.
Marginal gains from the Knights added up to a 41-yard touchdown drive. The Firebirds’ defense wasn’t getting the stops the way it was early in the game. And Exner had a net gain of only four yards in the second half.
“I felt like their linebackers were pursuing the ball better,” Exner said. “Getting outside was a lot harder. But they were a good team. Their linebackers were good, and they figured it out. They figured us out, and they kept bringing it.”
With Devils Lake now leading only 14-7, Lambrecht brought Heilman in to take over at quarterback for Gregory. Heilman has bounced all over the place this year — from starting at wide receiver, to playing running back while Exner was injured, to now making a cameo appearance as the team’s quarterback.
“That was just a little offensive wrinkle,” Lambrecht said. “They have to watch out for the quarterback in that scenario.”
Heilman, with his experience at running back, ran the ball for 14 yards over the span of three plays. He picked up a fourth-and-one later on the drive, but holding was called on the next series and Devils Lake eventually had to punt after moving it inside Central’s 40-yard line.
Then came the Knights’ last but biggest opportunity to make this a brand new game. They kicked themselves in the foot with a holding penalty right off the bat, then quickly faced a third-and-21 hole. They squeezed out 14 yards with a broken ladder play, but it was still fourth and seven, and Devils Lake was on the cusp of victory.
But Central came up with another crucial conversion, this one on a pass with just over two minutes left on the clock. The Knights started making short, efficient passes to grind the ball to the Devils Lake 30-yard line.
The Firebirds recorded an enormous sack that forced a third-and-22 for the Knights. The defense held strong to make the quarterback throw it out of bounds, and a last-ditch fourth-and-22 attempt was incomplete.
Central turned it over on downs, and all Devils Lake had to do was take a knee.
So the Firebirds held on, despite minimal offense in the second half and a brief scare on Central’s final possession.
“Our defense played exceptional,” Lambrecht said. “We had a few misreads here and there, but overall our defense played great. It’s one of those things that you put your hat on, and you put your weight on somebody’s shoulders. And our defense played solid today. And that’s what we expect and need them to do.”
Devils Lake, now ranked No. 4, has one remaining test left in the regular season, with the unbeaten No. 1 Grand Forks Red River. The Firebirds will be coming to fight. Regardless of what happens, though, Devils Lake has already assured itself one of its most successful seasons in the last decade.
“It’s all the players. It’s on them,” Lambrecht said. “We preach playing for each other, because they have to be out there on the field to play… They’re gonna keep working hard, because that’s the kind of guys they are.”
