NEW ROCKFORD — Fireworks were set ablaze. The victory music kicked in. Elliott Belquist leapt into the huddle of Rockets, then unleashed the weekly tradition of counting out the point total.
They finally reached 64. Just another game for this team.
“We’re not scared to go against what the book says, or what people say you should do,” Belquist said. “We like to make the big play. And our kids like it. Our kids embrace it.”
Belquist has been coaching the Rockets since 2006. He’s only been to the state title game once, when New Rockford-Sheyenne won it in 2012.
Make that twice.
“It’s a relief. I remember that,” Belquist recalled of the previous championship. “And it feels like it right now. This game always seems to be the hardest one. Getting to there is always the hardest thing. Now we can just go have fun.”
Last year, the nine-man semifinal was the stopping point of the Rockets’ season. Their title dreams were shattered by a 32-28 loss to South Border.
“You get emotional for these games,” Belquist said. “You just want your older kids to make it. These kids lost this game last year, and they had it in their minds that that wasn’t gonna happen again. Unbelievably proud.”
The Rockets are headed to the Fargodome. New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock (11-0) took down a beast of a team in Westhope/Newburg/Glenburn (10-1) on Saturday by a score of 64-28 to win the nine-man semifinal. Easton Simon passed for more than 200 yards in the first half alone to outduel NDSU-committed quarterback Walker Braaten.
Kage Walford recorded three touchdowns, while Carter Engebretson and Easton Benz each had two. Both Walford and Bradyn Collier had a pick-six — Collier’s being a 73-yarder.
“I was praying to God before all the big plays I made,” Walford said, “and He gave those big plays to me.”
Throughout this historic campaign for NR-S/M, the Rockets have outscored their opponents 665-104. Coming into the game, the previously-undefeated Sioux had outscored their opponents 620-127. Yet the Rockets still managed to get a running clock by the middle of the third quarter.
Unlike their quarterfinal win, the Rockets never trailed, this time starting the scoring on the opening drive. A 34-yard reception by Walford on the very first play got them going. Walford ran it six more yards, and Engebretson took care of the rest, carrying the ball 25 yards over the span of four plays. Bennett Meier caught the two-point conversion pass to make it 8-0.
The Sioux had two big plays on their first possession to get it to NR-S/M’s 25-yard line. But pressure from Engebretson and Benz forced an eventual turnover on downs.
The Rockets scored their second touchdown in as many possessions to grow their early lead. Again, they were sparked by a big play from Walford, who made a 40-yard reception inside W/N/G’s 40. Walford fought for a first down in the red zone, and Simon eventually completed the 68-yard touchdown drive with a six-yard pass to Benz. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful, but it was 14-0 nearing the end of the first quarter.
The Sioux didn’t go away just yet. Starting from their own 46-yard line, they acquired most of the distance they needed with a 37-yard pass by Braaten. A two-yard touchdown run made it 14-6 just before the quarter break.
So the Rockets still had to fight.
They got the second quarter started on the right note, keeping their lead comfortable with a 63-yard touchdown drive. After a series of runs by Engebretson, Paxton Neppl and Meier had receptions of 15 and 10 yards, respectively, and Simon finished it off with a 21-yard pass to Benz.
Benz also caught the two-point conversion, making it 22-6 with the help of his two touchdown catches.
W/N/G struck right back. Passes of 18 and 33 yards got the Sioux into the end zone, keeping them within striking distance at 22-12.
But the Rockets just would not stop. Simon was unfazed by any potential pressure, firing a 68-yard touchdown pass to Meier. It was just another play in the book for the exceptionally talented junior quarterback.
Meier, like Benz before, picked up the two-point conversion on his own touchdown. The Rockets were starting to taste victory already with a 30-12 lead.
Each team got stopped before NR-S/M got right back to scoring. With W/N/G trying to get the ball out of its own red zone, Walford snatched an interception and ran the resulting 16 yards for his pick-six. The Rockets now led 36-12.
With 50 seconds left in the half, Braaten converted a seven-yard touchdown pass on fourth and goal. The Sioux were hanging around by the skin of their teeth, executing bigger plays than most teams have been able to against NR-S/M this season.
In any case, the Rockets still padded their lead before halftime. An 18-yard pass to Benz got the ball to the 40, and Simon threw for another touchdown on a seven-yard reception by Walford.
“Everybody’s playing for each other,” Walford said. “And we’re all gonna leave it out on the field.”
NR-S/M led 42-20 at halftime, and that lead got extrapolated right at the start of the second half. Braaten picked up another fourth down after three consecutive incomplete passes. He got the ball inside the Rockets’ 30-yard line before getting picked off by Collier, who sprinted it back 73 yards.
NR-S/M’s second pick-six not only killed any potential Sioux momentum, but ignited a running clock with the score at 50-20.
After getting the ball back, the Sioux turned it over on downs. It was all but over, with a determined Rockets team refusing to take its foot off the gas pedal anyway. Walford had another long reception to get to the 18-yard line, and Engebretson ran in for a 10-yard touchdown right before the end of the third quarter.
The onslaught was in full effect. It was 58-20 heading into the final 12 minutes of action.
W/N/G, a team that was used to being on the opposite side of this type of score all season, executed a 30-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. The Rockets responded with the third touchdown from Walford alone, as he caught a five-yard pass following a personal gain of 37 yards over two plays earlier in the drive. The game arrived at its final standstill of 64-28.
“That kid’s unbelievable. That kid’s stepped up so much this year,” Belquist said of Walford. “He just can do a little bit of everything.”
And so all the Rockets had to do was wait it out. The booms of fireworks surprised even the coaches and players on the field, as the NR-S/M faithful rejoiced in their support. For the second time ever, the Rockets clinched a state title appearance.
“It’s amazing,” Walford said. “The team we have and everybody’s effort combined got us there, and I’m thankful for that.”
NR-S/M will face LaMoure-Litchville/Marion on Friday at roughly noon, following the 9:10 a.m. Class A game. The Loboes (11-0) have scored the exact same amount of points as the Rockets this year, with 665, while allowing 54 more at 158.
“We’ve all been waiting for it since third grade,” Walford said. “And it’s great to see our dreams come true.”
