Dayson Dubois (Photo by Noah Clooten)
Four Winds outdueled Nelson County in a critical Region 2 football matchup this past Friday.
The Indians beat the Chargers 36-20 at home. Four Winds improved to 4-1, while Nelson County fell to 3-2.
Here’s a look at the key turning points and outlook for both teams going forward.
Four Winds’ defense clamps down after halftime
The first half didn’t end well for the Indians.
They trailed 20-14 after turning it over on downs as time expired. Nelson County quarterback Brody Rainsberry collected 116 rushing yards in the first half, with two touchdown rushes and one touchdown pass. Zane Anderson totaled 65 yards of offense in the first half — including the 17-yard reception that put Nelson County ahead.
Four Winds didn’t tie it until the final 30 seconds of the third quarter. It didn’t take the lead until midway through the fourth quarter. The Indians’ defense was instrumental in guiding them to victory, keeping Nelson County off the board for the entire second half.
Four Winds made four tackles for loss in the second half. Two were solo tackles by freshman Kyson Keja — one of Rainsberry and one of Anderson. Sophomore Judah Young also had a pair, coming up with a solo tackle and combining with Frankie Bellile on another.
After Rainsberry’s big first half, he had a net loss of 11 rushing yards in the second. Anderson had +8 rushing yards and -8 receiving yards in the second half for zero total yards of offense.
Nelson County only really had one big play in the second half: a 30-yard pass to Rider Schmidt. By then, the Chargers were already down by two touchdowns with less than three minutes left in the game.
Nelson County combined for a net gain of just four rushing yards in the second half.
The Chargers’ Landon Sundeen had made an interception in the first half. But the only pick in the second half was by Four Winds’ Marial Deng during a crucial drive in the fourth quarter. It came just one play after a near-interception by Kale Yankton.
Dayson Dubois comes up big in second half
The Indians were stuck at 14 points from 8:19 in the second quarter, all the way until there were 30 seconds left in the third quarter.
But they scored three touchdowns over the final 12:30 of regulation — in large part from the contributions of Dayson Dubois.
Dubois has been sharing quarterback duties with Kaleb Keja this season. Keja played most of the game there on Friday, and he had a decent first half with 61 passing yards and 22 rushing yards.
But Keja dropped the ball for a four-yard loss in the middle of the third quarter. Dubois, playing running back at the time, rushed for 81 yards to lead an 87-yard touchdown drive anyway.
So on Four Winds’ next possession, Dubois took over at quarterback. Between two positions, he ended up totaling 138 rushing yards in the second half after only 38 in the first half.
Both of Dubois’ drives as quarterback resulted in touchdowns. He had a one-yard carry into the end zone that put the Indians ahead with 7:01 left in the game. He then made a successful pass to Zachary Langstaff for the two-point conversion. On Four Winds’ next possession, he made five carries of his own before handing it off to Deng for a three-yard touchdown. Dubois also snuck in for a two-point conversion rush.
The Four Winds coaches have described Dubois as a “Swiss Army knife” — and his versatile prowess came in handy in securing an Indians win.
Indians bolster chances of returning to playoffs; Chargers on the brink
Four Winds has made it clear that playoffs are the standard. The Indians hosted a playoff game for the first time ever last fall, and they came into this season looking to build on it.
With a 4-1 record, they’re well on their way to getting back in the playoffs. Four teams from each region will make it into the bracket, and Four Winds is tied for second place in Region 2 right now.
New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock, the No. 1-ranked team in nine-man football, leads Region 2 as the only undefeated team. Four Winds and North Border both have a 4-1 record.
That leaves a tight battle between Nelson County and North Prairie for the fourth-place slot. Both teams are 3-2 right now. Nelson County got off to a 3-0 start, but it’s now dropped two close games in a row. One of those losses was to North Prairie in a 58-52 battle.
Nelson County made the playoffs last fall for the second year in a row and third time in the past four years.
The Chargers have a chance to get back in the win column Friday against Larimore, an 0-5 team. They’ll also be guaranteed a forfeit win against North Star, which moved to a junior varsity schedule. That would give them at least five total wins.
Nelson County still has to play the vaunted NR-S/M Rockets on Oct. 3. North Prairie already played them — and scored 36 points, the most the Rockets have given up since Aug. 18, 2023. Nelson County also has to play North Border, which recently fell from the No. 4 state ranking.
North Prairie, meanwhile, has Four Winds, Midway/Minto (1-4) and St. John (2-3) left on its schedule. The Cougars will also get a forfeit win against North Star this week.
Four Winds has Cavalier (2-3), North Prairie, St. John and NR-S/M left to play. The Indians’ 4-1 record already includes their matchup with North Star.
