Photos courtesy of Mike Kraft/Minot Daily News
Oh, so close.
Devils Lake nearly pulled off a magic act Friday night.
It ended in a crushing 26-20 loss at the hands of No. 1 Minot North (7-0, 3-0). The Firebirds’ five-game winning streak was snapped, and they’ll head home this week looking to get back in the win column.
But No. 4 Devils Lake (5-2, 2-1) still played the top-ranked team in Division AA closer than any other opponent has this year. Here are four takeaways heading into Devils Lake’s final regular-season home game.
Devils Lake nearly pulls off a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback against the state’s most stingy defense
The Firebirds were mere inches from more than just a moral victory.
Before Friday, Minot North hadn’t allowed more than 14 points in a game. The Sentinels had allowed greater than seven points just once. They were coming off of back-to-back shutouts, not having allowed any points since Sept. 19. They’d surrendered 28 total points in six games.
And for a good chunk of Friday’s duel, it was more of the same from the Minot North defense. Devils Lake trailed 13-0 at the half and didn’t get on the board until 8:20 in the third quarter.
The Firebirds were held to 80 yards of offense in the first half. They had three punts, two negative drives and two interceptions.
They were fighting from behind the entire way.
But after Mason Palmer connected with twin brother Max Palmer for a 26-yard touchdown, Devils Lake quickly got within breathing distance. Minot North missed an extra point earlier in the game, so the Firebirds trailed just 13-7. They were in a position where a touchdown could have given them the lead.
The Sentinels separated themselves with two more touchdowns. They led 26-7 with just 8:18 left. After Devils Lake’s brief jolt of hope, it had the makings of a typical victory for Minot North.
But the Firebirds nearly pulled off a stunner in the game’s final moments.
It started with a 56-yard reception downfield by Domingo Engberg. Palmer and head coach Todd Lambrecht both praised Engberg preseason. This was his first touchdown of the year.
After a key three-and-out, Devils Lake got the ball back at 5:24, down 26-14. Engberg had another big reception of 29 yards. Palmer found Palmer again down the right sideline — a 42-yard play to make it a one-score game.
Down 26-20, Devils Lake was effectively in the same position as when it trailed 13-7. Except now there was only 2:58 on the clock.
All Minot North needed was a long drive to finish it out. But on fourth and one, with 1:31 left, Luke Wasness made a big tackle to force a turnover on downs at Devils Lake’s own 41.
And the Firebirds gave it all they had.
An 18-yard reception by Weston Nelson got them down to the 13. A nine-yard pass to Nelson got them to the four.
On third and one, Devils Lake had two chances to keep its hopes alive. Palmer threw an incomplete pass. He tried to run it himself on the last play, but Minot North gave Devils Lake some of its own medicine with a crucial fourth-down stop — one that effectively ended the game.
Firebirds prove they can play with the top dog
While a loss that comes down to the wire like that is bound to sting, Devils Lake proved it belongs among the top football teams in Division AA.
The Firebirds’ five wins have all come against currently-unranked teams. Their one previous battle with a ranked team was a 42-12 crushing by No. 2 Kindred in the season opener.
But Devils Lake gave the top team a serious scare this Friday. If Palmer gets that final yard, it very well may have been a different game.
“We have a lot of respect for that football team,” Minot North head coach Jacob Holmen told Mike Kraft of the Minot Daily News. “They’re good, they’re physical and their quarterback can make plays. Anytime they have the ball in No. 2’s hands over there, they can score real quick. It’s a combination of us not finishing in the fourth quarter as well as we needed to and them playing really well. Credit to Devils Lake. They are a really good football team.”
The Firebirds justified their spot in the top five, and then some. If they can play like this against Minot North, then there’s no reason to believe they can’t fight the same way with any other team in the division.
Max Palmer leading the receiving corps
The Palmer-to-Palmer connection was a huge catalyst in keeping Devils Lake in the game.
Mason, an all-state quarterback, is having an expectedly big year. But the boost that the Firebirds have gotten from his twin brother has been another key factor of this offense all season.
Max entered Friday night with 364 receiving yards, the most of any receiver in the Western Dakota Association. He added to that total with a team-high 115 yards on Friday. His eight touchdowns also lead the WDA.
With Mason leading the region in passing yards, Devils Lake has a lethal twin brother duo at the heart of its offense.
They need to take care of business in their final two games
The Firebirds need to finish their season with a pair of wins to set themselves up for a home playoff game.
The final two opponents on their schedule are Dickinson and Watford City. Dickinson travels to Devils Lake this Friday, sitting at 2-5 overall and 1-2 in region play. The Mavericks lost 24-21 to Bismarck St. Mary’s, the same team Devils Lake dismantled 55-14.
Watford City on the road, in the Firebirds’ final game, should be a slightly tougher matchup. The Wolves are 4-3 overall and 2-1 in region play. Still, Watford City lost 34-0 when it played Minot North. Devils Lake nearly beat Minot North.
If the Firebirds can win both games, they’ll finish 7-2 overall with a 4-1 record in region play. That would give them a second-place finish in the West. They would host a playoff game on Halloween against the third-place team from the East — which is currently Central Cass, a team they beat 28-21 on Sept. 5.
A quarterfinal victory would send Devils Lake to a potential rematch with Kindred in the semifinals. The only way the Firebirds would see Minot North again is in the championship.
But they played a fairly even game with the division’s top team on Friday. They just need to keep on chugging, and maybe they’ll have learned something if they see an opponent like this again.
