Photo by Cameron Carlson
By Mojo Hill
DEVILS LAKE — Moments after taking the lead with 29.6 seconds left, the Firebirds’ home crowd was nearly left stunned on a hook-and-ladder executed by Dickinson.
“All of our hearts dropped right away,” Devils Lake running back Bryar Exner said.
After a brief moment of hope, the Mavericks’ sideline was overcome by devastation. The Devils Lake players jumped for glory.
They’d just pulled off a miracle.
“I was like, ‘How did that just happen?’” Devils Lake quarterback Mason Palmer said.
With 7.8 seconds left before a long incomplete pass, Dickinson insisted there was time left on the clock. The referees did not agree. So No. 3 Devils Lake (6-2, 3-1) survived a scare at the hands of Dickinson (2-6, 1-3) at Roller Field on Friday. It was a 28-24 win.
“Our guys don’t quit. They don’t give up,” Devils Lake head coach Todd Lambrecht said. “There’s always a chance, and they know it.”
The Firebirds clinched a playoff spot, with a chance to play for second place in the region. But a week after challenging No. 1 Minot North, they didn’t make it easy against the second-worst team in the West.
The Devils Lake offense had a fast start and finish to the first half — but lulled in between.
Palmer snuck a 23-yard touchdown run just a minute and a half into the game. The next four Devils Lake possessions ended in the following ways: a fumble, a punt, a sack and an interception.
Offense has been the strength of this team for most of the season.
“Timing was off. Throwing was off,” Lambrecht said. “Our blocking wasn’t quite there. We were missing some stuff that we shouldn’t miss, especially when we’ve been making it all week in practice. So it’s just probably mentally relaxing when we shouldn’t be.”
Devils Lake fumbled it over to Dickinson on its second possession. The Mavericks tied it up at 7-7 on a 36-yard pass to Dylan Glasser.
Two passes of 20-plus yards got Dickinson to the Devils Lake 10-yard line early in the second quarter. Jaxon Strong and Kade Fee combined for a key sack to force a fourth down, but Dickinson still managed to take a 10-7 lead with a field goal.
Then disaster struck. Dickinson recovered the kickoff on the Devils Lake 26. The Mavericks found the end zone, as Nathan Stevenson threw a 15-yard pass to Paxton Lyson.
“I knew they had a decent offense coming in. I really did,” Lambrecht said. “We just hadn’t seen a whole lot of them. You watch film and stuff; they just hadn’t had the greatest success, and the record didn’t show how good they are.”
Devils Lake faced a 17-7 deficit midway through the second quarter.
“We had to focus on our coverage in the DB land,” Palmer said. “We were letting up deep balls, and they were catching them. That was really hurting us.”
Will Heilman snagged an interception at midfield, but Dickinson picked off Palmer on the next drive. The Mavericks promptly fumbled it back to the Firebirds with 50.8 seconds left in the half.
The Firebirds’ midseason offense showed up on that final possession. They were remarkably efficient, driving the ball 98 yards over five plays in less than 51 seconds of action.
Palmer said he needed to “spread it out, throw it around, pick them apart and get out of bounds if you need to” on the drive.
Exner and Fee combined to carry the ball 39 yards. Palmer threw a pair of 16-yarders to Heilman and Coby Dronen Levitt. With 6.0 seconds on the clock, Palmer threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Heilman, cutting the gap to 17-14 at halftime.
The Mavericks had the ball to open the second half. On fourth down, they attempted a field goal from the same spot as before, but it fell short.
Devils Lake couldn’t capitalize on any of its next three possessions. With 8:48 left in the game, Dickinson’s Wyatt Turner exploded for a 70-yard touchdown run.
The Firebirds trailed by multiple scores — 24-14 — with not much time to work with. Facing fourth and 11, another stop might have been the ballgame.
“We weren’t playing our ball,” Exner said. “We were missing easy blocks, easy throws. There’s stuff we shouldn’t mess up on. We knew that we’re the better team. We just had to pick it up.”
Palmer fired off a screen pass to Exner. Multiple Mavericks were on the coverage, but Exner somehow, some way, fought off everyone and squeezed his way through for a 16-yard touchdown.
“That’s determination, is what that was,” Lambrecht said. “He just kept his legs pumping like he’s been coached to do. … He makes more than one person tackle him, and that’s the really good running back that we have.”
Added Exner: “I didn’t give up on it. I knew I could get it with my skills.”
The running back surpassed 1,000 yards on the season with his performance.
Devils Lake was still alive, down 24-21 with 5:37 to go.
Dickinson held the ball for about the next four minutes. But the Mavericks turned it over on downs at the Devils Lake 21 with 1:18 left.
The Firebirds knew the situation: Score, and win.
If only it were that simple.
After a pair of marginal gains, Devils Lake was sent back 10 yards on a holding call. There were 59.6 seconds on the clock.
Two receptions by Domingo Engberg got the ball into Dickinson territory. Heilman then broke for a 34-yarder.
Exner tried to rush the remaining six yards himself. He was short, with 29.7 seconds left.
But Palmer snuck in the final yard. It happened. Devils Lake had the lead.
Just as Devils Lake was starting the party, Dickinson nearly had the last laugh. A trick play resulted in a 53-yard run by Ethan Luna, who was only barely stopped by Heilman at the 16. It was a game-saving tackle — but the Firebirds were suddenly in jeopardy.
“It’s one of those things like, ‘Oh, we can’t let the big play happen.’ And it happened,” Lambrecht said. “And now we’ve got to cinch up and do a better job of making things happen.”
After an incomplete pass, Dickinson had one more shot. Stevenson looked for a receiver in the corner. He overthrew it.
After some deliberation over the clock, it was ruled a Firebirds win. The Mavericks’ sideline was in disbelief. One person yelled, “That’s so bad!” Another keeled over. Another just rolled his eyes.
Lambrecht said he wasn’t sure if it was the correct call or not. Other spectators had conflicting opinions.
“It was on the other side of me, so I couldn’t tell,” Lambrecht said. “I could see the argument. Maybe. I don’t know. The officials called it because they figured time was out, so that’s what it was.”
Meanwhile, the Firebirds flocked in a frenzy at midfield. It took maybe a few more heart palpitations than they would have preferred, but they kept themselves in the driver’s seat for second place in the West standings.
With a win in their regular-season finale against Watford City next week, they would clinch a home playoff game on Halloween.
“All around, our passing game — everything’s perfect,” Exner said. “Once we step up our defense, I mean, we’re an unstoppable force.”
