Nov 01, 2007 - 04:05:28 CDT
No. 1 Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter will host Dakota Prairie in a 9-man semifinal game Saturday, and it's no secret who the NGS defense will have its sights set on.Seth Nichols.
The senior quarterback has terrorized opposing defenses throughout the Knights' 11-1 season. The latest victim was previously-unbeaten North Border in last Saturday's quarterfinals. Nichols completed 13 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns and carried 33 times for another 232 yards and five six-pointers to lead the Knights to a wild 56-51victory. Nichols scored the game-winning touchdown just before time expired.
"Nichols is a big, strong kid who can beat you with his arm and his legs," said NGS coach Jon Schiele, whose team carries a 10-0 record and a 21-game winning streak into Saturday's game. "We have to try to contain him. When he goes back to pass, we have to keep him in the pocket, because he'll try to make something happen when nothing's open. That's what he's done all year."
Nichols isn't the Imperials' lone concern, however. Running back Ross Severson picked up 174 yards on only 10 carries against North Border. And Nichols' receiving corps includes Mitch Brodell, who had six catches for 124 yards last week.
"The way they run their offense, they create a lot of space for their kids," Schiele said. "They have a lot of good athletes who make plays."
The Imperials have already slowed down two high-powered offenses in the playoffs. Finley-Sharon-Hope-Page managed just one offensive touchdown in NGS' 28-14 opening-round victory. Last week, NGS held previously-unbeaten Hillsboro to 17 points below its season average in a 44-19 victory.
"Our defense has been pretty solid all season, and it's been stepping up in the playoffs," Schiele said. "At playoff time, defense is what's going to win you games."
Running back Evan Gross led the NGS offense last Saturday with 158 rushing yards, raising his season total to 2,161. Kriss McCleary added 77 yards.
What pleased Schiele the most was the Imperial passing game. Junior Brady Fettig completed six of 10 passes for 89 yards.
"We haven't gone to the air that much because our running game has been doing so well," Schiele said. "But in the situations where we had to pass, Brady put the ball on the mark and our receivers made the catches."
Maroons' Ellison threat as runner, passer
No. 2 Mott-Regent (10-0) also will have to deal with a multi-dimensional quarterback at Crosby Saturday when it takes on No. 3 Divide County (10-0) in the other 9-man semifinal game.
Last week, senior Quin Ellison completed 10 of 18 passes for 137 yards, and rushed 19 times for another 113 to power the Maroons to a 32-20 quarterfinal victory over Central McLean.
Ellison ran for three touchdowns against the Cougars, one week after totaling more than 250 yards and four six-pointers (2 passing, 2 rushing) in a 31-22 opening-round victory over Richardton-Taylor-Hebron.
"Ellison's extremely quick and he has a good arm," Mott-Regent coach Ron Benson said. "He runs the option very well. Our defensive ends have to turn him inside and tackle him. We can't let him run free. Divide County has other good players, but (Ellison) makes that offense go."
Mott-Regent's defense is coming off a stellar performance against a high-scoring St. John team. St. John came into last week's game unbeaten and averaging 53 points, but the Wildfire blanked the Woodchucks until the fourth quarter. The final score was 42-14.
"St. John had a lot of weapons, and we were able to shut them down," Benson said. "But Divide County is a lot bigger and quicker, I think. And they have playoff experience. Our defense has to play its best game on Saturday."
Offensively, Brock Gion had a big day against the Woodchucks, rushing for 193 yards on only 13 carries. He also scored on an 82-yard punt return. Running mate Jay Grosz scored three touchdowns.
The Wildfire, however, will be without the services of speedster Blaise Kautzman, who is sidelined with two broken hands. He broke one hand in Mott-Regent's opening round victory over North Central Benson. He was able to take the field last week, but broke the other hand while knocking down a pass.
Kautzman had more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns this season. He also had four pass interceptions.
"It's very unfortunate. ... He was a big part of our team," Benson said. "But injuries are a part of football. We're counting on other kids to step up for us."
District volleyball
Bowman County dethroned two-time defending District 13 champion New England with a 3-2 victory over the Tigers Tuesday in the tournament championship match at New England.
The championship is believed to be the first for Bowman County, according to coach Kent Harding.
"To the best of our knowledge, it is," said Harding, whose team went into the tournament as a No. 3 seed. "If it isn't, it's the first one we've had in a long, long time. It's pretty exciting. The girls played well throughout the tournament. We kind of hit a lull three weeks ago, but the girls came into the tournament confident and played to their abilities."
Allison Hanson has been on a tear for the Bulldogs, tallying 20 kills or more in each of the last four matches. She had 23, 22 and 20 kills, respectively, in district tournament play.
"Allison has hit well for us all year and she's been exceptional the last couple of weeks," Harding said.
Brittany Anderson added 29 kills, and Steph Lockert was credited with 122 assists.
The District 14 tournament final went the distance Tuesday, with Dickinson Trinity emerging victorious over Richardton-Taylor. The Raiders took the first two games, but the Titans bounced back and won the final three. Trinity won the fifth and deciding game 15-7.
Richardton-Taylor's Katie Zent, who was named the district's senior athlete of the year, finished the tournament with 69 kills.
The Region 7 tournament starts Monday at Dickinson Trinity High School.
Also on Tuesday, Center-Stanton won its first district title since 2004 with a three-game sweep of two-time defending champion Flasher at Center.
Center-Stanton won for the 26th consecutive time and improved to 30-3.
The Wildcats will host the Region 5 tournament, which begins Monday. Center-Stanton is after its first state tournament berth since 1990.
"Winning the district tournament was one of our goals, and we're excited about that," said Center-Stanton hitter Jenna Bubel, who had 15 kills and nine blocks in the title match. "But we still have some work to do. We want to get to state. That's the ultimate goal."
The District 10 championship will be decided tonight, with Turtle Lake-Mercer and Underwood going at it at the TL-M gym. Turtle Lake-Mercer is seeking its third straight district title.
The field is set for the Region 3 tournament, which begins Monday at Napoleon. The No. 1 seeds are Linton-HMB from District 6 and Kulm from District 5.
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