Jake Miller put the exclamation point on what might be the final chapter of the storied football rivalry between Bismarck and St. Mary's.

Miller ran for 216 yards and four touchdown and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a score - all in the first half - to lead the Demons to a 51-12 win over the Saints at the Community Bowl.

The win, combined with Minot's last-second 16-15 win over Bismarck Century earlier in the evening, gives Bismarck (5-0, 6-1) sole possession of first place in the West Region.

St. Mary's (1-4, 3-4), which currently is slated to move to Class AA next season and may not play Bismarck in the future, had no answer for Miller, who ran the ball just eight times and caught three passes for 27 yards.

"It was a special night," said Miller, who wasn't even born when Bismarck coach Mark Gibson (BHS '85) went through the battles with the Saints.

"Before the game coach told us it was the last game we would be playing against them," Miller added. "And it was really special that the last game of the rivalry was tonight and it was special to him."

Miller said Gibson pointed out the importance of the game to him personally. He played in several games against the Saints and coach Dan Smrekar.

"I have the utmost respect for him," Gibson said. "I look up to him. He's like a mentor to me."

Miller helped make it special, scoring on runs of 5 and 55 yards in the first quarter and helping the Demons to a 12-0 lead.

He added runs TD runs of 62 and 55 yards in the second quarter, then capped the half with a 90-yard kickoff return with 33 seconds left.

St. Mary's had got on the scoreboard on a 58-yard Justin Klabunde-to-Ryan Huber TD pass on the preceding play.

Esley Thorton added a 24-yard TD run one play after his 19-yard scoring dash was called back by penalty in the second quarter, and the Demons took a 37-6 lead into the second half.

They made it 44-6 by taking the opening kickoff and marching 75 yards in 13 plays. Channing Mann capped the drive with a 4-yard run.

Mann, playing after Miller left at the half, ran 18 times for 91 yards. As a team, the Demons rolled up 396 yards on 42 carries.

"I can't give enough credit to our offensive line," Miller said. "They made some major blocks, and they don't get enough credit."

Defensively, the Demons held St. Mary's to just 77 yards on the ground.

Klabunde completed 9 of 19 passes for 201 yards. Huber finished with three catches for 108 yards.

Zach Reisenauer scored the Saints' other touchdown on a 7-yard run.

The outcome wasn't like the battles between the Saints and Demons in the mid 1980s.

Bismarck leads the all-time series 47-31-2 in a series that dates back to 1934, including wins in the last 13 meetings.

"The one thing these kids don't understand was the way the rivalry used to be. It was a special memory of mine playing the Saints," Gibson said.

The win also moved Bismarck into the lead in the West Region, a fact Gibson said means nothing right now.

"We don't look at that. We really don't," Gibson said. "It's something that we look at every Friday … If you start looking ahead, you get in trouble."

SM 0 6 6 0 - 12

Bismarck 12 28 7 7 - 51

Individual Scoring

First Quarter

B - Jake Miller 5 run (kick failed), 7:20.

B - Miller 55 run (pass failed), :18

Second Quarter

B - Esley Thorton 24 run (pass failed), 10:32.

B - Miller 62 run (kick failed), 4:27.

B - Miller 55 run (kick failed), 1:40.

SM - Ryan Huber 58 pass from Justin Klabunde (pass failed), :49.

B - Miller 90 kickoff return (Calvin Krueger kick), :33.

Third Quarter

B - Channing Mann 4 run (Krueger kick), 5:38.

SM - Zach Reisenauer 7 run (kick failed), :28.

Fourth Quarter

B - Dillon Dewald 20 run (Krueger kick), 4:21.

Team Statistics

SM Bis

First downs 12 23

Rushes-yards 29-77 42-396

Yards passing 201 109

Passing 9-19-2 8-16-1

Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-0

Punts-average 2-30.0 1-35.0

Penalties-yards 2-17 7-55

Individual Statistics

Rushing: St. Mary's - Justin Klabunde 8-3, Isaac Schwab 5-8, Zach Reisenauer 6-13, Andrew Carlson 6-25, Presley Becker 2-21, Lance Becker 1-3, Brock Krumm 1-4. Bismarck - Esley Thorton 5-34, Tyson Gibson 3-1, Jake Miller 8-216, Carson Winkels 3-20, Channing Mann 18-91, Tyler Vogel 4-14, Dillon Dewald 1-20.

Passing: St. Mary's - Klabunde 9-19-2, 201 yards. Bismarck - Thorton 7-15-1, 97 yards; Gibson 1-1-0, 13 yards.

Receiving: St. Mary's - Ryan Huber 3-108, Matt Chuppe 3-39, Reisenauer 1-27, Carlson 2-27. Bismarck - Nick Jolliffe 2-29, Miller 3-27, Austin Gunderson 1-7, Calvin Krueger 1-33, Mann 1-13.

Records: SM 1-4 West Region, 3-4 overall; B 5-0, 6-1.