Clear Skies
Full Sun
And wind that felt like it was coming out of a giant fan on the north end of the field.
All-in-all, it was a great evening to get the season started and the game lived up to the atmosphere!
But being that it was a gusty eve & the debut for each team, there was an adjustment period over the first 12 minutes. After one quarter Mandan had the only points, as a snap dribbled into the end zone for a safety.
The Eagles were able to turn the ensuing possession into their first defensive highlight, an interception which lead to their first touchdown - a 22-yard scamper by Luke Lorenz.
A pair of sacks by Gus Werremeyer & Andre Werk precipitated a Braves punt that ricocheted off the up-man and into Lorenz's waiting arms. Two touchdowns in barely two minutes of game time could have signaled the start of a shootout but it was the defenses that had the last word for the rest of the half, with Daniel Yorke appropriately closing it with a pass-break-up in the end zone.
The defensive struggle continued when the action resumed with a turnover on downs by Mandan and a punt by Davies. As the sunset the wind also dissipated which helped Mandan overcome a 4 & 11 near midfield with a grab by Trinity Anderson at the 11! They proceeded to keep the ball on the ground after that, capped by a Zach Lilly 1-yard plunge to cut the deficit to 14 - 9.
The momentum continued to swing in their direction as Davies went three & out. Andre Werk added another sack while Luke Lorenz got his hands on another pick to take back control!
Jayce Johnson added to the stream of highlights with an 86-yard touchdown run on the first play for Davies!
Up two scores again, the defensive front could continue their run of tackles behind the line of scrimmage as Werk hit the trifecta & Rylie Lang joined the parade! The seven total sacks told much of the story but turnovers played no small part in the conclusion as Grant Tschosik corralled the third interception of the contest with three minutes to go in the game.
If the same level of defense is managed every Friday then even one lopsided loss will be a unicorn on their schedule.
With two touchdowns and highlights in all three phases, Luke Lorenz was a clear choice but for all he was able to do in harassing the quarterback, Andre Werk is equally as deserving.
Click the pic to see the full game gallery