Across many sports Davies & Sheyenne have become must-see when they go against one another. With the Mustangs at #1 in the poll for the highest level & Davies not far behind as a vote-getter, Friday's renewal of their rivalry had the makings of another good one but few would have predicted how the game unfolded!
The Eagles won the coin toss, deferring possession until the second half so it was Caleb Duerr and the Mustangs who had the first chance to strike. After a gaining first downs, one that came after a near interception, Grant Tschosik secured the first takeaway of the day.
The spark from the turnover was short-lived as Davies punted away a few minutes later, followed by a Mustang punt, then an Eagles punt & another by the visitors.
Davies got the ball back with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter but were done with quick possessions & kicks. Mason Klabo connected with Oliver Lucht right in front of the home student section and the NDSU commit maneuvered his way to the end zone.
Bridging the quarter-break Sheyenne was forced into a turnover-on-downs, giving Davies a short field. Mixing runs & passes they got down to the goal line, finishing the drive with a sneak by Lucht to make it a 14 - 0 lead with 5:38 left in the half.
In-kind, the Mustangs put together their best drive thus far, also getting down to the one yard line. With two seconds left on the clock it was the wall of defenders who won, preventing the deficit from being cut in half.
The goal-line stand loomed all the larger because Davies got to start with the ball. One handoff is all it took for Luke Lorenz to ratchet up his team's momentum even more, going 86 yards!
The two possessions that followed were each ineffective and the third was trending that way as well until Ray Brown stripped a ball carrier. The unpredictable bounce went Jackson Greff's way and he made the most of it, returning it for another score.
Now with their backs plastered to the wall Sheyenne had to try and find more effectiveness through the air
But it wasn't to be.
Elijah Hayes had his best play of the game, breaking several tackles to flip the field and set-up Hudson Asche's touchdown dash from 21 yards out.
Jackson Greff added to his standout night with an interception second before the end of the third quarter, the last play of the game for many of the home starters.
With the second-to-last posession of the game Sheyenne's Barry Kpeenu showed some familiar burst, breaking loose with a 52-yard run. A few plays later Isaac Kanega wiped the O off the board but that was all she wrote.
This was the first regular season loss by Sheyenne since October 4, 2019. That is a Goliathian operation.
A great team effort but one player did separate from the rest with his two touchdowns.
Oliver Lucht
Click the pic to see the game gallery
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