GGF football this week: Green Wave hoping to build off Hail Mary
Oct. 12—EAST GRAND FORKS — East Grand Forks Senior High coach Ryan Kasowski has often said this season he likes the never-give-up fight in his Green Wave team.
The Green Wave showcased that last Friday in a Hail Mary victory over Crookston, a win Kasowski would like to see his team build off on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Perham.
"This team has a feel where they going to keep fighting and working," Kasowski said. "They never feel out of it. A lot of teams could put their head down when that two-point conversion scored on us. But they found a way to win the game. You can build off that, for sure."
Against Crookston, East Grand Forks led by 14 in the fourth quarter before the Pirates turned to a wildcat formation for running back Ethan Boll, a UND-committed prospect.
Crookston pulled within one with 29 seconds left, then went for a 2-point conversion to take the lead.
But the Pirates were flagged for a personal foul after the conversion, which made a big difference. With the kickoff backed up 15 yards and the Green Wave's solid return, East Grand Forks started near midfield.
After a couple of quick out routes, the Wave had 4.1 seconds left. On the game-winning play, Drew Carpenter found Cooper Smith for a 34-yard touchdown in the end zone.
"Pretty unbelievable," Kasowski said.
Perham, 3-3, is in the hunt for the No. 2 spot in the section playoffs with East Grand Forks.
"They're like Perham — they go empty and throw it around," Kasowski said. "They run it more than they used to, though, too, but they like to sling it to get it to their playmakers."
Coming off a tough loss to Lake Park-Audubon, Polk County West is hoping to bounce back against Red Lake County, a team ranked one spot above the Thunder in the section QRF standings.
PCW, 3-3 overall, hosts Red Lake County at 7 p.m. Friday in East Grand Forks.
"Our biggest thing was consistency," PCW coach Darrin Byklum said. "We obviously have injuries, so we need the next-guy-up attitude. The big thing is being consistent and focused."
Red Lake County (5-1) is a run-heavy offense, Byklum said. Red Lake County's top rusher this year is Damon Ferguson, who has 89 carries for 781 yards and 10 touchdowns.
"We're going to have to have long, sustained drives of our own," Byklum said.
PCW running back Mike Gapp has surpassed 1,000 yards in just six games. He now has 1,153 yards.
In a surprise development in North Dakota 11A football, Valley City has risen to the No. 1 spot in the state rankings.
Grand Forks Central draws the next assignment for the Hi-Liners, who have yet to surrender more than one score in a game all season.
The Knights, 2-5 overall, host 7-0 Valley City at 7 p.m. Friday at Cushman Field.
The Hi-Liners have outscored teams 290-32 this year.
"They're a Wing-T team, so they're 90 percent run," Central coach Jake Schauer said. "They motion well and their sweep game is good. Their offensive line is fast. Their guards look like fullbacks. I told the guys we really have to cut our mistakes in half."
Central quarterback Dylan Lamont leads 11A East in passing with 1,526 yards this season and features three of the east's top five wide receivers in tight end Tray Kuntz, wide receiver Leo Strandell and running back Jack Simmers.
"At the same time, it's the same song and dance, we have to establish some sort of run game," Schauer said. "We had 100 yards the last two weeks. That's better than the way we started the year. We're going to keep installing little tweaks to make it tough on opponents."
The Hi-Liners are led by Gavin Gerhardt, who has 826 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Quarterback Bryson Heck is 16-for-25 on the year for 279 yards.
Gerhardt has four interceptions this season, while teammate Aiden Jacobson has three.
