1. Valley City Times-Record • www.times-online.com
By Jake McNeal
trsports@times-
online.com
Leave it to a Hi-Lin-
er-Squirrels game to
be as nutty as possible.
Noah Knutson, Cen-
tral Cass’s 5-foot, 10-
inch senior running
back in his first-ever
football appearance,
returned a pair of kick-
offs for scores, caught
a touchdown pass and
powered for another on
the ground at Hanna
Field on Friday to help
fifth-place Central Cass
escape a 16-6 hole and
take the fourth and fi-
nal AA East seed from
third-place Valley City,
40-32.
“Three minutes,” said
Central Cass head coach
Lutkemeier to his de-
fense on the Squirrel
sideline as Valley City
started the first of their
final two comeback at-
tempts, down 40-32.
“That’s what I need,
let’s go.”
Squirrel senior defen-
sive back Jason Roesler
picked a tipped Jared
Lentz pass at the Hi-
Liner 35 and Central
Cass forced what was
called a Nate Rodriguez
fumble at the Squirrel 49
to claim their first State
trip since 2009.
Knutson and the Squir-
rels head to West No. 1
Bismarck St. Mary’s for
Saturday’s 5 p.m. State
Quarterfinal.
Ben Baasch caught a
ricocheting pass at the
Central Cass 10 and
hustled to the right of
the end zone, and Har-
rison Hammel’s point-
after put Valley City up
7-0 at 8:36 in the open-
ing frame.
Knutson banked left
92 yards for a score on
the imminent return, but
the two-pointer faltered.
NateRodriguezandEli
Allen rode their power-
ful offensive line up the
middle of the field until
Rodriguez’s four-yard
dash off the left tackle
and Hammel’s point-
after put the Hi-Liners
ahead, 14-6, with 4:36
to play in the first.
Central Cass drew
Valley City offside for a
first down on 3rd-and-5
at the Hi-Liner 40, but
squirrely junior quar-
terback Grady Bresna-
han, running for his life
beneath the Valley City
rush, could not connect
on a deep left 4th-and-15
pass at the Hi-Liner 15.
Central Cass stuffed
Valley City’s 4th-and-
short at the Hi-Liner 4,
but Jordan Magnuson
read the Squirrel screen
and rode Knutson down
in the right of the end
zone for a safety and
a 16-6 lead with eight
minutes to the break.
Valley City’s 4th-
and-4 snap skipped
backward to the Hi-
Liner 40, and Bresnahan
darted 45 yards for a
touchdown nullified by
holding, but Squirrel se-
nior wide receiver Jacob
Roesler beat the deep-
est Hi-Liner defender
over the middle for a 29-
yard score. Valley City
snubbed the two-point
run and Central Cass
trailed 16-12 with 34
seconds left in the half.
Jason Roesler made
a catch in the flat and
danced down the right
hash to the Hi-Liner
1. Rodriguez lowered
a shoulder and rocked
Bresnahan out of bounds
on a dive to the left py-
lon,butBresnahanfound
paydirt from three yards
up the middle and hit se-
nior wide receiver Adam
Breske for the two-point
catch to put the Squirrels
up 20-16 in the third.
“You’re a wrecking
machine,” said Central
Cass head coach Nathan
Lutkemeier to junior de-
fensive lineman Chris-
tian Schmuck. “They
can’t hold you back.”
Rodriguez thought
otherwise, willing the
Hi-Liners down the field
and stiff-arming Squir-
rel tacklers until Allen’s
counter to the left went
for six from four yards
out and his two-point
wildcat sweep connect-
ed for a 24-20 lead with
4:13 left in the third.
Knutson took a toss
nine yards left for a score
and a 26-24 Squirrel lead
after three quarters, and
Bresnahan scrambled
backward to the Hi-Lin-
er 20 and fired but Val-
ley City tipped the ball
away at the last moment
in the back right of the
end zone.
Baasch took a 17-yard
catch for a score down
the left hash, converted
a two-point misdirection
handoff for two and flat-
tened Jason Roesler on
the goal line, and Valley
City led 32-26 with 8:18
to play.
Knutson, however, es-
caped a kickoff pileup
and sprinted 85 yards
for a score, but the two-
point attempt to deep left
failed and Central Cass
stood tied with Valley
City at 32-32 with 8:01
left.
Schmuck amped the
Central Cass crowd
with a “Let’s go,” as the
Squirrels forced a Hi-
Liner 4th-and-4 at the
Central Cass 47, and
Jared Lentz’s pass to
Rodriguez in the left flat
hit the grass.
Rodriguez anchored
the Hi-Liner defense
against junior wide re-
ceiver Chandler Hersch,
senior running back
Lane Berg and Knut-
son’s carries up the mid-
dle, and Lentz collided
with a Squirrel receiver
over the middle at the
Hi-Liner35,butKnutson
beat the man coverage
over the middle from 34
yards out on 4th-and-8,
and 40-32 was the Cen-
tral Cass lead with three
minutes left.
Jason Roesler picked
Lentz’s tipped pass at
the right hash of the
Hi-Liner 35, and Bres-
nahan dodged defend-
ers to chew clock and
force Valley City tim-
eouts. Loathe to throw
a dangerous pass, took
a keeper left and Valley
City drew a 4th-and-12
at the Squirrel 44.
Valley City started a
timeout-less drive with
1:15 left and Baasch and
Ethan Zeltinger made
catches over the middle,
but Hersch clawed the
ball from Baasch in the
air at midfield and Cen-
tral Cass recovered what
was called a Rodriguez
fumble with 30 seconds
left at the Central Cass
49.
Sports Page 9 • Monday, October 27, 2014
A Long Winter
Squirrels Scratch Hi-Liners
for Final East State Seed
Jake McNeal/Times-Record
TOP: Central Cass junior quarterback Grady Bresnahan (3) scram-
bles to escape from Eli Allen (12).
SECOND FROM TOP: Nate Rodriguez (44) steamrolls Central Cass
tacklers.
THIRD FROM TOP: Ben Baasch (80) flattens Central Cass senior de-
fensive back Jason Roesler on a two-point carry.
ABOVE: Valley City’s student section assembles to urge their Hi-
Liners on.
first five minutes, the Vi-
kings began to pull away
from the Bravehearts,
building a 55-28 lead at
halftime.
West scored 13 first-
half points and finished
with 18 to lead five Vi-
kings in double figures.
Rashad Satahoo came
off the bench to score 16
points, all in the second
half.
Weeks poured in 14
off the bench for the Vi-
kings, and both Briton
Bussman and Ferguson
scored 13 points in front
of the home crowd.
Valley City State
forced 22 Braveheart
turnovers and won the
rebound battle, 49-23.
The Vikings shot 56
percent from the field
(41-for-71), 41 percent
on threes (9-for-22) and
90 percent from the free
throw line (17-for-19).
Oglala finished at 29
percent from the field
(15-for-51), 26 percent on
threes (5-for-19) and 64
percent at the free throw
line (9-for-14).
Valley City State took
care of business again
on Sunday, rolling past
Oglala Lakota College
for the second straight
day, 83-48.
The Vikings move to
2-1 overall with their
second victory in as
many days over the
Bravehearts.
Bussman, one of four
Vikings to finish in dou-
ble figures, scored 12
first-half points, propel-
ling the Vikings to a 46-
16 halftime lead. Quin
Peterson also scored 12
points, and both Rus-
sell Robinson and Mac
Kroeplin poured in 10
points. Robinson fin-
ished with a double-dou-
ble, adding 11 rebounds
to his 10 points.
The Vikings shot 49
percent from the field
(33-for-67), and 39 per-
cent on threes (9-for-23).
Valley City State had 12
different players score in
the win.
Oglala was led by 26
points from Brice Horn-
beck.
Valley City State plays
an exhibition game
Thursday at MSU-
Moorhead. Tip is set for
7 p.m. at Alex Nemzek
Fieldhouse in Moorhead,
Minn.
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