Thunder Pick Up First Win of the Season

Wes Vork-NSO

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Sept 4

Kerry Rodd-NSO

CLOQUET – The weather was perfect for a fall football game on Saturday when the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College ‘Thunder’ opened their home season against Minnesota State-Fergus Falls. The Thunder took advantage of the crisp day with some long plays from scrimmage early in the game and then held on for a 34-26 victory over the Spartans.

With 7:28 remaining in the first quarter Thunder quarterback Michael Davis found wide out Michael Darden on the right sidelines and Darden raced to the end zone with a 90- yard touchdown catch. Michael Aguilera booted the extra point giving the Thunder a 7-0 lead.

The Thunder got another big play with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter when Davis hit Ronrico Ragsdale on a slant pattern and Ragsdale raced 95 yards to paydirt. Following Aguilera’s extra point the Thunder led it 14-0.

FDLTCC added another score with 10:33 remaining in the first half when Davis lobbed a pass to running back Michael Wallace to make it 21-0 following the conversion kick.

It didn’t stop there for the Thunder as John Green picked off a pass on the ensuing drive by the Spartans and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown just under a minute after Davis had scored. Again Aguilera booted the extra point making it 28-0 with 9:32 remaining in the first half.

Fergus Falls made perhaps the best move of the game when they moved dynamic running back Eric Brown to quarterback into a wildcat type of formation. From that move on in the game the Thunder found stopping the Spartans difficult. The move paid immediate dividends when Brown raced 19 yards on a keeper off right tackle and Nick Schmidt tacked on the point after kick cutting the lead to 28-6.

The Spartans added a nine yard touchdown run by James Norwood early in the second half to cut the gap to 28-14, and then with 11:10 remaining in the final stanza Fergus Falls got another touchdown when Brown tossed a pass to Dominik Ammermann in the left corner of the end zone. That score pulled the Spartans to within 28-20, but Schmidt missed the extra point low to the right keeping the Thunder up by eight points.

FDLTCC responded with 4:28 remaining when Davis found Ragsdale at the goal line with a pass that Ragsdale caught, but then lost the ball. The ruling on the field was that Ragsdale had caught the ball in the end zone and had both feet down before losing the ball. However, on the point after kick the Thunder failed to convert leaving the score 34-20.

Fergus Falls managed a late score with just 57 seconds remaining on a Brown to Corbin Orchard pass and that cut the lead to 34-26, but that would be all the closer the Spartans could get the rest of the way.

The Thunder, 1-1 on the season, will hit the road to play at Worthington against Minnesota West Community College next Saturday.

Kerry Rodd can be reached at kerry@northlandsportsonline.com