Mariners Stop Floodwood

Facing a fourth and less than a yard situation the Floodwood Polar Bears needed a first down to keep their drive alive and a possible state tournament berth a realization. That all ended when the Silver Bay Mariner defense stopped Polar Bear quarterback Tanner Heggedahl just short of a first down with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Mariners held on for a dramatic 20-16 win.

Silver Bay scored the first touchdown of the game in the first quarter on a Nathan Bauck 27-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Ketola and Michael Fischer added the extra point kick making it 7-0.

Floodwood bounced back to take the lead when Alex Larson caught a four yard touchdown pass from Heggedahl and then Cam Goutemont did the same thing on the two-point conversion as Floodwood held a slim 8-7 lead at halftime.

The seesaw affair continued in the fourth quarter when Bauck caught another pass from Ketola, this time a three-yard strike giving the Mariners the lead at 13-8, however they failed to score on the two-point conversion run.

Floodwood responded in kind when Dylan Graff slammed into the end zone on a one-yard run that gave the Polar Bears the lead with seven minutes left of 16-13 after Ricky Baker recovered a fumble in the end zone for the two-point conversion.

Then it was the Mariners turn as Ketola bulled in from the one-yard line and Fisher added the kick making it 20-16 with about four minutes remaining and eventually setting up the huge stop by the Mariners defense on the Polar Bears.

Silver Bay advances to play Waubun, the Section 6 champion, in Bemidji on Halloween night.

Kerry Rodd