Clearbrook-Gonvick at Fosston

Fosston, MN — The Fosston Greyhounds football team improved to 6-1 on the season Wednesday night with a 26-16 victory over the Clearbrook-Gonvick Bears.

The Greyhounds wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, finding the end zone on the very first offensive play of the game when junior Jaxsen Daniel broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run. Clearbrook-Gonvick responded with a methodical opening drive that chewed up nearly four minutes of clock, but the possession came up empty. Bears quarterback Carver Kroulik lofted a pass toward the goal line that was tipped by a Fosston defender and intercepted by Gavin Curfman.

Both teams turned the ball over on downs during their next possessions before Fosston added to its lead late in the first quarter. With 41 seconds remaining, the Greyhounds capped a scoring drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Berkley Landsverk, extending the advantage to 14-0.

Coming into the game, Clearbrook-Gonvick head coach Casey Kroulik emphasized the importance of avoiding turnovers, but the Bears struggled to protect the football in the first half. With 11:53 left in the second quarter, junior Avery Ostenaa lost a fumble, giving Fosston its second takeaway of the night. The Greyhounds capitalized on the mistake, finishing off another scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown run by Jaxsen Daniel. Fosston carried a commanding 20-0 lead into halftime.

The second half started slowly for both offenses. Clearbrook-Gonvick received the opening kickoff and managed one first down before being forced to punt. Fosston then put together a lengthy drive that started at its own 29-yard line and consumed nearly six minutes of game clock. However, like the Bears’ previous possession, the drive stalled, resulting in the Greyhounds’ first punt of the contest.

The Bears finally broke through offensively on their next possession. Needing less than three minutes, Clearbrook-Gonvick marched downfield and scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Trey Goudge, trimming the deficit to 20-8.

Fosston responded with another scoring drive of its own, as Brydin Daniel found the end zone from 13 yards out. The touchdown stretched the Greyhound lead to 26-8 with eight minutes remaining in the game.

Clearbrook-Gonvick refused to go away quietly. The Bears needed less than a minute to answer, with Ryan Gerlofs scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run. The successful two-point conversion cut the lead to 26-16 and gave the Bears some late momentum.

However, any hopes of a comeback were short-lived. The Bears were unable to recover the ensuing onside kick, allowing Fosston to maintain possession and run out the remaining clock to secure the 26-16 victory.

With the win, Fosston improves to 6-1 on the season and will host the Hancock Owls in its regular-season finale next Tuesday. Clearbrook-Gonvick falls to 3-4 and will wrap up its regular season at home against Fertile-Beltrami next Thursday.