Nelson County vs Sargent County

Recap

In their nine regular season matchups, no team came within 30 points of the top-seeded Sargent County Bulldogs. Apparently, Nelson County missed that memo. The Chargers weren’t just the first team to hold the Bulldogs under 30 points, they were also the first to hand them a loss with a 30-29 upset victory in the first round of the ND 9-Man Playoffs.

The Bulldogs started out business as usual, in a way, with a lengthy opening drive ending not in the end zone, but in points with a Bjarne Behnsen field goal. Keeping the Bulldogs out of the end zone on the opening drive helped Nelson County charge ahead, scoring 22 unanswered points, all by senior running back, Zachary Gibson. Gibson could not be stopped in the first half, scoring three touchdowns and two two-point conversions on 171 yards rushing.

The Bulldogs woke up, finishing out the first half with 13 unanswered off of a rushing and receiving touchdown from senior, Nicholas Hansen. Another extra point from Behnsen made the score 22-16 at the half.

Sargent County regained the lead with their first drive of the second half. The Bulldogs turned a Nelson County punt into Hansen’s third touchdown of the game. The 56-yard run and Behnsen extra point made it 23-22 Bulldogs. The Bulldogs extended their lead, turning another Nelson County punt into an 87-yard receiving touchdown for senior, Luke Martinson.  Sargent County seemed to push their lead to nine with a two-point conversion, but the initial call was reversed, making it a 29-22 score.

Those two points would come back to haunt the Bulldogs, as on the very next drive, Gibson scored his fourth all-purpose touchdown of the game for Nelson County with a 19-yard catch. The two-point conversion was successful, putting the Chargers ahead by one late in the third quarter.

That score would be the last of the game. After a Sargent County punt, the Chargers took nearly eight minutes off the clock on their next drive resulting in a turnover on downs. The Bulldogs then drove the ball into Nelson County’s red zone but came away empty after a Behnsen missed field goal. Nelson County regained possession, but the Bulldog defense earned one more attempt at a game-winning drive.

Sargent County started their final drive with just over 26 seconds left at their own 42-yard line. The Bulldogs were unable to move the ball past the 42 with just one second remaining. On the very next play, the Bulldogs made some magic happen, with a hook-and-ladder play moving the ball just outside the Nelson County red zone. That would have been the end of the game, but a horse-collar tackle on the Chargers gave the Bulldogs one last play with no time on the clock. Behnsen and the Bulldogs were hoping for a walk-off winning field goal, but the magic and season ran out on their home field, as the kick was blocked, ending the game.

Gibson finished off the game with 267 rushing yards and four all-purpose touchdowns to lead Nelson County to the Nine-Man Quarterfinals for the second time in three years. Hansen finished the game with 180 yards of offense and three all-purpose touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs.

Nelson County draws a rematch with Region Two foe, North Prairie, in the Quarterfinals. North Prairie claimed a 40-20 victory in Rolette during the regular season. Sargent County ends their season at 9-1.