by Joe Howell

 

Undefeated Milnor-North Sargent marched onto Lisbon’s Sandager Field on Friday, Sept. 19 and proved that they were indeed a force to be reckoned with this fall in 1A football.

The Bulldogs thumped the Broncos 20-12 behind the big play dual of quarterback Josh Hansana and Tysen Hansen and their superior offensive and defensive line play. 

6’5” Ryan Drevlow was the best player on the field in this game between neighboring schools.  Drevlow weighs in at 240 pounds and is explosive off of the line of scrimmage.  The Bulldogs had more than just Drevlow on the line of scrimmage that bothered the Broncos.  As a result of Drevlow’s presence, other Bulldog lineman had an easier time of entering Lisbon’s offensive backfield and disrupting the Bronco’s offense.

This was the first regional game of the season, and Milnor-North Sargent put themselves in the driver’s seat with the victory.  The Bulldogs hosted Linton HMB on Friday, Sept. 26 with the winner having the inside track for hosting in the upcoming play-offs.

“The Broncos need a win against Maple Valley–Enderlin to regain some confidence,” commented Lisbon head coach Robert Bubach.  “The Bulldogs had us questioning ourselves and we need to big up our play and develop more confidence in ourselves.”

Bubach continued, “We were aware of Hansen’s ability to catch and run but we also thought that we could put pressure on their quarterback.  Hats off to their offensive line for doing a great job of protecting him.”

“The Bulldogs made big plays and we did not.  Hansen’s catch and run for their second touchdown was huge for them and deflating for us.  We also did not score when we had the ball on their 13 with a first down.”

“We have a big game with the Raiders and we need to defeat Maple Valley-Enderlin (September 26) and celebrate Homecoming with a win.”

Lisbon plays at LaMoure this Friday, October 3 with a 7:00 kick-off.

1 2 H 3 4 F

Lisbon 0 6 6 6 0 12

Milnor-N Sargent 8 6 14 0 6 20

Scoring

First quarter

On the first play of the game, MNS freshman quarterback Josh Hansana threw a 36-yard scoring strike to a leaping Tysen Hansen.

Hansen and Hansana would be a pain in the Bronco’s side all evening as the two combined for five pass completions, 122 yards, two touchdowns, one two-point extra point conversion, and one pass interference on the Broncos.

A.J. Enderson rumbled 20 yards on the next Bulldog play and MNS was first and goal at the Bronco 10-yard line.

A one-yard loss and  two incomplete passes set up the next big play of the game.  The Broncos were called for pass interference and the Bulldogs were given new life at Lisbon’s five-yard line.

Again, Lisbon held for the first three plays but Hansana rolled out around right end for the touchdown.  The PAT pass to Hansen was good for a MNS 8-0 lead.

Lisbon connected on two long passes.  Adam Coykendall connected with Dillon Bishop on a 49- and 19-yard completions.

The two Bronco completions were sandwiched around another Hansana to Hansen pass.  This time the two North Sargent students connected on a 55-yard touchdown catch and run.  Many would-be Bronco tacklers bounced off the 6’ 5” 190 lb. Hansen.

The PAT attempt failed and the Bulldogs led 14-0.

Second Quarter

Bishop’s 49-yard reception in the first quarter was part of a 10-play, 74-yard touchdown drive.

Lisbon’s Brandon Schell capped this drive with a six-yard run.  The PAT attempt failed and Lisbon trailed 14-6.

Hansana completed three passes for a total of 30 yards.  Greyson Shirrell caught two of the passes and Ryan Martinson was the recipient of the other.

However the biggest play for the Bulldogs during this quarter was made by their punter, A.J. Enderson. 

Third Quarter

The Broncos received the second half kick-off, and on the first play from scrimmage, Schell burst over right guard for a 56-yard touchdown.  The Broncos failed on their two-point attempt and trailed at 14-12.

The biggest play of the quarter belonged to A.J. Enderson, the Bulldog punter.  Standing on his own 35-yard line, Enderson raced after a snap that sailed over his head, scooped it up, ran and punted the ball for a net 24-yard gain.

Other than Schell’s run, Lisbon ran 11 plays and gained just 25 yards, including ten on a Zach Peterson first-down run to end the third quarter.  

MNS ran off 15 plays during the third stanza and gained 57 yards with 34 yards coming on Hansana’s pass of 34 yards to Greyson Sherrill.

Fourth Quarter

Peterson’s run carried Lisbon to the Milnor-North Sargent 13-yard line, but the Bulldogs held firm and Lisbon went three and out from there.

The Bulldogs’ offensive line dominated play, and Milnor-North Sargent ran off 19 plays compared to the Broncos six, and gained 104 yards to Lisbon’s minus 8.

  The key drive of the game came right after the Bulldogs stopped Lisbon on their own 8-yard line.  Milnor-North Sargent marched 92 yards in ten plays with Hansana’s pass of nine yards to Hansen, finishing the scoring at 20-12.  Lisbon needed to stop the PAT as a touchdown and two-point conversion would keep the Broncos within striking distance of tying the game and sending it to overtime.

Seth Lunneborg’s 41-yard run of second and eleven from the Bulldog seven-yard line was the big play of the drive.

A.J. Enderson followed with runs of 14, 0, and 1 yards before Hansana and Hansen hooked up for a 19-yard pass play.

Back-to-back 2-yard runs by Enderson and a Shirrell run of five yards set up the last pass between Hansana and Hansen.

Caden Decker’s fumble recovery and run ended any chance of last-second heroics by the Broncos.