Bottineau, Oakes Win Thrilling Season Openers
Bottineau 36, Carrington 34
LATE HEROICS LEAD BOTTINEAU TO ROAD WIN AT CARRINGTON
Senior quarterback Carson Haerer accounted for three touchdowns and over 300 total yards as Bottineau (1-0) outlasted Carrington (0-1) by a final score of 36-34 Friday night.
In a second half that featured four lead changes, a pair of clutch plays by junior wideout Khaliel Abdurrahman eventually sealed the deal for the Braves. Trailing 34-30 with three minutes to play, Abdurrahman hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Haerer to grab the lead.
Josh Bickett and the Cardinals marched down the field in response, converting a 3rd-and-15 en route to the Bottineau 21-yard-line. With less than a minute to play, Carrington sent senior Grady Shipman to attempt a game-deciding field goal from 39 yards away. Rushing off the left edge, Abdurrahman blocked the kick and sent the Bottineau sideline into a frenzy.
Despite the defeat, Bickett threw four touchdown passes for Carrington. Junior WR/LB McCade Zink eclipsed 100 yards receiving and gathered two of those touchdowns while running back Logan Weninger contributed a 63-yard score of his own.
Oakes 33, E-E-K 30
TORNADOES HANG ON LATE TO WIN OPENER
The Oakes Tornadoes (1-0) jumped ahead early and did just enough to hold off Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm (0-1) in a 33-30 win on Friday.
Led by a combination of returning experience and standout newcomers, Oakes grabbed control of the game early in the first half. In his first start at quarterback, senior Blayson Dolney threw three touchdown passes while contributing on special teams. All three of the scores were corralled by senior Max Walock, who also served as the punter and kick off specialist for the Tornadoes.
The Tornadoes’ ground game was equally effective. Senior Mario Garza set the tone with a pair of early touchdowns, adding a long reception and a defensive sack to his debut game of 2023.
E-E-K’s offense was held to one score in the first half – a Jacob Nitschke touchdown pass to Joseph Kramlich. An injury forced Damian Carlson to take over as the signal-caller, and his dual-threat ability provided a major spark. Despite helping the Thunder score 24 unanswered points, Carlson and company ran out of time and their fourth-quarter comeback effort fell three points shy.
