FIELD TWP- Playing without several players from their opening 28-0 loss to McGregor, the North Woods game at home against Bigfork last Thursday was an adventure in lackluster improvisation, as the Huskies hung another 28-0 verdict on the Grizzlies.
After punting on their first possession, the Grizzlies showed some life on their second, moving from their own 43 to the Bigfork 21. But the best scoring opportunity of the night went up in smoke when TaySean Boshey-Wilkerson was stopped a yard short on fourth down.
Bigfork looked like they were going to break the scoring ice in the second period when Peyton Swanson stepped in front of a potential touchdown pass at the North Woods 2 for an interception, the Grizzlies’ defensive highlight of the game.
But Bigfork had found its rhythm, and after receiving a Grizzlies punt at their own 47 the Huskies marches right down the field, including a big fourth-down pass from the North Woods 30 to the 4-yard line. They punched it into the end zone on a quarterback keeper, and the two-point conversion gave Bigfork an 8-0 lead going into the half.
The Huskies owned the second half, opening with a 53-yard scoring drive, and then following up with a 73-yard drive that ended with a passing touchdown.
North Woods opened the fourth quarter by turning the ball over on downs at their own 30, and Bigfork was back in the end zone four plays later for the final score of the 28-0 beatdown.
The Grizzlies managed to move the ball down to the Bigfork 21 before being set back by a penalty and a tackle for a loss, and the clock ran out before they could recover.
North Woods Head Coach Joel Anderson was blunt with his postgame critique.
“I’m not a big fan of excuses,” Anderson said. “We didn’t play anywhere near our potential, and Bigfork played with more effort and was able to stymie us defensively. We weren’t crisp, and between lining up incorrectly, mishandling snaps, and missing assignments, we made it very difficult to move the football.”
“Our timing offensively was about as bad as I’ve seen it since the first couple days of practice, and the conditions gave us no excuse for that,” Anderson continued. “Bigfork didn’t do anything we hadn’t seen on film, but too often we were in the wrong formation or didn’t block it correctly. Even when we had the blocking right, we struggled with the center-quarterback exchange, so we never found any rhythm.”
Anderson the Grizzlies’ challenges went beyond the physical matchups. “Football is hard, and before you can beat the other team, you have to win the mental game against yourself. You have to understand your assignment and use the proper technique on every play. We had blockers getting their hands on people without moving their feet, or moving their feet without getting their hands on anyone, and defensively we were standing straight up and waiting for them to come to us.”
Playing without running back Carson Johnson, the Grizzlies mustered just 120 yards on 44 carries. Boshey-Wilkerson touched the ball 22 times but gained only 22 yards, while quarterback Cedar Holman led the team with 58 yards on 10 carries. James Yernatich added 38 yards on 12 carries. The Grizzlies were anemic through the air, with only one completion for zero yards.
Yernatich, Holman, and Vinny Pascuzzi led the defense with five solo tackles each, while Swanson had six assists to go along with his interception. Pascuzzi also recorded six assists.
The Grizzlies were scheduled for another long road trip on Friday to take on Kelliher/Northome.