FIELD TWP- The North Woods football team may have opened Friday’s homecoming game with a Friday the 13th fumble, but they broke open a close game in the second half to win their third contest of the season 36-20.
The Huskies took advantage of a Grizzlies fumble on their opening possession, engineering a six-play, 35-yard drive aided by a North Woods personal foul penalty for a six-yard touchdown. Bigfork failed to score the two-point conversion and led 6-0 with 5:33 left in the first quarter.
It took all of 16 seconds on the game clock for North Woods to answer. Starting at their own 43 after a good kickoff return by Talen Jarshaw, running back Kaden Gornick broke a tackle at the line and scampered 53 yards for the tying score. Nick Abramson got the call and the ball for the two-point conversion.
The Grizzlies turned the ball over on their next two possessions, but the defense held tough and flipped the script by forcing a fumble that was recovered by Trajan Barto at the Bigfork 39. A fourth-and-seven conversion on a pass from Jarshaw to Barto set the Grizzlies up at the 11, and North Woods got a gift from the Huskies on a fourth-down pass interference call in the end zone that gave the Grizzlies a fresh set of downs at the seven. This time it was Barto throwing to Jarshaw for the touchdown and a 14-6 lead.
Aided by a pair of penalties that gave Bigfork possession down near the Grizzlies goal line, the Huskies used a quarterback draw by Scott Sorlie to score with 1:39 left in the half. North Woods retained the 14-12 lead by turning back the conversion attempt.
Bigfork opened the second half with an onside kick that they recovered at the Grizzlies 39, but stalled when they reached the 20-yard-line. A fumbled snap bounced all the way to the 45 where it was recovered by Gornick to end the Huskies’ scoring threat.
The Grizzlies defense came up big again after Bigfork recovered another Grizzlies fumble at the North Woods 25. After picking up a first down at the 12, Noah Westman got a tackle for a three-yard loss, and a host of Grizzlies snuffed out a fourth-down pitch.
On second-and-eight from their own 17, Gornick enhanced his growing reputation as a big play back by racing past the Huskies defense and down the left sideline for an 83-yard score. Abramson punched in the conversion for a 22-12 lead.
The Huskies were knocking on the door again at the start of the fourth quarter with a first-and-five at the North Woods seven. But after two runs netted only two yards, the Huskies tried a pass that fell incomplete, and the Grizzlies crushed a fourth-down run to pull off the goal-line stand.
Abramson gave the Grizzlies some breathing room by running to the North Woods 28. Barto dropped back to pass and found Jarshaw deep, and he took it to the house for a 72-yard touchdown. Abramson was tapped again for the conversion, giving North Woods a 30-12 lead with 8:50 left in the game.
After halting the next Huskies drive at the 50, it was time for another bolt of Gornick lightning, as he made it a one-play touchdown drive with another run down the left side. A conversion pass attempt failed, leaving the score 36-12.
The Huskies scored on a meaningless 54-yard reverse play, and North Woods ran out the clock to preserve the 36-20 victory.
Gornick was the workhorse for the Grizzlies offense, piling up 187 yards on only seven carries with three touchdowns. Abramson tallied 66 yard on 11 carries and scored six points on conversions. Barto was four-of-13 passing with two touchdowns, both to Jarshaw, and one interception.
Carson Johnson was seemingly everywhere for the Grizzlies defense, with seven unassisted tackles, five assists, two tackles for losses and a defended pass. Barto and Abrahmson each had four solo tackles.
North Woods was scheduled to try to even its record at 4-4 with a Wednesday home game against 3-4 Cook County. The Vikings were coming off a somewhat surprising 38-0 pasting of Kelliher/Northome, a team that beat the Grizzlies 28-0 in the second game of the season.
Update afer print deadline
Football sectional playoff seedings were released Thursday morning. Afer a 50-0 loss to Cook County on Wednesday, the Grizzles slotted in as the No. 6 seed and will go on the road play No. 3 Littlefork-Big Falls on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m.