Defense carries Tigers in 6-0 win over Waubun

Nevis relied on its defense to return to the Section 6 9-man championship game.

Jack DeWulf's 5-yard touchdown pass to Zach Henry with 10:27 to play in the second quarter provided the only scoring in the Tigers' 6-0 victory over Waubun in a section semifinal game on Oct. 28. Nevis' defense made that lead hold up by limiting the Bombers to only 153 yards in offense.

This game was the complete opposite of last year's section championship game where Waubun compiled 480 yards in offense and rallied from a 28-12 deficit with 5:48 to play for a 32-28 victory at the Fargodome.

Both teams entered this playoff rematch averaging more than 33 points a game. Neither offense was able to sustain many drives as Waubun ran 53 plays and had only nine first downs while the Tigers ran 54 plays and tallied only 11 first downs.

Waubun put together a scoring threat on the opening series as Parker Syverson followed an 8-yard run with a 10-yard gain as the Bombers marched to the Nevis 37. Tucker Roehl's interception ended that drive.

Roehl's 4-yard run on fourth-and-1 at the Nevis 46 and a 15-yard catch by Michael Landquist led the Tigers to the Waubun 38, but a fumble by Landquist on that play was recovered by the Bombers.

After forcing Waubun to punt, the Tigers drove 56 yards in 12 plays for the game's only score. Jack DeWulf followed a 7-yard gain with a 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 at the Waubun 47 to keep the drive alive. Kyle Schmidt gained 9 yards as the Tigers reached the Waubun 24 before a penalty for encroachment on Waubun on fourth-and-2 at the 16 led to a first-and-10 at the 11. After Schmidt rushed for 6 yards, DeWulf hit Henry on a 5-yard scoring route. The conversion failed, but the Tigers held a 6-0 lead.

Nevis' defense made that lone touchdown hold up.

Waubun ran 13 plays for only 22 yards the rest of the first half and was forced to punt on its first three possessions to start the second half.

The Tigers opened the second half with a 25-yard reception by Tom Wormley and a 17-yard catch by Henry on fourth-and-1 to reach the Waubun 8. That drive stalled at the 5.

Syverson gained 32 yards on three carries to give the Bombers a first down at the Waubun 44, but that drive stalled and resulted in a punt.

Both teams exchanged punts before the Bombers threatened as a 43-yard catch by Dion Bower led to a first down at the Nevis 35. Luke DeWulf ended that threat with an interception.

Nevis' defense held Waubun on the next series as the Tigers took over with 1:02 to play. Schmidt's 31-yard run sealed the win as Nevis earned a return trip to the section title game.

The Tigers finished with 232 yards in offense with Jack DeWulf completing 8 of 10 passes for 98 yards. Henry caught four of those passes for 34 yards while Schmidt rushed 19 times for 90 yards.

Defensively, Michael Landquist was in on 14 tackles while Luke DeWulf and Jack Landquist were in on 10 tackles each. Jack Landquist led the way with nine solo tackles.

Syverson rushed 18 times for 88 yards and Bower caught six passes for 54 yards as the Bombers were held to their lowest offensive production of the season. Nevis' defense held the Bombers to 220 yards in a 44-12 win on Sept. 15.

Waubun, which was shut out for only the third time since 2011, ends the season at 7-3.

Nevis improved to 8-1 entering the section championship game against Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal at the Fargodome on Nov. 2. NCE/UH defeated the Tigers 20-14 on Oct. 6. NCE/UH advanced to the section title game with a 22-14 win over Rothsay.

Nevis is the No. 1 seed in the section and rated No. 6 in the state 9-man poll while NCE/UH is the No. 3 seed and rated No. 10 in the state poll with a 9-1 record entering the section title game. Rothsay, the No. 2 seed, ends the season with a 7-2 record.

Waubun 0 0 0 0...0

Nevis 0 6 0 0...6

SCORING

N--Henry 5 pass from J. DeWulf (run failed)

OFFENSIVE STATISTICS

RUSHING. Waubun: Syverson 18-88, Heisler 11-16, Lefebvre 6-13. Nevis: Schmidt 19-90, J. DeWulf 16-29, Roehl 6-15.

PASSING. Waubun: Syverson 3-7-1 for 52 yards; Heisler 5-9-1 for 2 yards. Nevis: J. DeWulf 8-10-0 for 98 yards.

RECEIVING. Waubun: Bower 6-54, Syverson 2-0.

NEVIS DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

SOLO TACKLES: J. Landquist 9, M. Landquist 8, L. DeWulf 7, Hitchcock 4, J. DeWulf 2, Roehl 2, Wormley 2, Henry 1, McGee 1, Schmidt 1, Soldwisch 1.

ASSISTED TACKLES: M. Landquist 6, Roehl 4, L. DeWulf 3, Braton 3, Henry 1, J. DeWulf 1, Hitchcock 1, J. Landquist 1.

QUARTERBACK SACKS: J. Landquist 1.

INTERCEPTIONS: L. DeWulf 1, Roehl 1.