BISMARCK — It was widely considered to be the area’s game of the week, and the packed crowd at Payton-Moss Field weathering the wind and rain all night reflected that.
Two undefeated teams going at it with a fifth and playoff-clinching win on the line. Not to mention how that win would affect the Vermilion Valley Conference championship race. One of the best offenses around against one of the best defenses. Friday night was going to be a battle.
Then, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin scored 55 unanswered points on its way to a convincing 55-18 homecoming victory over Salt Fork.
“We had our best week of practice in probably three years,” BHRA coach Mark Dodd said. “Our kids were dialed in, and I think that was the key. They respected Salt Fork a lot, and that’s a credit to our kids. They were locked in and didn’t let the homecoming stuff distract them at all. I’m really proud of the way we played.”
Dodd was confident his team would pull out a win, but he admitted he didn’t necessarily expect it to be that lopsided.
Salt Fork coach Joe Hageman felt the same way, stunned by the final score and giving the Blue Devils all the credit.
And Evan Parrish, BHRA’s senior running back/linebacker who racked up 292 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries to go along with 11 tackles and an interception, was pleasantly surprised.
“I thought it was going to be one we’d have to grind out, and whoever wanted it more and had more heart was going to win,” Parrish said with wide eyes and an excited smile. “I think we did have more heart and wanted it more, but I didn’t think it was going to be this much.”
It looked like the Storm would be the ones smiling after going up 12-0 in the first quarter, scoring with short touchdown runs by Jameson Remole and Kamdyn Keller. Hageman was pleased with the start, but he knew the game was far from over.
“We always talk about focusing on the next play. You can’t look at the scoreboard until it ends,” Hageman said. “We were doing a nice job, but they got the wind at their back in the second quarter, which opened up their passing game, and they did a nice job giving us some fits on defense.”
The weather played as big a factor as anything Friday, dictating all the play-calling on both sidelines. All night long, a strong, rainy wind blew straight south. Salt Fork (4-1) took advantage of that in the first quarter, finding the end zone on both of its offensive possessions and forcing a turnover on downs and a punt defensively.
BHRA (5-0) did the same thing once the field flipped in the second quarter, scoring three touchdowns and not letting the Storm get anything going offensively.
“Going into the wind was definitely a challenge,” Hageman said. “We really couldn’t push the ball down the field, and that allowed them to stack the box and control the game. In the first quarter, you saw us take advantage of that, and they did the exact same thing in the second.”
Chaz Dubois got the Blue Devils on the board after winning the battle for a deep jump ball pass from Anderson Thomas, staying on his feet and sprinting the rest of the way for a 68-yard touchdown. Parrish got the next one, breaking a couple tackles on a tough 22-yard scoring run. Thomas then found Caden Keleminic for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Blue Devils a 21-12 lead heading into halftime.
At the break, neither offense had been able to move the ball past the 50-yard line when driving north. In contrast, every offensive possession going south, outside of BHRA’s last chance before the half with 6.7 seconds on the clock, reached the end zone.
“When it was in our face, it was really hard,” Parrish said of the wind. “We just had to run the ball and keep putting our foot in the ground. When the wind was at our back, we did what we do. We threw it around and ran downhill.”
The Blue Devils then scored on all four of their third-quarter possessions, driving with the wind, while continuing to frustrate Salt Fork’s offense.
Thomas ended the game with 138 passing yards and three total touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground. Ethan Dubois also had a 17-yard scoring scamper out of the backfield. And Remole rushed for a 22-yard touchdown as the clock hit zeros to make the final score a little closer.
But it was Parrish who made the biggest impact. BHRA has traditionally run a ground-and-pound style of offense, but it got away from that the last couple years with the record-breaking duo of quarterback Karson Stevenson and receiver Ayden Ingram. Parrish has the spotlight now, and having that game against Salt Fork’s stingy defense certainly made a statement.
“It means so much,” Parrish said. “For four years, I’ve worked my butt off for this moment, and there’s nothing better than high school football running the ball every play. It’s amazing, man.”
Both of these teams have aspirations that far exceed winning five games — Parrish emphasized that the Blue Devils have their eyes set on a state championship — but Friday’s win did clinch a playoff berth for BHRA for the 15th consecutive season, something Dodd said his players don’t ever lose sight of.
“We never take it for granted,” Dodd said. “We’ve had a nice run a bunch of years in a row, but we want to make sure our kids enjoy it and celebrate that because not everybody can say that. We like that every single time.”
The Blue Devils proved something Friday night. They’re ready for more. Their defense outplayed one of the area’s best year in and year out, and their offense was as dynamic as it’s been all season, despite the weather. They’re playing like they’re ready for playoff football, and they’re confident they’ll make it well past the second round this time.
“I think it really showed us our identity as a great powerhouse football team,” Parrish said. “Going into this game, we didn’t really know what our identity was. We thought this would be a grinder, and it just opened our eyes to what kind of team we’re going to be.”
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