DCB falls in MCAC Quarterfinals

In a wild and exciting game on Saturday, North Dakota Science defeated the DCB Lumberjacks 40-33 in the Quarterfinals of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference Playoffs.

DCB got on the scoreboard first before a turnover and long drive gave ND Science a 14-7 lead.  The Lumberjacks came back with a Nick Madourie leaping interception for a touchdown to lead 19-17 at halftime.  ND Science had some long drives in the second half and led 33-19 with about 11 minutes left.  DCB then had two solid defensive stands that gave the Lumberjacks the ball inside the ND Science 30 yard line twice to allow the Lumberjacks to drive and tie the game at 33 with 5 minutes to go.  ND Science put a drive together to take the lead with 2 minutes remaining.  DCB drove all the way down to the ND Science 1 yard line, but a dropped shotgun snap and a couple of penalties did not let the Lumberjacks cross the goal line and the game and season was over.

DCB played very well over the last half of the season, overcoming a 1-3 start to come within a whisker of beating the regular season champions on their home field.  The Lumberjacks will now say goodbye to their sophomores, prepare their freshmen for their second year of competition, and recruit to improve on this season and continue the momentum over the past 4 seasons, a stretch in which DCB has had a record of 26-15, 3 playoff appearances, and two NJCAA bowl bids.  With the group that will be returning from a very young and inexperienced team, the future looks bright.

DCB "hook and laterals" their way to the playoffs

Trailing by one point with just under 2 minutes to go and at their own 8 yard line, the DCB Lumberjacks pulled out the “Hook and Lateral” play for a 92 yard touchdown as the Jacks defeated Mesabi Range College 28-21 Saturday afternoon in Virginia, Minnesota.  With the win, DCB qualifies for the MCAC playoffs for the third consecutive year (all 3 years they have been in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference) and will head to Wahpeton on Saturday, October 22^nd for a rematch with the North Dakota State College of Science.

On the hook and lateral, QB Ja’Vonte Johnson hit WR Jacob Clair with a 7 yard hook (hitch) route.  Clair then pitched it to trailing D’Ante Goodwin who took it 85 yards for the go ahead score.

DCB started out strong, scoring on their second possession to take a 8-0 lead.  The Lumberjack defense played strong in the first half, holding Mesabi to negative yards in total offense.  The Mesabi defense did score a safety and DCB went in at halftime leading 8-2.  Mesabi tied the game up at 8 in the third quarter and again at 14 after a DCB touchdown and the defense gave up a couple of big passes.  Mesabi then took a 21-14 lead in the 4^th quarter before the Lumberjacks came back, scoring a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-20 before the hook and lateral play with 1:56 remaining in the game.

The Lumberjacks, who won 3 of their last 4 games in the regular season to finish 4-4, will now play #1 seed NDSCS in the quarterfinals of the MCAC playoffs.  The only loss the Wildcats suffered all season came at the hands of DCB on October 1^st when the Lumberjacks reclaimed the “Lumbercat” trophy with a come from behind 30-27 victory in Bottineau.  The “Lumbercat” will not be on the line in this game, but a trip to the MCAC semifinals and a game against a rival will be incentive enough.  Game time is 1:00 on Saturday in Wahpeton.

Lumberjacks lose on the road

Saturday, October 8^th saw the DCB football team travel to Willmar, Minnesota to face Ridgewater College and it did not go well.  DCB turned the ball over 12 times on 7 interceptions and 5 fumbles and were soundly defeated by Ridgewater 60-15.  It was a surreal and disappointing game, but something we will have to put behind us as the playoffs are still a possibility.

DCB scored on their first possession to take a 7-0 lead, only to see Ridgewater score later in the first quarter and then get a field goal off a turnover to lead 10-7.  The Lumberjacks scored to take the lead 15-10 before the wheels came off.  Ridgewater played well, but mistake after mistake on offense, defense, and special teams contributed to the lopsided score.

DCB, now 3-4 on the season, can still qualify for the MCAC playoffs with either a win this weekend at Mesabi Range or a Fergus Falls loss to Vermilion.  The Lumberjacks have been up and down all season and will need a solid effort to defeat Mesabi Range, who despite a 1-6 record have played teams strong all season.  Game time is 11 AM on Saturday in Virginia, Minnesota.

I apologize for the lack of a game stream on Saturday, apparently Ridgewater’s stream went out on Friday night and they never got it back.