The Tri-Valley Mustangs held a lead through the majority of the game against the Dakota Valley Panthers on Friday, September 20th. The Panthers, however, rallied to get a 21-14 come-from-behind win.
The Mustangs picked up some huge momentum in the first quarter. On a fourth down play, Ty Oyen connected with Brody Dybvig for a 36-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was made by Colby McAreavey to put Tri-Valley in front 7-0. The score remained 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Tri-Valley struck gold again on a fourth-down play in the second quarter. On a 4th and 15, Oyen tossed a quick screen pass to Brechen Frederick who ran the ball for a 41-yard touchdown. McAreavey made the extra point giving the Mustangs a 14-0 lead. Tri-Valley had the ball inside the Dakota Valley 10-yard line late in the second quarter, but an interception in the end zone kept Tri-Valley from adding to their lead before halftime.
The Mustang defense was a wall in the first two quarters of play. They held the Panthers to just 16 total yards of offense and three first downs in the first half. Unfortunately for Tri-Valley, the Panthers picked up some momentum midway through the third quarter. A recovered fumble at the Tri-Valley 45 set the Panthers up for their first score. The Panthers scored on a one-yard run and made the extra point to cut the lead in half, 14-7. The score remained 14-7 in favor of Tri-Valley going into the fourth quarter.
On the next Mustang drive, Dakota Valley got an interception deep in Tri-Valley territory early in the fourth quarter. Thee Panthers capitalized and scored another one-yard touchdown run. The extra point was no good, and Tri-Valley still held a 14-13 lead. Another turnover set the Panthers in great field position. An interception of a halfback pass put Dakota Valley on the Mustang 49-yard line. On the very next play, Dakota Valley connected for a 49-yard touchdown pass to take a 19-14 lead. The two-point conversion was made to make the score 21-14.
Tri-Valley had one more drive to try to tie the game. They drove the ball to the Dakota Valley 19-yard line. On a 4th and 8 play, the Mustangs tried to set up a screen pass, but the pass fell short and incomplete. Dakota took over possession and was able to run out the clock for the win.
