Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Rockets' senior DJ Mudgett had a monster game against the Pirates. He sacked quarterback Raeshaun Earl for a loss and later recovered a fumble in the first half.
Senior Logan Maddock scored the first touchdown of the game for the Rockets.
Rocket freshman Malaki Kukowski got down to business on defense in the second half, along with his classmate Aaden Benson.
FAN CAM: Mary Pieterick enthusiastically supported the Rockets and her grandson, Brody Weisenburger, with this handmade sign.
NR-S/M running back Connor Knatterud outruns the Hankinson Pirates' defensive line during the first round of playoffs. Knatterud scored a total of three touchdowns for the Rockets.
Logan Maddock (0) and Easton Benz (behind 13) attempt to take down Hankinson running back Parker Hubrig.
Kage Walford (43) pushes through the Pirates' defenders to run the ball down the field a total of 13 yards.
Well, the Rockets couldn't have drawn it up much better than that.
Taking on the Hankinson Pirates in New Rockford on Saturday, Oct. 21, the No. 2 New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock Rockets were looking to begin their most promising playoff run in years with a statement – and that's exactly what they did.
The Rockets kicked off the 9-man football playoffs receiving the opening kickoff, and began what would be the game's only competitive drive from their own 29-yard line.
In an early 3rd-and-long situation, Rockets' quarterback Easton Simon spotted Logan Maddock darting across the field and delivered an accurate pass outside the numbers, allowing Maddock to get the first down and plenty more.
Maddock took a quick toss on the very next play for another large gain, and a subsequent run from Logan Fossen set the Rockets up with a first-and-goal from the 6-yard line.
The Rockets then tried three times to get into the end-zone, but the Pirates' defense finally stiffened up, forcing a big 4th-down early in the game.
On 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Rockets' head coach Elliott Belquist dialed up the ever-reliable Carter Engebretson, who dove over the line of scrimmage and broke the plane to score his team's first points of this year's playoffs.
Connor Knatterud then kicked the extra-point through the uprights, and just like that the Rockets had their ideal start.
From that point on, it soon became clear just how outmatched the Pirates were against the undefeated Rockets.
Hankinson's first three offensive drives resulted in just a single first down, and ended with two punts and one fumble.
The Rockets' next three drives, meanwhile, all ended in touchdowns: two courtesy of Connor Knatterud on the ground, and another on a first-play 51-yard touchdown pass from Simon to Maddock.
Suddenly, with 3:45 still left in the first quarter, the Rockets had a comfortable 28-0 lead.
In the time that remained in the first half, NR-S/M would nearly double that lead, as another Knatterud rushing touchdown with two seconds left in the second quarter made it 55-0.
With the game's result now a foregone conclusion, many of the Rockets' starters remained on the sideline for most of the second half.
The Pirates took advantage and managed to score some points of their own, but it was hardly enough to bring them back in contention. The final score of Saturday afternoon's game would end up being 55-22 in the Rockets' favor.
With the win, NR-S/M advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2023 9-man playoffs against the LaMoure-Litchville/Marion Loboes on Saturday, Oct. 28 in New Rockford.
The Loboes entered the playoffs as the second place team out of Region 1, and took down the North Star Bearcats 64-20 in the first round.
Elsewhere in the state, the No. 1 Sargent County Bulldogs were stunned by the Nelson County Chargers, who blocked a last-second field goal attempt to win 30-29 and earn the upset.
The Chargers' win eliminated a championship favorite and left the Rockets as the highest-seeded team remaining in the tournament.
The No. 3 South Border Mustangs, meanwhile, took care of business against Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood 56-0, and advanced to face Hettinger County in the quarterfinals.
Other Round 1 results include a 44-28 win for the North Prairie Cougars, who play region rival Nelson County in the quarterfinals, and a 48-42 win for No. 4 Westhope/Newburg/Glenburn, who advanced to play Grant Co./Flasher.
9-Man Football Playoffs
Round 1
NR-S/M 55, Hankinson 20
Saturday, October 21
in New Rockford
First quarter:
NR-S/M: Carter Engebretson 2 yard run (kick)
NR-S/M: Connor Knatterud 4 yard run (kick)
NR-S/M: Logan Maddock 51 yard pass from Easton Simon (kick)
NR-S/M: Knatterud 28 yard run (kick)
Second Quarter:
NR-S/M: Maddock 29 yard run (kick)
NR-S/M: Macyn Olson 32 yard pass from Simon (kick)
NR-S/M: Logan Fossen 50 yard pass from Simon (kick no good)
NR-S/M: Knatterud 31 yard run (kick)
Third Quarter:
Hankinson: 93 yard pass (two-point conversion)
Fourth Quarter:
Hankinson: 16 yard pass (kick no good)
Hankinson: 15 yard pass (kick no good)
NR-S/M Stats:
Passing: Simon 14-of-19, 271 yards, 3 TD.
Rushing: Knatterud 76 yards, 3 TD; C. Engebretson 56 yards, 1 TD; Maddock 48 yards, 1 TD; Kage Walford 13 yards; Aaden Benson 11 yards; Thomas Allmaras -7 yards; Grant Engebretson -9 yards.
Receiving: Maddock 3 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD; Olson 5 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD; Fossen 2 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD; Easton Benz 2 receptions, 15 yards; Lucas Yri 1 reception, 6 yards; Knatterud 1 reception, 1 yard.
Tackles (unassisted-assisted): Knatterud (4-1); Walford (4-1), 4 TFL; C. Engebretson (3-1), 2 TFL; Bradyn Collier (3-0); Maddock (2-3); Olson (2-0); Yri (2-0), TFL; Mudgett (2-1), 2 TFL; Fossen (1-1); Benz (1-2), 1 TFL; Keaton Cudworth (1-1); Malaki Kukowski (101); Jackson Schumacher (0-3); Cole Knudson (0-2); Layton Jacobson (0-1).
Interceptions: Olson (1).
Fumbles: Mudgett (1).
Sacks: Walford (2), C. Engebretson (1), Mudgett (1).
The photo gallery from Saturday's game is live on our SmugMug site: https://transcript.smugmug.com/New-Rockford-Transcript-Photos/Sports/Rocket-Sports-2023-24/NR-SM-Football-2023/First-Round-Playoffs-vs-Hankinson-Oct-21/
