Kittson County Central rides second half wave into 9-man quarterfinal win over Cook County

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald By Maxwell Marko Today at 10:09 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article MOORHEAD, Minn. — A chilled Kittson County Central came out of the locker room at halftime Thursday ready to fire up its offense. A timely score at the end of the first half got its legs going, but it didn’t see much time of possession. The floodgates opened in the third quarter, and the running game came alive for the Bearcats at Moorhead High School as they earned a second consecutive trip to US Bank Stadium for the 9-player semifinals following a 47-18 win over Cook County. ADVERTISEMENT “Last year we were happy to get (to US Bank Stadium). It was an ooh and ahh kind of deal and got ourselves into a little bit of a hole,” Kittson County Central head coach Cory Waling said. “So, we’re getting a little more locked in to begin with and they know it. We’ve been talking about it since it happened and all summer. They are ready.” Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald The majority of rushing plays were going for 20 or more yards for KCC, and it racked up in the second half. Elijah Muir and Ashton Knutson combined for 343 yards. Muir collected a hat trick of touchdowns while Knutson caught his second receiving touchdown of the year. Five second-half touchdowns and three third-quarter touchdowns set the Bearcats up for a confidence boost heading into a trip to Minneapolis, but it didn’t start out that way. Explosive plays in the first drive of the game looked to set up a barn burner where both sides would trade blows. Instead, the first half mostly featured blown-up plays. Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald Facing failed drives and a 4th-and-11 to close out the first half, the Bearcats pulled out a deep pass to Knutson. Just his eighth catch of the season, Knutson flew up the seam for 40 yards and made it into the end zone with 43 seconds remaining on the clock. The score came after a crucial sack and fumble by James Cerkowniak on third down, which pushed the ensuing punt to the plus side of the field. From there, the Bearcats took the ball in the second half knowing it needed to push the pace. “That’s the pace we like to play at. We only had the ball six or seven plays in that first half, so we knew we were getting the ball back and it was back to plan ‘A.’ They came out very physical at the line so we created a few creases and got those guys in the open field,” Waling said. ADVERTISEMENT The Vikings, after being shut out last year on the same stage, were determined to right the ship this time around. Talon DeBoer and Graham Oberholtzer marched down the field on the opening drive and the latter punched in a 3-yard touchdown. Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald “It was a reminder, but that is what we have been preaching,” Waling said. “The way it played out for them last year with injuries, it just snowballed. They did not play the way they were capable of last year. There’s a reason why they are undefeated and a reason why they have won the section twice over there.” Oberholtzer would also go on to rush in a 2-yard touchdown of his own in the third quarter. Muir put together runs of 17, 17, 25, 44 and 52 yards throughout the game with the 25-yard dash opening the scoring in the first drive followed by a 36-yard scamper by Knutson. Muir second-longest touchdown run was for 17 yards, which came in the third quarter. Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald Comments Share Share this article Tags Tags FOOTBALL By Maxwell Marko Digital Content Producer and Sports Reporter at the Grand Forks Herald since December of 2020. Maxwell can be contacted at [email protected]. Twitter Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Prep Thursday's local scoreboard for Nov. 12 40m ago · By Tom Miller Prep Sacred Heart's first trip to state tournament starts with a win 2h ago · By Herald Sports Desk Prep East Grand Forks wins first set before falling to No. 1 New Life Academy at state tournament 4h ago · By Herald Sports Desk ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads Subscribers Only UND Hockey St. Thomas leaning on its Greater Grand Forks blue liners 2h ago · By Brad Elliott Schlossman Local Ribbon cutting held for renovated Northwood Deaconess Health Center 4h ago · By Staff reports Local Valley Senior Living premieres docuseries to support workforce recruitment 5h ago · By Pamela Knudson Subscribers Only UND Hockey Get to know UND junior forward Gavin Lindberg 9h ago · By Brad Elliott Schlossman