Langdon Area-Munich fends off Ray-Powers Lake to head back to Dakota Bowl

Kolby Koerner / Grand Forks Herald By Maxwell Marko Today at 4:49 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? LANGDON, N.D. — A bend-don’t-break performance from Langdon Area-Munich’s defense and a key play from its special teams earned the Cardinals the privilege to defend their North Dakota Class A state championship next Friday. In a 21-7 state semifinal win over Ray-Powers Lake on Saturday afternoon, fourth-seeded Langdon Area-Munich had just over 80 yards of offense through the first three quarters, but put the game into cruise control heading into the final quarter of the game. ADVERTISEMENT A punt block from Caleb McDonald that was recovered in the end zone by Gavin Trottier for a touchdown ended up being the difference maker. Kolby Koerner / Grand Forks Herald “It flipped the game," LA-M head coach Josh Krivarchka said. "I’m super proud of the kids. They just kept fighting. It was a physical battle out there between two teams who didn’t want to lose a football game, and sometimes, the difference is little plays like that on special teams." The Cardinals struggled to run the ball in the opening quarter as option plays from quarterback Eastyn Schaefer didn’t find any daylight. Supplying additional pressure to get the offense going was the Outlaws' passing game, which extended drives with completions of 10 or more yards. Jace Becker opened the scoring on Ray-Powers Lake’s first possession off a 24-yard pass to tight end Cody Rystedt. Dalton Puckett, Blake Bergstrom and Ty Barman would go on to catch passes for first downs in the first half as well. Kolby Koerner / Grand Forks Herald “Credit to Ray, they ran the football better than most teams have on us this year," Krivarchka said. "I thought our secondary coverage was pretty good. We did take away some things they wanted to do, so we didn’t have as many in the box. It’s our philosophy on defense, bend and don’t break." By the end of regulation, TJ Henderson would have three interceptions, with two coming in the final two drives. It was midway through the second quarter when Langdon looked to its own passing game to get the spark it needed. Schaefer hit Karson Hansen down the sideline for a 44-yard touchdown to even the score and flip momentum. ADVERTISEMENT After the defense did its job to close out the half, the group was rewarded. A punt block with six seconds remaining in the half put the ball in the end zone where Gavin Trottier fielded the ball for a touchdown. Just about every rusher got behind the line on the attempt, but it was Caleb McDonald who got his hands on it. Kolby Koerner / Grand Forks Herald A missed extra point gave the Cardinals a six-point lead into the break. “I was going inside to try to block it, as well, but then I heard the block," Trottier said. "I looked up and saw the ball in the air and just ran to it. Made sure both feet were in." Drives were hard to extend in the third quarter as both teams were unwilling to give up an inch. The Outlaws, despite scoring just seven points, did not punt at all on the day as they battled for as much space as possible. Kolby Koerner / Grand Forks Herald The icing on the cake came for the Cardinals in the fourth quarter when, after a time-killing drive to start the period, Schaefer found Austin Wenzel all alone in the end zone. Now pressed, the Ray-Powers Lake offense took on more heat in its passing game as the rush came in fast. Colton Hein, Devin Hakanson and Dawson Downs, along with Wenzel and McDonald, rushed Becker or even got him on the ground. Kolby Koerner / Grand Forks Herald Now heading to the Fargodome, Langdon will look to repeat as champions. There the Cardinals will meet second-seeded Harvey-Wells, which handed them a 41-13 loss in September — Langdon Area-Munich's only loss this year. ADVERTISEMENT “(Sept. 4) marked when we needed to change as a football team," Krivarchka said. "We’re excited to play them next week." Kolby Koerner / Grand Forks Herald Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags North Dakota Class A Football LANGDON AREA-MUNICH CARDINALS 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]. 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