The Wahpeton Huskies opened their 2022 season on the road, beating 11A-East rival Devils Lake 21-12.
The Huskies won the opening coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick. After a four and out, the Firebirds were able to score on their first possession. After pounding the ball on the ground to get into the red zone, Senior Quarterback Beau Brodina connected with junior wide receiver Drew Hofstad on a five yard slant in the end zone. The Firebirds kicked a line drive on the extra point- missing below the crossbars to take a 6-0 lead with 7:42 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Wahpeton’s 2022 triple option started to take form. The Huskies ran duo and trips sets with tight end Jackson Clooten being an important extra blocker. The trio of senior Quarterback Beau Arenstein, receiver Caden Kappes and sophomore running back Treyton Mauch proved to be too much for Devils Lake’s defense to deal with as the game wore on. Mauch was the first Huskie to break a run off, scoring the first touchdown of the season for the Huskies on a 69 yard run to the left side of the formation, making two defenders miss near the line of scrimmage before kicking it into high gear for the final 20 yards of the run to tie the game up. Mauch might be the Huskie who has to wear the most hats, also kicking for Wahpeton. The extra point was short so with 8:27 left in the first half, Devils Lake and Wahpeton were tied at six points apiece.
The Firebird’s offense looked poised to fire back, with senior Colton Schneider in the backfield leading the way. The 5’9 170 pound running back looked to be on a mission, carrying multiple Huskie defenders on his back on multiple runs. What turned out to be the game changing play of the day was with 4:46 left in the first half, Brodina tried targeting Hofstad again- but this time is pass was intercepted by sophomore Omar Martinez. The undersized, underclassmen- listed at 5’4- was able to jump the rout in the flats and give Wahpeton the ball back with plenty of time to add more points on the board. On a third and short, Arenstein kept it himself, beating Devils Lake to the corner and turning his run upfield to score from 39 yards out. The Huskies and Arenstein kept the running game going diving into the endzone to convert the two point conversation and take a 14-6 lead into halftime.
The Huskies scored once more in the third quarter- this time on 44 yard run by Mauch with the extra point going through the cross bars to give Wahpeton a 21-6 lead with 10:33 left in the third quarter. Devils Lake did not want to go quitetly into the night however, mounting a drive of their own. After pounding the ball on the ground with Brodina and Schneider, the senior QB connected with Hofstad for his second score of the game. The Firebird’s two point attempt got stuffed up the middle by sophomore Garrett Schwartz and senior Riley Thimjon.
The Huskies are in action next Friday at home as they take on Grand Forks Red River