Grizzlies fall to Bigfork in overtime

REGIONAL- A stout defensive effort and 253 yards on the ground put North Woods within reach of a playoff road win at Bigfork on Tuesday, Oct. 27, but missed scoring opportunities came back to haunt the Grizzlies in a 14-12 overtime loss that ended their season at 1-8.
North Woods held the Huskies to a single touchdown through regulation and scored first in overtime, but Bigfork answered with a touchdown and the deciding two-point conversion to advance.
For Head Coach Joel Anderson, the finale captured the frustration of a season in which promising stretches too often fell short of points.
“If there was a game where I said, ‘Watch one, and this is how our season went,’ that was it,” Anderson said. “We moved the ball. We didn’t put it in the end zone. We had plenty of opportunities to not send that thing to overtime.”
Wet, muddy conditions limited the passing game, leaving the Grizzlies to do most of their work on the ground. Quarterback Cedar Holman led the way with 98 yards on 18 carries, while James Yernatich and Carson Johnson each rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown. Yernatich carried 16 times, and Johnson shouldered the largest workload with 26 attempts.
North Woods established its ability to move the ball on its opening possession, consuming about six and a half minutes before the drive stalled. The defense soon gave the Grizzlies another chance with a fumble recovery that set up their first scoring march.
The Grizzlies again worked their way downfield, this time finishing with Yernatich powering in from about three yards out for a 6-0 lead they carried into halftime.
“He ran really well Tuesday night,” Anderson said. “He’s a big, strong kid, and he just kind of willed his way in.”
Bigfork broke through in the third quarter with a 75-yard touchdown run, but the Grizzlies denied the conversion to keep the score tied at 6-6. Neither team could break the deadlock before the end of regulation.
North Woods had its chances, including a late possession that carried the Grizzlies downfield without producing the go-ahead score.
“We marched it between the 20s pretty well,” Anderson said. “Just couldn’t seem to find that extra piece to put it in at the end when the field got shorter for us.”
Johnson scored on North Woods’ first overtime possession, but the conversion failed, leaving the Grizzlies ahead 12-6. Bigfork scored on its first possession and added the two-point conversion to end the game.
The finish overshadowed an impressive night for a North Woods defense that forced five fumbles and recovered three.
Holman was in the middle of much of that work, recording four solo tackles and 13 assists, forcing a fumble, and recovering two. Johnson added four solo stops and 11 assists while forcing a fumble.
Yernatich and Caleb Rutchasky each figured in 12 tackles. Yernatich had five solo stops and seven assists, while Rutchasky recorded two solos and 10 assists.
Vinny Pascuzzi contributed three solo tackles and six assists, including a tackle for loss, and forced a fumble. Jett Lambert finished with three solo stops and five assists, a forced fumble, and a recovery. Beau Fabish added one solo tackle, three assists, and a forced fumble.
Holman completed three of eight passes for 21 yards with two interceptions. Johnson caught two passes for 11 yards.
Although the season fell well short of expectations, Anderson credited his players for continuing to compete.
“Our guys played hard. They fought all season long,” he said. “They showed glimpses at times of very, very good football.”
As the seniors move on, Anderson hopes what they gained from the season will last longer than the disappointment of its finish.
“You hate to see your seniors graduate, but you just hope they learned as much as they could about becoming young men and growing up in this world,” Anderson said., “the life lessons they get to take with them to be successful beyond the football field.”