The Le Mars Community football team won a barn-burner on Thursday night over Fort Dodge by the score of 44-37.
The Bulldogs have put themselves in a spot where every game till the end of the year is a playoff game fighting for the second spot in the district. Le Mars head coach Ken Vigdal was proud of the fight of the guys who had their backs against the wall with short time on the clock.
After forcing a fumble at the one-yard line, the Bulldogs had 99 yards worth of field to go in just over three minutes. On the first play of the drive, Le Mars called a pass play and Jami Sitzmann found Tycen Augustine for a massive gain that set the Dogs up to score. Augustine says it was a very simple play, but it is something that works very well.
The entire game was filled with offensive opportunities like that. Fort Dodge and Le Mars combined for 1,050 yards of offense, 81 points, and 47 first downs in the contest. Coach Vigdal says it was just one of those games where everyone had to keep making plays.
One of those big plays came late in the first half. The Bulldogs were trailing 17-13 and trying not to leave points on the board in the red zone. Le Mars went deep into its bag of tricks for a double reverse flea flicker pass from Jami Sitzmann to Tycen Augustine that gave the Bulldogs the lead into the locker room. Augustine says that was a scripted play that had been put in this week.
Le Mars’ ability to move the ball on offense came both through the air and on the ground. Le Mars’ 539 yards of offense were split between 344 rushing yards and 195 passing yards. Coach Vigdal says the key to offensive success came from the receivers making great blocks down field.
Le Mars’ final drive ended in a Jami Sitzmann touchdown pass to Sy Bixenman that was followed by an Augustine interception on defense that sealed the game. Augustine said he saw the ball and knew he had to make a play on it.
The win gives Le Mars a 2-1 district record and keeps them on the path to the playoffs with a couple more wins. That path gets a little trickier when it takes the Bulldogs to Denison to take on the Monarchs of Denison-Schleswig. Coach Vigdal says Le Mars will not take anything for granted getting ready for the Monarchs.
Kickoff in that game will be at 7:00 PM on Friday, October 18. KLEM Radio will broadcast the game on-air and with an online video stream. Coverage will begin at 6:15 PM.
