West Fargo junior Tyler Berginski leaps into the air, forcefully plucking the frosty ball away from Fargo North’s offense to complete his first interception of the season. This turnover in the third quarter gave the Packers an even stronger lead, as senior running back Preston Lehmann scored his third touchdown of the game. Berginski would later intercept the ball once again, with the final touchdown scored off of this play by senior running back Shelby Schulz. Topping off the shutout, West Fargo defeats Fargo North, 24-0.
“I’ve been waiting for him to do something like that all year,” West Fargo’s Head Coach Jay Gibson said. “He’s a nice athlete, real smooth player. They [Fargo North] had some chances to score some points there right at the end and he took that away.”
The first half of the game was clearly stagnant as the 0-0 tie carried into the final minutes of the second quarter. Yet an obvious spark of determination was lit as senior running back Justin Heisler ran a solid drive to the 3rd yard line, amping the players up enough to score the first touchdown completed by Lehmann.
“It’s fun to get those drives,” Heisler said. “You get the sweat going and it really gets you in the right mindset to start working harder.”
Ending the second quarter, Lehmann scored the second touchdown; Packers would lead 12-0 at halftime.
With the West Fargo defense ranked second in the state, Michael Pierce had a stellar block, but was rattled as he feverishly searched to recover it.
“I was just was looking everywhere as fast as I could, trying to find it,” Pierce said. “I felt it on my arm, but I just kept spinning because I wanted that ball.
Following Pierce’s block, the West Fargo defense continued their solid performance as Miles Scholl drove back Fargo North’s quarterback four yards getting an energetic reaction from the frozen crowd.
With four starters injured, two sophomore quarterbacks continuously switching throughout as they made their debut, and the unpredictable weather, West Fargo remained strong as they continue to improve throughout the remainder of the season.
“We’re confident as a team and it shows on the scoreboard,” West Fargo Captain Drew Johnson said. “Our chemistry as a team has improved a lot and we just have to mentally be focused and show them what we got.”