On September 8th the West Fargo packers played against the Bismarck Legacy Sabers. The game ended in a score of 38-14 with the Packers coming out with the win.
From the start this game was owned by the Packers with the Packers going up 14-0 in the first quarter. The second was more of the same with the Packers skill positions making plays after the catch when Tony Leal takes a slant route for 25 yards after spinning off a tackle and Keyton McGregor getting a 30-yard gain on the sideline dragging the pile for an extra 5 yards, Leyton Hofland would end up running it in to finish off the drive. Legacy did end up scoring a touchdown late in the second with an impressive run making the score going into half 22-7.
Coming out of the half, the Packers built off the momentum getting a turnover on Legacy on their first drive, jumping on a fumbled handoff. The defense continued to shut down Legacy while the Packers offense slowed a bit. Brady Medina and Keyton McGregor got the offense rolling again though with a curl route. Keyton broke a tackle and streaked down the sideline for a 50-yard TD, while Keyton crossed the plain a Legacy defender ripped Keyton down by his horse collar. Keyton responded to this by getting up and doing a very slight flex over him to which the Refs threw a flag. The refs then conferenced confused signaling no touchdown and then that yes, the touchdown stands before they finally figured out that unsportsmanlike conduct is enforced on the kickoff. The Packers then immediately kicked a surprise onside kick which they recovered. The ensuing drive looked dead as the Packers were facing a 3rd and long, but Brady then heaved a beauty to Jesse Ramirez for a 50+ yard gain. Leyton Hofland then took a run down the sideline absolutely baptizing a Legacy defender in his process of getting down to the 1-yard line. Leyton would punch it in to score the touchdown and then took a pitch in for the 2-point conversion putting the Packers up 38-7 at the end of the third quarter.
This game was a blowout at the end of the third quarter, so the starters got the rest of the day off as the second unit finished out the game. The Sabers were able to get a garbage time touchdown before the official end of the game.
The biggest thing that jumped out to was the Packers defensive performance. After giving up 103 points in the first two games combined, they were able to shut down Legacy, putting the Packers in the driver’s seat of this game from the start. The Packers made the Legacy passing game a complete non-factor, forcing them to run the ball almost every play. The Sabers were able to break off some runs for 10+ yard gains but the Packers consistently bounced back with a takeaway forcing two, or a turnover on downs. The run defense was anchored by the Packers defensive line with Logan Moore living in the backfield all night.
Overall, the team showed a lot of resilience. The coaching staff stepped up big with head coach, Jay Gibson, out. The rest of the staff had to step up and they did with the best coached game we have seen all year. It may not have been the best opponent but still a great performance that they can build upon for this Friday against Davies.