Pequot Lakes Hands Lakers First Loss; QB Strand Out For Season With Broken Leg

The Detroit Lakes Lakers football team prepares for a September 30th, 2022 battle at Pequot Lakes (Photo: Zeke Fuhrman)

PEQUOT LAKES, MN (KDLM) – The Pequot Lakes Patriots handed the Detroit Lakes Lakers football team their first loss of the season, winning 35-21 on their homecoming night.

Detroit Lakes, who beat Pequot Lakes at Mollberg Field for their homecoming game last year, started the game by pinning Pequot Lakes at their own one-yard line on the opening kickoff. Sophomore kicker Nick Buboltz’s kickoff bounced at the five yard line, and the Patriots returner let the ball roll passed him, thinking it would sit in the endzone but the ball settled at the one and Pequot barely recovered. The Patriots offense marched down the field before a Grady Kirchner interception ended the drive deep in Laker territory.

Detroit Lakes went three-and-out on their opening drive, then attempted a fake punt from midfield that was snuffed out by the Patriots defense. Pequot Lakes took advantage of the short field, scoring a two-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead with two minutes left in the quarter.

Ethan Carrier, just like he did in Week 1 against Fergus Falls, answered the opponents score with an 82-yard kickoff return to tie the game at 7-7.

The second quarter was full of big plays for both teams.

Pequot Lakes put together another long drive to start the second quarter, but Cody Bartness picked off Grant Loge in the endzone to end the drive. On the next play from the Laker 20 yard line, Mason Carrier fumbled and it was recovered by the Patriots. Then on the next play, Pequot Lakes senior captain Darby Bolter scored a 25-yard rushing touchdown to put Pequot Lakes back in front 14-7.

Nine seconds later, Bolter was in the zone again, picking of Caden Strand and returning it for a pick six for a 21-7 lead in front of a raucous, packed crowd for homecoming.

But Strand and the Lakers responded. Strand connected twice with WR Charlie Kalina on consecutive plays to march down the field, then hit Bartness with a 31-yard touchdown strike to get the Lakers back within a touchdown, 21-14 with 7:48 in the second quarter.

After the dust settled, there were three turnovers and two touchdowns in under two minutes of game time.

But the second quarter scoring wasn’t over yet. After a Pequot Lakes punt, Detroit Lakes marched down the field, threatening to tie the game before Strand threw his second interception of the game, this time picked off by Riley Larson, in the redzone to give the Patriots the ball back. They capped off another long touchdown drive with a one yard quarterback sneak by Loge for a 28-14 lead.

The resiliant Lakers got the ball back with 4:10 left in the half and, needing a score to keep pace with a Patriots offense averaging nearly 37 points per game. Strand orchestrated another great drive down to the Patriots 15 yard line. Ethan Carrier took the snap in the Wild Cat formation and ran the ball to the two yard line. Mason Carrier took the snap at the two and pushed his way into the endzone for the touchdown and a 28-21 defecit heading into the half.

The Lakers received the kickoff to start the second half, looking to feed off their momenteum of their last touchdown drive and tie the game.

But Strand would leave the game with a lower body injury, putting Mason Carrier at quarterback. After the game, Strand was diagnosed with a broken tibia and will miss the rest of the season. Carrier was the Lakers starting quarterback for the first two weeks of the season before Stand became the starter in Week 3 to open up Carrier for more playmaker touches. Carrier would get the Lakers just outside the Pequot Lakes redzone before he had to exit the game with cramps. On a Lakers 3rd and 3, Ethan Carrier took the snap and was met by an all-out Patriots blitz that took him down for a six-yard loss. Mason Carrier limped back onto the field to take the snape for the 4th and long play, threw an incomplete pass down the sideline, then didn’t return to the game.

Injuries becan to mount for the Lakers in the second half, but the defense kept the Lakers in the game, only allowing one second half touchdown to the Patriots…another quarterback sneak by Loge with :31 seconds in the third quarter.

With no Strand and no Mason Carrier and with Ethan Carrier as the primary back, sophomore Nick Buboltz got a drive at quarterback late in the third quarter. Senior Cade Jackson was the fifth Laker to take snaps at quarterback in the game, handling most of the fourth quarter. Jackson completed two of his five pass attempts before an interception all but ended the game for Detroit Lakes.

Strand, Carrier, Hunter Korth and Brock Okeson all left the game with injuries in the second half and didn’t return.

Stand, in his third start, completed six-of-ten passes for 123 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Charlie Kalina caught four of those passes for 59 yards. Ethan Carier led the team in rushing with 54 yards on eight attempts, and also caught one pass for 12 yards.

Up next for Detroit Lakes: homecoming at Mollberg vs Barnesville. The Trojans defeated the Lakers for their homecoming last year 49-14. Kickoff for Homecoming 2022 is Friday at 7:00.

SCORING SUMMARY:

DL 7 14 0 0 21

PL 7 21 7 0 35

SCORING PLAYS

PL 2:01 2-yd TD run Elsenpeter (XP good) 7-0

DL 1:45 82-yd kick return TD E. Carrier 7-7 (Buboltz XP good)

PL 8:37 25-yd TD run Bolter 14-7 (XP good)

PL 8:29 18-yd interception recturn Bolter (XP good)

DL 7:48 31-yd TD pass Strand to Bartness (Buboltz XP good) 14-21

PL 4:10 1-yd TD run Loge (XP good) 28-14

DL 1:06 M. Carrier 2-yd TD run (Buboltz XP good)

PL :31 Loge 1-yd TD run (XP good)