Prep Football Insider: Shanley's wild win to open the season

FARGO — Fargo Shanley’s rollercoaster of a season opener against top-ranked Bismarck Century last Thursday played out just the way head coach Troy Mattern drew it up. “No, it wasn’t,” Mattern said. “But just credit to our kids for fighting to the end.” After falling into a 12-0 hole with 10:30 remaining in the second quarter, a young Deacons squad knew they had a steep hill to climb if they wanted to mount a comeback on the road against last season’s Division 3A runner-up. Ryan Spitza is The Forum's prep football insider. Send story tips to rspitza@forumcomm.com The hill only got steeper, and with Shanley trailing 25-14 late in the game, a positive result was beginning to look bleak. With 3:30 to play in the final quarter and Century facing third-and-6 in its own territory, Patriots quarterback Kaden Welstad rolled left and was met by Dahl behind the line of scrimmage. The Shanley sophomore linebacker came up with the strip-sack, knocking the ball loose before the Deacons recovered the fumble at the Century 22-yard line.

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