Fridley defeats SMB in walk-off fashion

Photo Gallery: Fridley vs. SMB

“Automatic. You don’t second-guess it,” Fridley coach Justin Reese said of the decision to kick. “We trusted our freshman kicker and he got it done.”

First, Fridley had to entrust senior quarterback M.J. Newton and junior receiver Isaiah Watson with the game on the line in overtime.

The Tigers faced a fourth-and-goal from the 8-yard line and trailing 14-8 after SMB, a fourth-year co-op consisting of St. Paul Academy, Minnehaha Academy and Blake, took the first possession in OT and scored on a 9-yard rush by Landon Dillon. Dillon’s two-point try on a designed run up the gut, however, was stuffed inches short.

Fridley took possession of the ball and after three plays for two yards, the Tigers called a timeout.

Returning to the field with one chance to tie the game, Fridley prevailed. Newton rolled out and calmly flicked the ball to Watson, who hauled it in cleanly while going to the ground. Zentella’s heroics ensued.

“I realized the corner flipped his hips too early so I decided to go deep in the slant and go to the corner,” Watson recalled.

Watson had his hands on the ball often. He made two interceptions and also hauled in a 35-yard reception.

Senior Kerome Thompson touched the pigskin, too. After teammate Tykeilan Moore tipped the ball on a quarterback pressure, Thompson was laying back in position to snatch it and returned it for a 60-yard touchdown.

It spoiled SMB’s opening offensive possession and provided the only points until the final minutes of regulation.

“I was slow playing it,” Thompson said. “I saw my teammate, Tykeilan, he got outside and kept outside contain. He got to the quarterback, I saw it in the air and I ran up and grabbed it.”

From there, it was an offensive stalemate. Fridley completed one pass in the first half and SMB none until late in the third quarter.

SMB converted three plays of 30-plus yards but finished with 177 yards total. Five turnovers, including three interceptions, plagued the Wolfpack and allowed Fridley to win the possession battle.

The Tigers settled for 149 team yards. Newton, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2021, was limited to 66 yards on 32 attempts.

“Amazing,” SMB coach Chris Goodwin said of his defense. “Keeping that guy under control, the quarterback. Our team speed on defense is amazing keeping up with that guy. I’m really proud of those guys.”

The Wolfpack tied the game in the fourth quarter on a 38-yard touchdown pass from debut starting quarterback senior Merrick Woods to senior Kobey Sandifer with 4 minutes, 1 second on the clock.

“I think starting off hot, we set the tone with the pick-six, but we learned a lesson not to be content,” Reese said. “We learned how to persevere and have resiliency. That was key the first week. ‘How do you respond going into an overtime game when you thought you had the game won?’”

The Tigers emphatically answered that question.