By Chad Koenen

Publisher

If you liked a lot of offense than Friday night’s game between the Otter Tail Central Bulldogs and Hillcrest Lutheran Comets was just for you. With a combined 74 points and over 700 yards of total offense, the Bulldogs and Comets put on a show that went right down to the wire. The Bulldogs came away with a 38-36 win after Hillcrest scored 14 points in the final quarter to pull within two points late in the game. 

Teigan Bjerke put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the first quarter when he scored his first of three rushing touchdowns in the game, this time on a three-yard-run. The two-point conversion failed, leaving OTC up by a score of 6-0. 

Hillcrest answered the score with a touchdown of their own as Ethan Swedberg scored the first of four rushing touchdowns as the Comets also converted the two-point conversion to make the score 8-6 in favor of Hillcrest.

William Schwartz and Bjerke put OTC in front 22-8 at halftime after Schwartz scored on a one-yard-run and Bjerke added his second touchdown of the game, this time on a 73-yard scamper in the second quarter.

Swedberg scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to knot the game up at 22-22, before Schwartz once again found the end zone late in the third quarter to give OTC a 30-22 lead heading into the final quarter of action.

Swedberg scored his fourth touchdown of the game to make the score 30-28, but the OTC defense was able to hold an important stand on the two-point conversion to leave the score at 30-28. 

Later in the quarter, Bjkerke found the end one for the third time as he scored from four yards out and the Bulldogs converted the two-point conversion to put them in front 38-28. 

Hillcrest scored a final touchdown late on a three-yard-pass from Swedberg to Griffin Haus and converted the two-point conversion to leave the score at 38-36 in favor of the Bulldogs. 

OTC outgained the Comets 416 to 295 yards in total offense, including a 292 to 141 yard advantage on the ground. 

Both teams found quite a bit of success on third down as OTC went 8-10 and Hillcrest went 8-13 on third downs. 

Braxtyn Cameron went 7-10 passing for 124 yards and one interception for OTC, while Bjerke had his best game on the ground this season as the senior rushed 23 times for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Schwartz added 17 rushes for 78 yards and a pair of scores to lead the charge. Cameron rushed four times for six yards, Elijah Fronning rushed one time for four yards and Anthony Rousu rushed one time for two yards. 

Fronning caught a pair of passes for 60 yards, while Bjerke caught two passes for 31 yards. Max Mekalson caught two passes for 21 yards and Schwartz added one catch for 12 yards in the win. 

FIRST QUARTER

OTC- Teigan Bjerke 3 Yd Run (Failed Two-Point Conversion)

Hillcrest- Ethan Swedberg 1 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion)

SECOND QUARTER

OTC- William Schwartz 1 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion)

OTC- Teigan Bjerke 73 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion)

THIRD QUARTER

Hillcrest- Ethan Swedberg 3 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion)

Hillcrest- Ethan Swedberg 15 Yd Run (Failed Two-Point Conversion)

OTC- William Schwartz 4 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion)

FOURTH QUARTER

Hillcrest- Ethan Swedberg 3 Yd Run (Failed Two-Point Conversion)

OTC- Teigan Bjerke 4 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion)

Hillcrest- Griffin Haus 3 Yd Pass From Ethan Swedberg (Two-Point Conversion)