Fourth and Go

Watford City quarterback Trey Jacobson found Tyler Flatland for touchdowns on two key fourth-down plays to help lead the Wolves past the Williams County Firestorm 13-6 at home on Saturday in the Class A quarterfinals.

Flatland caught a 28-yard touchdown pass on 4th and 18 with 8:17 to play in the first quarter to open the scoring, and he caught a 10-yard touchdown pass on fourth and goal on the opening play of the second quarter to make it 13-6.

Williams County's Jared Vejtasa's four-yard touchdown run came in between those two Wolves scores, capping off the Firestorm's only long drive of the game.

The game settled into the expected defensive struggle after those three scores in the first 12:05. Williams County's best chance to even the score came midway through the fourth quarter when Jordan Rehak intercepted a third-down pass to give the Firestorm the ball at their own 38. Faced with 62 yards to possibly tie or take the lead, the Williams County offense sputtered to a three-and-out. The defense bent but didn't break on a few drives deep into their own territory, but Watford City kept the Firestorm out of the end zone as well.

Brady Lund pounded the ball for the Wolves, carrying 31 times for 195 yards, while Jacobson ended with 10 completions for 147 yards and the two touchdowns.

"Credit to our offensive lie, they helped us control the ball and control the clock," said Watford City coach Fred Fridley.

Williams County's best bet to stop Jacobson was their pass rush. When the Firestorm got in Jacobson's face, they were able to stop the pass. When they weren't, the quarterback picked the defense apart. Scott Ziebarth, Kellen Grubb and Ryan Perdue were among those in on sacks for the Williams County defense.

"We knew from the start it would be a battle, and after that first drive our offense wasn't pretty, but we got the job done," Jacobson said.

Getting the job done included the knack for converting on fourth downs. Besides the two touchdowns, Jacobson sealed the game when he burst through the middle on fourth and short with less than two minutes left in the game and Williams County out of timeouts.

"I just try to keep the play alive, just let my receivers come back to the ball," Jacobson said.

The Firestorm finish their season at 8-3.

"The biggest problem was time of possession," said Williams County coach Tim Schaffer. "Our offense just wasn't out on the field enough."

The Wolves (10-0) will travel to Velva next Saturday for the state Class A semifinals. Both teams are No. 1 seeds, so Velva is awarded the home game for being from an odd-numbered region in an odd-numbered year.

Watford City 13, Williams County 6

Watford City 7 6 0 0

Williams County 6 0 0 0

First quarter

Watford City - Tyler Flatland 28 pass from Trey Jacobson (Kalin Mogen kick)

Williams County - Jared Vejtasa 4 run (kick failed)

Second quarter

Watford City - Flatland 10 pass from Jacobson (kick failed)

Team stats

Rushing yards - Watford City 217, Williams County 72; Passing yards - Watford City 147, Williams County -2; Total yards - Watford City 364, Williams County 70