MANDAN - It was another dominant ground game performance on Oct. 16 for Mandan. But it was a fourth down pass by tight end Sam Geiger to wideout Pauley Brownotter which was the play of the game. Nursing a five-point lead, Geiger connected to Brownotter for 27 yards to extend the drive en route to the squad's 43-36 WDA win over Minot High.

Geiger was filling in the QB spot as Weston Reiner was out with an injury. He delivered the pass to Brownotter in tight coverage. One play later Tate Sailer rumbled in for his fifth touchdown of the game. Sailer, the conference's leading rusher, was a force in the backfield. The senior had TD runs of 16, 2, 6, 10 and 3 yards and racked up 269 yards on the ground. Brandon Baker also scored a rushing TD and had 159 yards. The victory clinched a AAA playoff spot for the Braves and gave the squad back-to-back wins over Minot High for the first time since 2020-21. The loss ended Minot's postseason chances.

It was another good start for the Magi, which scored the first touchdown for a fifth consecutive game. Jalen Gunville caught a screen pass from QB Ryder Sutton and scooted down the sidelines from 23 yards to give the Magicians a 6-0 lead. The junior had another impressive performance, throwing five TDs. Two coming to standout Tariq Bell and one each to Jack Stevick and Logan Ludwig.

Trailing 35-30, Bell made an interception near the goal line to give a boost to Minot. However, penalties sapped the momentum and Minot was forced to punt. And from there, Mandan's ground game went to work. And Geiger then executed the play of the game.

The Braves (5-3 overall and 3-1 in the WDA) will host Legacy in the regular season finale. Minot High (0-8 overall and 0-4 in the WDA) will close out its season against Williston.