Alexander Comets v. Drayton Bombers @AlexanderComets @BombersDrayton @MSportsNetLive

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, News

Sykotyk | September 6, 2020

If there were ever two photos to show what the football experience is like in the midwest, these two would be the ones. 

September 5, 2020
Alexander Comets v. Drayton Bombers
Alexander, ND v. Drayton, ND
Comet Field, Alexander, North Dakota

D — 0 – 2 – 6 – 6 — 14
A — 6 – 12 – 8 – 14 — 40

6:47 A 3 yard TD run (run failed) A 6-0
9:07 D SAFETY (sack in endzone) A 6-2
5:47 A 32 yard TD run (pass failed) A 12-2
3:32 A 5 yard TD run (pass failed) A 18-2
7:49 D 5 yard TD pass (pass failed) A 18-8
5:54 A 50 yard TD pass (run failed) A 24-8
3:42 A SAFETY (bad snap downed in endzone) A 26-8
3:20 A 2 yard TD run (pass good) A 33-8
2:18 D 40 yard TD pass (run failed) A 33-14
2:05 A 40 yard TD pass (pass good) A 40-14

In western North Dakota, six-man football isn’t that common. The NDHSAA has 11-man and 9-man as the official rulesets. Neighboring Montana has six-man and 8-man. The first, and possibly only, six-man team in North Dakota was the MonDak Thunder, a co-op between Westby, Montana and Grenora, North Dakota. Though members of the MHSA, they play home games in Grenora and were six-man for years until this year being bumped to 8-man.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Peace Garden State, independent six-man football has taken root. Six schools: Alexander, Drayton, Midway-Minto, Drake-Anamoose, Center-Stanton, and Mandaree; joined together to create an ad hoc six-man level.

Alexander, located between Williston and Watford City, has seen tremendous growth in the past decade. Fueled by the Bakken oil boom, the small town has nearly doubled in size since 2010. The local high school just started independent football six years ago.

The Alexander Comets play on a small plot of land north of the school on the east edge of town. The most notable feature is a large and sufficient scoreboard to the northeast corner while the stands are mostly temporary bleachers and the press box consists of a flatbed trailer parked beside a school bus at the field’s midfield stripe.

For the game itself, Alexander was celebrating senior day between the ending of the Junior High game, won by the home squad, 39-12, and the start of the varsity contest. The Drayton Bombers, who the NDHSAA site refers to as the Titans, waited their turn for some revenge on the Junior High game.

For a six-man game, it started slowly as each team struggled offensively. Alexander got on the scoreboard with a 3-yard TD run for the only points of the first ten minutes. After giving up a safety, Alexander managed two more touchdowns on the ground to take a sizable lead into the break, 18-2.

Drayton finally scored offensively in the third, on a short pass, before Alexander reeled off three straight scores: a 50 yard pass, their own safety after a bad snap, and a short run. With the lead growing, Alexander’s defense was able to step up and put more pressure on the Drayton passing game to force their hand. A short touchdown extended the Alexander lead to 33-8 before Drayton broken one deep on a 40 yard TD pass ran down the right side for the score. But, Alexander, with the victory in sight, matched the 40 yard TD pass with one of their own just seconds later.

Drayton used up the remaining clock as they drove deep into Alexander territory while the Comets were content to bend but don’t break for a lead that by then was insurmountable. Alexander would win, 40-14.

For more, and larger, photos from this weekend’s games, click HERE.

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