In a game with an ejection, helmets flying off, and a fire-work show, family day was capped off with a big win by Wayne State’s football team over Minot State 48-0 on Saturday September 18.

The Wildcat’s offense started off the day driving down the field in two minutes and a made field goal by junior kicker Alex Powders gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead with 12:23 left in the first quarter.

In a combined quarterback drive, backup freshman quarterback Nick Bohn punched a one-yard keeper in to finish a seven-play, 51-yard drive to make the score 10-0 at the end of the first.

An interception thrown by redshirt freshman quarterback Dawson Macleary, who replaced starting senior quarterback Ben Bolinske who went down in the first quarter after taking a big hit in the first quarter, had the Wildcats starting at their own 26-yard line.

One of the rare plays occurred on this drive, with a tipped pass by the Beavers defense set up a potential interception. Senior running back Deshawn Massey hit the Beavers defender and forced the incompletion. After a lengthy discussion, Massey was charged with targeting, which forced him to sit out the rest of the first half.

The scoring continued for the Wildcats, despite the ejection, at the 9:24 mark as sophomore quarterback Tavian Willis threw an out route to junior wide receiver Mason Lee. Lee broke a few tackles before finding the end zone on a 35-yard pass from Willis, capping off a seven-play, 74-yard drive by the Wildcats to extend the lead to 17. Another Alex Powders field goal with 1:02 left at halftime.

The Beavers first half went from bad to worse after redshirt freshman quarterback Dawson Macleary, who replaced starting senior quarterback Ben Bolinske who went down in the first quarter after taking a big hit, threw an interception to junior defensive back Kevin Ransom, his first in his career, and he took it to the house to make it a 27-0 game at half.

In the second half, the Wildcats didn’t take their foot of the gas, as they forced a turnover on downs and a punt at the start of the third quarter, including a forced fumble by junior defensive back Ijaaz Rashid. On the second play of the ensuing drive, quarterback Nick Bohn threw a 35-yard pass to senior wide receiver Trystn Ducker for a touchdown to extend the lead 34-0 for the lone score of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, quarterback Dawson Macleary threw his third interception of the game to defensive back Kevin Ransom for his second interception of the game. After driving from their own 20-yard line, the Wildcats scored another touchdown thanks to running back Deshawn Massey from 7 yards out to make it a 41-0 game.

For the final touchdown of the game, Massey punctuated their win with a touchdown on a 15-yard run making it 48-0.

In an almost poetic way, the fireworks for family day after the final whistle blew represented what this Wildcat offense is capable of. The Wildcat’s offense finished the game with 474 yards total offense 244 of those on the ground. The passing game wasn’t too far behind with 230 passing yards tearing the Beavers defense apart.

Both quarterbacks for the Wildcats, Bohn and Willis, showed speed running the offense, pushing the up-tempo type of offense they wanted to run this week. Willis threw for 137 yards and one touchdown while Bohn threw for 93 yards and a score.

The wide receivers for Wayne showed speed with plenty of slants and out routes and created separation from the defensive backs of Minot State. Senior wide receiver Taurean Grady led the team in receiving yards with 112 on five receptions. Wide receiver Mason Lee finished with two receptions and 55 yards with a touchdown. Senior Trystn Ducker caught five passes for 54 yards and a score. All these wide receivers caught passes over 30 yards and showed the deep threat the Wildcats are capable of.

On the defensive side of the ball, the star performer was defensive back Kevin Ransom. He finished with two interceptions and five tackles on the night. The Wildcat defense held the Beavers to 47 yards passing and only allowed 252 yards total.

The Wildcats go on the road to Minnesota Duluth to take on the Bulldogs at 6 p.m. on Saturday September 25.