Minot QB Yanosko runs for 5 TDs in win over Dickinson High
Minot High quarterback Alex Yanosko has three magic tricks.By: Dustin Monke, The Dickinson Press
- Taren Staudinger
Minot High quarterback Alex Yanosko has three magic tricks.
The first is finding the end zone. The second is keeping the Magicians’ offense moving. The third was a 24-yard run on a fake punt.
“He’s a good runner,” Dickinson junior linebacker Mitchell Mehrer said. “He’s just like a running back. He’s a big kid.”
Yanosko scored five touchdowns as the No. 4-ranked Magicians defeated Dickinson High 34-23 in a Class 3A, West Region game on Friday at the Badlands Activities Center.
“We wore them down a little bit in the second half,” Minot head coach Barry Holmen said. “(Yanosko) is a playmaker and we kept feeding him the ball. Certainly, being able to throw a little bit in the second half really helps.”
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound junior found the end zone in every quarter except for the second. He had 172 yards on 32 carries. He also went 5 of 10 for 118 yards, connecting with three different receivers including junior tight end Jacob Holmen twice for 46 yards.
“It’s incredible what a passing game can do for you,” Yanosko said. “If you can pass the ball, you can run the ball. They are going to get people out of the box and not commit as many people to the run.”
However, the Midgets had their glimmers of hope after a Dylan Skabo fumble at the 1-yard line was recovered in the end zone by Jordan Krieg for a touchdown with 4 minutes, 2 seconds left in the third quarter to take a 16-13 lead.
Unfortunately for the Midgets, that’s when Yanosko and the Magicians pulled out their bag of tricks.
In a fourth-and-6 situation, Yanosko ran for 24 yards on a fake punt that sparked Minot to three unanswered touchdowns.
“I was real pleased with how we came out at halftime,” Barry Holmen said. “We responded to some adversity. I was happy with the third quarter. I was completely disappointed with the last nine minutes. When we had a chance to end the game, we quit playing.”
Dickinson was able to cut the deficit to 11 after Taren Staudinger caught a 50-yard TD catch from Skabo.
Staudinger scored the Midgets’ first touchdown on a 76-yard kick return in the first quarter. He had two catches for 75 yards. Skabo completed five passes for 83 yards.
“Our kids played a heck of a first half and we came in fired up for the second half,” Dickinson head coach Dennis Morris said. “We just didn’t respond and went into panic mode.”
Yanosko scored Minot’s first TD on a 5-yard run in the first quarter. Staudinger responded with his touchdown-scoring kick return.
The Magicians also had Brady Lampert with 18 carries for 83 yards.
Michael Cherwinski led Dickinson’s running game with 16 carries for 62 yards, while Jace Dukart added eight carries for 43 yards.
The Midgets took their first lead in the contest after Mehrer forced a fumble. The ball bounced around before it finally settled in the end zone and the Magicians’ Alex Mack fell on the ball for a on a safety.
Dickinson held a 9-7 halftime lead.
“We went inside the locker room at halftime and we said this game isn’t over,” Yanosko said. “We had to come back out and play.”
The Midgets’ offense was stifled by penalties the entire game.
In the first half, Dickinson had six penalties for 41 yards, while Minot was also marked by four penalties for 54 yards.
“Those penalties in the first half are all hustle penalties,” Morris said. “We get a penalty and instead saying let’s get these yards back, we kind of hung our head a little bit.”
Dickinson hosts Fargo South in its homecoming game at 5 p.m. next Friday. The Midgets want to learn from the mistakes they made against Minot and play a complete game.
“We played three and half good quarters,” Morris said. “That half of a quarter is why we lost this football game. We have to learn how to play hard the entire game. I think we are on the right track both offensive and defensively.”
Minot 7 0 13 14 — 34
Dickinson 7 2 7 7 — 23
First quarter
M–Alex Yanosko 5 run (Braden Lach kick), 5:10.
D–Taren Staudinger 76 kick return (Tony Kostelecky kick), 4:57.
Second quarter
D–Alex Mack recovers safety, 3:59.
Third quarter
M–Yanosko 16 run (pass failed), 7:02.
D–Jordan Krieg 1 run (Kostelecky kick), 4:02.
M–Yanosko 4 run (Lach kick), :32
Fourth quarter
M–Yanosko 35 run (Lach kick), 9:21.
M–Yanosko 1 run (Lach kick), 5:03.
D–Staudinger 49 pass from Skabo (Kostelecky kick), 3:31.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: M, Alex Yanosko 32-172, Brady Lampert 18-83, Kimani Benjamin 3-14, Karter Gorney 1-0. D, Michael Cherwinski 16-62, Jace Dukart 8-43, Jacob Shypkowski 7-30, Dylan Skabo 8-14, Alec Stieg 2-6, Mac Rohr 1-6, Jordan Krieg 0-1.
PASSING: M, Yanosko 5-10-0, 118. D, Skabo 5-7-1, 83.
RECEIVING: M, Jacob Holmen 2-46, Benjamin 1-36, Lampert 1-28, Tre Kinchen 1-8. D, Taren Staudinger 2-75, Cherwinski 1-8, Shypkowski 1-4, Levi Jordheim 1-(-minus 4).
Tags: minot high magicians, alex yanosko, dickinson midgets, high school football, sports, preps, midgets
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