RISON - Not depending on the big play by the offense and not allowing the big play by the defense could prove to be a determining factor in the outcome of the second round Class 3A state playoff game at George Walker Field of Champions Friday night, when the Rison Wildcats host the Bismarck Lions. It will be a rematch of an early season contest at Rison, when the Wildcats scored a touchdown and 2point conversion with just 54 seconds left in the game to rally from a 31-20 fourth quarter deficit to edge the Lions, 34-31.
Kickoff time for the playoff battle is scheduled for 7 o'clock, as the Wildcats, 9-0, on the season and champions of the 6-3A Conference, expect another tough game with the Lions, 6-4, and the third seed from the 4-3A Conference behind Glen Rose and Centerpoint.
Other than a season-opening loss to top-ranked Prescott and defeat to conference champion Glen Rose, the Lions lost a pair of 3-point games to Rison and Centerpoint. The Lions were never threatened in their six wins, all by very wide margins.
'I think they (Bismarck) will be a very confident team when they come here Friday night,' Rison head coach Clay Totty said Tuesday. 'The fact that they've already played here this season and left with a game that they could have easily won, will be to their favor and should give them plenty of confidence. I think our kids enjoy being an underdog, and it very well could turn out to be a game just like the one before.'
In reflecting on the early September game, Totty said, 'I feel that we were very fortunate to win that one. We had to make some big plays in that game to pull out the win. I don't think we will be in a position where we can do that again. But that's just not who we are anyway, to depend on big plays. I certainly don't want us in a big play situation. They (Bismarck) have a pretty dog-gone good defensive line, which can put the pressure on us to not have 3rd and long situations.'
On the othe...
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