It was, to say the least, a big game in this year’s Western 6-player conference football action.

It was also Homecoming for the Noxon Red Devils. The field was great, the fans were excited and two conference leaders, West Yellowstone and host Noxon were on the turf.

But the Wolverines didn’t travel more than 400 miles to be entertained, they came to win.

And unfortunately for the Red Devils, the visitors did just that, chalking up a 44-28 win in a crucial mid-season match up.

Noxon opened the game in a big way when senior running back Antonio Lodi broke free down the sidelines with the opening kickoff and returned it 65 yards for a quick 6-0 Noxon lead just 14 seconds into the game. The point after touchdown (PAT) kick was wide left.

That lead did not last long, as the now 3-1 Wolverines put together a long drive with two long distance passes that culminated in a five yard scoring pass from quarterback Hayden Turner to senior wide receiver Ashton Brown. The two-point PAT kick was good, giving West Yellowstone an 8-6 lead with 8:51 left in the first quarter.

After the ensuing kickoff, Noxon fumbled and the ball was recovered by the Wolverines. However, that potential damage was negated when the Red Devils’ Justin Kayser intercepted a Wolverine pass.

But that negation was itself negated a few players later when the Wolverines picked off a pass and set up for business on the Noxon 21 yard line. On the next play, WY running back Cody Gould hooked up on a 21-yard scoring pass to Brown. A successful PAT kick increased the Wolverine lead to 16-8 with 4:12 left in what was already a fast-paced first half of the opening quarter.

Noxon moved the ball, but was eventually stopped on downs. But that Red Devil drive was halted by another Brown interception with 52 seconds left in the opening quarter. A few plays later, Gould broke loose at the 21 yard line and scooted into the Noxon end zone for six. Another successful two-point kick, as is the rule in 6-player football, and West Yellowstone was in front 24-6 at the end of the quarter.

The two teams took turns getting the ball back on downs, until Brown picked off another Noxon pass and returned it to the Red Devils 32. The Wolverines got another touchdown pass from Turner with 2:28 remaining in the first half, this one good from six yards out. The PAT kick missed, but the score moved to 30-6 in favor of the visitors.

As time was running out in the first half, Noxon moved to the West Yellowstone three yard line. The Red Devils quarterback tripped as he was dropping back to pass and Noxon called a timeout with two seconds remaining.

The Red Devils turned to some trickery on the final play, sweeping right on a lateral that sprung junior Brian Risch free on a 14-yard scoring run as the halftime horn sounded. The PAT kick was good, and the home team went into halftime with momentum, trailing 30-14.

West Yellowstone took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove most of the length of the field before, with 4:31 remaining, the defense came up with a vital interception in the end zone to thwart a likely Wolverine score. That pick gave the Red Devils the ball on their own 15.

Shortly thereafter, Risch found sophomore wide out Ricky Williams on a swing pass, which the speedy Williams turned into a 65-yard catch and run TD with 4:19 remaining in the third quarter. The PAT kick was good and Noxon had climbed back into striking distance at 30-22.

However, West Yellowstone turned to its running game and gobbled up yardage following the kickoff, moving the ball to the Noxon seven yard line. Gould took a pitch and danced into the end zone, boosting the Wolverines lead to 36-22 with 2:08 left in the quarter.

Noxon came right back, marching downfield and scoring on a 37 yard run by Williams that closed the gap to 36-28 as time ran out in the third quarter.

Noxon went for an on-side kick to open the fourth quarter following the Williams TD and recovered the ball on their own 35. That drive stalled, forcing the Red Devils to punt. The punt was downed on the West Yellowstone one yard line.

A series of long runs moved the ball out of the Wolverines end of the field, but they too were forced to punt. The punt was muffed, giving West Yellowstone the ball on the Noxon 20 yard line. With 6:18 left in the game, Turner found an opening in the Noxon line and scampered 20 yards into the Noxon end zone. The PAT kick was good, giving the Wolverines a 44-28 lead.

The two teams traded short drives the rest of the way, but neither could score and time ran out, giving the visitors an important conference win, 44-28.

The outcome left both teams with 3-1 records for the season. Noxon has a bye this week, then returns to action with a home game September 29 vs Lincoln.