NOXON -- The visiting Valier Panthers would not go down easy, but the hometown Noxon Red Devils eventually prevailed 37-33 at Jenny Lampshire Field in 6-Man football action Friday.

Now 1-0 in Western conference play and 2-1 overall, coach Lucas MacArthur and his Red Devils will enjoy a bye week, returning to action September 26 at Heart Butte.

MacArthur said some of his more inexperienced Red Devil players are still learning as they go, and that they are growing by leaps and bounds so far this season.

“Some of our guys haven’t really played much football up to now,” he said, “but they are learning fast. And Valier was definitely a fun game for us, another chance for us to improve.”

Big-play guys Justice Kayser and Shane Hatchel ultimately did most of Noxon’s scoring against Valier, but all of the Red Devils contributed to the win.

Valier opened scoring in the game when Chance Horn took a short in the flat from quarterback Bryson Connelly and motored 50 yards down the left sideline for the game’s first touchdown. After the conversion pass failed, Valier held its first and only lead of the game at 6-0.

After the teams exchanged possessions and punts, Kayser made the first big play of the day for Noxon, zooming 56 yards from his quarterback position, zig-zagging through the Panther defense for Noxon’s first touchdown of the game. With Shane Hatchel’s two-point kick tacked on, the Devils led 8-6 and would not trail again.

Noxon junior Eli Sly then stepped up for the Devils, corralling a pass interception and streaking 40 yards in for another Noxon touchdown and, after Hatchel found the end zone on the one-point conversion run, the Devils now led 15-6.

After Valier answered with a 23-yard scoring pass from Connelly to Hadley Standley, Noxon responded when Kayser found Hatchel in the end zone with a 26 yard touchdown pass, and another Hatchel two-point boot extended the Red Devil lead to 23-13. MacArthur credited center Dallas Weaver for his quality snapping on Hatchel’s fine kicking success.

Later, after Connelly scored another TD for Valier on a 12-yard run, Kayser and Hatchel hooked up again on a 25-yard touchdown pass before Kayser lit up the Panthers with the play of the game right before halftime. 

On that play, Kayser leapt high and acrobatically intercepted a Connelly aerial, doing a mad dash to the end zone with the ball, scoring another touchdown on the 58-yard play, giving Noxon a 37-19 lead heading into the locker room.

Valier made the game close late, scoring a safety in the third quarter, and adding two touchdown runs by Connelly in the fourth quarter, but the Devils closed out the game by gaining a few key first downs in the late stages, largely behind the bull rushing of fullback Cam Wengerd to salt away the 37-33 win.

MacArthur thought the Devils did a decent job of containing Connelly in the end. “We knew he was good, but that we didn’t want to let him het his feet set on his throws,” he said. “And we did a good job of getting pressure on him most of the game.”

In another almost-highlight for the Devils, Hatchel narrowly missed a 35-yard field goal attempt, which would have been worth four points in the 6-Man game, in the second half.

    ALMOST A GREAT CATCH – Noxon junior Shane Hatchel goes for a difficult pass catch while being closely guarded by Valier’s Bryson Connelly Friday. After initially being ruled a complete pass, the final call was incomplete. (John Hamilton/VP-MI)
  

    NOXON SOPHOMORE CJ Yoder is tackled after a short gain running the ball in Noxon Friday. (John Hamilton/VP-MI)