BISMARCK - Bismarck High and Mandan took turns wrestling the lead away in the teams' WDA Division AAA showdown on Oct. 1 at the MDU Resources Community Bowl.

First it was Bismarck, then it was Mandan. In the final minutes, the Demons used some big pass plays to overtake Mandan again. This time, the lead held up. BHS improved to 2-0 in the conference and 5-1 overall with a 36-26 victory. Mandan fell to 1-1 in the WDA and 3-3 overall.

Trailing 26-22, the Demons would strike for a pair of scores in the final five minutes. Cole Lardy would take a handoff, bounce it outside and veer into the corner of the end zone from five yards out. BHS would get the ball back and then add some insurance went quarterback Kaden Molenda rolled out to his right and hit senior Weston Scott for his second scoring reception.

Pauley Brownotter staked the Braves to an early lead won a 54-yard punt return. He started to race down the right side, but reversed field and found room down the left sidelines and went untouched for the score. BHS used a bit of trickery to get on the board as wideout Najeh Boyd took a handoff and then found fellow senior Weston Scott behind the secondary for a 26-yard pass play. Mandan workhorse Tate Sailer scored the first of his two rushing scores in the second quarter. However, BHS added two more TDs before halftime. The big play was Boyd's 50-yard catch from quarterback Kaden Molenda. Boyd sprinted down the sidelines and caught the ball in stride.

A determined Mandan squad came out of the break and found success on both sides of the ball. The defending thwarted BHS' offense. And then the offense begin clicking. Senior receiver Daniel Wentz made a spectacular catch from QB Weston Reiner in traffic on a fourth down and 10 play from the 25-yard line for a score. Sailer's four-yard run put the Braves back in front. However, BHS had its share of big plays to use.

Looking ahead, Bismarck will face Legacy (1-0 WDA, 4-1 overall) on October 9, while Mandan prepares to take on Williston (0-1 WDA, 0-5 overall) on the same day.