Photos by Samantha Davis: Dawson-Boyd tight end Colten Bothun (11) stiffarms his way through a Lakeview defender for a touchdown during a prep football game in Cottonwood Friday night. The Blackjacks defeated the Lakers 42-15. Below: Dawson-Boyd's Kameron Sather (22) rushes down the field in the first half against Lakeview, and also had a pick-6 in the second quarter.

COTTONWOOD — Four different players scored touchdowns including a Kameron Sather pick-6 to power the No. 9 Dawson-Boyd football team to a 42-15 win over Lakeview Friday evening, with three touchdowns coming in the second quarter.

“We left some points on the board in the first quarter, not capitalizing on the first drive, but [we] bounced back,” Dawson-Boyd head coach Cory Larson said. “Each team had a possession [in the first quarter], and then it kind of felt like we took control … I thought we did a good job, too, with them [Lakeview] coming back and getting a score right before the half, and starting with the football in the second half [by] getting a stop and then backing that up with a score, and just stealing the momentum back and rolling with it there. Overall, very happy with the effort of our kids.”

Along with Sather, Mason Bothun also had an interception on the night in the second quarter. Both Sather and Nathan Hansen had a pair of touchdowns to lead the Blackjacks, while Colten Bothun and Aedyn Dahl each had a touchdown as well.

Braylon Breyfogle and Garrett Schafer each had a touchdown for the Lakers.

The Lakers recognized their large group of seniors, for their final home game of the regular season, in Josh Potts, Breyfogle, Wade Hansen, Schafer, Kaiden Pringle, Landon Teske, Dustin Schlenner, Landyn Listul, Jordan Olsen, Jackson Staab, Cody Helmke and Jayden Montgomery.

“This is my 30th year [coaching], and I will say that this team is the most fun I’ve had as a coach in those years, and it’s all because of the seniors,” Lakeview head coach Scott Hanson said. “They’re great young men. They’re great leaders, and it’s been a fun ride with that group.”

Quarterback Gunner Liebl had 11 complete passes on 15 attempts for 131 passing yards for Dawson-Boyd. Logan Herrick had 76 passing yards for Lakeview with seven complete passes on 15 attempts.

The Blackjacks had 381 total yards, 250 rushing, to Lakeview’s 209 total yardage.

Sather led Dawson-Boyd with 93 rushing yards on six carries, while Liebl followed with 82 yards on eight attempts. On the receiving end, Evan Mork had a team-high 56 yards on two catches.

For Lakeview, Chance Kosel had a team-high 88 rushing yards on 18 carries. Schafer had 51 rushing yards on 15 attempts, and 41 receiving yards on two catches. Breyfogle followed with 35 receiving yards on five catches.

Both teams had unsuccessful first drives in a scoreless first quarter, but the Blackjacks exploded for a trio of touchdowns all in the second as Lakeview brought one in as the half came to a close to cut into a 21-8 halftime deficit.

Dawson-Boyd started with the ball to open the second quarter on Lakeview’s 37-yard line after a Lakers’ fourth-down punt.

Liebl had a pair of complete passes to Colten Bothun for four yards followed with a 20-yard pass to Hansen to bring the Blackjacks to the 15-yard line on first down.

Liebl found an open Colten Bothun in the end zone on the next play for a 15-yard touchdown pass, along with a good field goal by Elvis Bellefeuille to put the Blackjacks on the board, 6-0.

On Lakeview’s next drive, Dawson-Boyd’s Sather extended its lead after a 35-yard pick-6, followed by another good field goal.

Tackles by Ace Larson and Colten Bothun helped stop the Lakers again, forcing a fourth down, and made it count with another touchdown to gain a 21-0 advantage.

“Our defense has had a really nice season,” Larson said. “Outside of probably the first half against Springfield, our defense has, I would say, been pretty stellar.”

Starting on their own 49-yard line, Dawson-Boyd marched down the field before Liebl made a pass to Sather in the red zone on the 7-yard line. Hansen rushed on the next play for the touchdown.

Hansen finished with 45 rushing yards on four carries and 39 receiving yards on a trio of catches.

Mason Bothun had a 10-yard interception for the Blackjacks on Lakeview’s next drive, but the Lakers’ found an answer on the defensive end to force a fourth down and earn back possession.

Hartke had nine tackles on the night, and Schafer followed with eight for Lakeview. Hansen and Sather each had two tackles for Dawson-Boyd.

With less than 30 seconds to go in the half, Herrick made a pair of strong passes to move the ball down to field. A 30-yard pass to Schafer put the Lakers’ in the red zone on the 17-yard line, and followed that up with a touchdown pass to Breyfogle in the back right of the end zone. Schafer completed a successful 2-point conversion in the final second of the half.

Dawson-Boyd however found a quick response in the third quarter, following a Dahl 12-yard carry onto Lakeview’s 5-yard line and a rushing touchdown to finish the play, giving the Blackjacks a 28-8 lead after another good field goal from Bellefeuille.

Although Lakeview had a string of good plays, the Blackjacks remained cohesive on both ends of the field to hold onto their lead through the rest of the game.

Lakeview (4-3) has already surpassed its total wins from a year prior when it went 3-6 overall last season, with its three losses this year coming by ranked teams. The Lakers will look to keep their winning record heading into the section tournament when they wrap up the regular season on Wednesday against MACCRAY in Clara City. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m.

“You look at our three losses this year, we lost to very good teams. RTR is a good team, Minneota is a good team, Dawson-Boyd is a good team. But, in all three of those games, we made mistakes, and we have to fix those mistakes,” Hanson said. “It’s a short week, and MACCRAY beat us last year on the last-second play. We got some unfinished business … We want to end the note on a positive note going into the playoffs.”

Dawson-Boyd (6-1) has had another strong season, with its lone loss coming from No. 2 Springfield 34-7 on Sept. 19. Four of the Blackjacks’ wins have also come by 40 or more points.

“You got to enjoy them [wins] all, whether they’re by 7 [points], 1 or 40. It doesn’t matter, never take anything for granted,” Larson said.

The Blackjacks will next finish up the regular season when they take on top-ranked and undefeated Minneota (7-0) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at K.P. Kompelien Field.

“We’re feeling good right now. Would like to get a little healthier, short turnaround, and have to face a really tough team in Minneota that is very disciplined and executes well on the offensive side of the ball,” Larson said. “Whether it’s five days [in between games] or 15 days, it doesn’t matter. We will be ready to roll.”