DICKINSON - Grand Forks Central knew what it was up against when it made the trip to the Queen City to take on Dickinson in the Division AA quarterfinals on Oct. 30. The Knights made that trip earlier in the season and saw how dynamic the Mavericks could be on offense and stingy on defense. Act two wasn't any better.

No. 2 seeded Dickinson struck early and No. 3 seed GF Central never could recover as the Mavericks roll into the semifinals following their 40-20 victory at the Biesiot Activities Center. It was Dickinson's first playoff win since 2021.

Wyatt Turner got the scoring barrage started on a 3-yard run on the opening possession which went 10 plays and 72 yards. Senior standout quarterback Nathan Stevenson found Jesse Hammond for a 15-yard TD reception. And then Stevenson used his feet to scamper 24 yards to the end zone. The 21-point halftime lead ballooned to 33-0 in the third quarter on two more Stevenson scoring passes. Ollie Skillings reeled in one from 34 yards, leaping over defenders for the catch. Skillings then caught an 11 yarder when Dickinson was given a short field to work with following a fumble recovery. The defense also played a big part in the win for the Mavs, forcing several turnovers, putting pressure on the Central quarterback and not allowing much room to move the ball on the ground.

The Knights would get on the board late in the third quarter on Asher Fischer's 76 yard TD pass from Brody Leddige. The two would connect again early in the fourth quarter on a 65-yard strike. But the outcome was never in doubt. Turner would add his second rushing score for Dickinson to push the lead to 40-14. Central would add one more score.

The impressive victory was just what the Mavericks (8-2) needed after coming off a disappointing loss in the final regular season game. The team now has momentum heading into a showdown on Nov. 6 against the East's top seed Kindred.

The Knights ended their season at 6-4.