The 2021 Indoor Football League season started Friday night with the Bismarck Bucks visiting the Green Bay Blizzard at the Resch Center. This was the first home game for the Blizzard since 2019. The Bucks only played one game before the 2020 season came to a halt due to COVID-19. There were fans present for this game.
A kickoff return by Macgarret Kings Jr. set up the Blizzard at the eleven-yard line. Blizzard quarterback Aaron Aiken connected an eleven-yard pass to Keshaun Taylor to put Green Bay up 7-0 early in the first quarter. The Bucks would answer back with a seven-yard touchdown run by Justin Rankin. The Bucks would miss the extra point, keeping the Blizzard up 7-6 with 11:30 left in the first quarter. The game remained 7-6 when the first quarter ended.
With 7:37 left in the second quarter, the Bucks took a 13-7 lead after a one-yard touchdown run by Emanuel Jones. Green Bay responded with 3:25 left when Aaron Aiken threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Trevo Saunders to tie the game at thirteen apiece. Blizzard kicker Henry Nell missed the extra point. The game was tied at thirteen apiece at halftime.
The Blizzard would retake the lead with 7:50 left in the third quarter after an interception by Mason Gray, who went ten yards. Henry Nell would miss the extra point with the Blizzard up 19-13. After the Bucks failed to get the ball at the kickoff, Gray would recover the ball for the touchdown to extend the Blizzard lead 25-13 as Nell missed another extra point.
With 5:09 left in the third quarter, the Bucks made it a five-point game after a one-yard touchdown run by Emanuel Jones, his second of the game. The score was 25-20 Blizzard when the third quarter ended.
Fifty-five seconds into the fourth quarter, Bucks quarterback Glen Cuiellette connected to Justin Rankin for an eight-yard touchdown pass to put Bismarck up 27-25. On the next set of downs for Green Bay, Keshaun Taylor ran for a six-yard touchdown to put the Blizzard back up 32-27. With 6:48 left in the game, Bucks quarterback Glen Cuiellette threw his second touchdown, this time a four-yard pass to JT Stokes. Nell missed the extra point, and the Bucks had a one-point lead 33-32.
With 1:18 left, Green Bay kicker Henry Nell hit a 38-yard field goal to put the Blizzard up by two points. Just as it looked like the Blizzard were on their way to their first win of the season, Glen Cuiellette had other plans. He found Raheem Harvey for a fourteen-yard touchdown pass to put the Bucks up 41-35 with six seconds left. Aaron Aiken made one last attempt by throwing the ball in the endzone, but the pass was intercepted to end the game. The Bismarck Bucks defeated the Green Bay Blizzard 41-35.
Bismarck quarterback Glen Cuiellette finished the night 8-11, 105-yards, and three touchdowns. Simultaneously, Justin Rankin, JT Stokes, and Emanuel Jones combined for thirteen receptions for 151-yards and three touchdowns. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Aiken was 11-23 for 109-yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Keshaun Taylor and Trevo Saunders combined for 62-yards and two touchdowns.
Green Bay will host the Massachusetts Pirates next Sunday at 4:05 pm on YouTube. The Bismarck Bucks are on a bye next weekend.
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