The deck was stacked against the Vermilion Ironhawks on Sunday.
Not only did the community college football team have a six-hour bus ride to Wahpeton, N.D., but the Ironhawks then had to take on a team it lost to 71-6 just weeks earlier.
The playoff rematch was nearly as lopsided, as host North Dakota School of Science rolled to a 59-0 victory in the quarterfinal round of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference playoffs.
The loss ended a difficult year for first-year head coach Zuriel Cook and his Ironhawks, who finished 0-7 and who only managed to score 45 points all season.
NDSCS kept Vermilion off the board last weekend and limited the Ironhawks to 147 yards, or just 2.7 yards per play.
The Wildcats took control early, scoring 45 first-half points and putting the game on ice.
NDSCS chewed up nearly nine yards per carry and six different backs scored rushing touchdowns.
Damarion Semanko had a 27-yard burst to the end zone and a team-best 89 yards on seven carries, while teammate Kenyon Slaughter-Keen tacked on 66 yards on just five attempts.
Vermilion could do little to stop the Wildcats’ ground game and never found paydirt on the afternoon.
Logan Glancy led Vermilion with 57 yards rushing and Tessiah Young added 27.
Through the air, quarterbacks DJ Cody and Jonathan Cribbs combined for only five completions and 38 yards passing.
Shawnquez Simmons paced the Vermilion defense with seven tackles, including four solos.
Devin Hogan had five tackles, Lixeandro Andrade finished with four, while Young, Korvah Harper Jr., and Quinton Borders finished with two each.
Austin Brown had a fumble recovery for the Ironhawks.
