WIBAUX -- The third-ranked Jordan Mustangs held off a furious fourth-quarter rally from top-ranked Wibaux to upset the Longhorns, 47-41, on Saturday afternoon at Veteran's Memorial Field in Wibaux in a rematch of the 2018 6-Man state title game. The Longhorns failed on fourth down with 25 seconds to play, sealing the victory for Jordan.
"In the past we've struggled finishing games, finishing them strong, and this year we've actually gotten to where we can actually finish games. I'm glad to see them step up and get a stop on this last drive," Jordan head coach Wyatt Colvin said.
Wibaux jumped out to a 16-6 lead in the first quarter, but Jordan would rally for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter -- a 2-yard run by Dawson Murnion and a 39-yard pass from Keenan Murnion to Ben McRae -- to take a 19-16 lead. Wibaux would grab the halftime lead, though, as the Longhorns scored on an 8-yard pass from Tel Lunde to Jon Harris with 25 seconds left in the first half.
And then things got fun.
Jordan took the opening possession of the second half and marched right down the field before Derek Reis plunged in from 2 yards out. Jordan then forced a Wibaux punt, which Ed Murnion blocked, setting the Mustangs up inside the Wibaux 25-yard line. On fourth down, Keenan Murnion found Ed Murnion in the end zone for an 18-yard score to push Jordan's lead to 33-22.
"We knew we had to jump on them," Keenan Murnion said. "Wibaux never quits. They can come back from any deficit, so we knew we had to keep scoring, knew we had to get a good lead and it worked out in the end."
Wibaux wasn't going to go quietly, though. The defending 6-Man state champions answered with a quick scoring drive capped by a 30-yard toss from Lunde to Wyatt Davis, trimming Jordan's lead to 33-28. But every time Wibaux closed the gap, Jordan seemed to have an answer.
Just 44 seconds after Davis' score, Keenan Murnion turned on the jets and went up the left sideline for a 41-yard score to push the Mustangs' lead to 41-29. Jordan would carry that lead into the fourth quarter before Lunde put the Longhorns on his back.
Wibaux again cut the Jordan lead to six after Lunde scampered in from 15 yards out, but once again Jordan had an answer. Keenan Murnion hit Ed Murnion on a quick pass, which Ed Murnion turned into a 65-yard touchdown weaving through the defense. With 4:55 to play, Jordan again had a two-score lead.
Lunde and the Longhorns would score just 33 seconds later, as Lunde again scored from 15 yards out. Jordan turned to the ground with just more than four minutes to play to try and ice the game, but a Jordan fumble with 2:03 to play gave Wibaux life. After a fumble cost Wibaux about 15 yards, the Longhorns faced fourth-and-23, but Lunde's heave to the end zone was too high for his intended receiver.
"We've just been waiting for this game since last year," Keenan Murnion said. "We've heard all the talk about just how good Wibaux is this year, and they are good. You've got to give it to them. We just wanted to come out and knock them off, be that first team to do it. It feels so great."
Jordan shut down Wibaux's vaunted rushing attack, holding Wibaux to 145 yards on 26 carries. Lunde was forced to throw 37 times for Wibaux.
"We're probably a little bitter over the championship last year, so we kind of practiced for (their running game) all year long," Colvin said.
Ed Murnion finished with three total touchdowns -- two through the air and one on the ground -- and Keenan Murnion had three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Lunde threw for 304 yards and three scores for Wibaux. He also added two scores with his legs.
Jordan moves to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in 6-Man East play and is in the driver's seat for the regular-season conference title and home-field advantage throughout the entirety of the playoffs. Wibaux falls to 5-1 (3-1) and will play Westby-Grenora in Week 8. That game will likely determine the conference's No. 2 seed.
Saturday football scores
(Scroll through the above videos for highlights from select games)
Absarokee 52, Troy 6
Conrad 52, Wolf Point 12
Great Falls Central 68, Chester-Joplin-Inverness 16
Hot Springs 52, Sheridan 15
Jordan 47, Wibaux 41
Lone Peak 50, Ennis 6
North Star 37, Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap 10
Noxon 59, Gardiner 32
Power-Dutton Brady 61, Geraldine-Highwood 26
Shields Valley 38, Roy-Winifred 13
Westby-Grenora 46, Froid-Medicine Lake 0
White Sulphur Springs 85, Valley Christian 32
