WYNDMERE, N.D. -- Brief as it may have been, Luis Vazquez certainly found a way to make an impact.
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood's junior receiver barely played in two quarters, yet he caught two touchdowns, forced a fumble and was a tackle away from a kickoff return touchdown in a 36-14 win over Hillsboro in the first round of the North Dakota 9-man playoffs.
"When you are playing up against smaller guys," Vazquez said, "you feel like you have an advantage over them."
The Warbirds (9-1) move on to face the winner of Cavalier/South Border.
It's the second straight year that Wyndmere-Lidgerwood has eliminated Hillsboro (7-3) from the playoffs.
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Wyndmere-Lidgerwood jumped out to a 22-0 lead following Vazquez's second touchdown with 7 minutes, 43 seconds left in the second.
He was removed from the game after suffering an injury later in the quarter.
It didn't matter. Adam Bell, who threw for 149 yards and five touchdowns, found his other favorite target, Jeff Illies, for three touchdowns.
"Those two are just freaks," Bell said of his receivers. "It just all depends on where the safety is. That lets me know who I can throw to."
Bell and Illies hooked up to start the game on a 17-yard touchdown pass. Following Vazquez's two receptions, Bell went back to Illies.
Illies caught two more touchdowns -- for 15 yards and 9 yards -- helping the Warbirds take a 36-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Hillsboro had trouble breaking through the Warbirds' defense at times, especially on third down.
But the Burros did get something with two late touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
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One of them was a 55-yarder by Colby Tapson. Tapson finished the game with 137 yards.
Tapson's 55-yard run helped pad his stats, but it was Bell who statistically stole the show.
In addition to his passing totals, he also rushed for 117 yards, helping the Warbirds rack up 338 yards of total offense.
"It helps when the running game and passing game are going well," Bell said. "When one works, it allows you to use the other one pretty well too."
This article is by The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. The Forum and the Herald are both Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
