The Albert Lea Grizzlies kept their perfect record intact with a 12-6 overtime win against the Steele County Warriors Saturday at Grizzly Field in Frank Hall Park, according to a press release.

“Football is totally a team sport,” said Grizzlies head coach Stephen Piper. “I’m proud of the way our team played together and won a very tough game.”

The Grizzlies’ offense was lead by first-year player Lamar Sayles. He carried the ball 17 times for 100 yards and accounted for both Grizzlies touchdowns. Spencer Niebuhr chipped in with eight carries for 30 yards.

Both teams were forced to punt after their first possessions. The Grizzlies took over on their own 48-yard line on their second possession. Sayles tallied gains of 15, 10 and nine yards to set up Albert Lea first and goal on the nine-yard line. After four attempts, the Warriors defense held, and Albert Lea turned the ball over on downs at the 1/2-yard line.

The Steele County offense managed to put together a 12-play drive to start the second quarter. On a third-and-10 play that could’ve ended the drive with a sack by Albert Lea’s Cole Read, the Grizzlies were flagged for a facemask penalty that gave Steele County an automatic first down. The Grizzlies’ defense buckled down, and sacks by Jason Froning, Anthony Ingram and Nic Zrostlic forced the Warriors to punt.

Albert Lea took over at the Warriors 47-yard line. After a run for no gain and two incomplete passes, the Grizzlies were forced to punt. With six minutes left in the first half, Steele County took possession at their own 12-yard line and put together a 10-play drive that ended with an interception by Albert Lea’s Jared Talamantes.

Both teams were scoreless at halftime.

Early in the second half, Steele County faced a second-and-one from their own 49-yard line. Albert Lea’s Ingram and Bubba Hernandez broke through the line into the Warriors backfield and forced a fumble that was recovered by Steele County for a loss of 17 yards. The Warriors didn’t convert on third-and-long, so they were forced to punt.

A bad snap gave the Grizzlies the ball on the Steele County’s nine-yard line. Three penalties and eight plays later, Sayles found the endzone. The two-point conversion failed, and the Grizzlies led 6-0.

After a three-and-out by the Warriors, the Grizzlies were driving in Steele County territory again. On third-and-nine from inside the red zone, Albert Lea quarterback Tony Tolbers found Marquis Shaw in the back of the endzone for a touchdown. A holding penalty nullified the score and forced third-and-19. An incomplete pass and sack of Tolbers gave the ball back to Steele County.

The Warriors managed two first downs with passes passes from Jake Scharper to Cody Shakal. After three incomplete passes, the Warriors face fourth-and-seven. However, the drive was kept alive with a roughing-the-punter penalty on the Grizzlies. Two plays later, Steele County running back Simon Schuchhardt was hit by Adam Bengston, which forced a fumble that was recovered by Kaelyn Kohtz.

The Grizzlies strung together an 11-play drive fueled by a third-and-eight pass play from Tolbers to Trent Leesch that covered 22 yards and gave Albert Lea a first down on the Warrior’s 28-yard line. After three running plays, the Grizzlies faced 4th-and-inches from the 18-yard line. A fumble turned the ball over to Steele County with less than two minutes left. Scharper tied the game with a touchdown pass, but the extra point was blocked to force overtime.

The Grizzlies won the coin toss and deferred. Albert Lea’s Trevor Haugh made a big defensive play to force fourth-and-13 for the Warriors. An incomplete pass turned the ball over to Albert Lea.

“Every good defense has a solid front line,” said Albert Lea defensive coordinator Jeff Jimenez. “We had great play from our defensive line.”

Sayles responded with his second rushing touchdown to give Albert Lea a 12-6 win.

Next, the Grizzlies (2-0 overall) will play Saturday at the Midwest Rampage. Albert Lea’s next home game is at 5 p.m. May 17 against the South Central Hawgs, the defending league champions. All home games are played at Grizzly Field at Frank Hall Park.