Courtesy: KVRR
MAYVILLE, N.D. (KVRR) — What unfolded at Jerome Berg Field was bigger than football.
Mayville State rallied from a 15-point deficit in the final minutes to defeat Simpson 42-41, completing a dramatic comeback after starting quarterback Matt Donovan suffered a serious head injury and was taken from the field by ambulance.
Donovan took a helmet-to-helmet hit during the third quarter. He appeared woozy while returning to the huddle before play was stopped and emergency personnel rushed onto the field.
There was silence as Donovan was taken away in an ambulance, while teammates stood on the sideline in shock, some in tears.
According to a statement from Mayville State, Donovan was later airlifted to Fargo, where he underwent brain surgery. Doctors removed part of his skull to relieve pressure. The school said Donovan was placed in a medically induced coma and that testing Sunday morning showed his eyes reacting normally.
Mayville State said Donovan was “fighting like crazy,” as support for him and his family poured in through social media and a GoFundMe fundraiser.
The game eventually resumed, but the Comets soon found themselves facing an even steeper challenge. Simpson scored following the injury to extend its lead, and with 6:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, Mayville State trailed 41-26.
Then the Comets rallied around their injured quarterback.
“I really, really hate to see it, especially an injury like that,” backup quarterback Aiden Marcussen said. “We’ll keep him in our thoughts first. But yeah, he means a lot to this team. He was a great leader. He’s a single digit for us, so obviously a super tough loss, and we just did it for him.”
On fourth-and-goal, Darnell Green found the end zone before the Comets converted the two-point attempt, cutting into the deficit.
Mayville State then recovered an onside kick, giving the Comets another chance.
With seconds remaining, Marcussen marched the offense down the field and connected with Cameron Spaeth for a touchdown, pulling Mayville State within one.
“I love football,” Marcussen said. “It comes easy when you’re super locked into that moment, and I know I got a bunch of good guys around me. … I know those guys can go make plays, so I just got to get it in their hands.”
Mayville State then faced one final decision: kick the extra point to tie the game or go for two and the win.
The Comets went for it.
Mayville State ran a sweep toss to Isaiah Smith, who crossed the goal line to give the Comets a 42-41 lead with one second remaining.
When the final second ticked away, Jerome Berg Field erupted.
Players and coaches celebrated through tears after completing the 15-point comeback, an emotional victory that head coach Rocky Larson said represented far more than the final score.
“Our kids had every reason to quit today and didn’t,” Larson said. “That’s years of hard work and dedication, and I’m just so damn proud of our kids.”
Larson called seeing Donovan injured one of the darkest moments of his seven years in coaching.
“For our kids to bounce back and find a way to win that football game is why you do what you do,” Larson said. “This is a lesson that’s not only on the football field. This will be learned for years in our life. Stuff’s gonna get hard in your life, and we talk all the time about growing boys into men, and I watched a lot of boys turn into men today.”
Before Mayville State’s game-winning play, a Sanford helicopter flew overhead. Players said afterward they felt Donovan was watching over them as they completed one of the most memorable comebacks in program history.
But on a night filled with emotion, the final score became secondary.
Donovan is fighting, and the Mayville State community is fighting with him.
The GoFundMe started by the Donovan family can be found by CLICKING HERE
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