FARGO Preston Lehmann has been adjusting to his new role as West Fargo's featured running back this fall.
He saw limited carries in the first two games of the regular season and prior to this season, spent most of his time as a blocking back for other runners.
The 6-foot, 210-pound bruising back still lays outs hits, but they are when he has the ball in his hands.
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Minot quarterback Alex Yanosko is pressured by West Fargo players during a Friday playoff game in the Fargodome. Photo courtesy of Dave Wallis of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
Lehmann scored three touchdowns in West Fargo's 21-14 win over Minot in the Class AAA state quarterfinals on Friday at the Fargodome.
"We got a lot of running backs that run the ball hard," Lehmann said. "That running game has been working four us the last four games."
The Packers' winning score was set up when Minot's Cody Haugen muffed a punt-return attempt with 1 minute, 17 seconds left in regulation. West Fargo's Ben Bruenjes recovered the fumble.
West Fargo drove the ball to the 2-yard line, where Lehmann ran in his third TD of the game.
"Any time you have a play going that way for you it definitely gets the fire going," Lehmann said of Minot's turnover. "We were all excited after that because we knew had them on their heels. We fed off that."
Minot junior Brady Lampert rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries.
"We made too many mistakes," Magicians head coach Barry Holmen said. "We had opportunities in the first half where we came up empty. I thought we responded well to missed opportunities and came out in the third quarter, marched it down and got ahead.
"We were not clean enough to win. We were close, but we'll look back on this one as a missed opportunity."
West Fargo travels to play Bismarck High in a semifinal on Friday.