by CINDY PETERSON Bismarck Tribune , The Bismarck Tribune

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior made life tough for Dragons quarterback Zach Fry. Thomas intercepted two passes, registered a sack and collected 51/2 tackles in a 39-13 victory.

"We had good execution all around for most of the game," said Thomas, who is from Fresno, Calif. "The D-line got to the quarterback again this week like they did last week. They got some pressure (on Fry) and he put it up there for us."

Thomas' first pick came early in the second quarter on Moorhead's first play of its drive, which gave U-Mary the ball at the Dragons' 26. That set up Rett Thibodeaux's 23-yard field goal, which gave the Marauders a 17-0 lead.

On the Dragons' final possession of the first half, they picked up their first first down and marched to the U-Mary 23, but Thomas picked off Fry to stop the drive and helped U-Mary secure a 23-0 lead at halftime.

"It was big going into halftime," Thomas said. "We were trying to keep them with as few points as possible. They were right there, at the verge of going in, and we kept them contained."

Thomas sacked Fry in the third quarter for an 8-yard loss.

"A sack is something a corner doesn't usually get," Thomas said. "I made my checks, and I had a clean shot at him."

Teammate Sean Ziehlke got U-Mary's third interception when he picked off Fry in the end zone.

Offensively, the Marauders got 184 yards rushing from redshirt freshman Cameron Gatlin, who started in place of Jamal Lomax. Lomax sustained a high ankle sprain against Concordia-St. Paul.

Brrrrr

Conditions were less than ideal for the players and the fans. Saturday saw temperatures in the low 30s with a raw cross wind and some snow flurries -not ideal for hanging on to the ball or catching a pass.

The Dragons fumbled five times, losing three of them. U-Mary linebacker Josh Winfield recovered one of the fumbles and turned it into a 55-yard gain.

U-Mary fumbled twice and lost one.

U-Mary sure-handed wide receiver Terry Newsome dropped what would have been a touchdown pass from quarterback Henry Lau in the first quarter. Wide receiver Brady Martin also dropped a pass.

"It was cold, but it really doesn't make big of a difference," said Martin, a 6-foot, 190-pound sophomore from Aurora, Colo. "It's harder when your hands are cold, but you can still catch.

"The wind affects things the most," Martin added, "because the ball moves on you."

U-Mary coach Myron Schulz said the weather did alter his team's game plan a little bit.

"It changed how we managed the game," Schulz said. "We probably ran more. We wanted to shorten the game, and we wanted to not lose field position."

Peterson scores

Running back Drew Peterson received his second carry of the season in mop-up duty. The sophomore from Lemmon, S.D., turned it into an opportunity. Peterson scored from 51 yards at 9:28 of the fourth quarter to give the Marauders a 39-6 lead.

"He's a big-time player for us," Schulz said. "The common fan doesn't see it. He's on every special team. He grew up on a ranch, so he's a hard-nosed kid. We thought we might use him today. He grew up on a ranch, so he's used to the muddy pig mosh in the middle of the field."

This and that

* U-Mary defensive lineman EJ Reid didn't play because he has the H1N1 virus, which is known as the swine flu.

* Lau has thrown 19 touchdowns on the season and just seven interceptions. He hasn't thrown an interception in eight quarters -knock on wood.

* Moorhead punter Jimmie Mattson fired off a 72-yard punt.

* U-Mary's Jon Burke recovered a muffed punt, which led to a 14-yard touchdown reception from Lau to Gatling.

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