It was do or die for the Aberdeen Bobcats in a must-win game against the Black Hills Wolves on Friday, and the Bobcats did.

Junior running back Micah Schroeder had 35 carries for 278 yards – both career-highs – to lead the Bobcats to a 28-14 win in Tumwater.

Needing a win to secure the 2A Evergreen Conference’s third and final playoff spot, Aberdeen fell behind early after a batted Mason Hill pass turned into a 56-yard interception return by Wolves cornerback Aundre Alexander.

But the Bobcats settled in and tied the game when Schroeder used his blazing speed to burst through the Black Hills defense for a 32-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.

Junior running back Riley Wixson gave Aberdeen a 14-7 lead on a 1-yard run with 12 seconds left in the first half.

Aberdeen took a 20-7 lead on Schroeder’s second TD run of the game – this time from one yard out – to take a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter.

After Black Hills (3-5, 1-2) got back in the game when senior running back Jacob Weller scored on a 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter, Aberdeen would put the game away when Schroeder busted loose for a 79-yard scoring run.

Schroeder would run in the 2-point conversion for a 28-14 lead with 4:12 left to play.

“The defense was phenomenal,” said Aberdeen head coach Todd Bridge, whose offense used off-tackle running plays to rack up 349 yards on the ground. “The kids came from behind. They never lost vision, never lost focus and we just proceeded to pound the rock.”

Wixson added 71 yards on 13 carries as the Bobcats threw the ball just four times in the game.

“We didn’t throw the ball very much because the philosophy was, ‘You take what they give ya,’” said Bridge, who also praised his offensive line in picking up blitzers and staying on their blocks. “We just kept pounding the rock and it worked out good.”

The win means Aberdeen will host a playoff game for the first time since 1997, a goal a young Bobcats squad that lost a large majority of last season’s team due to graduation and transfers has now accomplished.

“It was exhilaration,” Bridge said of the locker-room environment after the game. “I took a knee with the players and asked each of the seniors to stand up and tell them what this moment meant to them. … I wouldn’t have it any other way. We just love these kids to death. Their work ethic and their focus, they’ve got a lot better. … It was a moment, no doubt.”

Aberdeen closes out its regular season against Tenino in a non-league game scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Beaver Stadium in Tenino.

Aberdeen 0 14 6 8 – 28

Black Hills 7 0 0 7 – 14

Scoring

First quarter

Black Hills – Alexander 56 interception return (Bender kick), 3:00

Second quarter

Aberdeen – Schroeder 32 run (Matthews kick), 10:04

A – R. Wixson 1 run (Matthews kick), 0:12

Third quarter

A – Schroeder 1 run (kick fail), 2:06

Fourth quarter

BH – Weller 2 run (Bender kick), 10:35

A – Schroeder 79 run (Schroeder run), 4:12

Passing: A – Hill 1-4-1-5. BH – Beck 8-16-0-79.

Rushing: A – Schroeder 35-278, R. Wixson 13-71, Crowder 1-4, Schreiber 1-1, Hill 3-(-5). BH – Weller 18-106, Tinsley 3-15, Keith 1-(-1), Beck 6-(-1).

Receiving: A – Schroeder 1-5. BH – Keith 2-7, Creekpaum 4-71, Deville 2-2.