By Brock Stafford | Beacon sports editor

Bass Lake University Beaver won their season debut Saturday, defeating the Stripmall State Retailers, 20-19.

(In college football action).

A cloud-in-the-silver lining: Freshman quarterback Mason Merlot was injured late in the game after rallying his team to victory, and is out for the season.

It was the debut victory for fledgling head football coach Jean-Paul Kirkegaard, and only the second season-opening win for BLU since 2005, third since 1996 and 28th all-time.

Merlot, getting his first start after veteran QB Zachary Lambrusco left the team last month, threw a 45-yard scoring pass to Jefferson “Madison” Monroe with 1:45 left, erasing a 19-14 deficit. Following the touchdown, Merlot asked the coaching staff to let him kick the extra point, “since I’m on fire.”

He injured his foot during the kick, which sailed wide right, then was blocked.

Early reports indicated Merlot suffered a stress fracture, but team trainer Bud “Team Trainer” Ellis could not confirm it early today.

“I’m not really sure what a ‘stress fracture’ means,” Ellis admitted.

• Extra: BLU trainer to enroll in sports medicine classes

Projected starter for next week’s home opener vs. Northern South Dakota is little-used senior signal-caller Patrick Chardonnay.

“Chardonnay has served mostly a statistician for the past three years,” according to the BLU media guide.

Brock Stafford is sports editor at the Beacon. He has more or less been on vacation since late-May.