By It took longer than the teams would have preferred, but in the end, an incomplete pass on fourth down with just more than a minute to go left Aberdeen Central short in a 9-6 high school football loss Friday, Aug. 29 at Pierre.
A thunderstorm delayed the 7 p.m. kickoff until 9:15 p.m.
After a Pierre punt, the Eagles took over at their own 36-yard line with 4:20 left in the game. After moving into Pierre territory, a false start penalty turned a fourth and 4 into a fourth and 9 with 1:15 remaining. Bowman rolled to his left, but his pass intended for Karson Borge was overthrown. The Governors took over and ran out the clock.
Briese
“Not an opportune time for a penalty, but we weren’t in a rush on that drive. We just told our guys move the ball and stay focused. Worst case we try to get in field goal range. We picked up the pace towards the end of the drive, but we can’t have penalties at crucial times like that, and that’s something we’ll address and fix this week in practice,” said Central head coach Justin Briese.
He said he thought his team handled the delay well considering it was the season opener.
“You’re warming up then the thunder and lightning show up and they stay around for a while and, meanwhile, your guys wanna get going,” Briese said. “We just told them to stay calm and focused and not get too emotional or worked up. They did a good job listening to music, relaxing and, in a sense, had a longer and easier pregame warmup because it wasn’t rushed because we knew it was going to be a while.”
The Golden Eagles threw the ball three straight times to open the game as quarterback Braydon Bowan finished the night 13 of 26 passing for 155 yards.
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“We anticipated they would load the box because, traditionally, we run the ball, so we tried to take advantage of man coverage. It wasn’t the best weather to throw in, it kept raining pretty much all night, but we took what they gave us,” Briese said.
With both defenses strong in the first half, a 30-yard field goal by Logan Witte gave the Governors a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Central was able to keep Pierre quarterback Kaleb Lounsbury and all-state tight end Cooper Terwilliger in check for the game. Terwilliger had two catches for 24 yards, while Lounsbury went four for 14 for 143 yards and a touchdown.
“We knew (Terwilliger) was the guy they wanted to get the ball to, and we had some coverages with some over-the-top help that worked really well,” Briese said. “He’s a big threat, but we were able to take him away from making big plays.”
Lounsbury’s touchdown came on a quick hitter from Pierre’s 4-yard line to Carter Schiefelbein that wound up going for a 96-yard score and gave the Governors a 9-0 lead late in the third quarter.
“Take that play away and it’s probably a different game. Looked like a block in the back penalty right in front of me on the catch, but we didn’t get the call. We made them earn everything offensively tonight, I can tell you that,” Briese said.
Central answered on its second drive of the fourth quarter. The Eagles went 72 yards in 13 plays, capped by a Ridley Waldo 1-yard rush. The extra point was no good. making it a 9-6 game.
The key play of that drive came on a third-and-17 when Bowman hit a diving Paxton Ewing across the middle for 23 yards.
“Paxton is so consistent. If you throw it in his direction he’s gonna catch it,” Briese said. “He’s not going to break off a 90-yard run after a catch, but he’ll come down with the ball, that’s for sure.”
The Eagles are receiving votes in the media’s Class 11AA prep football poll.
Central plays its home opener Friday, Sept. 6 against Tea Area at 7 p.m.
Chamberlain ground game proves too much for Roncalli
Aberdeen Roncalli couldn’t get in gear on either side of the ball and fell at Chamberlain 27-0 on Friday, Aug. 29 to drop to 0-2.
Cavalier coach Billy Young knew the Cubs had a strong ground game, and that proved true as they scored all four of their touchdowns rushing.
Young
“It was the same story as last week, really, just too many big plays by Chamberlain,” Young said. “We were a little outsized (Friday) and just couldn’t get off enough blocks, and when you can’t you’re open to some big plays, and they made more big plays than we did tonight.”
Chamberlain running back Austin Rose was tough to contain.
He accounted for three touchdowns. His 48-yard rush gave Chamberlain a 7-0 lead. He added a 25-yarder to make it 13-0 after the first quarter, then had a 42-yard dash in the second quarter for a 20-0 cushion.
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On those scoring runs alone, Rose had 115 yards rushing.
“We knew he was really good before we played him. He’s a strong, fast kid, and he took advantage of the lanes his offensive line gave him,” Young said.
Mistakes also cost Roncalli in two first-half possessions.
The Cavaliers fumbled the kickoff following Rose’s first touchdown, leading to his second score. Then, driving inside the Chamberlain 30-yard line, Roncalli quarterback Austin Fisher threw the first of two interceptions.
The Cavs finished with three turnovers.
“Turnovers kill you, especially when you’re trying to find rhythm on offense and score, which we haven’t done now in two games,” Young said. “Again, we’ve got guys playing positions they haven’t played before and some guys making their second varsity starts. We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot, and we’ll need to get better.”
Roncalli added the game against Chamberlain after Sisseton did not field a varsity team this year.
The Cavaliers are back on the road Friday, Sept. 5 when they travel to Clear Lake for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Deuel.
“Our schedule doesn’t get easier. We go to Deuel, then back on the road at a good Mobridge-Pollock team before coming back home. We told the guys there’s no reason to give up. There’s still a lot of football left to play. We just need to keep progressing and cut down on our mistakes and things will get better,” Young said.
Friday, Aug. 29 school football roundup
- Warner jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, rolling to a 41-0 win over Gettysburg. Parker Wood got things started with an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Jesiah Baum had three rushing touchdowns and eight carries for 88 yards. Quarterback Chays Mansfield threw for a score and ran for another for the Monarchs, who are 2-0 and ranked second in the Class 9B poll.
- Mobridge-Pollock knocked off Groton Area in Class 11B action 29-8 in Mobridge. Mobridge-Pollock dominated the point of attack, rushing for 210 yards on 38 carries while allowing Groton just 23 yards on the ground. Mack Saxon carried the load for the home team, rushing for 172 yards and three touchdowns. Asher Johnson threw for 134 yards for Groton, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to Connor Glines.
- Ipswich rallied from a 30-18 third-quarter deficit with 16 straight points to get a 34-30 victory over Faulkton Area. Hayden Schlosser had a career night for the Tigers, completing 19 of 22 passes for 326 yards. Kyle Hettich hauled in nine passes for 193 yards. Ipswich is now 2-0, Faulkton is 0-1. Ipswich is receiving votes in the Class 9A poll, while Faulkton is ranked fifth in Class 9B.
- Britton-Hecla rushed for 295 yards en route to a 36-6 triumph against Leola/Frederick. Bryce Hawkinson led the way with scoring runs of 7, 51 and 73 yards to finish with 178 rushing yards. Both teams are now 1-1.
- Herreid/Selby rolled to a 42-0 victory against Northwestern. Porter Gregg led the Wolverines with two touchdown runs, a pair of two-point conversions and 117 rushing yards.
Friday, Aug. Sept. 5 local games
Tea Area at Aberdeen Central, 7 p.m.
Aberdeen Roncalli at Deuel, 7 p.m., Clear Lake.
Warner at Ipswich, 7 p.m.
Leola/Frederick at Stanley County, 7 p.m., Fort Pierre.
Winner at Groton, 7 p.m.
Northwestern at Hitchcock-Tulare, 7 p.m., Tulare.
