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Aberdeen Central gave up the go-ahead touchdown with 16 seconds to play and dropped to 0-3 on the year with a 14-10 loss at Brookings in high school football action Friday, Sept. 12.
“No one wants to be 0-3 and this one stings, no question,” said Central head coach Justin Briese. “We go up three points with three minutes to go, then give up a couple big plays on defense, and we can’t close it out. Again, we had untimely penalties, and I told the guys it’s hard to play against two opponents — Brookings and ourselves. We just need to clean those up.”
Aberdeen Central’s Evan Sichmeller tackles Brookings wide receiver Kingston Schneider during their game Friday, Sept. 12 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings. Photo courtesy of Kevin Foss.
Central took a 10-7 lead on a Joey Dallman 20-yard field goal with 3:27 to play in the fourth quarter.
The key play on that drive was a Brayden Bowman to Paxton Ewing throw and catch for 42 yards that gave the Golden Eagles a first down at the Brookings 10-yard line.
“(With) the coverage Brookings gave we wanted to go deep,” Briese said. “Brayden double pumps to give Paxton time for an extra move and (Bowman) drove the ball downfield and got it to Paxton.”
Brookings had the only score of the first half on a Gavin Anderson to Bergan Tetzlaff 13-yard touchdown pass making it a 7-0 lead with 5:05 to go in the second quarter.
The Bobcats had two other scoring opportunities in the half, but both drives were stalled by Central’s Evan Sichmeller. Sichmeller came up with two interceptions, including one in the end zone.
“Evan is just a really solid cornerback and we need him. He reads the quarterback really well and just knows where to be, and he’s able to make plays on the ball which is huge,” Briese said.
Central scored its lone touchdown on a Bowman to Ridley Waldo 13-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at seven with 4:55 to go in the third quarter.
“Brayden does a good job rolling to his left and at times he throws better, to be honest. He was able to buy some time and find Ridley, who was able to find a soft spot in their zone. We tell our guys to look for those spaces and wait for the ball,” Briese said.
Central will look to snap its three-game skid Friday, Sept. 19 when it travels to Spearfish. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MT.
Warner runs its record to 4-0 with late scoring drive
Warner, ranked No. 2 in the Class 9A poll, got a late score to knock off Faulkton Area, ranked fourth in Class 9B, 17-14 Friday in Faulkton.
The Monarchs are now 4-0, while the Trojans fall to 1-2.
Warner trailed 14-10 with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter and had the ball first-and-10 at its own 14-yard line.
On the Monarchs’ first play, quarterback Chays Mansfield hit Parker Wood for an 83-yard play that set up first and goal at the Faulkton 3-yard line. Mansfield scored the game-winner on a keeper, and Warner escaped with the three-point win.
“The last three minutes of the game were pretty crazy,” said Warner head coach Derek Hoellein. “We stopped then and got the ball back on a punt, but it was at our 14-yard line. We decided to go with a play we used in the Dakota Dome back in 2023 when we won (the state championship) with Hunter Kramer. It was a flea flicker, and Chays hit Parker in stride and we go from needing 86 yards for the score to just three in one play.”
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Mansfield threw an interception late in the first half that Faulkton returned for a touchdown to give the home team a 14-10 halftime lead.
“I screwed up on that play, that was on me,” Hoellein said. “We had a third and 6 with 40 seconds left in the half, and we should have just run the ball, but I called a pass play and put Chays in a tough spot and he threw a pick six. My fault.”
The Monarchs were able to keep Faulkton off the board in the second half as the defense limited the Trojans’ gains on first and second down.
“Coach (Keith) Knuppe does a great job of recognizing other offenses’ tendencies and saw (Faulkton) liked running to our weak side defense on first down. We made an adjustment and started limiting yards early in possessions and put (Faulkton) in third-and-long situations, which definitely helped us,” Hoellein said.
Warner had averaged 33 points per game entering Friday. Hoellein said his team just wasn’t able to finish drives.
“We had a touchdown called back on a holding call, had a wide open receiver on a quick slant, but the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage. We moved the ball, we just weren’t able to finish off those drives,” he said.
After a bye, Warner and returns to the field Friday, Sept. 26 at home against Northwestern.
Mobridge-Pollock runs over Roncalli in shutout
Mobridge-Pollock scored on all five of its first-half possessions and rolled to a 50-0 win Friday, Sept. 12 in Mobridge.
The Cavaliers are now 0-4, while the Tigers 3-0 and receiving votes in the Class 11B poll.
Roncalli moved the ball early in the game, but two turnovers on downs stalled drives. The Cavaliers had the ball at the Tiger 23-yard line in the first quarter, but Will Haskell came up a yard short on a fourth and 7. Trailing 15-0, Roncalli had to ball first and 10 on the Tiger 25, but Haskell was stopped for no gain on a fourth and 9.
“We just have to finish, that’s the biggest thing for us right now,” said Roncalli head coach Billy Young. “We need more consistency, but it’s been difficult because we’ve had to move guys around due to injuries. We had two offensive lineman start their first varsity game tonight, and you’re playing a top-five team. There are no excuses, but it’s difficult.”
Mobridge-Pollock took over and, two plays later, Shooter Frederick hit Kale Knudson on a quick-hitter in the flat, and Knudson took it 50 yards for the score to make it 22-0. Frederick threw three touchdown passes.
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Mack Saxon did the damage on the ground for the Tigers. He had touchdown runs of 23, 25 and 63 yards. His 63-yarder with 11:06 left in the third quarter made it a 50-0, ending the game due to the mercy rule.
“I think we may have tackled him two or three times. He scored pretty much every time he touched the ball. You just have to tip your hat to him, he’s a really good running back,” Young said.
Roncalli returns to action Thursday, Sept. 18 when it hosts Miller/Highmore Harrold at 7 p.m. at Dacotah Bank Stadium.
“I still believe in this group,” Young said. “I think we can finish 4-0 and get in the playoffs, and that’s how we’re going to approach it beginning Thursday.”
Football roundup
- Weston Thorpe scored four touchdowns to help power Leola/Frederick to a 44-14 victory over North Central Friday night. He finished with 186 yards rushing on 18 carries.
- Ipswich raced to a 40-0 halftime advantage and thumped Northwestern 56-16 Friday. Casey Geditz scored three touchdowns for the Tigers, while Kyle Hettich added two more.
- Milbank’s defense was stout as the Bulldogs defeated Groton 19-0 Friday. Sam Rick finished with two interceptions for Milbank.
Thursday, Sept. 18
- Miller/Highmore-Harrold at Aberdeen Roncalli, Dacotah Bank Stadium, 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19
- Aberdeen Central at Spearfish, 6 p.m. MT
- Groton at Deuel in Clear Lake, 7 p.m.
- Northwestern at North Central in Eureka, 7 p.m.
- Leola/Frederick at Faulkton, 7 p.m.
