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MELLETTE — Some newer faces produced the same results as Warner opened its 2026 high school football season with a 48-8 victory over Northwestern on Friday, Aug 21 in Mellette.
Warner scored on its first three possessions of the game and led 21-0 after the first quarter.
“It’s always a little tough your first game out to execute at a high level just because everything you run early is pretty Plain Jane, but the guys really did a good job with what we called (Friday),” said Warner head coach Derek Hoellein.
Warner’s Beckham Cantalope carries the ball against Northwestern Friday, Aug. 21 in Mellette. Cantalope had 184 yards rushing and four touchdowns in a 48-8 win. Aberdeen Insider photo by Allie Hoekman.
The Monarchs opened the scoring on a Braydon Kroll-to-Parker Wood 33-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0. Kroll completed three of six passes for 72 yards.
From there, it was the Beckham Cantalope show.
Cantalope, a sophomore, scored the next two touchdowns on 21- and 29-yard runs. He finished with 184 yards rushing on just 12 carries, scoring four times.
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“I just really focused on what our coaches were saying during practice before tonight and paid attention to the small things,” Cantalope said. “I read my blockers pretty well tonight, but sometimes it wasn’t as smooth. My first play tonight really gave me the confidence that I could help the team, and after that, I was just hammering it through the holes our offensive line opened up.”
Even with his impressive first varsity start, Cantalope said he has room to improve.
“This game was a really good confidence builder for me. I really enjoyed it. I made a lot of mistakes, but that’s what film is for. You can only get better if you know what you did wrong, watch film and correct it,” he said.
Hoellein said Cantalope’s potential was on full display.
“Beckham had a big-time night. We talked about him during the preseason and he’s getting his opportunity to show what he can do, and he showed everyone tonight what he’s capable of and we’re happy to have him, for sure,” Hoellein said.
Noah Bakeberg anchored the Monarchs defense with nine tackles.
“Anytime we get on the field, we want our defense to be ready to go, and Noah led the charge tonight,” Hoellein said. “You want to execute on both sides of the ball, and I thought our defense really got after it.”
Northwestern head coach Clayton Randall said despite the score, his players never gave up.
“What I liked the most, when it was more than a marginal difference in the first half, our guys still played hard in the second half, and we got a lot of really good reps that will make us better for next week,” Randall said.
Northwestern’s Talon Miller looks for running room against Warner’s Gage Knuppe (33), Beckham Cantalope and Lincoln Kroll (17) during their game Friday, Aug. 21 in Mellette. Miller had 97 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Wildcats. Aberdeen Insider photo by Allie Hoekman.
Talon Miller led the Wildcats with 97 yards rushing on 27 carries. He scored the lone touchdown for the Wildcats on a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter.
“It was a good feeling to get that,” Miller said. “I mean, they had a chance to end the game (by the 50-point rule), but we wanted to keep playing. We got some momentum in the second half, and physically, I thought we held our own at times.”
Now, the Wildcats know what to focus on and correct, he said.
The late score gave Northwestern a little momentum heading into its next game against Hitchcock-Tulare, Randall said.
“Guys played a little harder and wanted to get into the end zone. It gave us more plays in the second half, and every play we get in a game on Friday is going to help us get better for the following Friday,” he said.
Roncalli hangs around in loss to No. 5 Sioux Valley
Aberdeen Roncalli kicked off its season facing the No. 5 team in Class 11B.
The Cavaliers fell 30-6 in Volga, but it was largely a two-score game until midway through the fourth quarter.
Roncalli head coach Billy Young said his team had opportunities, but untimely miscues derailed scoring changes.
Aberdeen Roncalli’s Austin Fisher hands the ball off to Will Haskell during the first quarter against Sioux Valley Friday, Aug. 21 in Volga. Roncalli’s Jean Anthony Thomas leads the way as a blocker. Photo courtesy Dan Richardt.
“I think we left 20-plus points on the field tonight,” he said. “We were in the red zone three times in the first half and came away with nothing. We just had some execution issues, but were still in the game until the fourth quarter. Those mistakes are gonna happen when you have a pretty inexperienced group.”
The Cossacks were able to control the clock, which also limited Roncalli’s offense. They rushed for 444 yards.
“They have a big and more-seasoned (offensive) line, and they were able to dictate a lot of schemes on us. When you have five, six guys making their first start against a line like that it can cause some issues,” Young said.
MORE: Aberdeen Roncalli football team faces early test with inexperienced roster, staff changes
Sioux Valley quarterback Wyatt Hardt threw for 72 yards and rushed for 210. He scored twice, on a 25-yard run in the first quarter to make it 8-0 and a 6-yard run in the third to make it 24-0.
“He’s one of the better quarterbacks in 11B, and he’s going to do what he did tonight to a lot of teams this season,” Young said.
Roncalli quarterback Austin Fisher got the Cavs on the board with a 4-yard run in the third quarter to make it 24-6. Fisher ran for 58 yards on eight carries and completed five of 14 passes for 63 yards.
“I thought Austin’s decision-making was so much better tonight than last year,” Young said. “He didn’t just look at one receiver and make that throw — he checked other receivers or he pulled the ball down and ran if the plays weren’t there.”
Friday, Aug. 21 area football scoreboard
- Groton Area 21, Miller/Highmore-Harrold 0: Groton gained 269 yards and held the Rustlers to 73. Asher Johnson threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns, both to Anthony Tracy. Johnson also scored on a 4-yard run to lead the Tiger offense.
- Hitchcock-Tulare 40, Leola-Frederick 12: Hitchcock-Tulare’s Devin Enander scored on touchdown runs of 17, 15, 62 and 80 yards to power the Patriots. He ran 16 times for 268 yards. Teammate Max Gilbert finished with 266 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
- Sisseton 39, Webster Area 12: Sisseton opened its season with a home win as both teams played their first game after dropping down from Class 11B.
Friday, Aug. 28 area football schedule
- Yankton at Aberdeen Central, Brownell Activities Complex, 7 p.m.
- Flandreau at Aberdeen Roncalli, Dacotah Bank Stadium, 7 p.m.
- North Central at Warner, 7 p.m.
- Hitchcock-Tulare at Northwestern, Mellette, 7 p.m.
- Beresford at Groton Area, 7 p.m.
- Ipswich at Redfield, 7 p.m.
