PIERRE – It turned out to be a late-night battle that was eventually settled in the late stages of the game.
Aberdeen Central endured more than a two-hour delay and went toe-to-toe with top-rated Pierre before finally succumbing 9-6 in an Eastern South Dakota Conference football game that concluded shortly before midnight.
“Guys did a great job of staying focused and not letting themselves get too worked up too early, and being able to turn it on once the delay was over,” said Central coach Justin Briese. “Field conditions weren’t too bad in the first half. Got a little rough in the second half for both sides. Only time it was a real factor was on Pierre’s long TD, (our defensive back) slipped.”
There was little opportunity for scoring in the opening half for either side, before the Governors finally cashed in on the final play of the half when Logan Witte kicked a 30-yard field goal.
Pierre threatened to score early in the third period, but was turned away when Jack Bertsch pressured the Governors’ quarterback resulting in a Grayden Timm interception at the Central 15-yard line.
Central immediately took advantage as Brayden Bowman threw a 57-yard pass to Karson Borge to advance the ball to the Pierre 36-yard line. However, the drive stalled and Central punted the Governors inside their own 5.
That’s when the big play took place as Kaleb Lounsbury spotted Carter Schiefelbein who took advantage of a Central defender who slipped, allowing for a 96-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds left in the quarter.
The Golden Eagles responded, driving down the field, aided by a pair of defensive pass interference calls. Central moved the ball inside the Pierre 10, where Ridley Waldo picked up eight yards on one run, and capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run with 6:09 left in the game.
After stopping the Govs on downs, Central had one last chance, taking the ball from its own 36 to the Pierre 35 in the closing minutes. However, that’s where the drive stalled on a pair of incomplete passes. Pierre took possession with one minute remaining, and the Governors secured the hard-fought win.
“A loss is always tough, but we have some positives to take away from the game,” Briese said. “And of course, we’ll have plenty of things to work and get better at. It’s always great to see our defense step up and play well. Offense took some time to really get moving, but was able to make adjustments, move the ball, and make some big plays in the second half.”
Central has its home opener on Friday when it hosts Tea Area.
Aberdeen Central (0-1) 0 0 0 6 – 6
Pierre (1-0) 0 3 0 6 – 9
P – Logan Witte 30 field goal.
P – Carter Schiefelbein 96 pass from Kaleb Lounsbury.
AC- Ridley Waldo 1 run.
OFFENSE: Aberdeen Central, rushing 67 (Waldo 14-31, Joey Dallmann 4-16, Preston Welke 3-10, Bennett Eisenbeisz 2-10), passing 155 (Brayden Bowman 13-16-2 for 155), receiving (Karson Borge 2-68, Waldo 5-36, Paxton Ewing 1-19, Dallman 3-16), first downs 12; Pierre, rushing 113 (Lounsbury 12-72, Keya Ducheneaux 16-41), passing 135 (Lounsbury 4-14-1 for 135), receiving (Schiefelbein 1-96, Cooper Terwilliger 2-24, Ducheneaux 1-23), 8 first downs.
