FAULKTON – Faulkton scored 24 unanswered points and then held off a late Sully Buttes surge to collect a 32-22 Class 9B quarterfinal football playoff win Thursday night.
The win avenged a pair of setbacks, one in the closing minute of a game earlier this year and the other in a loss in last year’s state championship game.
Faulkton jumped in front after a Sully Buttes turnover. Colton Jungemann ripped the ball away from a runner and Landon Coyle recovered it. The Trojans eventually scored on their possession on a Spencer Melius 4-yard run with just over three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Sully Buttes got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Gavin Colson returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown.
That’s when the Trojans went on a scoring surge, producing the game’s next four touchdowns to take a commanding 32-6 advantage.
Coyle started the streak with a 39-yard touchdown run with 7:33 left in the half.
Another Sully Buttes turnover halted a drive near midfield, and Faulkton scored on the next play as Henry Bossly found Melius down the sideline for a 49-yard touchdown pass.
After Faulkton forced a three and out, the Trojans took over possession with 5:07 left in the half and took nearly all the time off the clock before Melius hit Jungemann for a 6-yard touchdown pass with just 16 seconds left in the half.
Faulkton capped its scoring spree when Melius punched in a quarterback sneak after nearly an eight-minute drive in the third quarter.
The Chargers had a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, a Kadyn Westergren 11-yard run, and a Wesley Wittler pass to Easton Moore, to close the margin down to 10 points.
Sully Buttes eventually got the ball back with four minutes left, however another turnover sealed the contest when Faulkton’s Korbin Stark intercepted a pass with 2:37 left remaining.
The Trojans rushed for 277 yards in the victory led by Tristen Baloun with 122 yards.
Faulkton, 7-3, will be on the road for the semifinals when it faces undefeated Dell Rapids St. Mary next Friday. The Trojans defeated DRSM in last year’s semifinals.
Sully Buttes (8-2) 0 6 0 16 – 22
Faulkton (7-3) 8 18 6 0 – 32
F – Spencer Melius 4 run (Tristen Baloun run).
SB – Gavin Colson 78 punt return.
F – Landon Coyle 39 run.
F – Melius 49 pass from Henry Bossly.
F – Colton Jungemann 5 pass from Melius.
F – Melius 1 run.
SB – Kadyn Westergren 15 run (Westergren run).
SB – Easton Moore 1 pass from Wesley Wittler.
OFFENSE: Sully Buttes, rushing 19-94 (Wittler 6-45, Westergren 5-26), passing 12-27 for 139 (Wittler 12-27 for 139), receiving (Colson 5-67, Moore 3-36), first downs 17; Faulkton, rushing 49-277 (Baloun 20-122, Coyle 9-82, Melius 16-67), passing 5-8 for 90 (Bossly 2-3 for 54, Melius 3-5 for 36), receiving (Melius 1-49, Landon Dikoff 1-17, Korbin Stark 1-14), first downs 18.
DEFENSE: Sully Buttes, Karsen Miles 9 tackles 1 for loss, Tucker Gruis 8 tackles, Zack Weinheimer 5 tackles; Faulkton, Bossly 6 tackles, Kamryn Rhodes 5 tackles, Jungemann 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss.
Hamlin 52, Hill City 14
Hamlin (9-1) 8 8 24 12 – 52
Hill City (8-2) 7 0 0 7 – 14
HAM – Aiden Abraham 8 pass from Jackson Wadsworth (Jaden Olsen pass from Wadsworth).
HILL – Breylon Rahn 7 pass from Brensen Vaneklasen (Logan Street kick).
HAM – Wadsworth 2 run (Watson Grantham pass from Wadsworth).
HAM – Grantham 11 pass from Wadsworth (Wadsworth run).
HAM – Grantham 2 pass from Wadsworth (Johnathan Leonardi run).
HAM – Grantham 6 pass from Wadsworth (Leonardi run).
HAM – Grantham 11 pass from Wadsworth.
HAM – Leonardi 2 run.
HILL – Zane Messick 25 pass from Vaneklasen (Street kick).
OFFENSE: Hamlin, rushing 37-162 (Leonardi 27-148, Wadsworth 9-14), passing 34-42 for 472 (Wadsworth 34-42 for 472) receiving (Olsen 8-146, Grantham 11-144, Boden Stevenson 9-111, Riggs Prouty 3-40, Abraham 2-21, Leonardi 1-10), first downs 37; Hill City, rushing 27-131 (Caleb Sobolik 15-136), passing 13-28-3 for 213 (Vaneklasen 13-28-3 for 213), receiving (Messick 6-110, Breylon Rahn 6-92, Nick Schroeder 1-11), first downs 18.
DEFENSE: Hamlin, Tate Everson 14 tackles and 1 sack, Abraham 10 tackles and 2 sacks, Grantham 8 tackles, Trig Heinrich 2 INT.
Deuel 27, Wagner 12
Wagner (7-3) 6 0 0 6 – 12
Deuel (9-1) 8 6 6 7 – 27
W – Gannon Knebel 4 run.
D – Gavin Kloos 4 run (Kloos run).
D – Kloos 43 run.
D – Kloos 33 run.
W – Knebel 69 run.
D – Troy Jensen 34 pass interception return (Carson Marko kick).
OFFENSE: Wagner, rushing 30-145 (Knebel 17-97, Javian Pesicka 12-52), passing 7-19 for 132 (Knebel 7-19 for 132), receiving (Shea Kjeldgaard 2-80, Cruise Koupal 2-34, Pesicka 3-18), first downs 12; Deuel, rushing 32-162 (Kloos 24-107, Aiden Sievers 7-44), passing 9-20 for 86 (Sievers 9-20 for 86), receiving (Oliver Fieber 5-52, Jensen 2-15, Gavin Maaland 1-14), first downs 13.
DEFENSE: Wagner, Payne Petry 9 tackles, Knebel 8 tackles .5 sack, Carlos Galindo 7 tackles; Deuel, Marko 11 tackles 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery, Kaleb Tekrony 6 tackles, Ryker Gauger 5 tackles, Jaxtin Winter 5 tackles 1 sack and 1 forced fumble, Owen Haas 5 tackles, Jensen 2 INT.
Philip 14, Ipswich 6
Ipswich (8-2) 0 6 0 0 – 6
Philip (8-1) 0 6 8 0 – 14
I – Kyle Hettich 65 run.
P – Teagan Gropper 3 run.
P – Gropper 85 run (Gropper run).
OFFENSE: Ipswich, rushing 16-98 (Hettich 7-94, Casey Geditz 5-7), passing 15-25 for 98 (Hayden Schlosser 15-25 for 98), receiving (Geditz 5-48, Jaxon Holt 3-26, Hettich 6-18), first downs 5; Philip, rushing 47-236 (Gropper 22-131, Latham Gabriel 11-50, Tyce Gropper 11-50), passing 4-10 for 27 (Teagan Gropper 4-10 for 27), receiving (Jaxon Rhodes 1-12, Tyce Gropper 2-5), first downs 9.
DEFENSE: Ipswich, Geditz 15 tackles, Shay Knust 11 tackles, Hettich 8 tackles; Philip, Tel Gropper 8.5 tackles, Teagan Gropper 6.5 tackles, Gabriel 4.5 tackles.
Wall 41, Castlewood 0
Castlewood (8-2) 0 0 0 – 0
Wall (10-0) 13 22 6 – 41
Wall stats not reported
Game ended in third quarter due to injuries
OFFENSE: Castlewood, rushing 25-68 (Kamden Keszler 14-72), passing 2-9 for 55 (Keszler 1-6 for 37, Logan McMillan 1-3 for 18), receiving (Leonard Wernke 1-37, Caden Schlapkohl 1-18), first downs 4.
DEFENSE: Castlewood, Yader Munoz 8 tackles, Wernke 7 tackles.
Colman-Egan 24, Herreid-Selby Area 14
Herreid-Selby Area (7-3) 0 0 8 6 – 14
Colman-Egan (7-3) 0 6 6 12 – 24
CE – Hayden Pearson 4 run.
HSA – Portger Gregg 3 run (Kaden Russell run).
CE – Pearson 29 run.
CE – Pearson 7 run.
HSA – Thatcher Kihne 11 run.
CE – Rhyder Behnke 18 pass from Zach Pederson.
OFFENSE: Herreid-Selby Area, rushing 27-99 (Gregg 15-55, Kihne 6-33), passing (Kihne 5-21-1 for 73), receiving (Adonnis Mills 1-25, Russell 1-20, Jared Weisbeck 1-17, Houson Hauge 1-10); Colman-Egan stats not reported.
DEFENSE: Herreid-Selby Area, Russell 13 tackles 1 TFL, Hauge 13 tackles 1 TFL, Weisbeck 12 tackles 2 TFL 1 INT, Luke Fiedler 10 tackles, Tyson Schumacher 9 tackles, Kaleb Claymore 9 tackles, Gregg 9 tackles 1 TFL.
Clark-Willow Lake 30, Winner 12
Winner (6-5) 6 0 6 0 – 12
Clark-Willow Lake (9-1) 0 6 16 8 – 30
W – Quincy Phillips 1 run.
CWL – Talen Huber 10 pass from Joey Ries.
W – Camdyn Anderson 3 run.
CWL – Lincoln Reidburn 56 pass from Ries (Emmerson Larson run).
CWL – Ries 6 run (Jakob Steen run).
CWL – Steen 20 run (Reidburn pass from Larson).
OFFENSE: Winner, rushing 31-136 (Anderson 6-48, Zack Olson 9-40, Ryken Orel 6-25), passing 4-8 for 13 (Phillips 3-8 for 13), receiving (Carter McKenzie 3-13), first downs 8; Clark-Willow Lake, rushing 39-124 (Larson 19-68, Steen 14-45), passing 11-17 for 175 (Ries 10-16 for 172), receiving (Reidburn 5-92, Larson 2-48), first downs 10.
DEFENSE: Winner, Derek Fanenga 12 tackles, Seth Heath 11 tackles; Clark-Willow Lake, Steen 9 tackles 1 INT, Huber 8 tackles, Larson INT, Damian Severson 2 fumble recoveries.
