The Aberdeen Roncalli Cavaliers reset the narrative on Friday night at Dacotah Bank Stadium, delivering a dominant 21-0 shutout non-conference football victory over Flandreau behind a stifling defensive effort and timely offensive plays. The win snapped a 344-day drought for the program, marking its first victory since last September and setting a physical, relentless tone for the rest of the season.
“It’s been 344 days since we won a game,” said Roncalli coach Billy Young. “Getting that first one, getting some momentum, and getting a shutout on top of that as well. … Our program history has been built on defense. You go back 10, 20, 30 years, and it’s always been about our defense and what we’ve got. And we have a picture for every shutout we have in history in our school.”
That defensive lineage showed up early and often, fueled by a sharp shift in mindset across the roster.
“We’re tired of being the butt end of jokes,” said defensive leader John Anthony Thomas. “We came out with some intensity, and I think that’s really what changed the game this week. These guys have worked so hard this offseason.”
Thomas terrorized the backfield all night, racking up multiple sacks and tackles for loss. Credit for the defensive surge, according to Thomas, went straight to the coaching staff.
“Coach (Jeff) Larson lit a fire under us, and I think that’s just what really drove me this week,” Thomas said.
His defining moment came on a second-quarter turnover where he adjusted at the line before picking off a pass and returning it over 20 yards to set up prime field position.
“Right place, right time, I guess,” Thomas said.
Offensively, quarterback Austin Fisher anchored the passing attack, completing 6-of-11 attempts for 92 yards and a touchdown while adding 29 yards on six carries. Fisher’s biggest strike went to Ian Kramer for a 38-yard touchdown, while receiver Brock Bowman added a key 31-yard reception downfield.
Tailback Will Haskell handled the heavy lifting on the ground, punching in two rushing touchdowns with 53 yards on 10 carries alongside two catches for 18 yards. Haskell gave immediate credit to the trenches for setting the tempo.
“It definitely feels good. It boosts your confidence in your team knowing that you can throw some boys around and you’re not always the one being thrown around,” Haskell said, deflecting the praise upfront. “The blocking was great up front and all the respect goes to them.”
Haskell also pointed to the defense’s ability to lock down when the field shrunk as the turning point for game control.
“Getting stops in the red zone destroys the opposing team’s confidence,” Haskell noted, adding that the physical win sets the table for what lies ahead. “Heading into next week, we can square up against a tough opponent and throw some punches at them as well.”
Despite controlling the scoreboard from start to finish, Coach Young emphasized that execution must remain sharp as the Cavaliers prepare to hit the road next week against Clark-Willow Lake on Friday.
“Hopefully this won’t be the last one, but I was really happy with how we played defensively,” Young noted. “We have some things we have to clean up offensively. I think we left some points on the field again this week, just like last week, but we played good enough to win. Down the road, mistakes like that are going to cost us.”
With senior leadership pushing a young core, the Cavaliers are treating this shutout as a foundational step toward bigger post-season goals.
“It’s hard, especially for the seniors, knowing that their time is running out,” Young said. “This is a really young team, but those seniors know that their time is dwindling, so they’re highly motivated and pushing those younger guys because they’re depending on them. We need probably to win four games to get in the playoffs, and there are some winnable games in our schedule, but we’ve got a tough one next week.”
Aberdeen Roncalli (2-0) 7 0 14 0 – 21
Flandreau (0-2) 0 0 0 0 – 0
AR – Ian Kramer 31 pass from Austin Fisher (Caleb Stoks kick).
AR – Will Haskell 28 run (Stoks kick).
AR – Haskell 2 run.
OFFENSE: Aberdeen Roncalli rushing 18-80 (Will Haskell 10-53, Austin Fisher 6-29), passing, 6-11 for 92 (Fisher 6-11 for 92); receiving (Kramer 1-38, Haskell 2-18).
