BROOKINGS – Aberdeen Central capped its football season with a memorable finish.

The Golden Eagles scored 28 unanswered points to record their first win of the year with a 28-14 victory over Brookings in an Eastern South Dakota Conference contest Thursday night at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

“(The win) was huge,” said Central coach Justin Briese. “When we’re (winless) we try to get things going and when you don’t get wins, it makes it really hard to say I need more of you guys. … We came out and showed that when you put in that work and that effort, you’re going to get a win.”

Central started the game with the ball and after a punt, Brookings marched down the field and quarterback Cooper Drawdy connected with Hayden Jones on a slant to put the Bobcats up 7-0.

The teams traded scoreless possessions as the first quarter came to an end.

On Central’s third drive of the game, sophomore quarterback Jackson Berry was intercepted by a Brookings edge rusher to give the Bobcats the ball in Eagle territory.

The Bobcats pounced on the opportunity and running back Colten Walsh ran it in, putting Brookings on top 14-0.

Trailing by two scores, Central decided to think outside the box and run some wildcat offense, with running back Paden Appl taking the snaps. It worked to perfection as Appl took a carry 43 yards down the sideline and into the end zone to cut the deficit in half.

“I was really hyped while it was happening,” Appl said. “I was worried that a guy was going to come and get me, but I just turned on the wheels and got him. That was pretty surreal.”

Briese talked about the offensive strategy behind the wildcat.

“When we put an extra guy in the backfield as a blocker opposed to handing the ball off, we just add to the mix that we want to do,” Briese said. “Let’s just put our best guys out there and let our offensive line do what they do, and our big running backs do their job and block guys as well.”

On the following kickoff after the touchdown, Brookings muffed the kick and it was recovered by the Golden Eagles, putting them in prime scoring position.

Facing a third-and-nine, Berry dropped back and found senior receiver Gary Wade for a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 heading into the half.

“It was fun,” Wade said. “I didn’t even know I was wide open. They told me I was wide open. But it was fun. I loved this game.”

On the opening Bobcat drive of the second half, Brookings faced a third-and-17 when Central senior Noah Harrison sacked the quarterback to force fourth down. The Golden Eagles blocked the punt, giving their offense the ball at the Brookings 46-yard line.

After a three-yard gain on the first play of the drive, Appl once again ripped off a big play, taking the ball 42 yards to the one-yard line. On the next play, senior Owen Ward took the snap and powered in for the score.

The Golden Eagles then tacked on another touchdown in the final quarter to secure the victory.

After a drive full of runs that moved the chains, Central had second-and-10 from the 11-yard line. Appl took the snap out of an empty backfield and, after running towards the sideline, flipped it to senior receiver Carter Lust on a reverse. Lust got the ball and found the end zone to put his team up 28-14 and ice Central’s first victory.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Appl said. We’ve been struggling all year to finish a game. … We’ve been close with a lot of the bigger teams for a quarter or a half and then one bad play kills us. We kept the hype all game and it was great to watch.”

Even though it may not have been the season the team wanted, Briese was proud of his team’s fight.

“We get put down a little bit and we keep fighting,” Briese said. “Give our kids a ton of credit. Thank them for all their hard work throughout the entire season, especially our seniors.”

For senior Wade, it was just how he wanted to go out as a Golden Eagle.

“I’m just glad we got a win,” Wade said. “We were 0-8 and I just wanted to go out here and get a win. It’s really fun.”

Aberdeen Central (1-8) 0 14 7 7 – 28

Brookings (0-9) 7 7 0 0 – 14

B – Hayden Jones pass from Cooper Drawdy (kick good).

B – Colten Walsh run (kick good).

AC – Paden Appl 43 run (Colton Hanigan kick)

AC – Gary Wade pass from Jackson Berry (Hanigan kick).

AC – Owen Ward 1 run (Hanigan kick).

AC – Carter Lust 11 run (Hanigan kick).