SPEARFISH – Aberdeen Central did everything it could to make it interesting Friday night, including a dramatic last-second touchdown to end the first half, and a turnover and score late in the second half, but could not find a way to scrap its way past Spearfish in Class 11AA football action, falling 28-20 to the Spartans.
Central came into Friday’s contest looking for its first win of the season and very nearly pulled it off. The Golden Eagles scored the game’s first touchdown on a Jackson Berry keeper early in the first quarter, sparking what proved to be a back-and-forth first half.
“We came out with a good fight,” said Central coach Justin Briese. “The guys were ready to go once we got off the bus, and we made some plays right away. … It was good to see our guys fight and compete.”
Spearfish countered with a touchdown of its own later in the quarter, then took the lead on a 73-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter.
The Spartans appeared to be in control with time winding down in the second quarter, but the Golden Eagles squeezed in one final play in the half and made it count. Berry found Paden Appl on 4th-and-goal and Appl found the end zone through at least two broken tackles to tie the game heading into the break.
“That was really big,” Briese said. “That catapulted and kept our energy going through halftime and into the second half. We were down 14-7 and get a score there late, then we get the ball to start the second half.”
The second half was another back-and-forth affair, only this time with punts and penalties until the Spartans broke free late in the third quarter with a 59-yard run by Graham Huges that put Spearfish in front, ultimately, for good.
That score came on the heels of a penalty-ridden Golden Eagle drive in which Central had a touchdown called back because of a penalty. Central ultimately turned the ball over on downs on that drive, then turned it over again on the ensuing drive, leading to the go-ahead score by Spearfish.
Briese noted that it was difficult to settle into a normal game-time rhythm in Friday’s contest due to the volume of penalties called against both teams.
“(The game) just kept stopping,” he said. “It was hard to get a rhythm going. You’d have a big play and there was a penalty.”
The Spartans added what appeared to be an insurance touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a Thomas Huges keeper from 10 yards out with just under four minutes to play.
Central, however, was not willing to cede the game yet. The Golden Eagles took advantage of a bad Spearfish snap to set themselves up nicely in Spartan territory. Berry then found Owen Ward for another catch-and-run touchdown with 1:15 to play.
That, however, is where Central’s good fortune fell flat. The point-after kick was blocked and the onside kick was unsuccessful and the Spartans ran out the clock on their fifth win of the season.
Central will wrap up its season next Thursday at Brookings.
“We always talk about taking steps forward,” Briese said. “Scoreboard might not always show it, but I thought as a team we took a step forward tonight.”
