BRITTON – Britton-Hecla scored a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining to claim a 24-20 win over Sioux Falls Lutheran in Class 9AA playoff football action on Thursday night.
After the Eagles had scored with 2:11 left in the contest, Britton-Hecla drove down the field and produced the game-winning score when Jace Rein fired a 17-yard pass to Nathan Folkman in the closing seconds.
It was the second TD connection between the duo as Rein hit Folkman for a 19-yard touchdown in the opening quarter. Ben Suther opened the scoring on a short run as the hosts built a 14-point advantage.
Lutheran battled back to tie the score before Lofton Heer kicked a 23-yard field goal with 6:09 left in the game to put the Braves back on top.
The Eagles then received a 30-yard touchdown run from Rowen Becker to set the stage for the dramatic finish from the Braves.
Rein passed for 138 yards, while Folkman had six receptions for 79 yards. Suther led Britton-Hecla with 110 yards rushing.
Becker topped Lutheran with 172 yards passing and also rushed for 64 yards and a pair of scores. Cooper Ovenden led with Eagles with 78 yards rushing and scored the team’s other TD.
Britton-Hecla, 9-1 on the season, travels to Parkston next Friday to take on the top-seeded unbeaten Trojans in the semifinals.
Sioux Falls Lutheran (7-3) 8 6 0 6 – 20
Britton-Hecla (9-1) 14 0 3 7 – 24
BH – Ben Suther 3 run (Lofton Heer kick).
BH – Nathan Folkman 19 pass from Rein (Heer kick).
SFL – Cooper Ovenden 41 run (Abbott Moeller pass from Rowen Becker).
SFL – Becker 34 run.
BH – Heer 23 field goal.
SFL – Becker 30 run.
BH – Folkman 17 pass from Rein (Heer kick).
OFFENSE: Sioux Falls Lutheran rushing (Ovenden 11-78, Becker 15-64), passing 15-22 for 172 (Becker 15-22 for 172), receiving (Moeller 8-106, Brayden Wille 3-34, Owen Glister 2-31); Britton-Hecla rushing (Suther 23-110, Rein 16-42), passing 14-22-1 for 138 (Rein 14-21-1 for 138, Suther 0-1-0 for 0), receiving (Folkman 6-79, Jack Teveldal 4-42, Mitchell Burger 3-13, Suther 1-4).
DEFENSE: Sioux Falls Lutheran, Simeon Ovenden 10.5 tackles, Moeller 8 tackles, Callum Ovenden 8 tackles, Wille 5.5 tackles and 1 INT, Jakob Stubkjaer 5 tackles; Britton-Hecla, Suther 6 tackles, Colton Chapin 5.5 tackles, Rein 5 tackles, Nathan Schuller 4 tackles.
