RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Mobridge-Pollock Tigers came up short in their season kickoff against the defending state champion St. Thomas More Cavaliers 41-6 on Friday Night at Cavalier Field. It was a rusty start to the game for the Tigers as they went down early, and while they played a much better second half, it wasn’t enough to take down St. Thomas More.
Both teams entered the season with questions on offense. St. Thomas More quickly answered theirs, as Joseph Giacometto, Zander Zandstra, and Quan Harper stepped up in the run game. Harper also made an impact defensively with a fumble recovery touchdown. For Mobridge-Pollock, Easton Eisemann took over at quarterback and grew more comfortable as the game progressed. Kale Knudson was a bright spot, recording the Tigers’ first interception and first touchdown reception on a corner route.
Junior quarterback Noah Wald was the biggest certainty for St. Thomas More, looking sharp through the air while adding an impressive rushing touchdown. His performance earned him Burger King Player of the Game honors.
St. Thomas More struck first on its opening drive when Wald connected with Cooper Sales for a 34-yard touchdown, making it 7-0. The Tigers struggled early, and an Eisemann fumble was recovered by Harper and returned for a touchdown. A botched punt snap led to another Mobridge-Pollock turnover, helping the Cavaliers take a 28-0 lead into halftime.
Mobridge-Pollock came out much improved after halftime, playing with more confidence on both sides of the ball. Knudson sparked the Tigers with an interception and big return before later catching their first touchdown of the season. St. Thomas More continued to succeed through the air, including a 58-yard touchdown pass to Sales. The Cavaliers won 41-6, but Mobridge-Pollock showed clear improvement after halftime, with St. Thomas More outscoring the Tigers only 13-6 in the second half.
Mobridge-Pollock will look to get into the win column when they travel south to take on the Mt. Vernon/Plankinton Titans, next Friday, August 28th, kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. CST.
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