Steve Steele has proven it is very difficult to beat one of his teams twice in one season. The Yankton Bucks beat the Governors 35-28 midway through the regular season, but Pierre has had good success in the playoffs against teams they fell to in earlier games.
The first quarter was a flurry of action with both teams going back and forth scoring touchdowns. Porter Hunsley found success scoring the games first points, but was quickly answered on the ensuing kickoff by Tegan Lacroix. Pierre answering almost just as quickly with a 78-yard pass from Jerren Deal to Carter Schiefelbein.
Pierre extended their lead to 21-6, but a touchdown and two-point conversion made it a seven point ballgame. However, a running theme of the night would continue as Pierre would stretch out their lead even further.
One of the plays that helped swing the momentum the direction of the Govs was in the final seconds of the first half when Pierre had time for just one final play. Deal scrambled out and heaved a bomb towards the end zone where he found Cooper Terwilliger at the five yard line. Terwilliger used his strength to not only come down with the catch, but also power his way into the end zone with Bucks draped all over his back.
The Bucks seemed to always have an answer for Pierre scores, but the Govs were keen on staying ahead. Jerren Deal played an outstanding game, however, he got a lot of help from those surrounding him. Cooper Terwilliger made a couple acrobatic catches, Porter Hunsley contributed a lot on the ground, Carter Schiefelebein made multiple huge plays on offense and special teams including a kick return TD, and Deal’s offensive line kept him upright for most of the contest.
The Govs would continue to pad their lead, relying on their defense to hold a potent Yankton offense as long as possible, and one of the most impressive plays of the game came in the form of a one handed interception to all but seal the deal for Pierre. With Yankton in the red zone and his back to the play, Hudson Stoesser made a reverse, one-handed pick that could only be described as immaculate.
The Govs would earn the State Championship win with a final score of 56-35, their 8th in 9 seasons. This concludes the Friday championship schedule with just two games remaining. Lennox and Sioux Falls Christian will face off tomorrow at noon and Brandon Valley and Sioux Falls Lincoln will close out the weekend at 5:00 PM CT.
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