The Pierre Governors are once again headed back to the Class 11AA State Championship game after a 39-13 win over Sturgis Friday night at Hollister Field. Jerren Deal threw for 257 yards and three long touchdowns and ran for another to lead the offensive attack. The Scoopers got off to a great start, though, receiving the opening kickoff and engineering a 16-play drive that took nine minutes before Gage West punched in the game’s first score from a yard out. Pierre responded with an up-tempo attack on their first possession and tied it up with an 8-yard run from Porter Hunsley.
Both defenses held up through the second quarter until the Governors denied Sturgis on fourth down at the 10-yard line with under a minute to play before halftime. Then, as they have done so many times before, the Govs struck quickly with a 65-yard touchdown strike from Deal to Carter Schiefelbein for a 13-7 halftime lead. Pierre missed a field goal on their opening drive of the second half, but Deal found Porter Hunsley for an 83-yard touchdown pass on their next opportunity. A 47-yard touchdown grab from Hudson Stoeser and a 50-yard scramble from Deal followed, as the Govs put the game out of reach by the end of the third quarter.
Hayden Northrup added a 23-yard insurance score in the fourth, and the Scoopers got one final scoring run from Garrett Rohloff. The Scoopers showed early what the recipe is for playing the unbeaten Governors, but the Govs again demonstrated how difficult it is to keep them down for extended periods of time. Sturgis had won six straight, but their season ends with a 7-4 mark.
Here’s Steve Steele after the win:
Pierre will take their 11-0 record to the USD DakotaDome in Vermillion to battle the Watertown Arrows for the championship Friday night at 7:30. The Arrows, who beat the Governors, 14-13, two seasons ago in the Dome, won at Yankton for the second time this season, 35-25. Pierre will make their tenth straight appearance in the championship. They have won eight of the previous nine, including last season and a record seven straight titles from 2017-2023. Coverage of the championship will begin at 6:45 Friday night, with video streaming available at https://drgnews.com/river. Parking and ticketing information for the State Championship below:
1. All Seats Are General Admission
2. Ticket Prices: Tickets for the South Dakota High School Football Championships will go on-sale on Monday, November 9th at 10:00 a.m. on GoYotes.com/Tickets or over the phone at 605-677-5959.
3. Student Sections will be “C” & “P”
4. $15.00 for Adults $10.00 for students
There will be a service charge of $3.00 for all online orders.
5. Suites/Loge: Suites and Loges are also available to purchase. Suites are $750 and Loges are $500 per session. Please contact the Coyote Ticket Office at 605-677-5959 or email us at tickets@usd.edu for more information.
7. Parking Map: There will be a $5.00 charge for Yellow Lot Parking. This must be in CASH!
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