By Bob Bakken
MaxPreps.com
Football: State Champions Crowned at Dakota Dome
Six teams became state champions under the Dakota Dome roof in Vermillion at the University of South Dakota last weekend.
Two of the championship games went down to the final seconds before being settled.
Roosevelt held off cross-town rival Washington 28-24 in an all-Sioux Falls battle for the Class 11-AA championship. David Sturdevant was stellar again for the RoughRiders, as he carried for 233 yards on 36 carries and two touchdowns in the championship victory.
As a team, Roosevelt set a state record by running the football 66 times for 353 yards and four touchdowns.
However, Roosevelt had to rally with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to come back from a 17-14 third-quarter Washington margin, with the winning score coming in the final quarter on a 27-yard run from `Rider running back Brock Bills with 26 seconds to play.
Scotland outscored top-seed Northwestern for the Class 9-A championship, 34-28. Mark Sayler ran for 223 yards on 21 carries to rally the Highlanders from a 28-20 deficit going into the final quarter. His three-yard touchdown run with seven seconds left was the difference in the game. Ben Borchard led Northwestern with 166 yards and three scores.
In other state championship action, West Central claimed the Class 11-A title over St. Thomas More 51-13.
West Central's Mike Galliger ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns in 27 carries, as WC broke the game open with 48 unanswered points after trailing 7-3 in the first quarter. West Central outgained St. Thomas More in the one-sided contest 390-71.
Third seed Tri-Valley defeated top-seed Gorton for the Class 11-B championship 20-14. Tri-Valley held off Groton in the second half after taking a 20-0 lead into the locker room at half-time. Groton's Austin Luecke led all rushers with 131 yards in 27 attempts, while Tyler Bergh paced Tri-Valley's running attack with 79 yards in 17 carries.
Tri-Valley was aided by Brennan Welbig's three completions in four attempts for 150 yards, and a touchdown. Bergh also threw a pass for another score. TV's Marty Peterson caught two passes for 89 yards and a touchdown, including one catch for 75 yards.
In nine-man football, the 9-AA champion was Emery/Ethan over Gregory 33-14. Gregory couldn't solve Emery/Ethan's Josh Endres, who ran for 240 yards and five touchdowns, breaking the old 9-AA record for points in a state championship game set by Mount Vernon's Chad Greenway.
Bo Bearshield led the Gregory attack with 98 yards on 20 carries and a score. Emery/Ethan took over the momentum in the game with 33 straight points after trailing 6-0 in the first quarter. It was the Seahawks' first state title since 2003.
The 9-B winner was Colome over top-seed Grant-Deuel 44-14. Colome scored 28 unanswered points in the second half after leading 16-14 at half-time. Derek Beck led the Colome attack with 176 yards on 19 attempts and a touchdown. Josh Sherman and Rob Cahoy also ran for touchdowns for Colome.
Sherman threw for 133 yards and a trio of touchdown passes. Both Grant-Deuel touchdowns came on pass completions from Dustin Johnson, who completed nine of 20 attempts with no interceptions.
Volleyball: State Finals Come to Sioux Falls
South Dakota's top prep volleyball teams come to the Sioux Falls Arena this weekend for the state championships.
In Class AA, the first round matchups will have top-seed and unbeaten Pierre Riggs against Huron and Aberdeen Central against Sioux Falls Roosevelt in the top bracket. Bottom bracket first round matches will have Sioux Falls Lincoln against Rapid City Stevens and Sioux Falls Washington takes on Yankton.
The Pierre-Huron match is one between conference rivals from the Eastern South Dakota Conference, where Pierre won both regular season encounters. Huron qualified for state with a five-set thriller in Rapid City against RC Central, with the final game score 17-15. The win avenged a regular season loss to the Cobblers that went to four games.
The Class A quarterfinal bracket looks like this: top-seed Milbank meets Platte-Geddes and St. Thomas More tangles with Miller in the top-bracket, while the lower half bracket will have Sisseton against Harrisburg and Sioux Falls Christian draws Parkston.
Meanwhile in Class B, it will be top-seed Arlington against Woonsocket and James Valley Christian against Chester Area in the top bracket, while the bottom half will have Phillip against Kimball and Warner meets Harding County.
James Valley Christian's Lady Vikings are in the state tournament for the first time in the seven years they have played the sport. Their regional championship win over Sully Buttes ended a string of six consecutive appearances at state and 17 of the last 18 years being on the state tournament stage by Chargers.
