Brandon Valley is going after back-to-back state titles, while O’Gorman seeks its first since 2005.
The storylines start there tonight at Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings for the Class 11AAA championship, which you can hear on KWSN, 98.1 FM, 1230-AM, KWSN.COM and the free KWSN mobile app.
The Lynx beat the Knights 40-16 in O’Gorman’s grand “Dakota Bowl” in the second game of the season in September. While it is easy to say both teams are different from way back then, BV has beaten OG by an average score of 34-15 in the teams’ last three meetings.
The Knights are in the final for the first time since 2015, when Steve Keuter lost his final game after 34 years in the saddle as O’G coach, which included 7 state titles and 13 trips to the Dome, and 289 wins, the most ever by a coach in South Dakota history until Roosevelt’s Kim Nelson eclipsed him this season.
Washington beat O’G that day, the first of three consecutive state titles for the Warriors, which was snapped by the Lynx 28-22 in the final last year. BV beat the Warriors 52-13 in last week’s semifinals.
BV is in the final for the third time in four seasons. Quarterback Thomas Scholten (26 touchdowns to 1 interception) and running back Tate Johnson (over 100 yards per game and 6 yards per carry) lead beefy offense that includes downfield receiving threat Jackson Hilton, who also is a pick-6 threat on defense.
The Lynx have the advantage up front, a big reason for their recent domination of the Knights, who will counter with a fast defense and spread offense that scores 34 points per game behind running back Tate Wishard (105 yards per game, 5.5 yards per carry) and quarterback Teegan Schlemgen, who distributes to playmakers like Zach Norton and Connor Pavelko, who two weeks ago in a quarterfinal win caught a pass from Norton and ran 96 yards for the longest play in O’G’s rich football history.
Pavelko may also play a major role in the kicking game. He is 8 for 11 on field goals this year, nailing all 5 attempts between 40-49 yards and a 51-yarder. He booted three field goals in the 24-21 semifinal win over Roosevelt, including a 47-yarder with 5:00 left that turned out to be the difference.
