ABERDEEN, SD – The Aberdeen Central Golden Eagles used a punishing ground game to defeat the Scoopers, 24-14, at the Brownell Athletic Complex on Saturday evening.
The Golden Eagle players had a different look as they wore camouflage jerseys, provided by the South Dakota Army National Guard in honor of Military Appreciation Night.
Sturgis came into the game averaging 320 yards of offense per game and looked to stay unbeaten. The Scoopers put together a solid opening drive, marching the ball from their own 39-yard line into the red zone but were stalled by the Aberdeen Central defense. A Sully Jost 31-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right, giving Aberdeen Central the ball at their own 20-yard line.
Neither team put any points on the board in the first quarter. Aberdeen Central struck first on a 19-yard touchdown run by Austin Erickson with 11:17 left in the second quarter to put the Golden Eagles up 7-0.
Second year head coach Justin Briese surprised the Scoopers on the ensuing kickoff, executing a perfect onside kick and recovering the ball on the Scooper 49-yard line. The Golden Eagle drive stalled after a Parker Lemer pass was picked off by Dawson Inhofer, who returned the ball to the Aberdeen Central 30-yard line.
The Scoopers put together a six play, 70-yard drive that ended in a five-yard TD pass from Aiden Hedderman to Jadon Blair. Jost’s kick was good, tying the game at 7-7 with 5:07 left before halftime.
It looked as if the score would remain tied at the half until the Golden Eagles blocked a Scooper punt, recovering the ball at the Sturgis five-yard line. Lemer ran the ball into the end zone on the next play, giving Aberdeen Central a 14-7 lead at the half.
The Golden Eagles offense dominated time of possession in the second half, using a ground and pound strategy to wear down the Scooper defense. Aberdeen Central put together a methodical 18 play, 70-yard drive on their first series in the third quarter that ended with an Avery Ligon two-yard TD run, giving the Golden Eagles a 21-7 lead. The drive took 8:55 off the clock.
Sturgis cut into the Aberdeen Central lead midway through the fourth quarter when Hedderman broke off a 67-yard TD run right through the defense. The score, with 8:26 left in the game, gave the Scoopers some hope as time ticked away. The Golden Eagles led 21-14 and took over at their own 39 following the Sturgis kickoff.
Another time consuming drive by Aberdeen Central chewed up the clock, culminating in a 33-yd field goal by Cordel Rychlik to give the Golden Eagles a 24-14 lead with 2:43 left. The Scoopers turned the ball over on downs on their final series and Aberdeen Central killed the last 1:50 off the clock to secure the win.
The Golden Eagles (1-2) finished with 307 yards of total offense and were led by Ligon, who carried the ball 29 times for 194 yards and a touchdown. Aberdeen Central had 10 penalties for 60 yards and one turnover.
Sturgis (2-1) had 273 yards of offense. The Scoopers had 200 yards rushing on 18 carries and Hedderman was 8-of-15 passing for 73 yards. Hedderman had 13 carries for 137 yards and a touchdown. Sturgis had no turnovers and six penalties for 60 yards.
The Scoopers are on the road again next Friday as they travel to Huron to take on the 1-2 Tigers.
