HURON, SD – The Sturgis Scooper football team led 21-6 after three quarters but lost offensive momentum in the final quarter and lost to the Huron Tigers 28-27 in overtime on Friday night at Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff was pushed back by one hour because the Scooper bus broke down just east of Wall on I-90 en route to Huron.
The game was marred by more than two dozen penalties and six turnovers between both teams on Homecoming night for the Tigers.
Sturgis scored first on a 57-yard touchdown run by Sully Jost with 4:19 left in second quarter and led 7-0.
Huron scored with just :10 seconds left before halftime as Tiger quarterback Colton McNeil found Anderson Porisch on a 25-yard touchdown pass. The kick was no good and Sturgis led 7-6 at intermission.
The Scoopers hit pay dirt on their first possession of the second half as Jost scampered into the end zone from 29-yards out, giving Sturgis a 14-6 lead. Jost did it again on the Scooper’s next possession, scoring on a 14-yard run and extending the Sturgis lead to 21-6 late in the third quarter.
Huron then exploited their size advantage in their wide receivers early in the fourth when McNeil found the 6’5” Porisch in man coverage with a smaller Scooper defensive back, and threw it high downfield for a 42-yard touchdown. The kick was good and Sturgis led Huron, 21-13 with 11:15 left in the game.
The Tigers used the same tactic with 4:26 left as McNeil hit his 6’9” wide receiver Blake Ellwein with a perfect pass to the back corner of the end zone, then Mason Jurgens caught the two-point conversion to tie the game at 21.
Neither team could score again in regulation and the game went into overtime.
Huron had the first possession in OT and Ellwein scored again, this time on a 10-yard toss from McNeil. The kick was good and Huron led Sturgis, 28-21.
Sturgis set up a Wildcat formation, with a direct snap to Jost, for their first possession in OT. Jost scored on third down and two, making the score 28-27, and Scooper head coach Chris Koletzky decided to go for the two-point conversion and the win. But the Tiger defense stopped Jost on the one-yard line to escape with a one point overtime win.
Huron (1-3) finished with 341 yards of total offense. Tiger quarterback McNeil completed 17 passes in 35 attempts for 288 yards and four scores. Porisch caught eight balls for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Ellwein had four catches for 53 yards and two scores. Huron had four turnovers, two fumbles and two interceptions, all in the first half, and 13 penalties for 85 yards.
Sturgis (2-2) had 339 yards of offense, with 15 yards passing and 324 yards rushing. Jost finished with 26 carries for 269 yards and four scores. The Scoopers had two turnovers, a fumble in the second quarter and an interception in the third. Sturgis was penalized 14 times for 175 yards.
The Scoopers host Aberdeen Central for their homecoming game next Friday night at Woodle Field.
