PIERRE, S.D. — The Pierre Governors, the defending state class 11AA champions, were stymied through three and a half quarters and needed two late touchdowns to defeat the Sturgis Scoopers on Saturday evening at Hollister Field.
It was a defensive battle in the first half and the first quarter ended scoreless.
Pierre struck first with 2:35 left before half, as defensive end De’Andre Berndt picked off an attempted screen pass from Scooper quarterback Owen Cass. Berndt took the ball 34-yards untouched into the end zone for the first score of the ball game. Cole Peterson’s kick was good and Pierre led 7-0 at halftime.
Pierre couldn’t move the football during their first series of the second half and had to punt, giving Sturgis the football on their own 19-yard line. The Scooper offense moved the ball methodically down the field in nine plays, with running back Konner Berndt scoring from 34-yards out to put Sturgis on the scoreboard. Dominik Smith’s kick was blocked and Pierre led 7-6 with 7:00 left in the third quarter.
The score remained 7-6 until quarterback Lincoln Kienholz knew his Governor football team needed a boost midway through the fourth quarter. Kienholz led his offense with his legs, gaining 36-yards in three plays on the ground, culminating in an 18-yard touchdown run through the right side of his line to give Pierre a 14-6 lead with 7:46 left to play.
Sturgis pulled a bevy of trick plays out of the offensive playbook to get back in the game but couldn’t get the ball across the goal line. Kienholz added a 4-yard touchdown run with under four minutes to play to seal the win.
The Govs (2-1), finished with 285 total yards of offense, led by Kienholz, who threw for 226-yards and ran for another 35-yards and two scores. Cade Kaiser and Jack Merkwan both caught two balls for the Govs, for 40 and 43 yards respectively. Pierre had two turnovers and nine penalties for 70-yards.
Sturgis (0-3), had 207 total yards, with 134-yards through the air and 73-yards rushing. Owen Cass completed 17 passes on 33 attempts with two interceptions. Konner Berndt carried the ball 19 times for 86-yards and a touchdown. Braden Temple caught six balls for 63-yards, Hunter Harrison snagged five balls for 37-yards with Tyan Buus catching three for nine yards. Sturgis had two turnovers, both interceptions, and had six penalties for 60-yards.
Sturgis hosts Spearfish at Woodle Field on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6pm.
