RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Sturgis Scooper football team scored on their first two possessions and rolled to a 38-0 shellacking of the Rapid City Central Cobblers at the 2022 Rushmore Bowl at O’Harra Stadium.
It was the first opening night win for the Scoopers since 2017 and their first victory over the Cobblers since 2010.
“I’m not surprised at our offensive explosion,” said Sturgis head coach Chris Koletzky. “I’ve seen it in practice. We split up our boys and they get really competitive, and our offense has been really hard to stop. It’s good to see that our offense comes out and those guys have a night like that.”
The Scoopers had the Cobblers on their heels during their first possession. Senior quarterback Owen Cass came out firing, marching the Scoopers 67-yards downfield to the Central two-yard line. Sturgis couldn’t get the ball across the goal line and settled for a 19-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Elliot Smith to lead 3-0 with 7:29 left in the first quarter.
The Scooper defense held Central on their first possession, forcing the Cobblers to punt, pinning Sturgis back on their own five-yard line. Cass found junior wideout Tyan Buus with a quick slant on the first play from scrimmage and Buus did the rest, outrunning the Central secondary for a 95-yard touchdown. Cass’s two-point conversion pass to Jake Vliem was successful, and Sturgis led 11-0 with 4:15 left in the first.
The Scoopers struck again with 10:19 left before halftime, as Cass found Buus down the middle with a perfectly placed throw. This time, Buus fought off one defender and stiff armed the other, spinning his way 57-yards downfield for his second touchdown reception. Smith’s extra point kick was good and Sturgis led Central 18-0.
Cobbler quarterback Ryan Wetch broke a bone in his elbow in fall practice and it showed early during the game, affecting his throws downfield. The Scooper defense held Central on their next possession, forcing the Cobblers to punt. Sturgis took over on their own 15-yard line. Two plays later, Cass found H-back Reece Jacobs down the middle and Jacobs turned a short reception into a 36-yard gain, moving the ball to the Rapid City 29-yard line. The Cass-Buus connection was clicking again on the fifth play of the drive for Sturgis, as Cass hit Buus with a 12-yard touchdown pass. Smith converted the extra point to give Sturgis a commanding 25-0 lead just before half.
But the Scoopers weren’t done.
After an Owen Cass pooch punt pinned Central at their own four-yard line, Wetch attempted a short pass down the middle that was picked off by Jacobs at the nine-yard line. A Cobbler tackler tried to pull down Jacobs at the five, but the senior linebacker hopped on one foot, dragging the tackler into the end zone with :37 seconds before halftime for a Scooper touchdown. Smith’s kick was good and Sturgis led 32-0 at the half.
Central brought in freshman quarterback Riley Casey in the second half to replace Wetch, but the Scooper defense gave up no ground to the Cobblers, giving up just 49-yards of total offense in the second half. Sturgis had seven defensive starters returning from 2021 but Koletzky had his concerns about defense prior to the game.
“I was worried about our defense coming out tonight, because they had a tough time with our offense (in practice),” Koletzky said. “Our defense really stepped up. We were really worried about their run game and Central getting physical, but we did a great job with that.”
The Scoopers added one more score, a two-yard touchdown strike from Cass to Gavin Lightenberg with 3:56 left in the third quarter to give Sturgis a 38-0 lead. The touchdown brought the mercy rule into effect, as the remainder of the game had a running clock. Koletzky brought in his second-string offense to finish out the game in the fourth quarter and secured the win.
The Scoopers (1-0) finished with 402 yards of total offense, 16 yards on the ground and 386 through the air. Cass was 18-of-28 for 378 yards and threw for four touchdowns. Buus caught seven balls for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Jacobs, in his first game at H-back, caught four passes for 82 yards. Sturgis had four penalties for 40 yards and gave up just one turnover, a late interception in the fourth quarter.
Rapid City Central (0-1) tallied 143 yards of total offense. Central had 22 rushes for 62 yards and 81 yards passing. Sawyer Saucerman had 11 carries for 36 yards for the Cobblers. Central had nine penalties for 95 yards and two turnovers, both interceptions.
Rapid City Stevens defeated Sioux Falls Washington in game one of the Rushmore Bowl, 26-21.
Sturgis travels to Mitchell to take on the Kernals next Saturday at Joe Quintal Field in the Kernal Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 5pm Mountain time.
