High school football roundup: Roncalli moves past Redfield 30-6, Central pounds Mitchell

The outcome turned out to be lopsided, but it took a little bit for Aberdeen Roncalli to ignite its offense Friday night during its homecoming game at Swisher Field.

The end result was a 30-6 victory as the Cavaliers improved to 4-0.

After marching down the field in the game’s opening drive, the Cavaliers faced stiff blocks from Redfield’s defense that prevented a touchdown. They eventually settled for a 31-yard field goal from quarterback/kicker Jackson Isakson and held the slight lead for the rest of the quarter. 

But when things started to look quiet on both ends, the defenses came alive to flip the script in the first half. Redfield defensive back Keaton Rohlfs disrupted a nearly successful drive by Roncalli in the end zone in the second quarter. But before Redfield could make something of the break, defensive Roncalli lineman Brenden Livermont forced a fumble and popped it over to safety Matthew Martinez for an 11-yard touchdown with 10:09 left before halftime.

“We weren’t hitting on all cylinders yet offensively, and I think that gave us the spark and gave us momentum. Their heads dropped a little bit and we were able to take advantage of it,” Roncalli head coach Billy Young said. 

Once they broke through for the first time, finding the end zone became easier for Cavs as they rolled the rest of the way.

The Cavaliers showed off their depth with five different players scoring touchdowns. Isakson threw for two scores, including the back-to-back passing touchdowns to Austin Meyers and Josh Schaunaman to give Roncalli a 24-0 advantage going into the intermission. 

Maddox May’s return on the field after dealing with a hamstring issue brought new energy to the defense as he slid right back into his role at linebacker.  

“He does a lot down in the middle on that defense and takes the pressure off our defensive line,” Young said. 

May saw some action at running back as well, but was limited to mostly defense to not rush his recovery. With an upcoming bye week, he could potentially return to the offense in the matchup against Groton on Sept. 24.

Redfield found success in the third quarter on a run by Mason Whitley. When The Pheasants tried for the two-point conversion, however, Roncalli shut the door when Schaunaman sacked Easton Millar. Whitley seemingly got revenge at the end of the fourth quarter when he intercepted Isakson for a 46-yard return. But Redfield struggled to convert on the momentum swing and couldn't score.

By the time Roncalli wide receiver Ben Rohl scored a 29-yard touchdown with 3:43 left, the Cavaliers were getting ready to close out the promising first half of the season. Isakson had 84 passing yards on two touchdowns. Abe Kretchman carried most of the load in the run game with 81 yards. 

For Redfield, Millar threw for 150 yards with one touchdown. Keaton Rohlfs had 53 yards receiving.

The effort in Friday’s game not only pleased Young, but showed off the team's work ethic. 

“That’s kind of the key to our offense. You have to keep chipping away, you can’t abandon it if it doesn’t go well the first time. We have to keep hammering it and eventually, the dam will break and you’ll pick some yards up,” Young said. 

Around the area

Aberdeen Central 33, Mitchell 14 — Sam Rohlfs threw for 153 yards and three touchdowns on five completions, along with a 34-yard rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Jacob Merxbauer led with two touchdowns on 98 yards and one rushing touchdown. Drew Salfrank had a 45-yard touchdown from Rohlfs in the second quarter. Collin Huff had ten tackles, including seven solo stops.

Groton 20, Deuel 14 — Groton quarterback Kaden Kurtz passed for 155 yards and two scores as Groton moved to 3-1 on the season. Kurtz also added 64 rushing yards with a 21-yard touchdown run. Favian Sanchez caught a 13-yard pass from Kurtz, while Jackson Cogley caught a 23-yard pass for the other touchdowns in the game. Sanchez also had one interception and three tackles.

Warner 47, North Central 0 — Warner quarterback Hunter Cramer threw two touchdowns for 108 yards on six completions, along with two rushing touchdowns on 87 yards and one receiving touchdown. Peyton Jung led with 58 yards and one touchdown, including a 24-yard pass from Cramer. Brody Sauerwein came in at quarterback for Warner and passed for 82 yards and two scores, including a 33-yard connection to Cramer. Devin Woosley led with 10 tackles.

Herreid/Selby Area 62, Sunshine Bible Academy 6 — Running back Trey Sayler rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Brenden Begeman added one rushing touchdown on 34 yards and one touchdown on an 80-yard reception. Trevor Sayler had three catches for 100 yards and one score. Quarterback Trey Hettick finished with 218 yards and two touchdowns. 

On defense, Begeman had two sacks and one forced fumble, along with two interceptions. Trevor Sayler led with eight tackles. 

Mobridge-Pollock 24, Clark/Willow Lake 16 — Holden Eisman rushed for 68 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 89 yards to lead the offense and James Fulkerson had 10 tackles to pace the defense in the win.

For the Cyclones, Trey Huber threw for 113 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 79 yards. 

West Central 33, Milbank 32 — Kaden Krause's 24-yard touchdown pass to Carter Bowsher in the fourth quarter pushed the Trojans past Milbank in a thriller. That score came after Milbank had scored 20 consecutive points to turn a 26-13 deficit into a 33-26 lead.

Krause threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns for WC, helping his team overcome a monster performance from the Bulldogs' Braden Dierickx. Dierickx had 10 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns, and his 60-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter gave Milbank the lead.

Gavin Koch threw for 216 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs, while Marshall Voeltz rushed for 52 yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans.

Potter County 44, Hitchcock-Tulare 38 — A 22-point third quarter pushed ahead Potter County as they went into the second half deadlocked at 24 with Hitchcock-Tulare. The Battlers received 221 rushing yards from quarterback Grant Luikens as he scored all six touchdowns in the game. The offense compiled 296 rushing yards as a team. Additionally, Luikens threw for 196 yards and went 3-for-5 on the two-point conversion. On defense, Luikens racked up 10 tackles. Cooper Logan had nine tackles and one interception.

For the Patriots, Erik Salmen rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Jack Boomsma threw for 284 yards and one touchdown, along with a rushing touchdown. Erik Salmen forced a fumble, while also adding seven solo tackles and eight assists. Landon Puffer caught for 166 yards on four receptions.

Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central 45, James River 6 — Carter Grohs rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries to lead the way for W/WS. Clay Olinger added 63 rushing yards while Hayden Beigh rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown. Blake Larson had 60 yards and a touchdown passing and also rushed for a score. Tryce Slykhuise had three catches for 60 yards and a touchdown. Olinger also had an interception on defense.

Britton-Hecla 42, Great Plains Lutheran 8 — Britton-Hecla quarterback Aidan Fredrickson rushed for 196 yards and five touchdowns, including an interception in the end zone off Great Plains Lutheran quarterback Jacob Bartels in the second quarter.

Britton-Hecla accumulated 248 rushing yards. Gage Storley led defense with 8.5 tackles, including seven solo. Fredrickson had six solo stops on the night. 

Ipswich 48, Northwestern 0

Dakota Hills 29, Sisseton 20

Faulkton Area 54, Leola/Frederick Area 8

Other scores from across the state

Brookings 16, Watertown 0

Yankton 58, Spearfish 0

Hamlin 50, Estelline/Hendricks 0

Beresford 42, Parker 9

Dell Rapids 42, Chamberlain 14

Dell Rapids St. Mary 36, Colman-Egan 8

Sioux Falls Christian 15, Tri-Valley 0

Timber Lake 30, Lemmon 12

Rapid City Central 27, Douglas 0

Gregory 31, Kimball/White Lake 6

Gayville-Volin 43, Corsica-Stickney 14

Douglas (Wyo.) 51, Belle Fourche 0

Florence/Henry 56, Waverly-South Shore 0

McCook Central/Montrose 36, Elk Point-Jefferson 20

Hot Springs 49, Bennett County 0

Lennox 42, Dakota Valley 7

Kadoka Area 42, Jones County 8

Dupree 30, Newell 18

Stanley County 26, Sully Buttes 14

Todd County 50, Little Wound 6

Wagner 21, Miller/Highmore Harold 20

Lead-Deadwood 42, Lakota Tech 14

Wolsey-Wessington 53, Bon Homme 12

Wall 48, Philip 18

SF Jefferson 48, RC Stevens 32

Harrisburg 35, SF Lincoln 27

Mount Vernon/Plankinton 50, Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian 0

Madison 37, Vermillion 26

Avon 60, Alcester-Hudson 24

Canistota 46, Viborg-Hurley 18

Howard 26, Chester Area 8

Parkston 27, Platte-Geddes 15

DeSmet 50, Elkton-Lake Benton 0

Flandreau 29, Baltic 8

Garretson 54, Arlington/Lake Preston 8

Gayville-Volin 43, Corsica-Stickney 14

Hamlin 50, Estelline/Hendricks 0

All-Nations Conference games

Crazy Horse def. Takini, by forfeit.

Lower Brule 58, Marty 0

Red Cloud 68, Pine Ridge 14

Todd County 50, Little Wound 6