HURON — After a very hard-fought first half, the Aberdeen Central Golden Eagles dominated the time of possession and the scoreboard in the second half, defeating the Huron Tigers 24-7 Friday at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers and Golden eagles traded three-and-out opening drives. After a pair of runs gained just one yard total to open the Tigers’ second possession, quarterback Mason Davis dropped back to pass and had the ball stripped while in the pocket.
Aberdeen recovered on the Huron 20 yard line, but after three runs totaled five yards, an incomplete pass on fourth down turned the ball over on downs back to the Tigers.
The Tigers finally gained the first first down of the game for either team as Cashton Caudell broke loose for a 15-yard run off tackle. Mason Davis followed on the next play with a designed run that gained 13 yards.
The Huron drive stalled out there, however, and Kolby Hofer punted, though he got a favorable bounce, pinning the Golden Eagles back on the 13.
Things looked bleak for Aberdeen Central after Karson Carda lost a yard and two false starts pinned the visitors back to the 4 yard line. Austin Erickson gained five yards to give the offense a little breathing room, setting up a 3rd and 15.
On third down, Aberdeen quarterback Dustin Hermanson found receiver Dustin Salfrank on a jump ball near midfield and Salfrank ran with the ball down to the Huron 27 for a 64-yard pass play.
Erickson gained another five yards and Hermanson found Salfrank for another first down to the Huron 17 to the end the first quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, Hermanson found Salfrank for a 17-yard touchdown. Tayden Brownson added the point-after kick to make it 7-0 Aberdeen.
After a good return, the Huron offense stalled again, punting to Aberdeen, who got a pair of big runs from Carda to drive deep into Huron territory. A pass play brought the Golden Eagles to the Huron 15, but the Aberdeen offense couldn’t find the end zone and turned the ball over on downs.
The Tigers would put together their best offensive possession at that point. Davis found Gavin Moeding for 15 yards and a first down, then on third down connected with Dylan Lichty on a come back route for 15 yards.
Caudell carried the ball twice for 11 yards for a first down, pushing the Tigers into Aberdeen territory.
After three runs gained three yards, Davis found Reilyn Zavesky, and the senior tight end twisted for an extra surge, getting just enough for the first down.
Caudell burst through the line for a 21-yard run to the Aberdeen 16 with 40 seconds left in the half, leading to a Huron timeout. After the timeout, Davis found Zavesky on a crossing route. Zavesky hurdled one would-be tackler and lowered his shoulder into the end zone - except the Tigers were called for an ineligible man downfield.
Davis scrambled for his life the next two plays, barely getting back to the line on the first play and launching a ball into coverage on the second play that was picked off by the Aberdeen defense.
Carda ran twice, gaining 17 yards to close out the first half for Aberdeen.
The Golden Eagles took the opening kick of the second half and immediately made a connection between Hermanson and Salfrank for a first down. Carda busted a fun for 16 yards to break into Huron territory, but a sack and a penalty led to a punt.
The Tigers let the punt roll all the way to the 5 yard line, then couldn’t get anything going offensively, leading to a punt that the Golden Eagles returned into Huron territory.
Salfrank ran the Aberdeen offense in a wildcat look, carrying the ball three times and gaining 32 yards. After a penalty and a Kolby Hofer sack of Hermanson, Carda broke a 10-yard run, setting up Brownson for a 26-yard field goal to give the visitors a 10-0 lead.
After a three-and-out, the Tigers punted. Carda took the first handoff and seemed to drag the entire Huron defense with him as he rambled 33 yards to the Huron 28. After the quarter break, Carda gained a first down on fourth and one.
The Golden Eagles handed the ball to Carda three more times, eventually seeing their senior back take it across the goal line from one yard out. Brownson’s extra point made it 17-0 Aberdeen.
On the ensuing kickoff, Aberdeen placed a squib kick between levels of the Huron return and no one on the Tigers jumped on the ball, allowing Aberdeen Central to recover the kick at the Huron 35. Hermanson connected on a pair of passes to get the ball to the 7, and Carda walked in untouched from there. The point-after kick made it 24-0 Golden Eagles.
The Tigers finally got their first first down of the second half on the ensuing drive, but it was on a defensive holding penalty on the Golden Eagles. An interception by Aberdeen’s Will Heinert stalled the Huron drive at the Aberdeen 39.
The Golden Eagles brought in backup running back Avery Ligon to run time off the clock. He ran five straight times before Aberdeen punted.
The Tigers then put together the best series of the game. Davis connected with Dylan Lichty to open the drive on a short 3-yard pass. He then found Zavesky who rambled down the sideline all the way to the Aberdeen 47.
Tyson Ruth made a juggling catch and then Zavesky grabbed another ball for 14 yards. After being bottled up most of the game, Quinston Luellman Clark finally broke free for 17 yards, down to the Aberdeen 5.
From there, Mason Davis called his own number, rushing in for the quarterback keeper touchdown. Nick Kleinsasser added the extra point to cut the lead to 24-7 Aberdeen.
The Tigers tried an onside kick with just under two minutes remaining, but the Golden Eagles fell on the ball. After four Ligon runs, Aberdeen punted, but the Tigers fumbled the return, allowing the Golden Eagles to recover the ball deep in Huron territory and kneel on the ball to close out the game.
The Golden Eagles move to 2-3 behind a dominant second half that saw Aberdeen control the ball for 17:32 of the second half clock, compared to Huron’s 6:28.
Hermanson finished 9 of 16 passing with 149 yards and a touchdown. Salfrank caught four balls for 102 yards and a score. He also ran five times for 32 yards.
Carda was the workhorse for Aberdeen, handling the ball 21 times for 139 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns.
Caudell had a strong game, rushing 11 times for 66 yards for the Tigers. Luellman Clark finished with nine carries for 20 yards. Davis carried the ball seven times for 29 yards and a score.
Through the air, Davis was 9 of 19 for 99 yards and two interceptions. Lichty caught three balls for 25 yards while Zavesky also caught three, totaling 48 yards.
Coach Dru Strand spent extra time talking to the team after the game, and he feels the team is really making significant progress.
“We were right there. They’re doing what they’re supposed to do,” Strand emphasized. “Our kids worked hard. We’ve got to coach our kids up to be able to counter their efforts to bottle us up.”
Huron will host Douglas next Friday for homecoming at Tiger Stadium.
Coach Strand hopes to see the stands full to support the team for homecoming.
“We’re looking forward to next week. I hope we have our biggest crowd here,” he encouraged. “I hope the fans can be super loud and get on the backs of these kids and push them.”
Aberdeen Central 0 7 3 14 — 24
Huron 0 0 0 7 — 7
Scoring plays
2nd quarter
AC - 11:53 - Dustin Hermanson 64-yard TD pass to Drew Salfrank. (Tayden Brownson PAT kick good.)
3rd quarter
AC - 2:47 - Brownson 26-yard field goal.
4th quarter
AC - 10:02 - Karson Carda 1-yard TD run. (Brownson PAT kick good.)
AC - 8:41 - Carda 7-yard TD run. (Brownson PAT kick good.)
H - 2:23 - Mason Davis 5-yard TD run. (Nick Kleinsasser PAT kick good.)
