PHOENIX EDGED IN 9AA SEMIFINAL THRILLER

A game that was well within reach at halftime felt seemingly lost by the end of the third quarter, after Parkston turned a 12-8 edge into a 28-8 advantage. But somebody forgot to put the quit in the underdogs from Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy, and the boys just about treated their fans to a comeback for the ages.

Just about.

In the end, the No. 1-ranked and No. 1-seeded Trojans held off the No. 5-seeded and unranked Phoenix 28-22 in a nerve-wracking Class 9AA semifinal in Parkston Friday night, Nov. 8.

The Trojans’ win moves the defending state champions into another title game at the DakotaDome in Vermillion Thursday night, where they will face No. 2 Hamlin — a team that edged No. 3 Elkton-Lake Benton 20-16 in Friday’s other Class 9AA semifinal.

Both teams go into the 7 p.m. championship game 11-0.

F/M/FA ends its season 8-3.

“Hell of an effort, hell of a game,” Phoenix head coach Dustin Tschetter told the players as they huddled in the north end zone after 9 p.m. Friday night. “You guys gave it everything you had and it just wasn’t enough tonight.”

He continued:

“If you had told me back in Week 3, when we went to Elkton and got spanked, that we would come back here against the defending state champions and have the ball with a chance to win the game, I would have never believed it.”

But that’s what happened in a game that, out of nowhere, flipped in favor of the Phoenix.

Parkston had used a slow and deliberate ground game to control the game early. The Trojans found the end zone twice on its first two possessions to build a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter, and then picked up the tempo to build a 28-8 lead in the third quarter.

But the Phoenix found some life early in the fourth after a Dominic Sperling touchdown made it 28-14 and Eason Tschetter recovered a perfectly executed onside kick. Sperling scored again with 10:03 to play and Riley Tschetter connected with Luke Peters for the two-point conversion, and all of a sudden it was a 28-22 game.

And when FMFA forced the Trojans to punt on their next possession, the Phoenix regained control of the ball with 5:50 to play from their own 15-yard line a chance to put together a game-winning drive.

And while the comeback kids moved the ball to their own 41-yard line, Parkston’s defense put FMFA in a fourth-and-12 situation with the clock nearing the 2-minute mark, and a desperation pass across the middle of the field fell inches short of the grasp of Christopher Aasen, and the Trojans were able to run out the clock.

Still, the head coach said, the boys should hold their heads high.

“You guys dug in, you busted your butts and you got us back in this moment,” Tschetter said. “You seniors — what you have meant to this program, words cannot say. We’re going to miss you.”

The Phoenix will lose four to graduation: Aasen, Sperling, Lincoln Anderson and Sawyer Wipf.

But they will return a core group of that includes a talented junior class and a number of freshmen who grew into key players on this 2024 team.

“A special, special group of kids,” Tschetter told The Courier later Friday night. “The heart, the dedication — just the camaraderie and brotherhood they have for each other. They love each other like they’ve been friends their whole life.”

Game play

In addition to Sperling’s two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the Phoenix found points on a safety with 5:47 to play in the second quarter that made it 14-2 and an Aasen 28-yard touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone that made it 14-8 late in the second quarter.

Both teams possessed the ball eight times and both teams had 13 first downs.

The Phoenix had 232 total yards and the Trojans had 226.

Sperling carried the ball 14 times for 61 yards and Tschetter ran 10 times for 42 yards.

Tschetter’s 129 passing yards was spread out across five players — Aasen (53), Sperling (25), Tate Sorensen (23), Karter Weber (15) and Luke Peters (13).

On the defensive side of the ball, Weber led the way with seven solo tackles, Sperling and Tschetter each had six, and Sorensen and Wipf each had five and were both in on another.

The Phoenix held all-state running back Kolter Kramer to 90 yards on 19 carries and a single touchdown.

And Parkston got loose for just one big play — a 57-yard punt return on its first touch of the third quarter that made it 20-8 and ended up being the difference in the game.

Emotional end

Not surprisingly, emotions were raw when it was all said and done. After inviting Parkston to join them at midfield for a postgame prayer — which the Trojans did — the Phoenix assembled for final thoughts from the coaches, as well as console among teammates, coaches, family, friends and fans.

“Seniors, thank you for setting the standard for this program,” said Jacob VonBerge, an assistant coach who serves as the team’s defensive coordinator. “Now we need to build on that standard.”

VonBerge told the players what they mean to him.

“I believed in you guys and I love you guys,” he said. “You make me love football.”

And he offered this: “Juniors, your senior season starts now. Understand this pain and remember this pain. You’ve got a whole year to build on it.”

Matt Brinkman, an assistant coach who works closely with special teams and the offensive line, said the Phoenix aren’t just a program, but a family.

“This is a family of young men that are growing into strong-willed men that make great decisions in life,” he said before offering a challenge. “Every year we have made one more great step forward; there’s only one step left and it starts right now.”

Among those juniors who is more than eager for next year is Jackson Donlan, who tore his ACL against Bon Homme Week 2 but is expected to be full strength come summertime.

Donlan told The Courier after the Parkston game that watching from the sidelines was “awful” and that he doesn’t “wish it on anybody,” but also that he’s as motivated as ever.

“I want to come back and come back with vengeance,” he said. “I’m going to come back and put it all on the field.”

In the same way that Donlan met adversity with positivity, so did Tschetter encourage his players to do the same.

“When we walk out of this huddle, heads held high,” said the head coach. “Nothing to be ashamed of. I’m proud of each and every one of you.”

And, after the huddle broke, Austin Unruh, the team’s offensive coordinator, put things in perspective when asked about the season.

“There are some real moments that stick out in my mind and a lot of that has to do with the growth of the players both on and off the field, and just seeing players mature and grow into their roles on the team, in school and in the community,” he said. “I mean, look at the growth from Week 1. And, obviously, wins are great, but it’s my relationship with the players that I’m going to remember the most. It’s a very healthy feeling.”