Mitchell High School had not allowed 50 points in a game in nearly five seasons, but that streak hit a roadblock on Friday at Joe Quintal Field.
Class 11AA No. 1 Pierre needed two quarters to blast through the 50-point barrier. The Governors warded off Kernel defenders like a six-man steamroller, piling up 396 yards during the first half and scored on all eight possessions, while posting 672 yards of total offense for the game.
The first-team offense did not make an appearance in the second half, but the damage had been done as Pierre put away Class 11AA No. 3 Mitchell, 75-7.
“Our guys have proved resilient, they’ve put things in perspective, they understand that games like this don’t define us,” MHS head coach Kent VanOverschelde said. “If we don’t react in a positive way, that’ll define us. We have to have a short memory and move on to the next one.”
Playing most of the game with six offensive linemen that averaged more than 250 pounds, Pierre quarterback Garrett Stout was allotted opportunities to pick through the Mitchell defense.
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On the occasions when the Governors took the ball out of Stout’s hands, Maguire Raske found similar success. Stout went 9 of 15 passing for 125 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 105 on eight carries. Meanwhile, Raske gashed the Kernels for 166 yards and four touchdowns on 11 attempts, all in the first half.
“We tried to align to it and tried to be physical, they were just successful at carrying out their game plan,” VanOverschelde said. “They have some talented athletes that know exactly how they want to execute things. It just makes it difficult for your defense to make plays and be consistent at making those plays.”
Offensively, Mitchell (4-4) was unable to find much rhythm against the Pierre defense, particularly with running back Parker Phillips sidelined with an illness.
Aside from a 31-yard carry by Nick Robinson in the first quarter, the Kernels were held in check in the first half, amassing 56 yards of total offense and two first downs.
Even when Mitchell appeared to have open receivers downfield, Pierre brought an extra blitzer from the edge that caused missed blocking assignments and forced Austin Kerr to move from his throwing spot or make a decision sooner than anticipated.
“We found out Parker wasn’t playing, that changed the way we had to think about the game,” Pierre head coach Steve Steele said. “When he’s not there, they had to go to Kerr, Robinson or try and throw it. The easiest way to take that away was to take away the time.”
Backup quarterback Tucker Vulhauer went 4 of 9 for 115 yards and ran for Mitchell’s lone touchdown in the fourth quarter. Kerr was held to 2-for-8 passing for six yards and an interception. Robinson had 38 yards on seven attempts and Ryley Johansen had three catches for 103 yards.
Pierre (8-0) backup quarterback Josh Rowe ran for 172 yards and two total touchdowns as the Governors racked up 543 yards on the ground.
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Mitchell returns to action at Huron in the regular season finale at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Scoring summary
First quarter
P: Regan Bollweg 17 pass from Garrett Stout (Carston Miller kick)
P: Bollweg 12 pass from Stout (Miller kick)
P: Maguire Raske 35 run (Kick failed)
P: Zach Letellier 25 pass from Garrett Stout (River Iverson pass from Stout)
Second quarter
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P: Raske 19 run (Miller kick)
P: Cade Hinkle 71 punt return (Miller kick)
P: Raske 3 run (Miller run)
P: Raske 1 run (Kick blocked)
Third quarter
P: Josh Rowe 45 run (Miller kick)
Fourth quarter
M: Tucker Vilhauer 1 run (Trevor Lambert kick)
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P: Nathan Williams 4 pass from Rowe (Kick failed)
P: Josh Rowse 67 run (Peyton Schlekeway kick)
PASSING (C-A-INT-YDS): M: Tucker Vilhauer 4-9-0-115, Austin Kerr, 2-8-1-6; P: Garrett Stout 9-15-0-125, Josh Rowe 1-6-0-4.
RUSHING (ATT-YDS): M: Nick Robinson 7-38, Josh Grosdidier 10-32, Tucker Vilhauer 8-26, Austin Kerr 6-12, Carter Jacobsen 1-1, Team 1-(-1), Totals 33-108; P: Josh Rowe 12-172, Maguire Raske 11-166, Garrett Stout 8-105, Josh Rowse 1-67, Cobey Carr 7-33, Lincoln Kienholz 1-0, Totals 40-543.
RECEIVING (REC-YDS): M: Ryley Johansen 3-103, Marquis Reyelts 1-12, Isaac Rew 1-6, Carter Jacobsen 1-0; P: Regan Bollweg 5-70, Zach Lettellier 2-41, Collin Brueggeman 1-9, Maguire Raske 1-5, Nathan Williams 1-4.
