The Dell Rapids Quarriers scored 28 points in the second half on their way to a 35-18 win over the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers in the quarterfinals of the South Dakota High School 11A playoffs on Thursday, October 27th, at Bob Young Stadium in Sioux Falls.
The Quarrier offense made great halftime adjustments as Dell Rapids was only able to put up one score in the first half. Neither team scored in the first quarter, and each team only possessed the ball one time in the quarter. Both defenses force a turnover on downs deep in their own territory to keep the game scoreless.
Dell Rapids scored first with 2:26 remaining in the second quarter when Hunter Hansen connected with Jeffrey Schuch on a jump pass from the one yard line to give the Quarriers a 7-0 lead. The Chargers marched down the field and scored on a 25-yard field goal by Jack Scott as time expired in the second quarter to make the score 7-3 at halftime.
The Quarriers scored two times in the third quarter. The first touchdown came with 7:11 remaining on a two-yard run by Seth Spielmann. Dell Rapids added to the lead with 3:59 to go on a 58-yard touchdown run by Tanner Heim. The Quarriers led 21-3 at the end of the third quarter.
The start of the fourth quarter was an offensive fury. The two teams combined to score 22 points in less than a minute and a half. Sioux Falls Christian scored with 10:30 to go in the game on a four-yard run by Riley Hogan. Dell Rapids answered :14 later when Hansen scored on a 69-yard run with 10:16 remaining to extend the Quarrier lead back to 18 points at 28-10. The Chargers answered about a minute later when Sawyer Prins found Dejay Fykstra in the corner of the endzone on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 9:04 remaining. The two point conversion was good and the Chargers were within 10 points at 28-18. After the Charger defense held Dell Rapids, Sioux Falls Christian had the ball with a chance to close the gap, but Nick Hoffman intercepted a Prins pass, and with 2:40 remaining, Heim scored his second touchdown from two yards away to give Dell Rapids a 35-18 lead.
The Quarriers had three 100-yard rushers on the night. Heim finished with 15 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Hansen had 10 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown, and Spielmann had 16 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. Dell Rapids had 367 yards of rushing offense on the night and converted 7-12 third down chances. Defensively, Nate McKee finished with 13 tackles on the night. Mason Peter had 10 tackles. Ross Wiebenga and Seth Andersen each had eight tackles. Hansen added seven tackles, and Heim and Blake Rieder both had six tackles.
Dell Rapids improves to 8-2 on the season. The Quarriers will travel to Tea to play the Tea Area Titans on Friday November 4th. The Titans defeated West Central 14-6. The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.