A quarterback sneak by Broderick Poppinga with :16 left in the game on fourth and goal from the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal one yard into the endzone was the winning score for DeSmet as the DeSmet Bulldogs handed the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals a heart-breaking loss in the opening round of the South Dakota High School 9B football playoffs on Tuesday, October 27th, in Dell Rapids. The late score put the Bulldogs ahead 42-38, and they held the Cardinals for the win.
Both offenses lit up the scoreboard in the first half as the two teams combined for a total of 52 points in the first two quarters. St Mary took the opening drive of the game for a score when Christian Schnieders on a one-yard run to put the Cardinals ahead 6-0. DeSmet took their first lead of the game with 5:08 to go in the first quarter on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Poppinga to Adam Aughenbaugh and then a successful two-point conversion to go ahead 8-6. The Cardinals answered back quickly as they scored with 2:16 to play in the first quarter on a six-yard run by Josh Brown. Schnieders scored the two-point conversion, and St Mary held on to a 14-8 lead the rest of the way through the first quarter.
The Bulldogs scored 22 unanswered points in the second quarter. The first touchdown came with 11:33 to go on a 13-yard pass from Poppinga to Tate Munger, and De Smet led 16-14 after the two-point conversion. The pair connected again with 9:36 to go, after a Cardinal fumble, on a 19-yard pass play. The two-point conversion was successful again, and the Bulldogs led 24-14. DeSmet had their largest lead of the night with 4:06 to play in the second quarter when Matt Larson scored on a three-yard run to give the Bulldogs a 30-14 lead. St Mary was able to cut the lead in half with 3:16 to go when Brown broke loose for a 44-yard touchdown. Schnieders scored the two-point conversion, and the Cardinals cut the lead to 30-22 by halftime.
St Mary continued the momentum in the third quarter. The Cardinals scored on their first two drives of the second half, which both got started after a Schnieders interception. St Mary scored with 5:30 to go in the third quarter on a one-yard run by Dalton Houska. Schnieders again scored the two-point conversion to tie the game at 30-30. The Cardinals regained the lead with 11:56 left in the game on a two-yard touchdown run by Brown. Schnieders put the Cardinals ahead 38-30 after the two-point conversion. DeSmet cut the lead to two points with 9:38 to go on a five-yard touchdown run by Larson.
The Bulldog game-winning drive started with 5:18 to go after DeSmet regained possession on a turnover-on-downs. The Bulldogs drove the field down to the St Mary eight yard line to set up a first and goal with 1:17 to play. DeSmet was held out of the endzone on first, second and third downs by the Cardinal defense. But with just :20 to go on fourth and goal, Poppinga found his way across the goal line for the winning score.
The Cardinals would have one last chance to pull out the win. After the kickoff St Mary had the fall first and 10 from their own 10 yard line with :16 left in the game. Brown carried the ball all the way down to the Bulldog 38 yard line before being pushed out of bounds with :06 left to play. Garret Frost took the snap and dropped back to pass. Frost’s pass intended for Jacob Glaizer or Noah Fiegen fell incomplete. The clock did not start when the play was put into motion and still showed :04 after the play was complete. The officials declared that the time would have expired, and the game was ended on that play.
The Cardinals have their season come to an end with a record of 6-3.
Highlights