The Dell Rapids Quarrier football team opened their 2021 season on the road against the 2020 11A Runner-up, Canton C-Hawks.  Canton used an early for a 28-6 win.

The C-Hawks had two offensive scores and a defensive score in the first half.  Luke Richardson had a 10-yard touchdown run with 9:19 in the opening quarter.  Avery Herting added another score on a six-yard touchdown run with 3:00 left in the first quarter for a 14-0 first quarter lead.  Canton was awarded a safety with :28 to play in the second quarter after a Dell Rapids snap went over the head of Austin Henry and out of the back of the end zone.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, and Dell Rapids got on the board early in the fourth quarter.  Henry connected with Landon Ruesink on a 45-yard touchdown pass with 10:42 in the game.  The two-point conversion was no good, and the Quarriers trailed 16-6.  Dell Rapids got a defensive stop and was driving down the field in Canton territory on their next drive.  That drive stalled, and the Quarriers turned the ball over on downs.  Canton took advantage and scored with 4:28 to go in the game on a nine-yard pass from Josh Merkle to Payton Eben.  Tadesse VanDeStroet added the last score with 1:17 to play on a 46-yard touchdown run.

The C-Hawks had a total of 305 yards of offense, 242 rushing yards and 63 passing yards.  Dell Rapids finished with 151 yards of offense, 101 passing yards and 49 rushing yards.  The Quarriers had 11 first downs, were 3-11 on third down conversions, and 1-6 on fourth down.  Dell Rapids was also sacked four times for -33 yards.

Henry finished 8-18 passing for 102 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.  Ruesink had four catches for 73 yards.  Brayden Pankonen had two catches for 13 yards, and Jade Anstine had a catch for 17 yards.  Ruesink also had nine carries for 39 yards.  Ian Mason had five carries for 18 yards.  Will Jaton, Mason Stubbe, and Aiden Geraets all had seven tackles each.  Ruesink and Jack Henry both had five tackles each.

Dell Rapids (0-1) will travel to Sisseton on Friday, September 3rd.

	1	2	3	4	Final
Dell Rapids	0	0	0	6	6
Canton	14	2	0	12	28

For the second year in a row, the Dell Rapids Quarrier football team had their season come to an end at the hands of the West Central Trojans in the quarterfinals of the 11A playoffs.  Dell Rapids traveled to Hartford to play the Trojans on Thursday, October 29th, and West Central advanced to the semifinals with a 16-14 victory over the Quarriers.

West Central started the game with a fury.  After receiving the kickoff, the Trojans scored in two plays taking a total of 38 seconds and covering 68  yards.  Justin Zirpel had a run of 49 yards, and Ryan Healy scored on a 19-yard run to give West Central a 7-0 lead.  The Dell Rapids defense was able  to contain the  Trojans after that opening drive.

The Quarriers got on the board late in the second quarter.  The Quarriers had an eight-play, 47-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Coby Maeschen.  Aiden Boechler kicked the extra point to tie the game 7-7 with 3:03 to play in the first half.  The Trojans were able to get one more score on the board before halftime.  Derek Eidsness made a 20-yard field goal with :09 to play in the second quarter for a 10-7 lead heading into halftime.

Dell Rapids put together an impressive drive to start the third quarter.  After receiving the kickoff and starting on their own 20-yard line, the Quarriers marched down the field 80 yards on 13 plays taking almost seven minutes off the clock.  Maeschen found the endzone again, this time on a 15-yard run with 5:02 to play in third quarter.  Another extra point by Boechler gave the Quarriers a 14-10 lead.  Both defenses continued to play strong, and the score remained 14-10 in favor of Dell Rapids at the end of the third quarter.

The Quarriers seemed to be gaining momentum.  The defense forced a punt, and the offense took over on their own 33-yard line with 9:36 to go in the game.  Landon Ruesink had a 27-yard run on the first play of the drive to the Trojan 40-yard line.  The Quarriers were then faced with a fourth down and two yards to go on the West Central 32-yard line, and the Trojan defense was able to stop the Quarriers and take over the ball with 7:24 to play.

That defensive stop seemed to give West Central momentum.  They put together a 10 play, 66-yard drive that took five minutes and 35 seconds.  Zirpel scored on a quarterback sneak from the one-yard line with 1:49 to play in the game.  The extra point was no good, but the Trojans took a 16-14 lead.  The Quarriers were able to get the ball to their own 39 yard line with just over a minute to play, but the drive stopped there and the Trojans held on for the win.

The Quarriers finished with 227 yards of total offense, 143 rushing yards and 84 passing yards.  West Central had 231 yards of total offense,  all of those  rushing yards.  Both teams had a total of 11 first downs, and each team committed three penalties and punted four times.

Austin Henry finished the game 3-10 passing for 66 yards.  Colin Rentz was 1-1 passing for 18 yards.  Ruesink had two catches for 52 yards, Henry had a catch for 18 yards, and Rentz had a catch for 14 yards.  Ruesink also had 12 carries for 47 yards.  Maeschen finished with 12 carries for 37 yards and two touchdowns.  Brayden Gee had seven carries for 30 yards, and Henry had four carries for 25 yards.  Ruesink led the team with nine tackles in the game.  Gee had eight tackles.  Maeschen and Landon VonHoltum both had seven tackles each, and Carter Nelson and Victory Knuppe both had six tackles each.

Dell Rapids has their 2020 season come to an end with an overall record of 5-4.

	1	2	3	4		Final
Dell Rapids	0	7	7	0		14
West Central	7	3	0	6		16

The Dell Rapids Quarrier football team played in their final regular season game in Tea on Thursday, October 22nd . The Quarriers and Titans put on a show for the fans who braved the cold and wind.  The two teams went to double overtime with the Titans getting the 26-20 win.

The Quarriers scored first after taking advantage of a fumble and punt.  Landon Von Holtum scored on a one-yard run with 1:44 to go in the quarter.  The extra point was good by Aiden Boechler to give Dell Rapids a 7-0 lead.  Neither team scored the remainder of the first half, and the Quarriers maintained a 7-0 lead at halftime.

The Titans scored on their first possession of the first half to tie the game.  Austin Lake threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Kade Schentzel with 8:28 to play in the third quarter.  Tea then scored on their second possession to take the lead.  Garret Kolbeck scored on a 14-yard run with 11:52 to play in the fourth quarter for a 14-7 lead.

Dell Rapids responded with a six-play scoring drive that lasted 3:35.  Austin Henry connected with Landon Ruesink on a 30-yard pass with 8:17 to play in the game to tie the game 14-14. 

Tea’s next drive lasted just over seven minutes on 11 plays, but the drive ended in an interception inside the  10-yard line with 1:09 to play in the game.  The Quarriers’ drive ended in a punt after four plays following the interception.  The Titans also had one more possession in regulation, but did not score.

Each time had an opportunity on offense in the overtime period.  Dell Rapids scored on their first possession.  Henry scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak.  The extra point was no good, and the Quarriers led 20-14.  Tea also scored on their overtime possession when Lake also scored on a quarterback sneak.  Tea’s extra point to win the game was also missed, leaving the game tied at 20-20.  The Titans got the ball first in the second overtime, and Kaden Johnson scored on a one-yard touchdown run.  The extra point was missed again, and the Titans led 26-20.  Dell Rapids’ second overtime possession ended on a turnover on downs, giving the Titans a the 26-20 victory.

Dell Rapids finished the game with 198 yards of total offense, 133 rushing yards and 65 passing yards.  The Titans had 290 yards of offense, 211 rushing yards and 79 passing yards. 

Ruesink finished with 16 carries for 44 yards.  Ruesink also had three catches for 65 yard and a touchdown.  Von Holtum had 10 carries for 36 yards and a touchdown.  Brayden Gee had eight carries for 36 yards, and Henry had five carries for 17 yards and a touchdown.  Henry was also 3-14 passing with one touchdown and one interception.  Gee, Ruesink, and Coby Maeschen all finished with eight tackles each.  Cody Schultz finished with six tackles, and Victor Knuppe had five tackles.  Colin Rentz and Ruesink had fumble recoveries.

Dell Rapids finishes the regular season with a 5-3 record.  The Quarriers will be the #6 seed in the 11A playoffs and will travel to Hartford to play the #3 West Central Trojans on Thursday, October 29th.  The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.

	1	2	3	4	OT1	OT2		Final
Dell Rapids	7	0	0	7	6	0		20
Tea Area	0	0	7	7	6	6		26

The Dell Rapids Quarriers not only had their homecoming game on Friday, October 16th, but it was their final home game of the regular season.  The Quarriers hosted the West Central Trojans, but the Trojans spoiled the homecoming game with a 34-0 victory.

West Central had every aspect of their game working against the Quarriers.  The Trojans held the ball for 22:26 of the clock, while racking up 17 first downs.  They had a total of 391 yards of offense, all of them on the ground.  Dell Rapids was held to just seven first downs in the game on 154 yards of total offense.  The Quarriers had just 43 rushing yards and 111 passing yards.

The Trojans scored two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.  They added another touchdown and a field goal before halftime for a 24-0 lead.  The Trojans added 10 more points in the second half on another field goal in the third quarter and a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Landon VonHoltum had five carries for 22 yards in the game.  Brayden Gee had five carries for 20 yards, and Ian Mason had three carries for 11 yards.  Austin Henry was 10-16 passing for 111 yards.  Brayden Pankonen had two catches for 54 yards.  Victory Knuppe had two catches for 26 yards, and Carter Nelson had two catches for 20 yards.  Colin Rentz, Avery Boechler, Coby Maeschen, and Gee also had catches.

The defense was led by Maeschen who had 14 tackles in the game.  Cody Schultz finished with six tackles.  Knuppe and VonHoltum had five tackles each.  Gee and Henry both finished with four tackles.

Dell Rapids (5-2) will travel to Tea to play the #1 ranked Tea Area Titans on Thursday, October 22nd to end the regular season.

	1	2	3	4		Final
West Central	14	10	3	7		34
Dell Rapids	0	0	0	0		0

The Dakota Valley Panthers found some homecoming magic as they handed the Dell Rapids Quarriers their first loss of the season.  The Panthers defeated the Quarriers on a cool and rainy night 16-14 on Friday, October 2nd.

Defense and ball control were big factors in the contest.  Dakota Valley had the ball for most of the first half.  They put together a long drive in the first quarter which resulted in a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter for a 7-0 lead.  The Panthers would score late in the second quarter on a 29-yard field goal to push the lead to 10-7.  Dell Rapids got a great return on the ensuing kick-off which led to a one-yard touchdown run by Austin Henry with just over a minute to play in the first half to cut the lead to 10-7.

Dell Rapids received the ball to begin the third quarter and scored quickly to take their first lead of the game.  Coby Maeschen scored on a one-yard touchdown run to put the Quarriers in front 14-10.  That score held until the final 2:30 in the game.  Dakota Valley executed a half-back pass to take the lead 16-14 after a blocked extra point.  Dell Rapids was able to put together a drive late in the game and had the ball on the Panther 15-yard line with :30 to go in the game.  Dakota Valley, however, intercepted a pass at the goal-line to seal the victory.

Dell Rapids finished with 206 yards of total offense, 199 yards rushing and seven passing yards.  Dakota Valley had 218 yards of offense, 182 rushing yards and 36 passing yards.  The Quarriers were just 1-7 on third down conversions in the game and 0-1 on fourth down.

Henry finished 1-7 passing for seven yards.  Brayden Gee had the only catch in the game.  Maeschen led the team with six carries for 69 yards and a touchdown.  Gee added seven carries for 54 yards.  Landon Ruesink had eight carries for 40 yards.   Maeschen had another big night defensively.  He finished with 15 tackles in the game.  Gee had eight tackles and sack.  Cody Schultz and Landon VonHoltum both had four tackles each.  Connor Rentz had an interception.

Dell Rapids (5-1) is scheduled to travel to Milbank on Friday, October 9th.

	1	2	3	4		Final
Dell Rapids	0	7	7	0		14
Dakota Vally	0	10	0	6		16

The defense for the Dell Rapids Quarriers led the team to a 20-0 win over the Tri-Valley Mustangs on  Friday, September 25th, at home.  The defense held Tri-Valley to under 50 yards of total offense and had two takeaways in the game.

The Quarrier defense played a key role in the first score of the game.  Tri-Valley opened the game on offense, but Austin Henry intercepted a pass, which led to the Quarriers first touchdown.  Coby Maeschen scored on an eight-yard touchdown run with 7:58 to play in the first quarter, about a minute and a half after the Henry interception.  Aiden Boechler made the extra point to give Dell Rapids a 7-0 lead. 

The defenses for both teams kept the offenses off balance for the remainder of the first half.  Neither team was able to get the ball in the endzone, and Dell Rapids held the same 7-0 lead at halftime.

Both teams where held to just three plays before having to punt in their respective opening drives of the second half.  Dell Rapids started their second possession of the third quarter with 6:54 left in the quarter.  They held the ball for the remained of the quarter on a long sustained drive.  The Quarriers put the ball in the endzone for the second time on a four-yard touchdown run by Landon Ruesink with 11:25 to play in the game.  The touchdown ended a 13 play drive of 53 yards that lasted seven and a half minutes.

Tri-Valley then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Brayden Gee recovered the fumble for Dell Rapids.  The Quarriers put another quick score on the board with 8:58 remaining on a one-yard touchdown run by Gee to give the Quarriers a 20-0 lead.  That score held until the end of the game.

Dell Rapids finished with 218 yards of total offense, 173 rushing yards and 45 passing yards.  Tri-Valley was held to just 39 yards of total offense, 27 rushing yards and 12 passing yards.  Dell Rapids had 17 first downs compared to just three by the Mustangs.

Henry finished the game 3-7 passing for 45 yards.  Ruesink, Gee, and Victor Knuppe all had a catch of 15 yards.  Ruesink also finished with 17 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown.  Maeschen had 9 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown.  Landon VonHoltum added six carries for 38 yards.

Maeschen anchored the defense with 11 tackles in the game.  Gee and Ruesink both had six tackles.  VonHoltum, Brayden Pankonen and Mitchell Klinkenborg both had three tackles each. 

Dell Rapids (5-0) will travel to North Sioux City to play the Dakota Valley Panthers on Friday, October 2nd.

	1	2	3	4		Final
Tri-Valley	0	0	0	0		0
Dell Rapids	7	0	0	13		20

After recognizing and celebrating the 12 seniors prior to the game, the Dell Rapids Quarriers scored a big win over the Mitchell Kernels on Friday, September 18th.  Both teams entered the game with 3-0 records and at the top of their respective class seed points.   Dell Rapids remained unbeaten with a 23-22 come-from-behind win in a physical, back-and-forth contest.

Dell Rapids delivered the first blow when Landon Ruesink scored on a 60-yard touchdown run with 4:16 to play in the opening quarter.  The Quarriers surprised the Kernels with a fake extra point attempt, and Connor Rentz connected with Ruesink on a pass for the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.  The score remained 8-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Mitchell got on the board late in second quarter.  Parker Phillips scored on a 54-yard run with 2:08 to play in the half.  The Kernels attempted a two-point conversion, but failed, and Dell Rapids held an 8-6 lead at halftime.

The Kernels seemed to pick up momentum in the third quarter.  Phillips scored again with 8:19 to play in the quarter on a 60-yard run.  He also scored the two-point conversion to give Mitchell a 14-8 lead.  Mitchell extended the lead with 3:51 to go on an 89-yard run by Tucker Vilhauer.  The two-point conversion was made by Josh Grosdidier to extend the Kernel lead to 22-8.

All momentum seemed to be with Mitchell at that time, but on the very first play of the Quarriers’ next offensive possession, Landon VonHoltum had a 65-yard run to give Dell Rapids a spark.  The run by VonHoltum set up seven-yard run by Ruesink with 2:28 to go in the quarter.  Victor Knuppe made the extra point, and Dell Rapids trailed 22-15 at the end of the third quarter.

The Quarrier defense held Mitchell and got the ball back to start the fourth quarter.  They put together a long drive that lasted nearly six minutes.  Coby Maeschen scored on a seven-yard run with 6:48 to play in the game pulling the Quarriers within a point at 22-21.  Instead going for the tie, Dell Rapids elected to go for the two point conversion.  Ruesink found the endzone, and the Quarriers went ahead 23-22.

Mitchell had one last drive late in the game to try for the win.  They were able to drive the ball to the Dell Rapids 20-yard line with just :07 to play in the game.  The Kernels attempted a 30-yard game winning field goal, but the snap was too low to be handled, and the Quarriers recovered the ball for the win.

Dell Rapids finished with 393 yards of total offense, 296 rushing yards and 97 passing yards.  Mitchell had 388 yards of total offense, 368 rushing yards and 20 passing yards.

Austin Henry was 7-17 passing for 97 yards and an interception.  Ruesink had four catches for 67 yards.  Knuppe had two catches for 17 yards.  Ruesink had 17 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns.  VonHoltum had three carries for 70 yards, and Maeschen had 13 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown.  Maeschen led the defense with 17 tackles.  Brayden Gee had seven tackles.  Henry, Connor Rentz, VonHoltum, and Knuppe all had six tackles each.

Dell Rapids (4-0) will host the Tri-Valley Mustangs on Friday, September 25th.  The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.

This year’s seniors for the Dell Rapids Quarrier football team are Connor Rentz, Colin Rentz, Avery Boechler, Carter Nelson, Coby Maeschen, Brayden Gee, Jakob Letsche, Mitchell Klinkenborg, Cody Schultz, Kyle Cavigielli, Zach Schreier, and Ian Hackett.

	1	2	3	4		Final
Mitchell	0	6	16	0		22
Dell Rapids	8	0	7	8		23

In a battle of top five teams in class 11A, the Dell Rapids Quarriers flexed their muscles in Madison on Friday, September 11th.  The Quarriers had no trouble with the Madison Bulldogs earning a 41-14 victory.

Madison put a quick score on the board right away in the first quarter.  Nate Ricke threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Bickett with 10:18 in the first quarter.  Carter Bergheim made the extra point for an early 7-0 lead.   That would be the last score Madison would get until the final minutes of the game.

Dell Rapids went on a 41-point run, which started with three touchdowns in the first quarter.  On the Quarrier’s opening drive, Brayden Gee scored on a 23-yard run with 6:59 to cut the Bulldog lead down to 7-6.  The Quarrier defense held Madison on their next drive and forced a punt.  The Quarriers took the lead with 2:44 to go in the quarter after a fourth-down touchdown pass from Austin Henry to Landon Ruesink from five yards away.  The two-point conversion was no good, but Dell Rapids led 12-7.  The Quarrier defense got a score just a few plays later.  Henry returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown with 1:01 to play in the quarter.  Victor Knuppe made the extra point, and Dell Rapids led 19-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Quarrier offense got another fourth-down touchdown with 9:54 to play in the half.  Henry connected with Ruesink again from 20 yards to push the lead to 25-7.  The Quarrier defense put more points on the board late in the quarter.  Dell Rapids recorded a safety with 3:39 to play in the half to make the score 27-7.

Dell Rapids continued to dominate on offense in the third quarter.  On the opening drive of the second half, the Quarriers capped off a four-minute drive with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Henry to Colin Rentz.  Knuppe made the extra point, and Dell Rapids 34-7 with 7:56 to go in the third quarter.  Brayden Pankonen scored the final Quarrier touchdown of the game with 5:56 to go in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard run.  Knuppe made the extra point to go ahead 41-7.  Ricke threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mickale Dohrer, and Bergheim made the extra point, with 4:42 to play in the game.

The Quarriers finished with 308 yards of total offense, 82 passing yards and 226 rushing yards.  Madison was held to 184 yards of offense, 160 passing yards and just 24 rushing yards.

Henry was 5-7 passing for 82 yards and three touchdowns.  Ruesink had four catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns.  Colin Rentz had one catch for 38 yards and a touchdown.  Coby Maeschen had 10 carries for 87 yards.  Ruesink had eight carries for 51 yards.  Gee had 12 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown.  Maeschen led the defense with 12 tackles and a sack.  Knuppe had six tackles.  Landon VonHoltum finished with five tackles, and Pankonen had four tackles.

Dell Rapids (3-0) will host Mitchell on Friday, September 18th.  The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.

	1	2	3	4		Final
Dell Rapids	19	8	7	7		41
Madison	7	0	0	7		14