TFor the third straight year, the Dell Rapids Quarriers and West Central Trojans played one another in the opening round of the 11A playoffs.  The Trojans had won the last two meetings, but the Quarriers won this battle 19-15 at home on Thursday, October 28th.

Dell Rapids got on the board first with a touchdown on their opening drive.  They had 15-play, 80-yard drive that lasted 7:28.  Austin Henry threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Braden Fersdahl to give the Quarriers a 6-0 lead.  That was the only score of the half, and Dell Rapids led 6-0 at halftime.

After forcing Dell Rapids into a punt just 1:30 into the third quarter, West Central had a three-play, 33-yard drive that took only 1:03 for the tying score.  Gavin Koch threw a 40-yard pass to Mason Berens with 9:24 to go in the third quarter.  The extra point was good to give the Trojans a 7-6 lead.  The score remained 7-6 in favor of West Central heading into the final quarter.

Dell Rapids got the lead back with 6:48 to go in the game on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Henry to Brayden Pankonen.  The two-point conversion failed, but Dell Rapids led 12-7.  The Trojans responded with a score just a minute and 28 seconds later when Koch found Owen Heath for a 33-yard touchdown pass.  The two-point conversion pass from Koch to Logan Maras was good to give West Central a 15-12 lead.

The Quarriers would put together one more drive.  Dell Rapids went 65 yards in six plays.  Henry threw his second touchdown pass to Fersdahl, this time from eight yards away with 1:52 to go in the game.  Aiden Boechler made the extra point to make the score 19-15 in favor of Dell Rapids.  West Central got the ball to the Dell Rapids 37-yard line, but a holding penalty sent them back to midfield.  The Trojans had four chances from there to score, but turned the ball over on downs with just five seconds left in the game.

The Trojans had 219 yards of total offense, 185 passing yards and 34 rushing yards.  The Quarriers finished with 230 yards of offense, 146 passing yards and 84 rushing yards.  West Central finished with 11 first downs and were also 4-12 on third down conversions.  Dell Rapids had a total of 13 first downs and were 4-12 on third down conversions.

Koch was 14-26 for 185 yards and two touchdowns.  Braden Diericks had six catches for 57 yards.  Heath had three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.  Berens had a catch for 40 yards for a touchdown.  Jacob Krempges had three receptions for 14 yards.  Koch had six carries for 10 yards.  Berens finished with 10 rushes for nine yards.  Heath also had a carry for nine yards.  Logan Maras had a game-high 12 tackles.  Dylan Stromer finished with seven tackles.  Tommy Berg had six tackles, and Zach Madsen and Caden Hall both had five tackles.  Hall also had an interception.

West Central finishes the 2021 season with a 4-6 overall record.

The West Central Trojans had a couple of early leads against the Tea Area Titans on Thursday, October 21st, but the Titans were able to pull away in the third quarter for a 27-13 victory in the final regular season game.

West Central scored first when Gavin Koch threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Owen Heath with 8:48 in the opening quarter.  The extra point was no good, but the Trojans led 6-0.  Tea took the lead about three minutes later after a three-yard touchdown pass and extra point.  The Titans added to that lead as time expired in the first quarter on a 35-yards field goal, and Tea led 10-6 after the first quarter.

The Trojans regained the lead midway through the second quarter.  Koch had a 44-yard touchdown pass to Gage Nelson.  Tommy Berg made the extra point, and West Central led 13-10 with 6:12 to go in the half.  The Titans scored almost three minutes later again on an 18-yard pass.  Tea lead 17-13 at halftime.

Tea Area then pulled away with 10 points in the third quarter.  Chase Van Tol had a 51-yard field goal with 6:31 to  play in the third quarter.  Cael Lundin added a 56-yard touchdown pass to Klayton Slatter with 4:13 to play in the quarter.  The extra point made it 27-13, and that was the final score of the game.

The Trojans finished with 198 yards of offense, 215 passing yards but -17 rushing yards.  Justin Zirpel had 14 carries for 17 yards.  Koch was 14-23 passing for 215 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.  Braden Dierickx had eight catches for 124 yards.  Jacob Krempges had three catches for 10 yards, Heath had two catches for 37 yards and a touchdown, and Nelson had a 44-yard touchdown catch.  Chet Carda had 13 tackles and a sack in the game.  Dalton Mulder and Logan Maras both had 10 tackles.  Dierickx finished with six tackles.

West Central finishes the regular season with a 4-5 record and will be the #5 seed in the 11A playoffs.  The Trojans will travel to Dell Rapids to take on the #4 seeded Quarriers on Thursday, October 28th.

The Madison Bulldogs remained undefeated after a 27-7 win over the West Central Trojans in Hartford on Thursday, October 14th.

Madison got on the board in the first quarter with 3:46 to go.  They added two more scores in the second quarter.  Trey Smith had a three-yard run with 11:31 to go in the quarter.  Nate Ricke added a four-yard touchdown run with 2:23 on the clock.  The Bulldogs led 21-0 at halftime.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs scored first in the fourth quarter.  Ricke threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mickale Dohrer with 7:31 in the game.  The Trojans got their touchdown with 5:38 to play in the game.  Gavin Koch threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Owen Heath.  Tommy Berg made the extra point.

The Trojans were held to just nine first downs in the game.  West Central had 168 yards of total offense, 129 passing yards and 39 rushing yards.  Madison had a total of 281 yards of offense.

Koch finished 12-27 passing for 129 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.  Braden Dierickx had six catches for 50 yards.  Heath had three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.  Justin Zirpel carried the ball 13 times for 47 yards.  Dierickx had four rushes for 22 yards.  Logan Maras had 14 tackles to lead the defense.  Tommy Berg finished with eight tackles, and Dalton Mulder had six tackles.

The Trojans (4-4) will travel to Tea on Thursday, October 21st.

In a battle of top five teams in Class 11A, the #4 Vermillion Tanagers held on for a 28-26 win over the #3 West Central Trojans on Friday, October 8th in Vermillion.

The Tanagers got on the board first on a five-yard run by Jeremy Crowe with 5:56 to play in the opening quarter.  The extra point was good for a 7-0 lead.  Vermillion struck again with 10:38 to play in the second quarter.  Jack Kratz scored on a one-yard touchdown.  The extra point was no good, and Vermillion led 13-0. 

West Central got on the board after 40-yard wide receiver screen pass from Gavin Koch to Braden Dierickx with 8:42 to go in the first half.  Tommy Berg made the extra point to make the score 13-7.  The Trojans tied the game with :38 to play in the first half on a one-yard touchdown run by Logan Maras.  Berg made the extra point again to give West Central a 14-13.  The fireworks were not over in the first half just yet.  Vermillion regained the lead after a two-yard pass from Kratz to Mehki Sheffield in the final seconds of the second quarter.  They made a two-point conversion to take a 21-14 lead at halftime.

The Trojans scored first in the third quarter.  Koch connected with Dierickx for a 54-yard touchdown with 9:15 to go in the third quarter.  The extra point was no good, and Vermillion kept a 21-20 lead.  Kratz scored again for the Tanagers on a nine-yard run with 3:59 in the third quarter.  The extra point was good, and Vermillion led 28-20.  The score remained 28-20 heading into the fourth quarter.

Koch and Dierickx connected again for a touchdown with just under nine minutes to go in the game.  This time the pass was from four yards.  The Trojans went for the two-point conversion, but did not make it.  Vermillion hung on to the lead, 28-26.  West Central’s final drive of the game ended on a turnover on downs with 1:12 to go in the game on the Vermillion 41 yard line. 

Koch finished 21-37 passing for 215 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.  Dierickx had 12 catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns.  Jacob Krempges had four catches for 29 yards, and Owen Heath had three catches for 17 yards.  Koch also had seven carries for 32 yards.  Justin Zirpel added 11 carries for 30 yards.  Maras had two rushes for three yards and a touchdown. 

Maras led the defense for West Central with 17 tackles.  Dylan Stromer had 11 tackles.  Thomas Berg finished with five tackles, and Dierickx, Zach Madsen, and Chet Carda all had four tackles each.

 

The Canton C-Hawks snapped a four-game winning streak by the West Central Trojans on Friday, October 1st.  Canton won the defensive, low-scoring game 6-0 at Canton High School.  The Trojans now fall to 4-2 on the season.

Gavin Koch finished 13-30 passing for 135 yards and two interceptions.  Owen Heath had five catches for 89 yards.  Braden Dierickx had six receptions for 40 yards.  Justin Zirpel had 19 carries for 30 yards.

Logan Maras had 11 tackles to lead the defense.  Caden Hall had eight tackles.  Dalton Mulder finished with six tackles, and Chet Carda, Thomas Berg, and Dierickx all had five tackles each.

The Trojans travel to Vermillion to play the Tanagers on Friday, October 8th.

The West Central Trojans capped off Homecoming week with a win on the gridiron against Dakota Valley on Friday, September 24th.  The Trojans defeated the Panthers 27-13.

West Central led 13-0 at the end of the first quarter and pushed the lead to 27-6 by halftime.  Dakota Valley got a touchdown in the fourth quarter as the final score of the game.

Gavin Koch had a solid game throwing 16 of 21 for 199 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.  Braden Dierickx had seven catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.  Jacob Krempges had five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.  Justin Zirpel finished with three catches for 17 yards.

Zirpel led the ground attack with 21 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown.  Koch had three runs for 25 yards.  Logan Maras had two carries for eight yards and a touchdown.

Zach Madsen, Maras, and Dalton Mulder all had seven tackles each.  Dierickx had four tackles.  Zirpel, Caden Hall, and Chet Carda all had three tackles apiece.  Thomas Berg had a sack.  Madsen, Mulder, and Carda all had half sacks.  Dierickx also had an interception in the game.

The West Central Trojan football team won their third straight game after shutting out the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers on Friday, September 17th.  The Trojans scored six points in the first half for a 6-0 advantage.  West Central then scored 13 in third quarter.  Both teams were held scoreless in the final quarter as the Trojans won 19-0.

Gavin Koch was 16-24 passing for 173 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.  Justin Zirpel was 2-2 passing for 38 yards.  Braden Dierickx had 11 catches for 120 yards.  Jacob Krempges had three catches for 67 yards, and Zirpel had two catches for 13 yards.  Zirpel led the ground attack with 21 carries for 61 yards.

West Central (3-1) will host Dakota Valley on Friday, September 24th.

The West Central Trojan football team defeated the Milbank Bulldogs in double overtime on Friday, September 10th in Milbank.

The Bulldogs got on the board first on a two-yard run by Marshall Voeltz with 6:14 to go in the opening quarter.  Gavin Koch completed a 17-yard screen pass to Jacob Krempges for a touchdown with 3:29 to go in the quarter.  The extra point was no good, and Milbank held a 7-6 lead.  Voeltz scored again for Milbank on a five-yard run with 6:47 to play in the second quarter, but the extra point was no good.  The Bulldogs kept rolling as Kaden Krause connected with Benned Schwenn for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 5:18 to to go.  The extra point was good.  That was the final score of the first half, and Milbank led 20-6 at halftime.

The Trojans ignited some momentum on the first play of the third quarter.  Dierickx caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from Koch.  The two-point conversion was no good, but the Trojans cut the lead to 20-12 with 11:50 to play in the third quarter.  The score remained 20-12 until about the midway point of the fourth quarter.  Koch and Dierickx connected again with 7:54 to go in the game.  This time the pass was from 20 yards away.  Justin Zirpel ran the two-point conversion into the endzone to tie the game 20-20.  Dierickx scored for the fourth time in the game after a 65-yard touchdown punt return with 6:09 to play giving West Central a 26-20 lead.  The two-point conversion was no good.  Milbank tied the game on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 4:23 to play.  The extra point was blocked, and the game was tied 26-26.  That was the final score in regulation, and the game went into overtime.

Neither team scored in the first overtime.  In the second overtime, the Trojans had the ball first and scored on fourth down.  Koch completed a pass to Dierickx from five yards away for the touchdown.  The extra point was made to give West Central a 33-26 lead.  The Bulldogs scored a touchdown on their possession and went for the two-point conversion.  The pass was incomplete at the goal line, and West Central held on for the 33-32 win.

Koch finished 12-31 passing for 216 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.  Dierickx had 10 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns.  Krempges had a catch for 17 yards and a touchdown.  Zirpel had 20 carries in the game for 56 yards.  Dierickx also had a punt return for a touchdown.

The Trojans will host Sioux Falls Christian on Friday, September 17th.

The West Central Trojan football team cruised to their first win of the year on Friday, September 3rd.  Playing in their first home game of the season, the Trojans defeated the Belle Fourche Broncs 45-7 by scoring in every quarter of the game.

The Trojans put 20 points on the board in the first quarter and led 20-7 at the break.  They added 12 more points before halftime for a 32-7 lead.  West Central had six points in third quarter and seven more in the fourth.

West Central had a total of 357 yards of total offense, 220 passing yards and 137 rushing yards.  Gavin Koch was 16-25 passing for 220 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.  Braden Dierickx finished with six catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns.  Justin Zirpel had three catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.  Jacob Krempges had three grabs for 34 yards, and Owen Heath had three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown.  Aiden Bartmann had three carries in the game for 42 yards.  Koch had two carries for 35 yards.  Zirpel also had 11 runs for 31 yards and a touchdown.  Dalton Mulder finished with six carries for 24 yards and a touchdown.

The Trojans hit the road on Friday, September 10th . They travel to Milbank to take on the Bulldgs.  Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m.

The West Central Trojan football team had a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Lennox Orioles scored two times converting both extra points to steal a 21-20 victory from West Central in Lennox on Friday, August 27th.

The Trojans scored two times in the first quarter.  Justin Zirpel had a 33-yard touchdown run just 57 seconds into the game, but the extra point attempt was no good.  The second score came on a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown by Owen Heath with 3:29 to go in the quarter.  The two-point conversion was good, and West Central led 14-0 after the first quarter.

Lennox got a score late in the second quarter on a 75-yard touchdown reception by Steven Christion from Braeden Wulf with 2:58 in the half.  The extra point was good by Ethan Eli.  That was the only score of the second quarter, and West Central held a 14-7 lead at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, the fourth quarter was full of excitement.  Zirpel found the endzone for the second time in the game after a six-yard run with 6:14 to play in the game.  The extra point was no good, but the Trojans led 20-6.  Wulf connected with Jackson Arlt on a 19-yard pass for a touchdown, and Eli made the extra point to cut the lead to 20-14 with 2:29 to play.  Lennox forced West Central to punt and got the ball back with 1:56 left in the game.  Lennox got the ball to their own 48-yard line, and then Wulf and Christion connected again for 52 yards for a touchdown with just :39 left in the game.  Eli made another extra point, proving to be the game winner.  The Trojans had a couple of chances to win the game from the 50-yard line, but the final pass play was incomplete.

West Central finished with 218 yards of total offense, 131 passing yards and 87 rushing yards.  Zirpel had 23 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns.  Gavin Koch was 10-20 passing for 131 yards and an interception.  Braden Dierickx had four catches for 76 yards.

The Trojans (0-1) will host Belle Fourche on Friday, September 3rd.