HURON There were plenty of injuries, and it wasnt always pretty, but the Huron Tigers, the top-seeded team in Class 11AA, defeated the Spearfish Spartans at Tiger Stadium by the final score of 27-25.
Spearfish got the ball first, and they used the feet of quarterback Thomas Hughes and running back Mick Bosch to methodically grind their way downt he field. A big pass play from Hughes to Karsen Seyer put the Spartans on the Tiger 1-yard line, but the defense held. Cooper Bischoff picked off Hughes in the end zone to end the scoring threat.
Huron got a quick pass from Anderson Porisch to Mason Jurgens to open their first possession, but then disaster struck. Porisch attempted to connect with brother Carter Porisch, but Hughes intercepted the ball and ran it back 31 yards for a Spartan score. The point-after kick was missed, but Spearfish had a 6-0 lead with 5:07 left in the first quarter.
Huron was able to get a first down on the next drive, but ended up having to punt. Spearfish then went on another long drive, highlighted by a 31-yard connection between Hughes and senior receiver Jack Coauette and finished off with a 13-yard strike from Hughes to Seyer for a touchdown. Spearfish failed on the two-point conversion attempt, but still had a 12-0 lead with 11:43 left in the first half.
Hurons offense then finally dug in its heels and leaned on workhorse back Landon Hulst as he gained 20 yards over the first two carries of the possession for a first down. Anderson Porisch ran for a first down in Spartan territory and one play later, Hulst broke off a 12-yard gain to get in scoring range. On fourth-and-three from the Spearfish 20, Anderson Porisch found his brother for a 20-yard touchdown to get Huron on the board, trailing 12-6, with 7:24 left in the half.
After a Spartan punt, Huron got a big 56-yard connection between the Porisch brothers to get inside the Spartan 10, but then couldnt punch it in, turning the ball over on downs at the Spearfish 6.
Backed up in his own end zone, Hughes was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, giving Huron the safety, and bringing the Tigers within 12-8 with 2:28 left on the clock in the first half.
Huron worked the passing game after receiving the safety punt, as Porisch found Jurgens for two first-down passes and then went deep to Riley Winegar for a 39-yard touchdown pass. Mister Min nailed the point-after kick, and the Tigers were able to take a 15-12 lead into halftime.
After a bad punt by Huron to end their first drive of the second half, Spearfish had the ball on the Huron 35 and mixed short passes and scrambles by Hughes to get to the end zone on a two-yard run by Hughes. The kick was good for the Spartans, giving them a 19-15 lead with 6:05 left in the third.
Huron responded with a first-down connection by Porisch to Jurgens and then a big 31-yard run by Hulst that set up a second touchdown pass from Porisch to Winegar, this one for 31 yards. The PAT was no good, but Huron had regained the lead, 21-19 with 2:06 left in the quarter.
Spearfish punted, and Huron had a strong start to a drive, but then turned the ball over on downs. Thats when the Tigers were able to get a fumble recovery, but the home squad again had to punt.
After a false start, Spearfish had the ball tipped into the hands of the Tigers Jeremy Hofer for an interception. This time the Tigers focused on their ground game, as Hulst ran four consecutive plays to get the Tigers to the 7-yard line, where Porish found Jurgens for the score to give Huron a 27-19 lead with 5:23 remaining in the game.
A pass interference call against Huron got the Spartans to midfield, and Bosch was able to grind out some tough yards. Hughes found Kade Vavruska for a 16-yard connection to get inside the red zone, and three plays later, Hughes ran around end for seven yards for a score. The Spartans went for two, but Hughes stepped out of bounds short of the end zone, leaving the Tigers with a 27-25 lead.
On the ensuing drive, Anderson Porisch had a tough run to give Huron a first down at the Spearfish 20, allowing the Tigers to kneel on the ball for the win. Unfortunately, Porisch had to be helped off the field after the play.
Huron coach Dru Strand recognized his teams gritty effort on the night.
These guys had to fight through a lot of adversity, Strand said. They did a fantastic job of showing what Huron Tiger football is, and what it can be.
Porisch led the Tigers, now 4-1, with 204 yards and four touchdowns through the air and 55 yards on the ground. Hulst ran for 133 yards for his third consecutive 100-yard game.
The Spartans fall to 3-2 despite 154 yards in the air and 68 yards on the ground for the dynamic Hughes. He passed for a score, ran for two, and he returned an interception as well.
Huron travels to Douglas on Friday.
Area football scores
Clark/Willow Lake 20, Groton Area 7
Dell Rapids St. Mary 78, Iroquois/Lake Preston 24
De Smet 54, Florence-Henry 14
Gregory 57, Wolsey-Wessington 6
Hamlin 55, Redfield 0
Hitchcock-Tulare 42, Sunshine Bible Academy 22
Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central 13, Wagner 6
Winner 36, Miller/Highmore-Harrold 8
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