HURON — In a game that started late due to a balky Sturgis Scooper bus, and saw nearly everything possible happen, it ended with a goal line stand by the Huron Tigers that capped a 28-27, come-from-behind overtime win over the Sturgis Scoopers Friday night.
The win was the first of the season for Huron, which improves to 1-3 on the season, while Sturgis travels back home with a record of 2-2.
Sturgis brought in a solid rushing attack and a 2-1 record into the Huron Tiger homecoming game. Huron was 0-3 entering the game after facing the three top-ranked Class 11AA teams in the state in the opening weeks of the season.
“Oh this was a good one,” said Huron coach Dru Strand after the tense win. “We just continue to grow in confidence and our ability to play together. Tonight shows that we have the makings of a good team, when we do the things we really need to do.”
For a game that saw a first quarter marked by a decided lack of action, things got going in the second quarter.
Huron didn’t make a first down in the first quarter and Sturgis only managed two of them, as the game was predominantly played between each teams’ respective 20 and 35 yard lines.
Huron made the first foray into enemy territory on its first possession of the second quarter. Landon Hulst, who was bottled up throughout the first period, find some running room on a couple plays, Thackery Hansen saw his first action of the season and gained some yardage and the short passing game began to work for the Tigers.
Aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties on the Scoopers, Huron was 1st and 10 from the Sturgis 16. A motion penalty made it 1st and 15, when Hulst found running room on the right side. He was drug down form behind and Sturgis was assessed a horsecollar tackle penalty, setting the Tigers up with a 2nd and 5 from the Scooper 11. An enroachment penalty on the Scoopers moved the ball halfway to the goal line, but a run for no gain and incomplete pass set up a third and goal, and a tipped pass intended for Anderson Porisch was intercepted at the goal line.
Huron's defense held Sturgis and got the ball back on the change of possession, but tried to dial long distance, but the lines got crossed and McNeil was intercepted.
Sturgis' offense got a serious talking to and immediately went back to its bread and butter, handing the ball to Sullivan Jost. Two runs by Jost gained 15 yards, then a fake to Jost netted quarterback Carter Williams a nine-yard gain, setting the Scoopers up at their own 43-yard line. From there, Jost found daylight on the left side of the line and was 15 yards downfield before the Tiger defenders knew he was coming and he took it to the house for the 57-yard score and a 7-0 lead after he also kicked the extra point.
Huron got the ball back after the kick, and McNeil completed a pass to Porisch, who was hit and fumbled the ball, giving it back to Sturgis. The Scoopers were gracious visitors, however, as Jost put the ball on the ground on the second play, giving it back to Huron with just over three minutes to play in the half.
Taking over on their own 22 yard line, Huron moved smartly down the field, as Hulst ripped off yardage on the ground, before McNeil completed a short pass to Mason Jurgens, and Riley Winegar ran for nine yards. A pass to Porrish set Huron up first and 10 from the Sturgis 20, with just over a minute to play. A rush for no gain and two incompletions, however threatened to nullify the threat for Huron.
But with 10 seconds to play in the half, McNeil rolled to the right, had time to set his feet and he dropped a pass in the arms of Porisch in the back corner of the endzone and Huron got on the board, making the score 7-6 after a missed extra point, as the teams went to the halftime break.
Sturgis left no doubt of its intent to open the second half. Jost carried the ball three times for 54 yards, the last one a 24-yard rumble to paydirt and the Scoopers went 65-yards in four plays for a 14-7 lead.
Huron was able to move the ball nearly to midfield, helped out by three Sturgis penalties, but the drive stalled and the Tigers punted the ball back to the Scoopers.
The Scoopers mixed runs by Jost and replacement running quarterback Jaxon Cano, along with a couple short passes and, with the assistance of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Tigers, moved down the field. Jost again iced the cake, this time from 14-yards out and it was 21-6 after the PAT.

Huron came firing back, as Hulst again began to find rushing room and a McNeil lob downfield was caught by Porisch, for a 22-yard gain and the Scoopers were flagged on the play and 15-yards were added. Another throw to Porish and a 12-yard Hulst scamper set Huron up first and goal at the one-yard line. A run for no gain, an incomplete pass, a timeout and a penalty saw it go to 3rd and goal from the six. A loss on a run set up fourth down and a pass to the endzone was incomplete and the opportunity slipped away for Huron as the quarter drew to a close.
After running the ball effectively on two straight possessions, for some reason the Scoopers decided to try to throw the ball on its next possession. A quick three and out got the ball back to the Huron in Sturgis territory. A Hulst run netted four yards, then McNeil rolled right and hit Porisch in stride on a 42-yard pitch and catch that cut the lead to 21-13 with 11:15 to go in the game.
The Scoopers ran for 14 yards on the first play of its next drive, then threw three straight incompletions and Huron got the ball back with just under eight minutes to play. A perfectly executed screen pass for Hulst got the Tigers rolling and out to midfield, then McNeil hit Riley Winegar in stride on a post pattern that took the ball down to the Sturgis 11-yard line. A muffed snap set Huron back, but McNeil connected with Blake Ellwein in the left side of the endzone for the 18-yard score, as the lanky wide receiver came back and scooped the ball off the turf for the score. Needing the two-point conversion to tie the game, McNeil looked off the defender and hit Jurgens with a bullet to tie the score.
Sturgis didn’t threaten on its last possession and Huron launched two desperation throws that were incomplete and the teams headed to overtime knotted at 21-all.
High school overtime procedures are that each team gets possession of the ball at the 10-yard line. There is no game clock, and a team has four chances to score, as no first downs are available.
Huron lost the flip and had the ball first. McNeil threw incomplete on first down and a Hulst run that looked promising ended up netting only one yard. On third down, McNeil threw the ball high in the air to the corner of the endzone and Ellwein out-dueled two Scooper defenders for the ball and the score that gave Huron it’s first lead of the season, at 28-21, after the important PAT was good by Micah Larson.
Then it was on the Tiger defense. With little mystery, the Scoopers lined up in a wildcat formation three straight times, with Jost taking a direct snap and hitting the line. He scored from three yards out on the third try and the Scoopers were forced to make a decision.
Sturgis went for the two-point conversion and the win, but Jost was buried at the one-yard line, stopping the attempt and striking a match to the homecoming celebration for the Tigers.
On the night, Jost carried the ball 25 times for 263 yards and four touchdowns but it was the one yard that the Tigers denied him that decided the game.
Hulst bolstered Huron’s rushing attack with 81 yards on 19 carries, while McNeil was 17/38 for 288 yards and four touchdowns, two each to Porisch and Ellwein, with the important conversion throw to Jurgens.
Huron makes the trip West River next week, as they travel to take on the Spearfish Spartans in non-conference action.
“Every week we get just a little bit more in tune to what we need to do to be successful,” Strand said. “We just need to keep working, get a couple more guys back from injury and continue improve each week.”

Score by quarters
Sturgis 0 7 14 0 — 21-6 — 27
Huron 0 6 0 15 — 21 - 7 — 28

Scoring summary

1st quarter
No scoring
2nd quarter
S — 4:19 - Sullivan Jost, 57-yard run. (Jost kick)
H — 0:10 - Anderson Porisch, 25-yard pass from Colt McNeil. PAT failed
3rd quarter
S — 9:49 - Jost, 24-yard run. (Jost kick)
S — 4:17 - Jost 14-yard run. (Elliot Smith kick)
4th quarter
H — 11:15 - Porisch, 42-yard pass from McNeil. (Micah Larson PAT)
H — 4:26 - Blake Ellwein, 18-yard pass from McNeil. Mason Jurgens conversion pass from McNeil.
Overtime
H — Ellwein, 9-yard pass from McNeil. (Larson kick)
S — Jost, 3-yard run. Conversion run failed