ELKTON The Elkton-Lake Benton Elks overcame a 17-point deficit in the first half but, despite the comeback, they ultimately fell to the Hamlin Chargers 40-35 at the Elkton Athletic Complex on Friday night.
The game, which was a battle of unbeaten teams in Class 9AA, went down to the wire, but despite coming up short, ELB coach Ethan Pearson liked what he saw as the Elks head into the playoffs with a 7-1 record.
I thought we played really well, Pearson said. Our goal coming in was to be more physical and I thought we were more physical. We just had some mental mistakes in the first half and we had too many penalties that put us behind the sticks, which hurt us a little bit and stalled a few drives, but Hamlin is a really good team. They had a lot of good plays, big plays, and if we limit those plays I think its a different game.
The game started at a frenetic pace as Jackson Wadsworth hit Zac VanMeeteren with a 54-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion 78 seconds into the game. The Elks responded quickly with a 36-yard touchdown by Eliot Erickson to cut the lead to 8-7 but Mason Trowbridge had another Hamlin answer, going 52 yards on a touchdown run to put the Chargers up 16-7 with 7:08 in the first quarter.
ELBs next drive was marred by a pair of personal foul penalties and a false start that led to a turnover on downs. A few plays later, Wadsworth hit VanMeeteren for a 30-yard touchdown pass and another two-point conversion to give the Chargers a 24-7 lead with 10:09 left in the second quarter.
But when it looked like the Chargers were set to run away with the game, ELB had another answer. Colt Beck picked up a fourth down conversion on the next drive before scoring on a 36-yard touchdown run to cut Hamlins lead down to 24-14 with 4:53 left in the second quarter and after the Elks defense got its first stop of the night on the next drive, Beck connected with Tanner Stein on a pair of big passes before finding him on a 4th-and-goal from the three-yard line for a touchdown pass that sent ELB into the locker room down 24-21 at halftime.
Halftime didnt slow the Elks momentum as Beck threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Drietz that gave ELB a 28-24 lead with 8:11 left in the third quarter. One of 10 seniors on the roster that were being honored for senior night, Drietz was one of the players that helped lead the charge and inspire his teammates to make the comeback.
They all meant a lot to this program, Pearson said of his seniors. We communicated that with them early tonight and again after the game that they built this program. Its not the coaches that built it, it was the group of seniors continuing to get in the weight room and push the younger kids. And its not just this group of seniors, its the seniors that have come back to support these guys and its a program that were very proud of.
The Elks pride put them in position to complete its second undefeated regular season in the past three years but Hamlin kept coming back. A quarterback sneak by Wadsworth put the Chargers back on top 32-28 with 2:12 left in the third quarter and after both teams exchanged interceptions on back-to-back plays, Colt Beck put ELB back in front with a five-yard touchdown run to give the Elks a 35-32 lead with 9:40 left in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers drove down the field and set up a one-yard touchdown run by Evan Stormo and Hamlin built a 40-35 lead after their fifth successful two-point conversion of the night. With the clock down the field, the Elks drove into the Hamlin red zone for one last rebuttal but Becks pass fell short on 4th-and-5 at the goal line with 57 seconds remaining.
Three plays later, Hamlin picked up a first down and capped off an undefeated regular season.
Beck finished competing 10-of-17 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also ran for 108 yards on 19 carries with a pair of touchdowns.
Erickson had 21 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown as well as two receptions for 21 yards. Stein had five carries for 14 yards and four catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Savion Stephens had two catches for 16 yards and Tanner Drietz had two catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Stein had 13 total tackles to go with an interception. Erickson had 10 total tackles. Beck had nine tackles. Quintin Westley had eight tackles with two sacks.
The loss sends the Elks into the Class 9AA playoffs with a sense of disappointment but it didnt affect their confidence. With a wide-open playoff picture, the Elks are still expecting big things when play begins next week and Pearson is excited to see how the field will unfold.
Were pretty confident in ourselves, Pearson said. We could have been anywhere from [No. 1 to No. 6]. There are a lot of good teams in Class 9AA and Hamlin was one of them but Parkston is the defending champion, youve got Hill City out west and then you have Tripp-Delmont/Armour, who came down from 11-man. So its a stacked class. You just never know, but weve got to put our best foot forward here, get better and continue to improve and come back next week.
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