WATERTOWN The Brookings Bobcats saw their season come to an end as they fell to the Watertown Arrows 20-7 in the Class 11AA semifinals on Friday night, but it felt like more of a beginning than an end.
In the moments after the game became final, head coach Brady Clark expressed optimism for not only what the Bobcats were able to accomplish going from 1-8 a season ago to finish with an 8-3 record this season but what Brookings football can become after the program took a giant leap forward.
The first quarter saw both teams feel each other out as Watertown drove to midfield on its opening drive and pinned the Bobcats deep in their own territory. While the field remained tilted for the rest of the quarter, the Bobcats defense held up until the Arrows got on the scoreboard when Treyton Himmerich connected with Mitch Olson for a 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the Arrows a 7-0 lead with 11:12 remaining in the second quarter.
The Arrows forced another Brookings punt on the following drive and the defense once again bent but didnt break. With the help of a pair of penalties and a sack, the Bobcats held Watertown to a 42-yard field goal by Riley Fischer with 5:04 left in the second quarter and went into the locker room with a 10-0 halftime deficit.
Our coaches had them ready to go, Clark said of his defense. They communicated well and they bent but didnt break. Thats kind of been our philosophy all year long.
But while the Bobcats received the ball to open the second half, the mistakes that kept the offense from moving the ball began to pile up. A holding penalty backed the Bobcats up on their first drive of the second half and led to a Gavin Anderson interception that was returned eight yards for a touchdown by Cole Hansen, giving Watertown a 17-0 lead.
When the Bobcats recovered a muffed punt later in the third quarter, it was a false start that moved them back before Anderson threw another interception to Hansen that stopped Brookings momentum.
The mistakes were too much to overcome in the end as Watertown added another 42-yard field goal by Fischer to push the lead out to 20-0 with 1:26 left in the third quarter.
While Anderson connected with Tetzlaff on a 15-yard touchdown with 2:12 to play, the Bobcats couldnt recover the onside kick and the Arrows punched their ticket to The DakotaDome.
Turnovers killed us and they had some big plays, Clark said. … Its just a team aspect. Were all in this together and we just werent at our best tonight. They came ready to go and they took [the win]. Theyre just a good football team and did what they needed to do. Those little mistakes here and there in a game like this, they make a big difference and thats kind of where it went.
Despite the loss, there was a feeling of optimism among the Bobcats. One year after bringing 28 sophomores to Watertown for the 2023 season opener, Brookings graduates just 11 seniors from this years team. The class which includes Will Conrad, Dagi Thomas, Charlie Bisgard, Josiah Thomas, Cole Hockett, Carter Harris, Diego Barahona, Gabriel Stern, Koen Beinhorn and Egan Jensen played a big role in helping the Bobcats come of age and establish a foundation for success.
Theyve been through the highs and the lows, Clark said of his seniors. And for them to just come together as a group and lead the way, they had to get to this point in the year. Im just so dang proud of this whole class. This team is proud of them and they helped bring this program back to where it should be and its because of that group there.
It was part of a bittersweet night for the Bobcats, who felt the disappointment of coming short of the DakotaDome but also saw their hard work pay off.
We feel rejuvenated, Clark said. Look at the crowd that was here tonight. The crowd thats been showing up week-to-week. That belief and just the excitement and fun around Bobcat football again. Its just been a joy. It was a super fun ride.
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