VOLGA Sioux Valley will be playing in the DakotaDome for the first time since 1988 on Friday as the Cossacks will play Winner in the Class 11B State Championship.
The only other time the Cossacks played for the 11B title was in 1988, and they came out victorious against Bon Homme. Sioux Valley has been close over the years as this is the 11th consecutive season that the Cossacks have made playoffs. They made the semifinals in 2015, 2017 and 2020 before making it to the championship this season.
The top-seeded Cossacks beat No. 4 seeded Elk Point-Jefferson 28-14 in the semifinals and Sioux Valley head coach Dan Hughes said it was nice to finally punch their ticket to the dome.
It felt great, Hughes said. We all knew that we could do it. It was just nice to finally make it happen and make it a reality. We played pretty well [in the first half] and [EPJ] got a couple scores on a long pass play or two, but they didnt really ever stop us.
We knew we were in pretty good shape and then there were some players at halftime that approached us and said there was a certain formation or certain look that we should be pretty good out of. We did that on the opening drive of the second half and scored fairly quickly, so tip of the cap to the players.
Winner (11-0) is coming off of a 36-0 demolition of St. Thomas More in the semifinals. The No. 2 seeded Warriors have won their 11 games this year by an average of 26.7 points and they do a lot of their damage on the ground.
Winner has run for just under 3,000 yards this season and has just 270 yards passing. The Warriors have six players that have rushed for over 250 yards this season but senior running back Kaiser Karson leads the way with 877 yards and 12 touchdowns. Junior running back Zac Olson has run for 476 yards and senior quarterback Eli Vobor has 394 rushing yards.
Hughes said the game is going to come down to turnovers and who can control the ball.
[Winner is] pretty multiple and they spread the ball to different players and different spaces. They fit what they do to the people they have, just like we do or anyone else does. It will come down to fundamentals and turnovers. Whoever blocks best, tackles best and takes care of the ball best. All of those ordinary things done at a high level will determine the game, Hughes said.
The Cossacks have done an even better job on the ground this season. Theyve run for 3,897 yards and 51 touchdowns as a team. Senior running back Donovan Rose leads the way with 1,675 yards and 17 touchdowns on 149 carries.
Rose became Sioux Valleys all time leading rusher and scorer this season and Hughes said he is tough to stop because he can do everything.
Hes a good guy whos very dependable and very trustworthy. Obviously hes very gifted athletically. People have to know where hes at and he has the speed to turn a long gain into a touchdown and has the ability to make people miss in the open field. Hes kind of just a jack of all traits and a good leader on top of all that, Hughes said.
Senior quarterback Brock Christopherson has done damage on the ground as well. Hes run for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns on 144 carries, but has also thrown for 444 yards and five touchdowns.
The Cossack defense has been great as well as theyve held teams to 14.2 points per game. Chrostopherson leads the team with 60 tackles and Mitchell Guthmiller has 48. Rose and Braden Danziesen are not far behind with 47 tackles each and Wyatt Nelson and Jakob Guthmiller each had 46.
I think the defense has done a good job all season, Hughes said. Football is a game where we see so many different types of offenses and organizations that try to attack us, and weve been able to match up with all of them. I dont think the defense as a whole has done anything but excel all season. Our pass defense and tackling have progressed as the season has gone on, which is what we expect, Hughes said.
Kickoff between Sioux Valley and Winner is set for 2 p.m. on Friday. You can watch the game on South Dakota Public Broadcasting.
Hughes said its not only exciting for the players, but it will be a special day for everyone involved in the Sioux Valley football program.
Its exciting for all of us and for the people whove had a hand in all of this. Whether its coaches, parents or other coaches that have the same high expectations that we do. So, its pretty special here for everybody and everyone should feel like they have had a part in it, Hughes said.
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