VOLGA Sioux Valley advanced in the Class 11B Playoffs on Thursday night as the No. 8 seeded Cossacks made a goal line stand with under a minute to play to beat No. 9 seeded Parker 24-16.
We said at the start of the season that there would be a lot of games, due to the style of game that we play, that it would be close or tied at halftime and we cant get nervous or panic in those situations, said Sioux Valley head coach Jordan Fast. In the second half we wear on teams and I think thats what we did in the second half.
Parker converted a first down on fourth and one with just over a minute to play and that set up first and goal at the Sioux Valley 10. The Cossacks then forced four-straight incompletions and secured the win.
Our communication has always been the key for our team and [our defense] was communicating when it mattered, Fast said. That starts with our seniors and starts with our defensive line. On our back end we had great coverage, but we also had a great pass rush on those last four plays and that makes the game a lot tougher on the quarter.
It was 16-16 entering the fourth quarter. The two teams were trading possessions before Sioux Valley faced a fourth and 12 at near midfield. Wyatt Hardt then threw a deep ball and it landed in the hands of Brody Haaland to set up first and goal for the Cossacks at the five. Two plays later Hardt gave Sioux Valley the lead with a five-yard run and a two point conversion, making it 24-16 with 3:18 left in the game.
Mitchell Guthmiller broke a scoreless tie with 3:59 left in the first quarter as he put the Cossacks up with a five-yard touchdown run. Hardt ran in the two-point conversion to make it 8-0. Parker would then give the ball back to Sioux Valley but Carter Berens had a 41-yard fumble return and scored for the Pheasants. Brady Beyer ran in the two-point conversion to make it 8-8 and neither team scored in the second quarter.
It looked as though that score was going to remain going into the fourth until each team hit big pass plays. Parker faced a fourth and 19 at the Cossack 28. Landon Wieman heaved one towards the end zone and Colin Robertson came down with it between a pair of Cossack defenders. Tonner Peterson ran in the two-point conversion and Parker led 16-8 with 3:18 left in the third quarter.
Nineteen seconds later Sioux Valley tied the game. Wyatt Hardt used a play fake and found a wide open Tobin Squires behind the defense and he ran 60 yards to the end zone. Guthmiller ran in the two-point conversion to make it 16-16 and that set up the thrilling final quarter.
Hardt was the leading rusher with 105 yards on 23 carries. He was 5-of-8 for 170 yards through the air.
Fast said Hardt is the leader of the team and he showed that on Thursday night, while also playing behind a senior-laden offensive line.
[Hardt is gritty. He runs hard and hes a leader. Our offensive line earns a lot of credit too because a lot of them are seniors and have played a lot of games on this field. I definitely appreciate all their efforts, but our quarterback is our leader too, Fast said.
Sioux Valley had 390 total yards of offense and Parker had 196. The Cossacks had 228 yards rushing and Guthmiller had 96 yards on 27 carries. Squires had two catches for 85 yards and Haalands lone catch was the 45-yard reception.
The Cossack defense was led by Preston Top, who had six tackles. Guthmiller had five tackles and Johnnie Vermeulen had four tackles.
The Cossacks will take on No. 1 seeded Elk Point-Jefferson next Thursday. Sioux Valley lost 41-26 to EPJ in the regular season finale last week. Fast said he thought his team competed well with the Huskies in the first matchup and theyre looking to pull the upset next week.
Elk Point is obviously No. 1 for a reason. Theyre big up front. Were going to have to control the ball and were going to have to force turnovers, but were also going to have to be us. Were going down there to win. Were not just going down there to show up. We played with them last game, it was 14-6 at half and if we get a stop it might be a different situation. Turnovers and line play is going to be important, but also physicality, Fast said.
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