The Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central Blackhawks advanced to the 11B Playoff Semi-finals with a resounding 60-6 victory over Red Cloud on Thursday night in Wessington Springs.
On a very windy evening, the Blackhawks kicked off with the wind to begin the game and then stopped Red Cloud on a three-and-out. Red Cloud’s fourth down punt into the wind was very short and the Blackhawks took over on their opponent’s 34-yard line.
On the very first play, John Witte ran for a touchdown and a quick 6-0 lead. Back on defense, Blackhawks immediately forced another three-and-out and Red Cloud kicked another short punt into the wind.
With the offense back on the field and less than five minutes into the game, Witte scored again from the 13-yard line, then ran in the two-point conversion for a 14-0 lead. With 1:44 left in the first quarter, Witte scored again from three yards out and he ran in the two-point conversion.
The Blackhawk defense forced another punt in three downs, and with 54 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, Trent Kingsbury hit Noah Dickson for an 11-yard touchdown pass. Kingsbury ran in a two-point conversion and the score was 30-0 after one quarter of play.
With teams switching directions to start the second quarter, Red Cloud now had the wind at their back and could become more of a threat with their passing game. However, on the first play of the second quarter, Alex Wormstadt intercepted a Red Cloud pass and returned it for a touchdown. Kingsbury passed to Dickson for the two-point conversion.
Less than two minutes later, Witte scored again on a seven-yard run. The conversion was no good, but the Blackhawks led 44-0 with almost 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Just a little over two minutes later, Trey Ulmer scored for the Blackhawks on a 45-yard run. Kingsbury ran in the two-point conversion.
Later in the quarter, Trey Ulmer scored again on a 74-yard run. Landon Wolter ran in the two-point conversion for a 60-0 lead with 2:22 left in the first half. Red Cloud was able to score right before halftime to make the score 60-6.
The game ended at halftime due to the mercy rule.
John Witte led the offense with 148 rushing yards on 14 carries and four touchdowns. Trey Ulmer added 135 yards on six carries and two touchdowns.
The Blackhawks record now stands at 9-1. They next travel to play Sioux Falls Christian at the Bob Young Stadium in Sioux Falls on Friday, Nov. 3. Game time is 7 p.m.
The winner advances to play in the 11B State Championship on Nov. 10 in the DakotaDome.