11AAA: O’Gorman champions

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BROOKINGS – O’Gorman beat defending-champion Brandon Valley 21-16 on Friday night to claim its first Class 11AAA championship.

The Knights won nine 11AA titles.

OG overcame a pair of turnovers and a missed field goal by limiting the Lynx to 155 yards of total offense.

The Knights’ Tate Wishard ran for 70 yards and found the end zone once. Teegan Schlimgen went 8-of-14 for 111 yards with a TD and an INT. Zach Norton had 57 yards and a touchdown on four receptions and also threw for a score as he was honored as the Jim Langer MVP and Most Outstanding Back.

The Lynx’s Damion Schunke picked off a pass at the OG 42 on the opening possession to set up Jorey Sorenson’s 25-yard field goal.

OG missed a field goal at the 9:50 mark of the second.

The Knights got on the board on Norton’s 30-yard toss to Tip Reiman with 5:12 left in the second. Conor Pavelko added the PAT kick.

Brandon Valley’s Jesse Steffel came through with a big strip-sack late in the second and Dominic Tucker recovered the ball at the OG 19. Tate Johnson, who ran for 88 yards and a pair of TDs, scored on a 3-yard run two plays later. Sorenson’s PAT put the Lynx ahead 10-7 at halftime.

OG retook the lead as Norton caught a 28-yard TD toss from Schlimgen a little more than 3 minutes into the third. Pavelko’s PAT made it 14-10.

BV grabbed its final lead on Johnson’s 1-yard plunge to paydirt at the 6:29 mark of the third. The PAT was blocked, leaving the score at 16-14.

Wishard tallied the go-ahead touchdown with 2:55 remaining in the third. 

Brandon Valley had an 11-yard TD completion on fourth down called back by a penalty with less than 4 minutes to play. A delay of game made it fourth-and-26 at the 31. OG’s Jonah Wuebben, the game’s Most Outstanding Lineman, came through with a sack after that and the Knights ran out the clock on offense.

Notes: BV beat OG 40-16 in the regular-season matchup Sept. 7 at Howard Wood Field. … O’Gorman won Class 11AA titles in in 1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 2004, 2005 and 2010 and took second in 1982, 1984, 1991, 1999 and 2006. The Knights fell 27-24 to Sioux Falls Washington in 2015 in their only other 11AAA appearance. … Brandon Valley fell to 7-5 in finals. The Lynx won 11A crowns in 1984, 1985 and 1988, 11AA titles in 1989, 1990 and 1998 and an 11AAA championship in 2018.

No. 4 O’GORMAN 21, No. 3 BRANDON VALLEY 16

O’Gorman.       (10-2) 0  7  14  0    21

Brandon Valley (9-3) 3  7    6  0    16

First Quarter

BV – Jorey Sorenson 25 FG, 6:27

Second Quarter

OG – Tip Reiman 30 pass from Zach Norton (Conor Pavelko kick), 5:12

BV – Tate Johnson 3 run (Sorenson kick), 1:53

Third Quarter

OG – Norton 28 pass from Teegan Schlimgen (Pavelko kick), 8:53

BV – Johnson 1 run (kick failed), 6:29

OG – Tate Wishard 1 run (Pavelko kick), 2:55