BROOKINGS – The Bobcats dug themselves into too deep of a hole early in Friday night’s Hall of Fame 28-14 loss to Mitchell.
The Kernels scored a touchdown in each of the first two quarters to post a 14-0 lead at halftime, and then, added a late third-quarter score to go up 21-0.
Brookings rallied with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns but a turnover on the drive to tie the game led to a late Kernel score as the Bobcats fell in the Eastern South Dakota Conference matchup.
“We have to come out of the locker room – bottom line – we have to be ready to play on the opening kickoff and come out and play like we do that one really good quarter we play,” said BHS head coach Lee Schmidt. “We have played eight quarters of football; we have played two good quarters – that is it!
“And we cannot beat teams in our league, on our schedule, if we do not play more than one quarter a game.”
The ‘Cats weren’t able to cash in on an early scoring opportunity after recovering a muffed punt on the Mitchell 21-yard line.
Mitchell’s Carson Max opened the scoring with a 13-yard ramble around the left side with 1 minute, 22 seconds to play in the first quarter. Trevor Lambert’s PAT kick made it 7-0.
The Kernels added to their lead when Drew Kitchens skirted the right end and ran 46 yards to paydirt in the first minute of the second quarter to make it 14-0 following Lambert’s PAT kick.
Leading 14-0 to open the second half, Mitchell took eight minutes off the clock before giving up possession.
When the Kernels did get the ball back, Kiel Nelson broke off a 71-yard jaunt to the end zone to push Mitchell’s advantage to 21-0 after another PAT kick with 41 seconds to play in the third.
The ‘Cats finally got off the schneid on the first play of the fourth when Jacob Schoon connected with Cole Mahlum on a 44-yard scoring toss. Justin Devine split the uprights with the PAT to make it 21-7.
Brookings forced a turnover on downs, and then, Schoon set up a touchdown with a 20-yard scramble that ended at the 1-yard line. On the next play, he followed Parker Beers in for a score to pull the Bobcats within a touchdown and an extra point with 5:47 to play.
The ‘Cats had a chance to tie the game inside of 3 minutes, but coughed up the ball after crossing the first-down marker.
Mitchell closed out the game from there – not only running the clock down – but adding another touchdown with 36 seconds to play as Max broke several tackles to score on a 24-yard run. Lambert’s PAT kick provided for the final margin.
The Kernels finished with 20 first downs via the ground game as Kitchens ran for 182 yards on 27 carries; Max added 120 on 15 rushes; and Nelson tacked on 90 on 11 touches.
Beers led the ‘Cats with 74 yards on 15 carries.
On Friday, Brookings, 1-1 overall and in the ESD, plays host to Spearfish while the Kernels (1-1, 1-1 ESD) welcome Yankton to Joe Quintal Field.
Register photo: Brookings’ Preston Helmbolt breaks off a big run that gets called back by a penalty late in the first quarter of the Bobcats’ 28-14 Eastern South Dakota Conference loss to Mitchell on Friday night at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
