STURGIS, S.D. – Sturgis leaned heavily on a dominant rushing attack Thursday night, piling up 388 rushing yards and controlling the line of scrimmage in a 41-20 victory over Spearfish at Woodle Field.
The Scoopers rode the legs of senior running back Zhoel Irion, who delivered a career performance with 243 yards and three touchdowns on just 20 carries, earning Superior Performance honors. Behind a physical offensive line, Sturgis consistently wore down the Spartan defense and turned several Spearfish turnovers into valuable scoring opportunities.
Sturgis set the tone early after recovering a Spearfish fumble on the Spartans’ opening drive. Four plays later, Irion spun out of a tackle and scored from 10 yards out to give the Scoopers a 7-0 lead. He added another touchdown run from seven yards out early in the second quarter as the hosts built a 14-0 advantage.
While Spearfish moved the ball effectively at times, the Spartans struggled to protect possession. Sturgis forced four fumbles and capitalized late in the first half when quarterback Austin Flohr connected with Gage West for a 13-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds remaining before halftime, extending the lead to 21-0.
The Scoopers continued to pound the football after the break. West added a 5-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter, and after Spearfish finally got on the board on a 4-yard touchdown run by Graham Hughes, Irion answered with the game’s biggest run, breaking loose for a 38-yard touchdown to push the lead back to 35-7.
Spearfish refused to go away, as Thomas Hughes found Kade Vavruska and Karsen Seyer for touchdown passes, but the Spartans could never fully recover from the early deficit. Sturgis closed out the scoring with field goals of 27 and 52 yards by Izaac Smith.
Despite nearly matching Sturgis in total offense, 465 yards to 458, Spearfish was undone by four turnovers and the Scoopers’ relentless rushing attack.
Graham Hughes led the Spartans with 123 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, while Thomas Hughes completed 9 of 17 passes for 278 yards and two scores.
For Sturgis, everything started up front. The Scooper offensive line opened running lanes throughout the night, helping Irion average more than 12 yards per carry and fueling an offense that spent much of the evening controlling the clock and momentum.
The victory sends Sturgis into the Class 11AA playoffs with a 6-3 record and the No. 5 seed. The Scoopers will travel to Tea Area next Thursday for a quarterfinal matchup. Spearfish finishes the regular season 5-4 and earns the No. 6 seed, setting up a road playoff game at Watertown. That game will be broadcast on KDSJ 980 AM, 103.5 FM, kdsj980.com, and the KDSJ Sports Mobile App. Plus, it will be streamed on KDSJ-TV on YouTube and on KDSJ’s Facebook Live.
Replay: https://www.youtube.com/live/s7Mh1CwaF80?si=0XN2RTmsI5zzUcP3
