No. 3-ranked Pierre (5-3) rallied from a 21-point first-quarter deficit to defeat No. 4 Spearfish (5-3) 45–28 on Friday night at Lyle Hare Stadium, securing a crucial win for playoff positioning in South Dakota Class 11AA football.
Spearfish opened the game with a dominant start, scoring three times in the first quarter. Quarterback Thomas Hughes ran in a 12-yard touchdown, then connected with Kade Vavruska on a fourth-and-13 play for a 26-yard score. Laythan Lucas added a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown, as the Spartans’ defense forced first-half turnovers, including three interceptions.
Pierre responded behind wide receiver-turned-quarterback Jarren Deal, who took over after starting running back Carter Merrill exited with a leg injury. Deal accounted for nearly 500 all-purpose yards, rushing for 221 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries, and throwing for 245 yards and two scores on 15-of-22 passing.
The Governors cut the lead to 21–17 by halftime with two rushing touchdowns from Deal and a 30-yard field goal by Carter Templeton. Pierre’s defense clamped down in the second half, limiting Spearfish to under 100 yards of offense and forcing four turnovers, including two interceptions by Ayden Behm.
Deal threw second-half touchdowns to Carter Schiefelbein, who finished with 10 catches for 164 yards, and Cooper Terwilliger. Pierre remains the No. 3 seed in Class 11AA, while Spearfish drops to No. 6 heading into the final week of the regular season.
Friday’s win for Governors makes it 10 straight vs the Spartans, a streak that dates back to 2006 when the Spartans last beat Pierre. It is also the eighth multiple-possession win for the Governors in that span.
The Spartans will travel to Sturgis next week to face the 4–4 Scoopers in a pivotal matchup that could determine home-field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. Kickoff is at 6:00 pm at Woodle Field, with coverage to start at 5:30 pm on KDSJ 980 AM, 103.5 FM, and on KDSJ-TV on YouTube and on Facebook.
