In a game with playoff implications, the Spearfish Spartans came up short against the Sturgis Scoopers, falling 13–9 in a defensive battle Thursday night at Woodle Field. The loss drops Spearfish to 5–4 on the season and secures the No. 8 seed for the upcoming Class 11AA playoffs.
Spearfish opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when quarterback Thomas Hughes connected with Kade Vavruska for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The Scoopers responded early in the second quarter with a 25-yard touchdown run from quarterback Jaxon Cano, followed by a pair of field goals from Isaac Smith to take a 13–7 lead into halftime.
The Spartans added two points early in the fourth quarter on a safety after a misplayed punt snap by Sturgis, cutting the deficit to 13–9. Spearfish had a chance to take the lead late in the game, advancing to the Scooper 2-yard line, but a costly offensive pass interference penalty and a sack stalled the drive. A final push ended with an interception by Sturgis defensive back Seth Burton with 1:25 remaining.
Spearfish was held to just 165 total yards—74 rushing and 91 passing—well below their season average of 315. Hughes led the Spartans with 61 rushing yards and added 91 through the air. Vavruska finished with five catches for 44 yards. The Spartans committed three turnovers and 11 penalties for 80 yards.
Sturgis (5–4) totaled 288 yards of offense, including 198 on the ground. Running back Zhoel Irion led all rushers with 177 yards on 25 carries. Cano completed 12 of 15 passes for 90 yards.
With the regular season concluded, Spearfish will travel to face top-seeded Yankton next Thursday in the first round of the 11AA playoffs. Sturgis, the No. 4 seed, will host Watertown. Other first-round matchups include Brookings at Huron and Tea Area at Pierre.
