The Spearfish Spartans gave top-seeded Yankton all they could handle Thursday night, but came up just short in a 12-7 loss in the opening round of the Class 11AA playoffs. The defeat ends Spearfish’s season at 5-5, marking their fourth one-score loss of the year.
Yankton, now 8-2, leaned on a dominant ground game and timely defense to survive the upset bid. Running back Jace Sedlacek rushed for 168 yards, while Tegan LaCroix contributed a rushing touchdown and sealed the win with a late interception.
The Bucks built a 12-0 lead behind a second-quarter touchdown run from LeCroix and a scoring strike from Tate Beste to Owen Eidsness. Spearfish responded with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jack Couaette from Thomas Hughes to cut the deficit to 12-7. The Spartans had multiple chances to take the lead, including two drives that reached the Yankton 5-yard line. But the Spartans came away empty both times, including a final possession that ended with LaCroix’s interception.
Spearfish accumulated 278 total yards of offense, 221 of which Hughes was responsible for (171 yards passing, 50 yards rushing). Couaette led the team in receiving with 5 catches for 78 yards and a Touchdown.
Senior running back Mick Bosh ran hard all game, finishing with 57 yards for 4.8 yards a carry. He was awarded the Superior Performer of the Game, sponsored by Superior Auto Solutions in Spearfish.
Despite the loss, Spearfish showed how far the program has come under head coach Tom Tieszen. The Spartans were competitive in every game this season and return a strong core in 2026, led by junior quarterback Thomas Hughes. Hughes passed for over 1,000 yards and rushed for more than 700, accounting for over 20 total touchdowns. He’ll be joined by top targets Kade Vavruska and Karsen Seyer, who combined for more than 700 receiving yards.
Seniors Laythan Lucas and Asher Peil helped lead the turnaround and will remain involved with the program during the offseason. Several underclassmen, including Spencer Marta and Connor Aalbu, are expected to take on larger roles next fall.
Yankton advances to face No. 4 Sturgis-Brown in this week’s semifinals. The Scoopers handed the Bucks one of their two regular-season losses in a 27-21 thriller.
