SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Spearfish Spartans celebrated senior night with a hard-fought 28-20 victory over Aberdeen Central Saturday at Lyle Hare Stadium.
The win improves Spearfish to 5-3 on the season and was fueled by a dominant ground game from senior brothers Thomas and Graham Hughes, who combined for 315 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Thomas Hughes accounted for three touchdowns and 265 yards of total offense, rushing for 146 yards and throwing touchdown passes to Kade Vavruska and Karsen Seyer. Graham Hughes added 169 rushing yards, including a pivotal 59-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
After the teams were tied 14-14 at halftime, Spearfish took control behind its defense. The Spartans stopped Aberdeen Central on fourth down three times, while Thomas Hughes added an interception and the defense came up with key tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
Spearfish extended its lead to 28-14 in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run by Thomas Hughes. Aberdeen Central scored late to pull within eight, but the Spartans ran out the clock to seal the victory.
Defensively, Spearfish was led by Payton Jones with 8 tackles and a tackle-for-loss, followed by Jack Scharf with 7 tackles and a sack. Keller Vega obtained 5 tackles and a sack, and few around the field all night, earning him Superior Performer of the game.
The win sets up a massive regular season finale with the rival Sturgis Brown Scoopers on Thursday, with a 6:00 p.m. kickoff on KDSJ 980 AM, 103.5 FM, and streaming on KDSJ-TV on YouTube and on KDSJ’s Facebook Live. Both teams enter 5-3, and the winner will improve in the playoff seeding, with a possible chance at a home playoff game.
Replay: https://www.youtube.com/live/1VxzkIYLYOQ?si=zrghFFwGUbqa84K_
