O'Gorman punches ticket to SD high school state title game after 49-34 win over Harrisburg
After Harrisburg junior quarterback Sam Knuth threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to close the first half, O’Gorman could’ve crumbled.
The Knights went into halftime down 20-14, and on the Tigers' first drive of the second half they stormed down the field to extend their lead to two touchdowns. Knuth threw another big pass on that scoring drive, this time a 68-yard pass to Max Carlson who ran it all the way to the three-yard line and rushed it into the end zone shortly thereafter.
With Harrisburg up 27-14, it was gut-check time for O'Gorman. They were on the road in a hostile environment against the higher seed, but this Knights team proved to be tough as nails.
“We wanted to make sure in these last few quarters that we could walk off the field and (say) that we played our best football game that we possibly could win, lose or draw,” O’Gorman football coach Jayson Poppinga said.
On the next drive, Knights quarterback Hayden Groos connected with Henry Theobald on a 25-yard pass that put them on the 15-yard line. Maverick Jones took it into the endzone on a direct snap to get them within a touchdown.
Then, the O’Gorman defense took over.
In the Tigers' next four drives, the Knights' defense came up with three stops, including two interceptions and a huge pick-six from Nolan Vandel that essentially sealed the game. The stops they came up with put them in great field position and O'Gorman took advantage, scoring each time they turned Harrisburg over.
“Our defense came up huge,” Groos said after the Knights 49-34 win. “They came up huge last game against Harrisburg and our offense got it done this time. Our defense has been unsung heroes this whole year.”
Here are three takeaways from O’Gorman’s win:
Maverick Jones was unstoppable
There were so many times during this game that Maverick Jones looked unstoppable.
The senior running back finished the night with 177 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries, but it felt like he had a lot more.
“I just play out here for my teammates … I give all the credit to them,” Jones said postgame. They're just such an amazing group of guys and I love playing with them.”
He remained elusive with the ball in his hands, trucking through O’Gorman defenders but mainly using angles and footwork to get through the gaps in the defense.
“You look at the talent that he has, and what he puts forth and effort, the heart that kid has, he just exemplifies what our whole senior class is like,” Poppinga said. “He's just one of a whole group of leaders that we have in this team and I'm just so proud of him.”
Getting revenge over Harrisburg
The Knights traveled to Harrisburg to play the Tigers in the regular season only two weeks ago when they lost their second game of the season in a tight 19-17 game that came down to the final drive.
Groos said the Tigers had been a pain in their side for years, noting the loss to them in the semifinals last year. After the loss a couple weeks ago, he said he spoke with teammates about coming back to finish the job in the playoffs.
“You had a sour taste in your mouth from that game and obviously from last year too, they knocked us out,” Groos said. “We were ready to come beat them in their house and punch our tickets to the Dome.”
Taking on undefeated Lincoln
After the game, Groos told the huddled O’Gorman team not to be satisfied with this.
“Job’s not finished!” he yelled.
The Knights will face Lincoln in the 11AAA state championship in the DakotaDome next Saturday. It'll be a tall order, trying to knock off the Patriots. If they accomplish it, it'll be Lincoln's first loss of the season.
Poppinga called the Patriots “the most talented team, maybe ever to play in South Dakota,” but the last time the two sides faced each other, O’Gorman kept it close through the first half before Lincoln created separation in the second half.
“They're a super talented team,” Jones said postgame. “Making it to the dome has been a dream of mine since day one, and it's finally come true and we'll bring it to Lincoln next weekend. May the best team win.”
“We're going to play our hearts out and you never know,” Poppinga said. “It's a one-game shootout. You get a couple breaks; you never know we might pull out a victory.”
Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: O'Gorman football earns spot in 11AAA SD high school state championship
