Two late defensive stands send Platte-Geddes to Class 9AA semifinals

PLATTE — Platte-Geddes used two defensive stands in the fourth quarter to secure a Class 9AA quarterfinal victory on Thursday.

The Black Panthers stopped Garretson twice inside the 25-yard to earn a 23-15 win and advance to the Class 9AA semifinals against Hamlin on Nov. 6.

Clinging to a 23-15 advantage, Platte-Geddes (9-1) stopped Garretson (7-3) on fourth and goal from one-yard line and later denied the Blue Dragons on fourth down at the 21-yard line to secure the win.

“It was huge,” Platte-Geddes senior Landon Keiser said. “They were on fourth and one, maybe six inches to the goal line and were able to stop them. That’s huge.”

The first defensive stop came with 3:07 left, as Platte-Geddes stuffed Garretson at the Black Panther one-yard line. But Garretson utilized its final two timeouts and forced a Platte-Geddes punt.

On Garretson’s final drive, the Blue Dragons faced 4th and nine at PG’s 21-yard line with 1:09 left. Platte-Geddes' defense again answered the challenge, forcing another turnover on downs as Garretson’s pass attempt fell incomplete and ran out the clock.

“The big stands are probably the highlight,” Platte-Geddes coach Bruce Hanson said. “We manned up when we got down in the end zone. We have to be able to tighten up our coverage a little bit. I think that helped down there.”

With the game knotted up at 15-15 entering the fourth quarter, Keiser busted loose for a 17-yard touchdown run and ran in the two-point conversion for a crucial eight-point lead with 10:56 left.

“We know games can come down to two points,” Keiser said. “It’s happened. When we go loaded gun, we’ve got big confidence in our guys when we’re out there.”

Hanson also stressed the importance of capitalizing on the two-point conversion.

“Two-point conversions are huge,” Hanson said. “We’ve won some big playoff games in the past with those two-point conversions. They’re a big deal.”

Keiser accounted for three Platte-Geddes rushing touchdowns, including two in the first half for a 15-0 lead. Garretson’s Jackson Arend tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Chase Arend, cutting the deficit to 15-8 with 2:36 before halftime.

The Blue Dragons evened the score at 15-15 on a Jack Adler 27-yard touchdown run with 5:44 left in the third quarter.

After Keiser’s fourth-quarter touchdown run, Platte-Geddes' defense shined in the waning moments for the win.

“We struggled with the pass all year, and we did better than most games, and they came out with some new concepts, and we just had to adjust on the fly,” Keiser said.

Platte-Geddes bottled up Chase Arend, a dual-threat quarterback, for most of the night, and Hanson said they emphasized eliminating the misdirection and reserves.

“They did a good job,” Hanson said. “They got some big dudes there and I told our guys it’s probably the best matchup against our guys in the trenches this year and it was a battle all night.”

Up next, Platte-Geddes will play Hamlin in the Class 9AA semifinals. The winner will play in the Class 9AA state championship on Nov. 12 at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

“We think we have some advantages in our trenches like we do every game,” Hanson said. “They probably have some advantages in the passing game. It will probably be a test of big plays and punching back and forth.”