Landon Keiser’s five-touchdown game propels Platte-Geddes into Class 9AA state championship
Platte-Geddes' Landon Keiser (7) carries the football against Hamlin on Nov. 6, 2026, in Hayti. (Jon Akre / 605 Sports)
HAYTI — For the first time since 2021, the Black Panthers are dome-bound.
Platte-Geddes went on the road to take down Hamlin, 45-24, in the Class 9AA semifinals on Friday. Behind a near 300-yard, five-touchdown performance from Landon Keiser, the Black Panthers punched their ticket to the Class 9AA state championship for the first time in six seasons.
Platte-Geddes (10-1) will Parkston (11-0) on Nov. 12 in the Class 9AA state championship.
“We were seen as the underdog, we embraced it, and we just came out and played,” said senior running back Landon Keiser. “We wanted to be the most physical team and focus on every play, and not the next game.”
Hamlin kicked off a back-and-forth first half with a methodical six-minute drive, capping off with a Boden Stevenson three-yard score. The Black Panthers responded in similar fashion on their first drive which spilled into the second quarter with a Landon Keiser one-yard scoot to knot it 8-8.
After a Hamlin turnover on downs, Keiser found an opening for a 37-yard score before Stevenson hit Jack Stormo for a three-yard touchdown late in the half.
“We talk about punching back a lot,” said PG head coach Bruce Hanson. “Teams are going to make plays and we knew these guys are explosive. They’re going to make a play somewhere down the line, we’ve just got to punch back. That’s just been our mindset. It doesn’t matter how good or how bad the play is, you’ve got to make the next play good.”
Tied at 16-16, Keiser struck for his third touchdown of the opening 24 minutes on a 90-yard kick return touchdown to give the Black Panthers the 22-16 halftime advantage.
“That was huge,” Keiser said of the kick return touchdown. “They scored a big one on us and we didn’t have much time to respond. Just making plays.”
From that point on, PG cruised through the second half outscoring Hamlin 23-8.
On the first play from scrimmage out of the break Keiser found paydirt once again from 38-yards out.
“We just kept hitting them and hitting them,” Keiser said of the Hamlin defense. “I could tell they were slowing down and we just rose to the occasion.”
The PG defense started turning stops into turnovers in the third and fourth quarters, including interceptions by Asher Kott and Keiser that turned into Black Panther points.
Keiser ripped a 42-yard touchdown while Cade Block’s 38-yard score was the icing on the cake to a Black Panther quarterfinal win.
“We talked about body language,” said Hanson. “We felt like there were a few of their better players that were starting to wonder if they wanted to play football as much as we did. They battled through it, but that was the mindset. Stay on them, keep punching.”
Hanson added while it was Keiser with the big night on the ground, it couldn’t happen without the dominant performance from the offensive line.
“He’s a really good running back,” Hanson said of Keiser. “Our strength is our o-line. Chris Baas, Owen Feiok, Ryker Nachtigal, Rylan Burchet, Ty Rolland. Those guys and Asher Kott at wing-back. They’re really doing good things up there.”
Keiser finished with 19 carries for 296 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Cade Block added four carries for 50 yards and a touchdown. Keiser also led the defense with nine total tackles and an interception.
Hamlin’s Stevenson completed 17-of-33 pass attempts for 199 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Jonathan Leonardi had 15 carries for 56 yards, Trig Heinrich caught five passes for 86 yards while Jack Stormo collected seven receptions for 47 yards and a score.
Platte-Geddes is headed back to the DakotaDome for the first time since 2021 when it won back-to-back titles. The Black Panthers will face a familiar opponent and the only team to knock off the Black Panthers this season, Parkston, on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
PG lost to Parkston, 30-6, on Aug. 28 in Platte.
“It’s going to be a physical game,” Keiser said. “The most physical team is going to win.”
“They’ve playing really good,” Hanson said of Parkston. “They’re a little different, they’ve got a really good quarterback. We respect their program, their coach does a really good job. We want to play them. That’s the mentality since we lost. We didn’t care if it was in the quarters or semis, the kids wanted a shot at them. We get our shot and we’ll see what happens.”