By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

VERMILLION -- Lincoln Kienholz’s arm and legs rallied Pierre from a 21-point deficit. 

Cole Peterson’s right foot capped off the Governors’ thrilling comeback on Friday.

In an instant classic, Pierre outlasted Tea Area for its fifth consecutive Class 11AA state championship at the DakotaDome. The Governors trailed 21-0 and 27-7, but behind Kienholz’s performance and Peterson’s game-winning kick as time expired, Pierre edged Tea Area for a heart-pounding 30-27 victory. 

Cole Peterson from 40 for the WIN! WOW. What a game. Pierre 30, Tea Area 27. #sdfootball21 pic.twitter.com/dStxmOLyoZ

â€" Ryan Deal (@RyanDeal_605) November 13, 2021

“Thrilling,” Kienhlolz said. “It was probably the best football game I’ve ever played in. Just with a lot of the events and mood changes.That was for sure the best football game I’ve played in.”

Kienholz, Pierre’s savvy junior quarterback, threw for 347 yards and tossed two touchdown passes. He added 190 rushing yards and two more scores. 

“He’s a special kid,” Pierre coach Steve Steele said. “When the lights shine brightest, that’s when he plays his best. He took all the pressure on himself.”

Pierre and Tea Area players watch as Cole Peterson’s 40-yard field goal attempt heads for the uprights during the 11AA state football championship Friday night at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Speaking of pressure, Peterson handled it on the biggest stage and delivered Pierre another state championship. Kienholz evened the score at 27-27 with a two-yard touchdown run with 3:27 left. But Peterson’s extra-point kick was blocked by Tea Area’s Clayton Sattler. 

On the ensuing possession, Tea Area moved the ball past midfield and into Pierre territory. But Jacob Mayer intercepted Cael Lundin’s pass to Jaxon Weber at Pierre’s 26-yard line.

Mayer was initially ruled out of bounds, but a replay overturned the call. 

“They might have been the ones kicking the game-winning field goal,” Steele said. “They were right on the fringe of field goal range, too. It worked out for us, I guess.”

On the final drive, Kienholz rushed for a 12-yard gain, hit Cade Keiser for 18 yards and he scampered 21 yards down Tea Area’s 23-yard line. After the 21-yard run, Kienholz spiked the ball with four ticks on the clock and Pierre sent Peterson out for the kick. 

“I couldn’t do this without my teammates, bringing this ball all the way up the field,” Peterson said. “They got the ball all the way up and I thank them very much."

Pierre quarterback Lincoln Kienholz gets ready to throw a pass during the first half of the 11AA state football championship Friday night at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)
 

Kienholz’s final run set the stage for Peterson, whose previous career long was 37 yards and was 3 of 5 on field goals entering the game. 

“I had a lot of faith in Cole,” Kienholz said. “In practices this whole week, he’s just been doing his own thing kicking field goals. I think we all had a lot of trust in him to make the right play and obviously make the field goal.”

Tea Area burned its final timeout. But Peterson drilled the 40 yarder with plenty of distance to spare as time expired and a sea of green mobbed the field. 

“Ecstatic,” Peterson said about the final play. “I can’t even explain it. There’s no words.”

The kick put an exclamation point on Pierre’s season and a thriller between two defending state champions. The Titans moved up a class after winning last year’s Class 11A state championship, while Pierre was gunning for its fifth consecutive championship in Class 11AA. 

Tea Area’s Ethan Vis recovers a fumble by Pierre’s Treyton Lewis during the first quarter of the Governors’ eventual 30-27 win in the 11AA state football championship Friday night at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Cael Lundin threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns for the Titans. Chase Van Tol added 116 rushing yards on 18 carries. He added 76 receiving yards. 

Tea Area seized the early momentum. Pierre fumbled on the opening kickoff and Lundin’s quarterback sneak put the Titans up 7-0. Lundin later connected with Gabe Grant for a 32-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. 

Lundin tacked on a second-quarter touchdown run, extending Tea Area’s lead to 21-0. Pierre picked up a much-needed touchdown on a Kienholz three-yard run late in the first half.

In the third quarter, Tea Area’s Jaxon Weber took a swing pass, spun around his defender and spring 50-yards for a 27-7 advantage. Tea Area missed the ensuing PAT attempt, leaving the margin at 20 points. 

In the third quarter, Kienholz powered the comeback. He tossed two third-quarter touchdown receptions to Jett Zabel, who finished with 113 receiving yards. Jack Merkwan added four catches for 121 yards. Kaiser had 72 receiving yards. 

In the fourth quarter, Pierre forced Tea Area to punt and took over at its own 34-yard line with 6:31 left. Kienholz accounted for all 66 yards on nine running plays, capping off the game-tying drive with his two-yard touchdown run.

“I ran the ball one time and it started working,” Kienholz said. “I started getting yards off it. So I just kept running it and he kept trusting me and I knew I had to make plays.”