DELL RAPIDS — When it rains, it pours, and it poured for the Dell Rapids Quarriers.

Class 11AA No. 4 Dell Rapids (3-1) scored 36 unanswered points to roll past Milbank (2-2), 36-7, on a rainy Friday evening.

Behind three rushing touchdowns from senior running back Ryan Stubbe, the Quarriers made it look easy in the win over the Bulldogs.

“I thought we executed really well,” Dell Rapids head coach Derek Genzlinger said. “Kind of got out early and came with a lot of energy so it was really, really good. I was happy with the performance, the kids executed on both sides of the ball.”

And it didn’t take long for DR to set the tone. A couple big plays on the opening drive set up Kenny Swanson for a goal line touchdown just two minutes and 20 seconds into the contest, with Stubbe punching in the two-point try. 

On the ensuing kick, Jackson Peppel jumped on a muffed kick-off return, setting up the Quarriers with a short field.

“It was huge, it was a big momentum play,” Genzlinger said. “Especially in high school sports, they’re huge, and to get it on special teams I think it’s a little bit more than seeing a big play on offense or defense.”

A few plays later, Stubbe found paydirt at the goal line with Swanson scoring the two-point conversion. In just three minutes of gametime, it was 16-0 Quarriers.

“That was electric,” Stubbe said on the fumble recovery. “We got the ball at like the 10-yard line and we just put it in and got ourselves an early lead.”

In the second quarter Stubbe scored two more times, once from two yards away and another from 30 yards out to give DR a four-score lead at half.

Early in the third, Drake Eastman hit Devin Lodmell for an 83-yard completion to set up a second rushing score from Swanson.

Defensively, the Quarriers shut down Milbank’s rushing attack but were gashed from a few big pass plays from quarterback Braylen Bowsher, who finished with eight completions for 117 yards.

But the only Bulldog score came midway through the fourth quarter after a high snap on a DR punt, allowing Bowsher to scamper in on a 17-yard touchdown run.

“Our run fits were really good, our D-Line did a really good job,” Genzlinger said. “A little bit to clean up there in the secondary but after that second one, we kind of made some adjustments and we were good from there.”

After three weeks of road games, the Quarriers were finally able to show it in front of the home crowd.

“We came in and we were ready to play. We were ready to go. First home game we wanted to show our fans what we were really about. We just came out on top, and got it done.”

Stubbe ended the night with nine carries for 60 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Swanson added 10 carries for 72 yards and two scores as the two-headed monster burned the Milbank defense throughout the game.

“They run hard, they’ve been staples in our team the last couple years here so they know how to win,” Genzlinger said of Stubbe and Swanson. “And they’re good players.”

Eastman had just two completions for 95 yards, but the big gain to Lodmell kept the Milbank defense off-balance

“We were just spreading it out,” Stubbe said. “Spreading the ball well, that’s kind of what we do. We just all got to get in there.”

The win sets up the No. 4 Quarriers with a homecoming matchup against Tri-Valley (4-0) next week, a big game in Class 11A football. Milbank takes on Vermillion on Sept. 26 in Milbank.

“We’re pretty excited for it," Stubbe said. "This win just kind of sets us up after the loss to Madison, just needed a lift in the ego a little bit and got to get back out there.”