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Class 9B Quarterfinal Playoff Primer - Herreid/Selby Area hosts upset-minded Avon in second round play
Avon's Jaden Stahl (6) follows Cade Faulkner (5) for a running lane against Hitchcock-Tulare on Sept. 16.
(Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)
Oct 26, 2022
 

By Jacob Wuertz and Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

Don’t look now, but here come the Avon Pirates. 

A preseason top-5 Class 9B team, Avon finished 4-4 during the regular season and three losses were against teams still in the playoffs. The Pirates, however, righted the ship last week in a big way.

Avon, a Class 9B semifinalist last season, erupted for a 74-48 win over Faulkton Area in the opening round of the playoffs on Oct. 20. The Pirates piled up 615 total yards, including 573 yards on the ground. Cade Faulkner (226 rushing yards/2 touchdowns) and Brady Bierema (201 rushing yards/4 touchdowns) powered the ground game. Bierema, who missed the first half of the season after recovering from an ACL injury, added 10.5 tackles and one interception on defense. 

It doesn’t get any easier in the second round, however. 

Herreid/Selby Area's Brenden Begeman (20) carries the ball against Sully Buttes on Sept. 23 in Onida. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Avon will play at No. 1 seed Herreid/Selby Area in the quarterfinal round. The Wolverines rolled through the regular season undefeated and coasted to a 56-6 first-round win over Lemmon/McIntosh. 

Herreid/Selby Area all-state running back Brenden Begeman continued his sparkling season and career. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder racked up 292 total yards and scored four total touchdowns. Begeman has piled up 6,076 career rushing yards, the second most in state history. Howard’s Luke Loudenburg is the all-time leader with 6,806 rushing yards. 

HSA quarterback Tray Hettick threw for five touchdowns in the playoff opener. 


Hitchcock-Tulare hosts road-weary Cardinals, other quarterfinal matchups

No. 10 Dell Rapids St. Mary plays at No. 2 seed Hitchcock-Tulare in the quarterfinals and it’s nothing new for the Cardinals to hit the playoff pavement. 

Dell Rapids St. Mary made the 360-mile and five-hour trek to Faith last week, coming away with a 30-20 victory over the Longhorns. Dell Rapids St. Mary, which won last year’s Class 9B state championship, picked up road playoff wins in Gayville-Volin and Avon during last year’s state title run. In 2020, the Cardinals won road playoff games against Faith and Kadoka Area (265 miles) in consecutive weeks en route to a state runner-up finish. 

Despite it being a shorter trip to Hitchcock (140 miles), Dell Rapids St. Mary will face a formidable foe in the Patriots. 

Hitchcock-Tulare's Landon Puffer, right, catches a pass against Avon on Sept. 16. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Hitchcock-Tulare rolled to an 8-0 regular season record and stayed perfect last week, a 50-0 win over Jones County in the Class 9B playoff opener. The Patriots have pitched five shutouts this season and are averaging 52 points per game on offense. 

Hitchcock-Tulare is powered by a host of playmakers, including quarterback Carter Binger (1,228 passing yards/19 touchdowns), fullback Erik Salmen (914 rushing yards/15 touchdowns), wide receiver Landon Puffer (554 receiving yards/12 touchdowns) and tight end T.J. Salmen (343 receiving yards/4 touchdowns). 

In other quarterfinal action, Sully Buttes hosts Irene-Wakonda and the winner plays Herreid/Selby Area or Avon. Kadoka Area hosts De Smet and the winner plays Hitchcock-Tulare or Dell Rapids St. Mary. 


Quarterfinal Pairings

No. 8 Avon (5-4) at No. 1 Herreid/Selby Area (9-0), 6 p.m.

No. 12 Irene-Wakonda (4-5) at No. 4 Sully Buttes (7-2), 6 p.m.

No. 10 Dell Rapids St. Mary (5-4) at No. 2 Hitchcock-Tulare (9-0), 7 p.m.

No. 6 De Smet (6-3) at No. 3 Kadoka Area (6-3), 7 p.m.