By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

VERMILLION -- Dell Rapids St. Mary put in some overtime work to capture its elusive state championship. 

The Cardinals outlasted Potter County, 44-42, in a double-overtime thriller Thursday for the Class 9B state championship at the DakotaDome. 

For Dell Rapids St. Mary (8-3), it was the first-ever football championship and it came one year after losing to Wolsey-Wessington in the Class 9B title game. 

“It feels 10 times better,” said Dell Rapids St. Mary sophomore Nic Gaspar, who was named the game’s most outstanding back. “Because everyone was kind of doubting us because we lost a bunch of seniors. I think tonight we showed that we can do it.”

The Cardinals edged the Battlers (10-3) in a wild, seesaw contest that featured six lead changes and a combined 664 total yards by both teams. 

“It’s kind of like our season all year,” said Dell Rapids St. Mary senior John Pica, who was the game’s most outstanding lineman. “We were up and down at the start. We just had that slow climb and we climaxed tonight.”

Dell Rapids St. Mary’s Gabriel Lindeman is mobbed by his teammates after catching a game-winning 2-point conversion attempt in double-overtime in the 9B State title game Thursday at Vermillion. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Dell Rapids St. Mary put an exclamation point on the title tilt and its championship season in the second overtime. Potter County’s Grant Luikens, who threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns, connected with Ryder Falkenhagen for a 42-36 lead. But Luikens was stopped short on the two-point conversion, leaving the door open for the Cardinals. 

Gaspar’s two-yard touchdown run evened the score at 44-44. C.J. Smith then hit Gabriel Lindeman for the game-winning two-point conversion for Dell Rapids St. Mary, which improved to 1-3 in state title games. 

“It means a lot to them and it means a lot to these kids,” Dell Rapids St. Mary coach Ross Flemmer said. “We were kind of left for dead by the pollsters at the beginning of the year and I think the kids we had out there were the only ones that believed we could do it. It’s been a special journey for them.”

The two-point conversion is GOOD. Cardinals win their first-ever football ‘ship in double overtime, 44-42. What a game. #sdfootball21 pic.twitter.com/YzdHN3chw3

— Ryan Deal (@RyanDeal_605) November 11, 2021

In regulation, the teams traded fumbles and the last one proved costly for the Battlers. After the Cardinals fumbled at their own eight-yard line, Luikens scored on the next play for a 28-20 advantage. The Battlers forced a turnover on downs, but fumbled it right back and the Cardinals recovered at their own 35-yard line. 

“I was tired, but it excited me because I was like ‘All right, we can win this now,’ ” Gaspar said about the fumble recovery.  

Dell Rapids St. Mary moved the ball past midfield. Faced with a fourth and 5 at Potter County’s 35-yard line, Smith picked up a key first down to keep the drive alive. Smith later connected with Gaspar for a 28-yard touchdown reception and the two-point conversion made it 28-28. 

Potter County’s Ryder Falkenhagen celebrates a touchdown score during the second half of the 9B state title game Thursday at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

On the ensuing drive, Potter County had a potential game-winning touchdown negated by a holding call with 15 seconds left. On the final play from regulation, Falkenhagen took a pass from Luikens and was tackled at the two-yard line on a fourth-down play. 

After a review, the officials ruled him short of the first down and the clock ran out to force overtime. 

In the first overtime, Gaspar’s eight-yard touchdown run and the ensuing two-point conversion put the Cardinals ahead 36-28. Luikens answered with a 10-yard touchdown strike to Drake Bassett, while the successful two-point conversion evened it at 36-36. 

After Potter County failed to extend the lead to eight points with a successful two-point conversion, it set the stage for Dell Rapids St. Mary’s game-winning two-point conversion. Smith took the snap under center, rolled to his right, tossed a pass to Lindeman and he just broke the plane for the win. 

“It was crazy,” Gaspar said about the final play. “It was just a lot of emotions. I was like ‘We are state champions now.’ ” 

Gaspar finished with 103 rushing yards on 21 carries, while Smith had 98 passing yards. Gaspar hauled in 65 receiving yards on three receptions. 

Luikens, who was named the Joe Robbie MVP and outstanding back, completed 16 of 25 passes. The elusive quarterback was a threat to run and pass, while routinely throwing pinpoint passes to his receivers. Luikens and Gaspar were named co-outstanding backs. 

Potter County’s Ryder Falkenhagen celebrates a touchdown score during the second half of the 9B state title game Thursday at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

“You didn’t know if he was going to run it or pass it,” Gaspar said. “Because he was shifty in the pocket and he will roll out and throw it 50 yards deep on a dime.” 

But Luikens also threw two interceptions that resulted in two Cardinals’ touchdowns, including Pica’s pick-six for the first points of the game. 

“I saw the running back and I was like ‘Oh, I have to take a running back,’ ” Pica said about his first career pick-six. “I caught it and I wasn’t going to let him tackle me.”

It started a scoring surge that featured three second-quarter touchdowns. Luikens’ three-yard pass to Seth Sharp gave Potter County a 14-8 lead at halftime. The Cardinals scored both third-quarter touchdowns for a 20-14 lead before the back-and-forth final quarter and overtimes. 

“Just keep fighting, keep fighting,” Flemmer said about his late-game message to the Cardinals. “That was all we told them. That’s what we’ve done all year. They have a tremendous amount of heart and are just a wonderful bunch to get to coach.”