By Matt Gade

605 Sports

PHILIP — Two years ago, when Tyce and his twin brothers, Tel and Teegan, moved to Philip, they knew they had to earn their spot on the team. 

And that was exactly what they wanted.

Coming over from Bennett County, the Gropper siblings said they didn’t know what to expect when they came to Philip, but were willing to put in the work asked of them.

That hard work has paid off as the Groppers have been a big part of the Scotties' 8-1 record on the year heading into the Class 9A semifinals on Friday.

“We knew we had to work really hard. It wasn't just going to be a varsity spot given to us,” Teagan said. “We put in a lot of work in the off-season. Coming to a new school, we didn't really know what to expect, but just having faith and working hard every day, just to earn a varsity spot.”

Tyce made an impact as a junior playing both sides of the ball as a running back and linebacker for the Scotties. 

Now, as a senior, Tyce is joined in the backfield by brother Teegan, playing quarterback for the Scotties and safety on defense. 

Tel joins Tyce on the defense side, with the duo both at the linebacker position.

“They're just, overall, good athletes,” Philip head coach Chandler Sudbeck said. “They all play a little bit different role on the team. I mean, one being the quarterback with Teagan and then Tyce, has been a dominant player for us on both sides of the ball for the last couple years, and then Tel filling in that linebacker role on defense.”

Tel leads the Scotties' defense with 116 tackles, with 61 solo tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks in eight games. Tyce is second on the team with 76 tackles, 43 solo tackles and five interceptions.

On offense, coach Sudbeck utilizes a balanced attack on the ground with both Teagan and Tyce having rushed for over 1000 yards this season. 

Teagan leads the team with 1,107 yards on 90 carries with 12 touchdowns. Tyce is right behind his younger brother with 1,060 yards on 112 carries with 14 touchdowns.

The Scotties’ senior Latham Gabriel is the team’s third leading rusher with 638 yards on 112 carries for 12 touchdowns.

“I did not expect for (Teagan) to rush as much as me, but I love it, it's awesome,” Tyce said of his younger brother’s rushes at quarterback. 

As quarterback, Teagan has also completed 16 attempts for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

While they’re twins, Tel said he’s definitely not playing backup to Teagan.

“No, I can't throw a ball to save my life,” Tel said when asked if he wanted to play quarterback.

Philip's Teagan Gropper hands off to running back Tyce Gropper during the Scotties game at New Underwood on Oct. 17. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

The Scotties lost their first game of the season to Wall, 54-6, but since then, won their next six straight games heading into the playoffs, including a 44-43 win over Class 9AA’s No. 5 Hill City.

Philip then knocked off Estelline/Hendricks 36-8 in the first round of the playoffs before hanging on to defeat Ipswich 14-6 to make this week’s semifinals in a rematch against Class 9A’s No. 1 Wall.

“We've kind of been fortunate enough to be in some close games this year,” Sudbeck said. “We had undefeated Hill City roll up here, and we went down to the whistle… then we turn around two weeks later, play Lyman to 48-44, a really close game that came down to the end. 

“So when it came down to it against Ipswich, we had the confidence to be able to know we can fight through this. And we were fortunate enough that we were able to finish the game on top.”

For Teagan and Tel, neither one expected the Scotties to have had as good a season as they have so far. 

“Coming in, we had a lot of seniors graduate last year, and didn't really know what to expect, but it turned out great and a good season,” Tel said. 

Coach Sudbeck said he knew they had a lot of potential, so this season’s success wasn’t as much a surprise as it was to some of his players. And the loss to start the season might have been a blessing in disguise for the team.

“It was probably the best thing that ever happened, honestly, because after we lost that, we got together as a team and we're like, ‘We could either lose and not make anything of ourselves, or we could just be the best Scotties team that's been here,’” Tyce said. “So we just decided to work hard, watching that film, getting in the weight room and keep pushing.”

Sudbeck echoed a similar statement about the loss.

“It's tough to take a loss in the first game of the season, but it's better to lose to a good team first game of the season than to play a team that maybe isn't as good and not learn anything from it,” Sudbeck said. “To be able to have that film and to see what we did wrong, see maybe where people don't fit as well, and be able to put guys around where they need to be, and just kind of shape our team based on it… It's been, actually, probably more beneficial for us to get that off at the start rather than further on down the road.”

Not only have the Gropper siblings had an impact on the football team, but Tyce and Tel also wrestle for the Badlands Brawlers while Teagan is on the Scotties basketball team. They also compete in track and field in the spring. 

“They're great athletes, but more importantly, I mean, they're good kids,” Sudbeck said. “We've got a lot of great kids all across the board, but for them to be able just to come in, fit into the program, and help us has been great.” 

“He'll never bring a guy down,” Teagan said of coach Sudbeck. “He always wants to build you up. I mean, he'll critique you on things, but just to make you better.”

“He won't ever, like, scream at you. He'll just tell you calmly, and he’s very calm and fun to be around,” Tel added. 

As the Scotties travel to top-seed Wall on Friday, Tyce said he’s especially grateful to have been playing with his younger brothers this season and said he’s still going to ride them in the off-season to make sure they don’t let up. 

While the Scottie senior said he wants to play college football, he’s undecided where he wants to go.

The Scotties are looking to make their first DakotaDome appearance since 2005, while the Eagles are looking to get back to Vermillion for the first time since 2022, when they won the 9AA championship.

No matter who wins, Sudbeck said it will be a fun game.

“We talked about how crazy this season has been. We started this season off with a very tough Wall team, and then we just wrapped all the way back around. We get to play them again for the chance to get the dome game. 

“It is a rivalry game. It's been a rivalry game. We know we came out on top a few years ago and it's just every year — we bring it, they bring it — it always turns out to be a good game. Whether we win or whether they beat us by a lot of points, it doesn't matter. It's always gonna be a good game.”