By Matt Gade

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — At 5-0 to start the season, many teams might be satisfied with that accomplishment.

But that’s not the case for the St. Thomas More Cavaliers football team.

They know they have things they still can improve on and get better at on the field. 

“I don't think we've seen the best STM football yet, not even close, and we've been able to get by with that for the most part, but still, a lot of little things to improve and we can,” St. Thomas More head coach Austin Hagen said. “We have to get better in all phases if we want to reach our goals. So we're just taking it one game at a time, improving where we can. And yeah, just being focused on being 1-0.”

Despite outscoring opponents an average of 42-4, the Cavaliers are currently one of five undefeated teams remaining in Class 11B, and still have room for improvement, according to senior Max Speed.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Speed said. “I mean, we go at each other every single day. We go out there and work our tails off, and it's just hard work.”

Speed is one of 14 seniors on the Cavalier squad.

Seniors who have been with coach Hagen since he was their seventh-grade coach.

Now in his third year as the Cavaliers' head coach, Hagen said he and this senior class have a lot of trust in each other. Trust is a big part of why the Cavaliers are having success.

“To just have been able to see them progress, not just as athletes, but as student-athletes, as young men, and what they do inside the school, out on the field, out in the community, it's just a blessing to be able to experience it,” Hagen said. “They're a great group of leaders. 

“It's very much so a player-led team, and a coach-led only team will only get you so far. We can't always be the ones setting the examples, the standards, so on and so forth. They've really bought in. And they're just a phenomenal group.”

So far this year, the Cavaliers met Sioux Valley in the first game of the season, defeating the Cossacks 28-14 despite trailing early in the game, followed by Mount Vernon/Plankinton 29-8 on Aug. 28.

The Cavaliers then shut out their next three opponents in Chamberlain, Custer and Lakota Tech.

Across the board, the Cavaliers believe they have the talent to compete with the best teams in the state. 

Under center, sophomore Noah Wald is in his second year leading the Cavaliers at the quarterback position. Through five games, Wald has completed 47 passes for 940 yards, 14 touchdowns, while giving up two interceptions, along with 11 rushes for 63 yards.

St. Thomas More quarterback Noah Wald hands off to running back Grayden Juve during a game on Aug. 22. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

“He's matured, physically and mentally, he's going through his progressions. He's not trying to force anything,” Hagen said of Wald’s second year at QB. “He doesn't make those little mistakes. I think he's a lot more patient in the pocket, working through his progressions and making the right reads.”

Speed leads the team in receptions at the tight end position with 15 catches for 269 yards and five touchdowns. Fellow senior Broeden Sales is second in receptions with 11 grabs for 353 yards and six touchdowns. Also helping spread it out for the Cavaliers are seniors Ryan Neugebauer and Kain McLeod, who have nine and seven catches, respectively, each over 100 yards receiving, and a touchdown grab.

Senior running back Grayden Juve leads the team running the ball with 50 carries for 340 yards and three touchdowns. 

“They've all been playing since they were freshmen and sophomores, too,” Wald said of his senior weapons. “So it's nice to have those guys to help lead, and it's not all one guy doing it. Some teams are like that, where they have to rely on one guy. We have all 11 guys in the field who are all good, who know how to play football. It's nice to have a good team, just everyone being able to do their job.”

While the Cavaliers have weapons, coach Hagen said it’s in the trenches where the game is won and lost.

“That's where everything starts. We're going to win or lose based on the line of scrimmage. I'm a firm believer in that,” Hagen said. “That's where it all starts for us. 

“Cole Nielsen, our center senior, one of the senior leaders, he does a good job making checks, flipping stuff, calling stuff up front, talking to us coaches as far as what he sees in the trenches that we might be missing. And, yeah, they all feed off each other. We're big, I think we move pretty well, and we're pretty physical.”

St. Thomas More senior lineman Cole Nielsen is introduced ahead of the Cavaliers game against Sioux Valley. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

Nielsen said after the Cavaliers lost to Winner in the Class 11B semifinals last year, he and his teammates immediately went to work in the offseason.

“It started in the winter when we started doing winter workouts at six in the morning,” Nielsen said. “You have to learn how to balance and how to make time for friends, and when not to make time with friends, and you need to just know when you need to do stuff. It took a lot of sacrifice for a lot of those kids to get up, but it's definitely worth it.”

Nielsen said he and his teammates firmly believe in the ‘iron sharpens iron’ motto that the team had a couple of years back. So in practice, the starters will face their counterparts in drills to get better and get the best out of each other.

“It really gets us better. It gets us prepared for those big competitions, those big games,” Nielsen said.

Speed said when he does stay in to help block from the tight end spot, that it’s a “piece of cake” thanks to his counterparts on the offensive line.

“They're big and they're strong.” Speed said of the offensive line. “We all trust them with everything that we've got. I mean, and then blocking with them, it's, it's just so easy… they know their plays. We put a lot of trust in them, and they’re probably one of the best ones in the state.”

Speed, who is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with Sales at 4.5, said catching touchdown passes is his favorite thing, but he also enjoys getting in the backfield.
“I try and wreak havoc as much as possible.”

Sales and Juve lead the team in tackles, tied at 36 total tackles. 

After three straight road games, the Cavaliers return home Friday as they host the Broncs from Belle Fourche for a 6 p.m. (MDT) kickoff.

“We just want to attack, where we are getting better, however that looks, but just one game at a time. Belle Fourche has all of our attention right now,” Hagen said. “I think Coach (Sean) Sweet up there is doing a lot of good things. They're a lot better than they have been in the past. You can see it in the players. You can see it in the schemes. They're physical, they're fast, they're well coached. So yeah, they totally have all of our attention right now.”

St. Thomas More's (from left) Max Speed, Brayden Juve, Cole Nielsen and Josh Elder walk out for the coin toss for the Cavaliers' game against Mount Vernon/Plankinton on Aug. 29. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)