By Ryan Deal

VERMILLION — There was no shortage of big plays in the Class 9B state championship and Hitchcock-Tulare was responsible for most of them. 

The Patriots pulled away from Herreid/Selby Area, 50-28, in a seesaw battle filled with momentum-changing plays and 943 total yards of offense. Hitchcock-Tulare (12-0) forced two key turnovers and Carter Binger threw four passing touchdowns to power the state championship victory, its first since 2009. 

“It’s amazing,” said Hitchcock-Tulare senior Landon Puffer, who had 147 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. “I can’t sum it up. It’s amazing. It’s a feeling like I have never felt before.” 

Hitchcock-Tulare led for the final three quarters, but could never shake off Herreid/Selby Area (11-1) and its high-powered offensive attack. The Wolverines racked up 500 total yards and all-state running back Brenden Begeman rushed for 189 yards and three touchdowns. He finished his career with a state-record 6,807 rushing yards.

Herreid/Selby’s Brenden Begeman runs for a gain during the first half of the 9B championship game on Thursday at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas/605 Sports)

“Herreid/Selby Area was driving down the field on us all the time and shoutout to Brenden Begeman,” said Binger, the Joe Robbie MVP. “He is one heckuva back. He is just incredible, but our guys made some big plays and got it done.”

The Patriots’ pass defense came up with a pair of key plays to help secure the win. Begeman’s touchdown run cut HSA’s deficit to 20-14 with 6:34 left in the third quarter. Hitchcock-Tulare punted on its next possession and Herreid/Selby Area drove deep into the red zone. 

That’s when Brendan Nowell came up with his ninth interception of the season and his second pick-six of the year. 

“He looked my way and seen the ball in the air and went and got it and seen the end zone and I knew I was going there,” Nowell said. 

Nowell intercepted a Tray Hettick pass in the corner of the end zone and sprinted 98 yards for the score.

Herreid/Selby Area quarterback Tray Hettick reacts after Hitchcock-Tulare’s Brendan Nowell returned an interception back 98-yards for a touchdown during the third quarter of the 9B championship game on Thursday at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas/605 Sports)

“I knew it was huge and I was pumped up,” Nowell said. “It was the play of a lifetime.”

Nowell’s touchdown stretched Hitchcock-Tulare’s lead to 26-14 after the third quarter.

The teams continued to trade touchdowns, including two more touchdown runs by Begeman. Binger connected with Puffer for a touchdown reception and Puffer tacked on a 65-yard touchdown run, making it 42-28 with 5:45 left. Puffer picked off Hettick on HSA’s next drive to preserve the 14-point lead. 

“Our defense, it says we are the No. 1 defense in the state and I think we showed that today with how well we played,” said Puffer, the game’s most outstanding back.  

Binger added a 56-yard touchdown run to seal the victory. Binger finished with 123 rushing yards on 12 carries and the touchdown. Riley Fliehe added a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. Cole Schroeder also hauled in a touchdown reception. 

Hitchcock-Tulare’s Carter Binger gets tripped by Herreid/Selby’s Cole Zabel during the first half of the Patriots’ 50-28 win over the Wolverines during the 9B championship game on Thursday at the DakotaDome. (Rodney Haas/605 Sports)

“We are a big playmaking team,” Puffer said. “We get those small plays and then we shoot for that big play and it seems to work out for us.” 

Hitchcock-Tulare won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. It’s just the second time this season the Patriots have elected to receive the ball to start the game. 

“The reason why is we don’t want them to have the ball,” Hitchcock-Tulare coach Tom Salmen said. “Our first drive, what more can you ask for. So that’s what we were looking for.”

The Patriots used a crisp 13-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up more than seven minutes off the clock, capping it off with a Binger-to-Schroeder six-yard touchdown pass. HSA answered on its opening drive with a Hettick touchdown run. 

In the second quarter, Binger threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Fliehe for a 12-8 advantage. The Patriots forced a turnover on downs and Fliehe capped off their next drive with a touchdown run, making it 20-8 with 10 seconds before halftime. 

“It was just a big thing of bend don’t break,” said Hitchcock-Tulare lineman Jacob Michlitsch, the game’s outstanding lineman. “We gave up some touchdowns, but we also got a lot of important stops, too.”

Hettick finished with 269 passing yards and two touchdown passes, while rushing for 37 yards. Trevor Gill hauled in five catches for 161 yards. Herreid/Selby Area was playing in its third state championship game in the past four seasons, all runner-up finishes. 

It was Hitchcock-Tulare’s first state championship berth since 2010. It is Hitchcock-Tulare’s third-ever state championship and comes 30 years after winning its first title in 1992. 

“It is very satisfying and it’s just great for these guys to do it,” Salmen said. “Yes, I want it as a coach, but I want it more for them than me.”