By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

VERMILLION -- It was business as usual for the Howard Tigers and that meant another state championship. 

The Tigers racked up 409 rushing yards, bottled up Herreid/Selby Area’s offensive attack and rolled to a 55-18 Class 9A state championship at the DakotaDome. 

The victory buttoned up a 12-0 season and it again featured Howard’s two staples: power running and stout defense. 

“Our game plan was to establish the running game right away and just run it down their throats,” said Howard senior lineman Jace Sifore, the game’s most outstanding lineman. “Ground and pound, that’s what we call it. We just wanted to establish the running game right away and let the defense hold them. That’s what we did.” 

The matchup pitted the last two undefeated teams in nine-man football. But the Tigers turned a potential classic into a rout. John Callies (138 yards), Griffin Clubb (115) and Ty Beyer (107) all rushed for more than 100 yards, while seven of the eight touchdowns came on the ground. 

Howard’s Ty Beyer looks for some blockers on his way to a 35-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ 55-18 win over Herreid/Selby Area during the 9A State football championship on Thursday at the Dakotadome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas

“Our backfield is phenomenal,” said Callies, who was named Joe Robbie MVP and most outstanding back. “We are two-three deep in every position that we can run the ball and take one guy out and it’s like nobody came out. It’s amazing to be like that.”

After receiving the opening kickoff, the Tigers were off and running. Beyer went untouched for a 65-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage. The Wolverines (12-1) answered on their first possession on a Tray Hettick-to-Trevor Gill 10-yard touchdown strike. 

Class 9A final: Howard 55, Herreid/Selby Area 18 #SDFootball21 pic.twitter.com/IiVfRs9tC2

— 605 Sports (@605_sports) November 11, 2021

However, the Tigers scored on five consecutives possessions for a commanding 42-6 lead at halftime. Clubb and Callies both scored rushing touchdowns, sandwiched in between was a Taiden Hoyer-to-Jace Sifore 58-yard touchdown reception. 

“I seen the ball coming and i was like ‘I can't drop this, the guy is right there,' " said Sifore, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior committed to South Dakota State University "I caught it and I turned and I just thought I have to go. I can't get caught this time. I got caught against Viborg. I was so close and I had flashbacks. I didn't want to get caught. So I just kept running and didn't look back."  

It was Howard’s lone pass completion of the game. 

“We were going to throw it a few more times,” Howard coach Pat Ruml said. “But the game didn’t dictate that. I actually wanted to open it up a little bit, but we just kept with what was working and obviously it was our offensive line opening up the holes and our backs were running outstanding.”

Howard’s John Callies runs for some yardage during the first half of the 9A State football championship Thursday at the Dakotadome in Vermillion. Howard went onto win 55-18 over Herreid/Selby Area. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

In the second half, Hettick’s touchdown pass to Brenden Begeman completed a nine-minute and 22-second drive. But less than a minute later, Callies busted a 54-yard touchdown run. Beyer added a fourth-quarter touchdown run, while Hettick threw another touchdown pass to Begeman for the final score. 

The Tigers controlled the time of possession and had the ball for more than 26 minutes. The Wolverines, meanwhile, finished with 70 rushing yards. 

“We stood up and we made the stops when we needed and we held them down,” Callies said. “We let our offense take control and had three and outs and we just kept playing ball.”

Hettick finished with 238 passing yards and three touchdowns on 17 of 25 attempts. Begeman had 134 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions, while he rushed for 78 yards. 

It was Howard’s fourth-ever state championship. The Tigers have also won state championships in Class 11B and Class 9AA. It was Howard’s second Class 9A state title (2014).

“It means another one for our program and it means we’ve got things going in the right direction,” Ruml said. “Like we’ve had for quite some time and nothing is going to change there. I am assuming the unit coming back next year will be just as hungry.”

Herreid/Selby Area’s Trevor Gill looks for some open yardage during the second half of the Wolverines’ 55-18 loss to Howard on Thursday during the 9A State football championship at the Dakotadome in Vermillion. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)