MOUNT VERNON — Two Kyle Sandland second-half touchdown runs sparked Mount Vernon/Plankinton past Mobridge-Pollock on Thursday.

The MVP senior wide receiver/linebacker broke loose in the open field for a pair of second-half scores, helping the Titans knock off the Tigers 40-12 in Class 11B playoff action. 

Sandland’s two touchdowns runs covered 71 and 91 yards, and helped the Titans (5-4) seize control. 

“That kid can run the football,” MVP coach A.J. Kortemeyer said. “It’s unreal how many plays that kid can make and how he sees the field and how he reads his blocks. We relied on him a lot and gave him a lot of carries and I can trust the kid. He’s going to make a lot of plays for us.” 

Sandland’s 91-yard touchdown run was the backbreaker for the Tigers (6-3). MVP led 26-12 at the end of the third quarter, and the Tigers drove deep into Titan territory early in the final quarter.  

But the Tigers fumbled the ball at the goal line, and the Titans pounced on the crucial turnover.  

“Mobridge doesn’t turn the ball over a lot, and it’s not really anything we did,” Kortemeyer said. “They just made a mistake and mistakes happen. To be able to capitalize on those things is a big deal and we did that.”

Two plays after the fumble, Sandland sprinted 91 yards for a 32-12 lead with 9:18 left in the game. 

“We were all kind of nervous because we were in our end zone and then there was a holding play, which knocked us back a little bit,” Sandland said. “We gained control again and just took off with it.”

MVP added a Tyce Feistner-to-Riley Mayer three-yard TD pass, reaching the final margin of 40-12 with 2:51 left. 

Feistner got MVP on the board in the first quarter, punching in a two-yard touchdown run. Mobridge-Pollock quarterback Shooter Frederick evened the score at 6-6 on a one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. 

After Cole Sandland’s 35-yard touchdown run, the Titans led 14-6. Mobridge-Pollock’s Luke Olson intercepted an MVP pass late in the second quarter, keeping the score at an eight-point margin at halftime. 

Mobridge-Pollock’s Mack Saxon, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound bruising junior running back, scored a 25-yard touchdown at the 9:06 mark of the third quarter. After a failed two-point conversion, the Titans were clinging to a 14-12 lead. 

Feistner added a two-yard touchdown run, stretching MVP’s lead to 20-12 with 4:18 left in the third quarter. Sandland then scampered 71 yards for the first of his second-half touchdowns, pushing MVP’s lead to 26-12 with 36 seconds left in the third quarter. 

“We saw that Saxon was out and we took advantage of it,” Sandland said about his second-half touchdowns. “It really worked, but they were huge for the success tonight.”

Saxon drew the attention of MVP’s defense and the Titans held the big back in check. 

“The kids tackled well and that was a key point for us was to get him on the ground,” Kortemeyer said. 

The Titans will play at St. Thomas More on Oct. 30 in the next round of the Class 11B playoffs. MVP dropped a 29-8 decision against the Cavaliers on Aug. 29. The Cavaliers defeated Hot Springs, 38-7, in their first-round game.  

“They’re No. 2 for a reason and that will present its own challenges,” Kortemeyer said.