By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

Bormann helped fill the void of running back Kolter Kramer, who went out with an ankle injury on the opening drive. He briefly returned, but Grave opted to hold him out as the game progressed. 

Parkston quarterback Carter Sommer (75 yards) and running back Brayden Jervik (61 yards) both contributed to the rushing attack.

“We had a guy go down and we kind of did some personnel changes,” Grave said. “We did some things we are not maybe used to or shown on the field, but they just fight and they believe in each other.

Parkston had pitched two straight shutouts, but allowed a Hanson (2-2) touchdown in the first quarter. The Beavers forced a turnover on downs on Parkston’s opening possession, and quarterback Jayce Slaba capped off the ensuing drive with a touchdown. 

“That first drive we did a terrible job tackling,” Bormann said. “We had a lot of missed tackles. We knew if we fixed that and if we’d clean that up, we were going to be OK.”

After Parkston pounced on a Hanson fumble, the Trojans took advantage of a short field and Bormann punched in a touchdown for an 8-6 advantage before halftime. 

The game remained scoreless as the teams traded possessions and turnovers. In the third quarter, Parkston regained possession after a turnover on downs and Bormann added one for the highlight reel. 

Bormann took the handoff from Sommer, dashed to the right side of the field, cut back to left, broke a tackle and darted up the middle of the field for the score. 

“My line did a great job blocking down field, giving me that cutback lane,” Bormann said, explaining the play. “After I cut back that first time, I cut back the second time because our line kept blocking and we talk about continuing to block. It was my line continuing to block and continuing to push them down the field.”

Hanson's Sutton Dewald carries the ball against Parkston on Friday in Parkston. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Parkston’s defense, which has now given up three touchdowns this season, pitched the shutout the rest of the way and stymied Hanson’s ground game.

“One thing we always said about defense is we are a bend, don't break team,” Bormann said. “We’ve bent today. We had that big stop down at the goal line there, but we don't break.”

Parkston’s Will Jodozi finished with 13 tackles, while Jervik added seven tackles. The Beavers were coming off a pair of convincing wins against Irene-Wakonda (60-0) and Chester Area (59-7). 

Grave knew it would be an evenly matched contest as both teams mirrored each other. 

“Hanson scored 50 some points, we scored 50 some points and it shows that defense wins championships,” Grave said.   

Parkston will play Oldham/Ramona/Rutland on Sep. 15 in Parkston. Hanson will play at Canistota on Sept. 22.