PARKSTON — Parkston bottled up Wolsey-Wessington for three quarters, weathered a Warbird rally and hung on for a Missouri Valley Football Conference victory on Friday. 

The Class 9AA No. 1 Trojans improved to 7-0 with a 30-22 victory over the Class 9A No. 4 Warbirds, and came away encouraged after facing some adversity in the win. 

“They are a really good team and we faced a lot of adversity,” Parkston senior Carter Sommer said. “We didn’t play our best and we just have to keep the silly mistakes out. They are a good team, but we prevailed. It’s good to see that we can be challenged. It’s good to see that they give us their all and we can still stick around.”

Sommer rushed for 97 yards on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns. Kolter Kramer added 94 yards rushing on nine carries and scored a touchdown. Kaden Holzbauer added a rushing touchdown for Parkston.

The Trojans rushed for 211 yards on 27 carries as multiple players again split carries. 

“It’s very nice as a team to be able to have more than one or two threats,” Parkston coach Matt Grave said. “Being able to be balanced and move people around it just builds depth for the longevity of the season.” 

Parkston’s defense was also up for the challenge against the Warbirds, who average 38 points per game. The Warbirds (6-1) are headlined by brothers Caleb Richmond (quarterback) and Moshe Richmond (wide receiver).  

“They are lightning in a bottle,” Grave said about the Richmond brothers. “That quarterback is slippery. I thought we had him multiple times. No. 0 (Moshe Richmond) he runs the ball very well.”

Parkston, which now has a 19-game winning streak, contained the Richmond brothers and Wolsey-Wessington for three quarters. But Caleb Richmond’s five-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter cut the deficit to 22-8. 

After recovering a Parkston fumble, Richmond added another touchdown run and it was 22-14 in Parkston’s favor with 7:08 left. Holzbauer’s touchdown run gave Parkston a 30-14 cushion with 2:55 left. 

Caleb Richmond added his third touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 30-22 with 34 seconds left. But Wolsey-Wessington onside kick rolled out of bounds, and Parkston ran out the clock for the win. 

“In the second half, any team that gets a little nervous here and there, gets some pressure, how do they respond?” Grave said. “I thought our seniors and upperclassmen did a good job of just being composed in the moment.”

The Trojans took a 14-0 lead into halftime, highlighted by a Kramer 35-yard score and Sommer touchdown run. Parkston also forced Wolsey-Wessington into two-first quarter turnovers, including a Reco Muilenburg interception. 

In the third quarter, Sommer added a seven-yard touchdown run and Parkston went ahead 22-0. The game remained scoreless until Wolsey-Wessington’s fourth-quarter surge. 

“It was a good hard-fought game,” Grave said. “Both teams left it out there tonight. Both teams played with passion. It was a great game.”

Caleb Richmond completed 27-of-36 passes for 201 yards, while rushing for 87 yards and three touchdowns. Moshe Richmond hauled in 17 catches for 129 yards. 

Sommer regularly drew the defensive assignment of facing Richmond, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound receiver. 

“He’s one heckuva player,” Sommer said. “He’s one of the best players out there and respect to him. We prepared well this week. We had a good week of practice and D-backs just stuck with that guy. We came prepared for this game tonight and it showed.” 

The Trojans have now won four straight against their conference foe, but Grave praised the Warbirds afterward and expects them to make a deep playoff run. 

“I am happy they were able to protect their house against a conference opponent that hopefully can represent us in another division of football, and hopefully they have a long season,” Grave said. 

Parkston plays at Gregory on Oct. 18. Wolsey-Wessington plays at Kimball/White Lake on Oct. 18.