By Rich Winter

606 Sports

VERMILLION — Leading 42-40 in the second overtime of Friday’s All-Nations Football Conference Class 9A championship game the Pine Ridge defense stepped up. 

With the game, their season and the hopes of thousands of Thorpe fans on the line, Taltan Hawk, Will Tymes and Daniel Davis gang-tackled Winnebago’s Raiden Decora to snuff out a potential game-tying two-point conversion, giving Pine Ridge its first-ever state football championship. 

“Man they are dogs on defense and everyone stepped up when they needed to and that’s what makes champions is that championship mentality,” Teddy Pedregon, Pine Ridge coach said. 

Trailing 28-14 early in the second half junior quarterback Marvin Richard III spurred a second-half comeback. Richard III, the 2024 Class A Offensive MVP had two touchdown passes to Domonic Ghost Bear, a five-yard touchdown run, and a touchdown pass to Jim Thorpe award winner Anthony Steele in the second overtime that helped seal the historic championship. 

“We have a great wide receiver in Domonic Ghost Bear that took two-to-three defenders with him all night and that helped open up my run game,” Richard III said. “One of our main linemen went out but we had some great blocks. I’m grateful that our young guys stepped up.” 

Richard III injured an ankle in the Thorpes only loss of the season, a 40-34 setback against the same WInnebago team during the regular season. That ankle bothered Richard III all season but he came off the bench in the Thorpes semifinal win over Mahpiya Luta and stepped up late in Friday’s win. 

“The coaches didn’t think I was ready and I showed them what I could do and came out and laid it on the line for these boys and these seniors,” he said. “It feels great to be the first team ever from here to win this. Our town is going to love this and have a great welcome back for us and I’m just grateful to be part of this.”

Pine Ridge opened the scoring with a 50-yard pick six from Kaleb Bravo but Winnebago tied it on an 18-yard touchdown run from Adarius Flemister. Pine Ridge took a 14-6 lead on a 19-yard Richard III rushing touchdown. 

Trailing 14-6 after the first quarter, WInnebago tied things up after an 8-yard touchdown run from Flemister. The Indians took a halftime lead (22-14) when Flemister scored on a 68-yard touchdown run. 

Winnebago kept two-three defenders on Ghost Bear for much of the night but Richard III found him with a 25-yard pass that cut the lead to 28-22. Late in the fourth quarter the dynamic duo struck again, this time with an eight-yard pass completion that tied the game at 28-28 at the end of regulation. 

Richard III opened the scoring in the first overtime period with a 5-yard touchdown run that gave the Thorpes a 34-28 lead. Decora answered with a touchdown run that tied the game. The Indians lined up for an extra-point that was wide right, sending the game to a second overtime.

On the first play of the second overtime Richard III hit Steele for a 10-yard touchdown. The Thorpes converted the two-point conversion when Richard III hit defensive player of the game Delbert Peters who scampred into the Dakota Dome endzone for a 42-34 Thorpes lead. 

An emotional coach Pedregon said his guys know how to overcome adversity and that every player who has worn a Thorpes uniform is part of the 2024 championship team. 

“We know how to overcome in Pine Ridge and when the time is right, much like a heavyweight boxing match we know how to win,” Pedregon said. “I’m really happy for my team. They kicked the door down and took what they wanted and I’m proud of them.”