With this newest state title and championship hardware the Wittler family will have an entire new set of stories to share with friends and family. In 1989, Wittler’s father Jesse played on the state championship football team for Sully Buttes. The Chargers have reached the championship game six times with 1989 and now 2024 holding a special place in the sports hungry town and surrounding communities near Onida. 

“My dad just told me to keep my confidence up,” Wittler said. “He kept telling me that we are going to get this done and sent texts that he loves me and stuff.” 

A trademark of the Wittler sports family is competitively driven and always alert. On the first drive of Thursday’s championship game Faulkton Area forced Sully Buttes into a punting situation. 

When the Trojans failed to blanket Sully Buttes’ gunner, Wittler made them pay.

“We were getting ready to snap it and I saw the coaches kind of yelling at our kids,” he said. “I saw my guy uncovered so I quickly threw my hands down. We snapped it and I threw it out there. That was a huge play for us. 

One play later Wittler appeared to be headed for a Charger touchdown. Mid-play he fumbled but the ball took a fortuitous bounce as the junior put the first points of the afternoon up with a 17-yard touchdown run. 

Like any great quarterback Wittler praised the big guys up front for getting the job done all season.

“In our quarterfinal game against Corsica-Stickney, Bo McGee (2024 9B Outstanding Lineman) started pulling and hitting people and that turned our offense up, especially for me to get gas to be a runner,” he said. “Taydon LaRosh is a phenomenal long snapper and Cooper Falkenhagen and Preston Kinney were great today. Preston is my best friend, I love this kid to death and I’m happy he was there for me.”