VERMILLION — Sioux Falls Christian, a school filled with multiple team state championships, captured its first-ever Class 11A state football title on Saturday. 

The Chargers outlasted Dak-XII Conference rival Lennox, 28-24, in a Class 11A state championship thriller at the DakotaDome. 

It was Sioux Falls Christian’s third state football championship, and its first in the Class 11A ranks. The Chargers won Class 11B state titles in 2017 and ‘18, but went through some subpar years before reaching the Class 11A mountaintop.

“Moving up and getting it done now is an amazing feeling,” Sioux Falls Christian coach Jared Smith said. “Because 11A is really good and Lennox is an outstanding team.”

For the second straight season, Sioux Falls Christian (12-0) and Lennox (9-3) duked it out in a Class 11A thriller. Last season, the Orioles edged the Chargers, 14-6, for their first state football championship since 1982.  

On Saturday, the Chargers avenged last season’s heartbreaker with a heart-pounding victory over the Orioles. 

“It feels so good,” said Sioux Falls Christian senior Canyon Prins, who was named the Most Outstanding Back and Joe Robbie MVP. “We had a lot of fire under us. But at the end of the day we just wanted to glorify God in how we play and we did.”

But the state championship didn’t come without some adversity. The Orioles lost to the Chargers in the regular season, 17-0. Ironically, Lennox led Sioux Falls Christian by the same score after the first quarter on Saturday. 

“We got down 17-0 and we are like this is not how it’s going to end,” Sioux Falls Christian quarterback Cooper Strande said. “We are going to come back and we are going to win this thing.” 

The Orioles seized momentum in the first quarter. After forcing a Sioux Falls Christian turnover on downs, Jhaimann Huntington tossed a 20-yard touchdown strike to Drake Mikkelsen for a 7-0 lead. 

On Sioux Falls Christian’s next possession, Cooper Strande was intercepted by Lennox’s Cole Spieler at the Chargers’ 38-yard line. The Orioles cashed in seven plays later on a Huntington-to-Mikkelsen 21-yard touchdown strike, taking a 14-0 lead. 

On Christian’s next drive, Lennox’s Tate Gerdes recovered a Charger fumble and the Orioles took a 17-0 advantage on a Cloy McVey 32-yard field goal. 

“We go down 17-0, and it could have been much worse but they responded,” Smith said. “We responded that second quarter, and closed it to 17-14 at half and our kids just responded.” 

In the second quarter, Sioux Falls Christian cut the deficit to three points after finding its footing on offense. Canyon Prins capped off a drive with a two-yard quarterback keeper, slicing the deficit to 17-7. 

The Chargers’ Jensen Pixler plowed in for a four-yard touchdown run to get Sioux Falls Christian within 17-14 at halftime. 

Lennox opened up a 24-14 lead on its opening drive of the third quarter, on a Huntington six-yard touchdown run. After the Chargers intercepted a Lennox pass, Strande tossed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Popkes, slicing the deficit to 24-21. 

In the fourth quarter, Canyon Prins tossed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jude Prins, taking a 28-24 advantage with 6:49 left. Sioux Falls Christian’s drive started at its own five-yard line. 

“We knew it was just one play at a time,” Canyon Prins said. “Forget about the next play and that’s just what we did and we just kept building on it.” 

The Orioles had one last gasp, taking over at their own 31-yard line with 1:39 left. On 4th and 7, Huntington kept the drive alive when he completed a 23-yard pass to Mikkelsen. Huntington also completed a third-down pass to Talen Eich for 17 yards. 

The Orioles faced a 4th and 10 at Sioux Falls Christian’s 16-yard line, but Huntington’s pass to Mikkelsen with 13 seconds fell incomplete and the Chargers celebrated the win. 

“We always talk about we are a brotherhood and we are a family,” Strande said. “What are we going to do when adversity hits. Coach Smith always talks about winning the moment and I feel like we won the moment and we stayed together.”

Strande passed for 154 yards and one touchdown. He added 60 yards rushing on 17 carries. 

Huntington completed 17-of-35 passes for 263 yards and two touchdown passes. He added 27 rushing yards and one touchdown. Mikkelsen, a 6-foot-5 junior wide receiver, hauled in nine catches for 130 yards and two touchdown catches.