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Sophomore quarterback Cooper Strande leading top-ranked Sioux Falls Christian Chargers to undefeated start
Sioux Falls Christian's Cooper Strande throws a pass during the Chargers' 42-6 win over Madison on Sept. 26, 2025, in Madison.
(Jon Akre / 605 Sports)

Sophomore quarterback Cooper Strande leading top-ranked Sioux Falls Christian Chargers to undefeated start

Sep 28, 2025
  

 

By Jon Akre

605 Sports

SIOUX FALLS — Sioux Falls Christian’s Cooper Strande has had quite the start to his high school football career.

Last year as a freshman, Strande was a defensive back for the Class 11A runner-up Chargers, and was the first freshman in the program’s history to ever start on varsity.

But with just one quarterback listed on the roster, senior Lincoln Prins, the Chargers needed a new QB1. Insert the 6-foot-2, 176-pound sophomore to answer the call.

“I don’t play corner as much this year but I’m happy to help the team wherever I can and it’s good to be on offense, but I miss defense too,” Strande said.

“Last year he started at corner for us, he was the first freshman in our program’s history to ever start,” SFC head coach Jared Smith said. “This year he’s hardly playing any defense.”

The quarterback position was just one of eight starting spots on offense that needed to be filled and coach Smith says it’s taking the new unit some time to get in a consistent rhythm.

Sioux Falls Christian's Cooper Strande throws a pass during the Chargers' 42-6 win over Madison on Sept. 26, 2025, in Madison. (Jon Akre / 605 Sports)

“We have eight new starters on offense, bringing four new offensive lineman in,” Smith said. “It’s taking some time to gel and we have a sophomore quarterback who hasn’t played quarterback since he was an eighth grader.”

But judging by the 5-0 start, you wouldn’t think there’s been any growing pains within the program or under center. And it helps when you have the best defense in Class 11A football, allowing just 5.4 points per game.

“It’s taken him some time to gel and make sure his eyes are downfield and things like that,” Smith said of Strande. “He knows the offense, but having a defense that’s going to give us the ball in great positions and great spots, that’s going to make an offense look pretty good even when we’re making some mistakes.”

Even Strande mentioned how much having a dominant defense helps him and the offense build confidence as they head towards the postseason.

“It definitely helps so much. It’s just a couple plays and we’re scoring, so I think it helps with being a young quarterback and not having as long of fields, stuff like that. Quick scores get the confidence up as a team.”


And that defense made its mark last Friday in the No. 1 Chargers 42-6 win over No. 2 Madison on the road. SFC allowed just 166 yards of offense to a Bulldog team that averaged over 33 points per game coming in.

“With coach Keepers, he’s always giving us a nice field, it makes it a lot easier for the offense,” Strande said. “Our defense is great. Every week we know they’re going to come out and put up a fight so they’re awesome.”

And while the defense was doing its thing by forcing five Madison turnovers, Strande was making plays on offense, finishing the win 9-of-18 with 155 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, adding 37 rushing yards as well.

Sioux Falls Christian's Cooper Strande runs the football during the Chargers' 42-6 win over Madison on Sept. 26, 2025, in Madison. (Jon Akre / 605 Sports)

“I thought we had a great scheme coming in,” Strande said. “I thought our defense played really well, they have a lot of weapons like Veenhof. But we just take it one week at a time, try to go 1-0 every week, and that’s a team we could probably see down the road so we were happy with it.”

Coach Smith praised Strande following the win and says he’s done an excellent job manning the boat through five games of his sophomore campaign.

“He is extremely smart and he is dedicated to being that he can be, no matter what he is doing,” Smith said. “That’s something as a Christian school we talk about. Everything you do, give it your soul, and he epitomizes that. He watches a ton of films, he asks a ton of questions, he is an absolute sponge.”

The top-ranked Chargers host Vermillion this Friday at 7 p.m. at Bob Young Field.

“I think it gives us confidence but we know we got to take it one week at a time,” Strande said. “We’re not going to look forward, we got a good team against Vermillion next week, so take it one week at a time.”