By Ryan Deal, 605 Sports

ryan.deal@sportsticket.tv

WINNER -- Winner controlled the line of scrimmage and the ball in a Class 11B showdown.

The No. 1 Warriors forced two turnovers, rumbled up 409 rushing yards and blanked No. 2 Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan, 44-0, at Warrior Field on Friday. The Seahawks were last shutout on Sept. 2, 2016 when Sioux Falls Christian blanked BEE by a 14-0 score. That’s a run of 57 straight games. 

“If you would have said that we played 100 times, I wouldn’t even expect that to even be a possibility,” Winner coach Trent Olson said about the lopsided victory.

It was a far cry from the past two Class 11B state championships between the powers. The Warriors won last year’s state championship by a 18-14 score, while the Seahawks won the 2019 contest by a 21-14 decision. 

“I was thinking at least a two-score win,” Winner quarterback Joey Cole said. “But this went a lot better and everything just kind of went our way and we did what we were supposed to do.” 

The Warriors (2-0) turned a pair of first-quarter BEE fumbles to flip the contest. After Riley Orel’s 35-yard touchdown scamper, Cole punched in a score for a 14-0 advantage. BEE (1-1) coughed it up again on its next possession and Aiden Barfuss plowed in from seven yards for a 22-0 advantage. 

“We really focused on winning the turnover battle,” Cole said. “That happened in the Dome last year and we won the turnover battle, too. We won big tonight with the turnovers and we ran it right down their throat afterward.” 

Cole added a pair of second-quarter touchdowns runs, including a 32-yard score after picking up a fumble at the line of scrimmage. Cole’s one-yard touchdown run punctuated a dominating first half and a 36-0 lead. 

“We fumble the ball and we pick it up and run for our own touchdown,” Olson said. “Sometimes things go your way. The score probably isn’t indicative of how close these two teams really are.” 

Cole added a 27-yard touchdown strike to Slade Cournoyer on Winner’s opening drive in the first half. The Warriors chewed up the running clock to cap off the convincing victory. 

Up next, Winner hosts Mount Vernon/Plankinton on Sept. 3. The Seahawks host Parker on Sept. 3 in Bridgewater.