BROOKINGS – The South Dakota Class 9B football championship game went like most games for Colman-Egan this year, with the Hawks winning big over the Herreid/Selby Area Wolverines 58-6. The Hawks finished the year undefeated and it was their third championship in the last four years.
“It feels good for the team to come out and play good. That’s what we’re trying to do and they worked hard. It’s a good feeling,” Colman-Egan head coach Chad Williamson said.
The Hawks took the opening drive 68 yards and it was capped off by a 1-yard Nate Tolley touchdown. The Wolverines then fumbled the ball on their first offensive play of the game and Ryan Voelker scored on a 33-yard run on the next play to give the Hawks a 16-0 lead.
HSA scored on their next possession on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Wade Begeman to Trey Sayler early in the second quarter. CE answered with a 14-yard touchdown run from Ryan Voelker to make it 24-6. The Wolverines then fumbled for the second time of the game and the Hawks capitalized on the turnover with another Voelker touchdown run to make it 32-6.
Tolley scored three more rushing touchdowns the rest of the game. He finished with 167 yards rushing and 23 yards passing and won the Jim Langer MVP
“This is what we’ve worked for since we were freshmen,” he said. “We had seniors who led us and taught us how to do it. We did it. We worked for this.”
Voelker ran for 101 yards on 12 carries and Chase Hemmer had six carries for 72 yards. The Hawks ran for a total of 379 yards on the night.
This was the sixth time this season that CE had beaten a team by more than 50 points. Their closest game all season was in the semifinals when they beat Wolsey-Wessington 46-36.
“They really play hard as a team. They lift weights in the offseason. They’re strong and fast individuals. Play physical and play as a team and that’s what helps them win,” Williamson said.
It was another impressive game for the Hawks’ defense as they held the Wolverines to 234 yards of offense. Clayton Randall II led HSA with 89 yards rushing. Begeman finished the game 5-for-6 with 38 yards and an interception. He also had 31 yards rushing.
“We had a couple guys go down, especially in this game, and we just had guys that stepped up and played big roles and helped us win this,” Tolley said.
When reflecting on the run that Colman-Egan has been on, Williamson said his team takes after his personality.
“You know, a lot of times I’m not a very pleasant person. We install a lot of discipline. You have to work hard and have to earn it. That’s how you have to live your life, is through discipline and hard work. That’s the main thing. Work ethic and discipline. They’ve installed that and I hope you can see that on the football field,” he said.
No. 1 COLMAN-EGAN 58,No. 6 HERREID/SELBY AREA 6
Herreid/Selby Area (9-3) 0 6 0 0 – 6
Colman-Egan (12-0) 16 22 6 14 – 58
First Quarter
CE – Nate Tolley 1 run (Chase Hemmer pass from Tolley), 6:10
CE – Ryan Voelker 33 run (Hemmer pass from Tolley), 5:45
