RAPID CITY, S.D. — It wasn’t always pretty for the Spearfish Spartans Friday night.
Penalties wiped away big plays. Turnovers gave Rapid City Stevens extra opportunities. Promising drives stalled before they could turn into points.
But when Spearfish needed a play, somebody seemed to make one.
The Spartans overcame a sloppy night to defeat Rapid City Stevens 48-21 at O’Harra Stadium as part of the Rushmore Bowl, improving to 2-1 on the season with their second consecutive victory.
Spearfish entered the matchup coming off a 47-27 win over Mitchell after opening the season with a 26-20 loss at Watertown.
Against Stevens, the Spartans showed flashes of just how explosive they can be. They also left Rapid City with plenty to clean up.
Penalties Slow Spearfish Early
Spearfish moved the football on its opening possession, but three penalties derailed what had been a promising drive and eventually forced the Spartans to punt.
The Spartans soon reached into the playbook to generate their first major spark.
Facing a punting situation, Kade Vavruska connected with Brock Lewis for 22 yards on a fake punt, moving Spearfish inside the Stevens red zone.
Quarterback Thomas Hughes eventually finished the possession himself, scoring on a 6-yard run with 7:23 remaining in the first quarter to give Spearfish its first lead.
Stevens responded.
Penalties helped the Raiders extend their ensuing possession before quarterback Thayne Leichtnam-Skeen connected on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The score tied the game at 7 with 2:09 remaining in the opening quarter.
It wasn’t the only time a penalty cost Spearfish points.
Vavruska appeared to break the tie with a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown, only to have the score erased by a penalty.
The Spartans did get the ball back when Graham Hughes wrestled it away from a Stevens player, forcing and recovering a fumble. But Spearfish returned the favor when Thomas Hughes threw his first interception of the game.
It became a theme throughout the night: Spearfish would make a mistake, then find a way to respond.
Big Plays Break the Game Open
The Spartans regained the lead early in the second quarter.
Thomas Hughes connected with Vavruska for an 18-yard touchdown with 11:22 remaining, putting Spearfish back in front.
Less than two minutes later, Graham Hughes found daylight.
Hughes broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run with 9:29 remaining in the half, quickly turning a tied game into a two-score Spearfish advantage.
Then the defense joined the scoring.
After Thomas Hughes threw another interception, Brock Lewis answered by intercepting Stevens and returning it 13 yards for a touchdown.
The pick-six gave Spearfish a 26-7 advantage with 4:06 remaining in the second quarter.
Despite the penalties and turnovers, the Spartans went into halftime firmly in control at 26-7.
Defense Keeps Stevens From Capitalizing
Neither offense found the end zone during the third quarter.
Stevens eventually cut the deficit to 26-10 on a 29-yard field goal with 3:59 remaining in the period.
The Spartans continued to give the Raiders opportunities. One promising Spearfish drive ended with a fumble, and another fumble followed later.
But the Spearfish defense repeatedly kept those mistakes from becoming touchdowns.
Vavruska intercepted a pass, while Karsen Seyer delivered another turnover when he recorded a sack and forced a fumble that was recovered by Keller Vega.
Lewis was seemingly everywhere for the Spartans. In addition to his pick-six, he was credited with 15 tackles and half a sack based on Odrix Sports’ game tracking.
Jack Scharf was another constant around the football, finishing with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Vavruska added seven tackles to his interception and offensive contributions, while Connor Aalbu, Ethan Foote, Seyer and Thomas Hughes each recorded four tackles.
Seyer added a tackle for loss and two sacks to his four tackles, including the forced fumble recovered by Vega.
Vega recorded two tackles and two tackles for loss along with his fumble recovery. Graham Hughes contributed two tackles in addition to his earlier forced fumble and recovery.
The defensive effort allowed Spearfish to maintain control despite repeatedly giving Stevens chances to climb back into the game.
Spartans Find Another Gear in the Fourth
Spearfish finally broke through again with 11:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Thomas Hughes connected with Vavruska for a 20-yard touchdown, their second scoring connection of the night.
Jack Scharf powered in the ensuing two-point conversion, extending the Spearfish advantage to 34-10.
Stevens wasn’t finished.
Jackson Gaeta scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 3:55 remaining, and Brayden Stephen converted the two-point attempt to cut the deficit to 34-18.
Spearfish needed just 27 seconds to answer.
Thomas Hughes connected with Seyer for a 46-yard touchdown with 3:28 remaining, immediately pushing the advantage back to 41-18.
Stevens added a 30-yard field goal with 1:28 to play.
Then Graham Hughes put the finishing touch on his monster night.
Hughes broke loose for a 61-yard touchdown with just 28 seconds remaining, completing the scoring in Spearfish’s 48-21 victory.
Hughes Brothers Power Spearfish Offense
Graham Hughes delivered his biggest rushing performance of the season, finishing with 194 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
That’s nearly 13 yards per attempt.
His two touchdown runs covered 50 and 61 yards, and he added a forced fumble and recovery defensively.
Thomas Hughes overcame three interceptions to account for four Spearfish touchdowns.
The quarterback completed 11 of 17 passes for 194 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He was also a major factor on the ground, rushing nine times for 113 yards and a touchdown.
That gave Thomas Hughes 307 yards of total offense.
Vavruska was the Spartans’ primary big-play threat through the air, catching three passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed the 22-yard fake-punt pass to Lewis and intercepted a pass defensively.
Seyer finished with five receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by his 46-yard score late in the fourth quarter.
Between Thomas and Graham Hughes alone, Spearfish piled up 307 rushing yards and four total touchdowns.
Plenty to Fix, Plenty to Like
The final score makes the victory look comfortable.
Getting there wasn’t.
Spearfish committed numerous penalties, had a 69-yard punt-return touchdown erased and turned the football over multiple times. Three Thomas Hughes interceptions and multiple fumbles gave Stevens opportunities that could prove costly against future opponents.
Yet the Spartans still scored 48 points and won by 27.
Spearfish generated explosive plays on offense, scored on defense, forced multiple Stevens turnovers and repeatedly responded whenever the Raiders appeared to have an opening.
For a Spartans team now sitting at 2-1, the Rushmore Bowl provided both a warning and a reason for optimism.
There is plenty to clean up.
But even on a night when Spearfish was far from perfect, the Spartans found a way to win convincingly.
Final: Spearfish 48, Rapid City Stevens 21
Spearfish Stat Leaders
Passing
Thomas Hughes: 11-of-17, 194 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
Kade Vavruska: 1-of-1, 22 yards
Rushing
Graham Hughes: 15 carries, 194 yards, 2 TD
Thomas Hughes: 9 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Karsen Seyer: 5 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD
Kade Vavruska: 3 receptions, 94 yards, 2 TD
Drew Durdall: 1 reception, 5 yards
Graham Hughes: 1 reception, 0 yards
Brock Lewis: 1 reception, 22 yards
Defense
Brock Lewis: 15 tackles, 0.5 sack, 13-yard interception return for TD
Jack Scharf: 10 tackles, 1 TFL
Kade Vavruska: 7 tackles, 1 INT
Connor Aalbu: 4 tackles
Ethan Foote: 4 tackles
Karsen Seyer: 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Thomas Hughes: 4 tackles
Keller Vega: 2 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 fumble recovery
Graham Hughes: 2 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Blake Andress: 1 tackle
Towers: 1 tackle
Ethan Diedtrich: 1 tackle
Landon Madler: 1 tackle
Easton Walters: 1 TFL
Torphy: 1 sack