YANKTON, S.D. – In a gritty, hard-fought playoff matchup, the #8-ranked Spearfish Spartans went toe-to-toe with the #1-ranked Yankton Bucs in the opening round of the Class AA Playoffs, falling just short in a 12–7 heartbreaker.
The game started as a defensive slugfest. Both teams traded stops throughout the first half before Yankton finally broke through to take a 6–0 lead at halftime. The Bucs struck again in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 12–0, but the Spartans refused to back down.
Late in the second half, quarterback Thomas Hughes connected with senior Jack Coauette on a beautiful eight-yard touchdown pass, putting Spearfish on the board. Samuel Markus drilled the extra point to make it 12–7, setting up a tense finish.
As Yankton tried to put the game away, the Spartan defense rose to the challenge. A key fourth-down stop from Connor Aalbu and Brock Lewis gave Spearfish the ball back with a chance to pull off the upset. Despite the late surge, the Spartans ran out of time, but their resilience and determination were on full display against the state’s top team.
Offensive Leaders:
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Thomas Hughes (JR): 15/31, 171 YDS, 1 TD
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Mick Bosh (SR): 12 CAR, 57 YDS
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Jack Coauette (SR): 5 REC, 78 YDS, 1 TD
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Karsen Seyer (JR): 5 REC, 60 YDS
Defensive Standouts:
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Laythan Lucas (SR): 8 tackles
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Brock Lewis (JR): 8 tackles, 7 solo
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Kade Vavruska (JR): 5 tackles
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Samuel Markus (SR): 5 tackles
