Dawgs Put Up a Fight in Exciting Gridiron Action

The Milbank Bulldogs put up quite a fight but eventually fell 33-20 to Class 11AA, Huron, in high school football action Friday, September 6, in Huron. The locals drop to 1-3 on the season with the loss.
Turnovers played a key role for both teams throughout much of the contest. “We felt we could have won this game,” stated Bulldog head coach Adolph Shepardson. “The kids gave it their all and are so fun to coach. We just need to
learn how to win these games.”

Huron scored first on its second offensive possession of the game with a 1-yard quarterback keeper. The extra point kick failed, which gave Huron the 6-0 lead. Milbank struggled to get its own offense rolling and were forced to punt early on. The punt was tipped by Huron which gave them a short field advantage. Fortunately for the Dawgs, the Tigers turned the ball over on downs.

The Bulldogs used that result to begin to move the ball down the field. Just when it appeared the Dawgs were stopped again; the locals faked a punt and Michael Karges passed the ball to Sawyer Gauer which was good for a first down at the Huron 27-yard line.

Milbank continued the drive as the second quarter began. Brodie Holtquist ran the ball to the two-yard line but fumbled and Huron recovered the ball in the end zone. Fortunately, again for the Dawgs, its defense made a big stop to get the ball back.

The next drive for Milbank was highlighted by a pass completion from quarterback Kaden Krause to Will Cummins, solid runs by Holtquist, and a pass to Dillion Schneck. A delay of game penalty on the Bulldogs set up another punt.

Huron took advantage and Milbank was unable to stop them as they scored right away on a 48-yard TD pass. The two-point conversion failed, and Milbank trailed 12-0 to wrap up the first half. Things got a little more interesting in the second half. Milbank got the ball to start, and the offense worked its charm. A late hit penalty on the Tigers helped set up a 4-yard touchdown pass from Krause to Cummins. The extra point kick by Carlos Ramirez failed, so Milbank remained behind at 12-6.

With five minutes left in the third quarter, Huron found pay dirt again with the assistance from a late hit penalty on Milbank. The Tigers scored on a 1-yard one. The conversion was good, widening the gap to 20-6. Four touchdowns would be scored in the final period. The teams started by exchanging punts. Milbank then turned up its offensive effort and moved the chains several times. The impressive drive was capped by a one-yard quarterback keeper by Krause. The kick was no good, and the Dawgs cut the deficit to 20-12.

On Milbank’s next offensive series, a personal foul on Huron gave the Dawgs a first down and goal on the three-yard line. The snap to Krause was over his head, but Holtquist recovered it. With a second down and long on the 18, Krause’s pass was intercepted giving Huron a very short field advantage. The Bulldog defensive stepped up another notch and quickly stopped the Tigers. Milbank was blessed with a short field to go, and quickly converted again on a 1-yard QB keeper by Krause. Schneck scored on the two-point conversion which knotted the score up at 20-20
with 1:41 left in the contest.

A 15-yard horse collar call on the Bulldogs set up the next touchdown. With 8.9 second remaining, Huron found themselves with a 2 and 6 at the Milbank 15-yard line. On the next play, the Tiger quarterback zigged and zagged, breaking tackles, and found the end zone for the score. The kick was good giving Huron the 27-20 lead with .4 second left on the clock.

Huron chose to squib kick the ball on the kickoff. Milbank tried its hand at trickery by lateraling the ball. The ball came loose, and Huron picked it up and ran 35 yards for TD. The game ended 33-20.

Milbank finished the game with 224 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs had 185 yards passing and 39 yards rushing. Huron ended the game with 243 offensive yards. The Tigers had 149 yards passing and 94 yards rushing. Krause went 13-30 passing with 121 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 15 yards on eight carried and two scores. Karges had one pass for 44 yards and 71 yards on four receptions. Gauer had one catch for 44 yards; Max McCulloch, 28 yards on two catches; Cummins, 14 yards on three receptions, and Schneck, eight yards on four catches. Holtquist led the ground attack with 27 yards on 11 carries. Schneck followed with 12 yards on three totes.

Defensively, Schneck led the team with 12 tackles. Alex Schuelke followed with nine, and McCulloch and Holtquist had seven each. Karson Weber added six tackles; Connor Bender, five; Bennet Schwenn and Micah Dietmeier, three, and Ryker Trevett, Noah Steinlicht, and Ramirez, two apiece.