Milbank Starts Strong in Final Game of Football Season

Milbank held a 6-0 lead in the first quarter of their football game against West Central on Thursday, October 20, at A.B. Campbell Stadium in Milbank. West Central received the kick-off after the Bulldogs deferred, but Milbank’s defense stopped the Trojans on all three downs. 

When the Bulldogs had the ball back in tow with 10:28 left in the period, freshman quarterback Braylen Bowsher took to the air.  Bowsher ripped off a 78-yard rocket to senior Sawyer Gauer to put six points on the board for Milbank. The two-point conversion pass was no good, but the Dawgs were in the lead at 6-0. 

The Trojans, who started the game at 8-1 for the season, started to growl back at the Bulldogs. With 6:46 left in the first quarter, West Central was awarded a safety. Milbank remained ahead at 6-2.  West Central’s Dylan Sherard then escaped to run five yards for a touchdown, quarterback Justin Zirpel hurled a 14-yard pass to Owen Heath for another TD, and the Trojans added two good kicks to boot. All before time ran out in the first. West Central was suddenly in the lead at 16-6.

In the second quarter, with just 27 seconds on the clock, Trojan Jesse Jost made a four-yard run across the line for six, but the Bulldogs quashed their plan to add one more. The score sat at 22-6 at halftime. 

Jost took another hike for 46 yards with 9:06 left in the third quarter to pad the Trojans’ lead, but Milbank’s defense again foiled the extra-point attempt. The quarter ended at 28-6.

The fourth quarter was a bit of a rerun. Heath caught his second TD and the last one of the game when he hauled in a nine-yard  pass from Zirpel, and the Bulldogs again blocked the conversion attempt. The score moved to 34-6 and remained there until the final horn.

Brian Allmendinger, head coach for Milbank, said, “The kids played hard against a very good West Central team. We got off to a great start, but were unable to sustain the momentum. Despite our season ending with a 2-7 record, the team continued to improve each week and play hard.”

Against the Trojans, the Bulldogs collected 266 total yards on 213 passing and 53 rushing. They committed seven penalties for a loss of 44 yards and were charged with one turnover.

Photos: top- #9 Tate Schlueter, #8 Braylen Bowsher, #88 Emmett Hanson bottom-MHS Seniors celebrating Senior Night