Bulldogs Smoke Sisseton and Get Ready for Roncalli 

It was Pink Night and Senior Band Night at the Milbank versus Sisseton football game at A.B. Campbell Stadium on Friday, October 4. The high-energy action between the halves kept Bulldog fans cranked up on their way to a 42-0 blowout. 

The win positioned Milbank in 11th place in the 11A standings, just outside of playoff contention. Their game tomorrow night against Aberdeen Roncalli could prove to be pivotal as the Bulldogs need to win two of their last three to make the playoffs. The Cavaliers currently hold a 4-2 record and are known in the conference for their aggressive defense. However, Roncalli fell to Groton last week in double overtime, which bodes well for the Bulldogs as Milbank downed Groton 32-28 on September 13.  On the other hand, the last time Milbank played Roncalli in football was in 2018, so fans can look forward to a night full of surprises. The Bulldogs expect to have most of their players back on their roster. Three starters returned against Sisseton and the team is looking healthy and strong.

If you want a front row seat to catch all the action, follow the Bulldogs to  Dacotah Bank Stadium in Aberdeen on Friday, October 11. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.

In the matchup against Sisseton, Bulldog quarterback Braylen Bowsher was at the top of his game. He pinned three touchdowns and logged seven carries for a total of 56 yards and with an average of eight yards. His first TD came with over eight minutes to go in the first quarter.. Bowsher wasn’t the only Bulldog having a big night. With Milbank leading, freshman Lincoln Holscher took over as quarterback and completed nearly 67 percent of his attempts in the air, including a 49-yard  pass to Jaxson Wiese late in the game for a touchdown. Holscher then pocketed the nugget and crossed the line to claim the two-point conversion. 

The Bulldogs had wasted no time nailing down the game. They jumped to a 19-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Bowsher made the first two TDs to take the score to 13-0 and Tate Schlueter made a 41-yard run for another touchdown to push the score to 19-0 and end the first quarter. 

Bowsher struck for his third TD, and Emmett Hanson ran for two to stretch Milbank’s lead to 27-0 in the second. To seal the deal, sophomore Sam Rick intercepted a Sisseton ball at the 49-yard line with 4:09 left in the first half. Owen Tesch hauled it to the 29. Rick then took a dive into the corner to secure the first down just shy of the goal. On the next play, Bowsher connected with Tesch who took it in for the touchdown. Milbank headed to the locker room at halftime with a commanding 34-0 lead. Tesch finished with 12 carries in the game for 75 yards with a 6.3-yard average.

Milbank’s muscles made it all possible. The Dawgs’ offense continued to clean up on the ground with the support of the Bulldog D. Their defensive line repeatedly stopped Sisseton cold. They rumbled on nearly every play, shut down Sisseton’s inside running game, and prevented the Redmen from gaining any momentum.

Hanson led the Bulldogs with four tackles. Jesse Schneck had three– all for a loss— and one sack. Keaton Johnson and Rashawn Gertsema-Collins also made three. Rick and Wiese made two apiece. Layten Osowski, Oliver Korth, Ethan Owen, and Mason Allen each had two. Bowsher, Tesch, Schlueter, Nollen Sheeley, Ethan Seyer, Lucas Johnson, Carter Gloe, Bennett Hunt, and Liam Street made one apiece. Moises Luna made two successful extra-point kicks.

Micah Tostenson knocked down two Redmen passes late in the game to dash any hopes Sisseton had of erasing their goose egg from the board. 

Milbank finished with 328 total yards to Sisseton’s 57 yards. The Bulldogs piled up 231 yards rushing and 97 passing. Sisseton had 28 yards rushing and 29 passing. Milbank also led in first downs with 14 compared to five for Sisseton. The Dawgs won the turnover battle by one.

The pink jerseys worn by the Bulldogs during Pink Night were donated by Deb Bowsher, a breast cancer survivor, and Justin and Elli Fischer in memory of his mother, LaDean Fischer.