Milbank Wins Season Opener 64-0 at Lakota Tech – Meets Tri-Valley Tonight

Milbank put up a “W” after their season opener ended early with a score of  64-0 at Lakota Tech High School in Pine Ridge on Friday, August 29. Under the leadership of head coach Mick Thompson, Milbank led 42-0 at the half and tacked on 22 more points before the clock wound down after the Mercy Rule was invoked.

The Bulldogs offense was kept busy: In the first quarter, just 26 seconds into the game, sophomore tight end Bennett Hunt got Milbank on the board with a touchdown run for six points. He also carried the ball in for the two-point conversion to put the Bulldogs up 8-0. Senior Braylen Bowsher snagged an interception on the return and toted the ball to the house to get Milbank to 14-0. Senior running back Ethan Owen ran it in to make the score 16-0. Bowsher then seized another opportunity to grab the ball and, after shrugging off an opponent, he ran home to stretch Milbank’s lead to 22-0. Sophomore running back Zack Karges completed the segment with a two-point conversion to put the Bulldogs ahead at  24-0.  

Senior Carter Gloe secured a sack for a safety to add two more points to Milbank’s total for a score of 26-0. Junior Lance Engebretson powered down the field for 35 yards and six more points. Owen ran for the extra two to put the Bulldogs up at 34-0. Still in the first half, quarterback Bowsher connected with Sam Rick for another TD bomb, and Owen took it over the line again for the extra two. The Bulldogs headed into the break with a commanding 42-0 lead.

In the second half, MIlbank was off and running again. Sophomore Lincoln Holscher got the first TD for MIlbank and Karges made good on another conversion to light up the board at 50-0. Holscher snaked his way in for another TD and that time Max Scoular did the honors for the extra points. The duo pushed Milbank’s lead to 58-0. Scoular then went for his own touchdown and finished Milbank’s scoring frenzy at 64-0.  

The Bulldogs defense stayed on the job, too. The Tatanka finished with -56 yardage. They accrued -55 rushing and -1 passing. Milbank accumulated 210 total yards  – 179 rushing and 31 passing.

The Bulldogs were, no doubt, tired by the end of the game, but they had another seven-hour bus ride ahead of them –plenty of time  to catch a few zzzs on their way home. 

As for Lakota Tech, they are still on the search for that elusive victory. If things had been reversed and Lakota Tech had taken the ‘W”, it would have been their first win in school history. 

Lakota Tech High School is in its sixth year as a consolidated school district. The Tatanka football program is in its fourth year, and their turf football field and track complex was finished during the 2023 season. The team also welcomed a new head coach, Eriq Swiftwater, this season. They list 57 players on their roster.

Milbank’s coaching staff for the 2025-26 season also includes assistant coaches Brian Pauli, Brody Gilbertson, Jeff Trapp, Carter Bowsher, Brian Sandvig, and Connor Snaza.

What’s next for the Bulldogs? Milbank hosts Tri-Valley Friday, September 5, at A.B. Campbell Stadium. Start time is 7 p.m. Tri-Valley is coming off a 53-3 win in their home game against Custer.

Coach Thompson offered his opinion of Friday’s  upcoming game, “Tri Valley is a physical team that wants to impose their will on the lines of scrimmage. It should be a battle and both teams have reason to have a lot of confidence coming in after Week 1 victories. The Mustangs have some really good players like Brody Dybvig, Landyn Reise, and Lawson Lodmel.” 

“We need to be ready to play physically all night long and fight for every inch. If we execute the game plan in all phases and feed our playmakers the ball, we feel like we can have success,” Thompson continued. “But we need to be detail focused for those things to happen. It should be a great game between two physical and talented teams!”