Bulldogs Start Football Playoffs at Dell Rapids Thursday Night

The Bulldogs start the 2025 Class A football playoffs on Thursday night, October 30. Their first game pits them against the Quarriers at Dell Rapids. Kick off is 7 p.m. Dell Rapids is the No. 2 seed and Milbank is No. 7, but both go in with a 6-3 record. 

Milbank faced the Quarriers earlier this season on September 19. The Bulldogs took the loss 36-7. After that, Milbank won four games in a row until they fell to Madison in the final game of the regular season. That same night, Dell Rapids lost to the now No. 3-seeded Lennox.  

Milbank has matured as a team over the season and made improvements the Quarriers might not have experienced the first time they met. Of course, Dell Rapids might have learned a few new tricks, too. It should prove to be an exciting match up.

This season, Milbank’s defense has only allowed 14.8 points per game, so they enter the playoffs with a powerful weapon. In the quarterfinals Thursday night, Dell Rapids’ offense will have their work cut out for them. The Bulldogs will also need to show up ready to play both sides of the ball as post-season action is usually as challenging as it is surprising.

If last year’s championship game is any kind of a bellwether, the finals will come down to defense. In 2024, Lennox upset previously unbeaten Sioux Falls Christian for the state title by strategically deploying  their defense and stunning the Chargers’ offense. 

Lennox took the title for the first time in 42 years.  

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Milbank 6  vs. Madison 20 – (10- 23)
Madison and Milbank teed off on the gridiron at  A. B Campbell Stadium in Milbank for the 2025 Battle of the Bulldogs. Each team’s defense kept things under control for most of the first quarter. Madison made it onto the scoreboard first by securing a touchdown with 25 seconds to go in the opening period. Quarterback Henry Veenhof connected with his brother Shane Veenhof for a seven-yard touchdown. Tyler Troxell’s kick was good to put Madison up 7-0 and close out the first quarter.

In the second quarter, H. Veenhof again connected with his sibling n a pass to the 14-yard line. S. Veenhof  took it in for Madison’s second TD of the night with under three minutes to go in the first half. The kick was good to push Madison ahead 14-0. 

On the Bulldogs next possession, they hit hard and fast. Quarterback Braylen Bowsher handed off to Bennett Hunt who powered through the masses and took a 53-yard trip to the house with just shy of two minutes left on the clock. The PAT was blocked, but Milbank had done damage control and narrowed the gap to 14-6. 

In the third quarter H. Veenhof passed to Kaysen Gust for a 15-yard touchdown with 8:17 left on the clock. The kick failed, but Madison had added to their lead at 20-6. As the quarter wound down to the two-minute mark, Bowsher had nowhere to go and tossed the ball to the sidelines. Mason Allen miraculously reached down and grabbed it. He managed to stay inside the lines and the Bulldogs secured the first down. They couldn’t quite convert the series into points, though, and the third quarter score stayed at 20-6. Both teams remained scoreless during the entire fourth quarter. The game ended at 20-6 in favor of Madison.

The Bulldogs accrued 204 total yards – 117 rushing and 87 yards passing.  Madison acquired 358 yards –198 rushing and 160 passing. Bowsher completed six of 20 attempts. Sam Rick made five receptions for 78 yards. Allen had one for nine yards. Hunt had 94 yards rushing and Bowsher made 23. Hunt made the Bulldogs’ only TD.

Rick recorded eight tackles and one assist. Layten Osowski and Ethan Seyer each made a sack. Osowski pulled down six tackles and made two assists. Seyer got seven tackles as did Hunt and Carter Gloe. Bowsher made six tackles and one assist. Micah Tostenson secured three tackles. Max Scoular, Ethan Owen, M. Allen, and  Brady Allen logged two tackles apiece. Lawson Novy, Ryan Keeton, and Lincoln Holscher each made one. Osowski had four punts for 156 yards – his longest at 50 yards. Franklin Pederson had two kickoffs for 55 yards.

Milbank retained possession for just over 17 minutes. Madison had the ball for just over 30 minutes. The Milbank Bulldogs were penalized 35 yards for five infractions of the rules. Madison was tagged with eight violations for 69 yards.