Bulldogs Triumph Over Tri-Valley 27-15 – Face West Central Tomorrow

Tri-Valley’s scoreboard was damaged in a storm and wasn’t functioning when the Milbank football team rolled into Colton on Friday, August 28. That, however, didn’t stop the Bulldogs from racking up 27 points to claim the victory in their first game of the 2026 season.

In the Bulldogs’ game last week, Milbank’s cashed in on their strategy of using an air attack to propel the offense and a tough defense to provide the opportunities. Simple but lethal.

MIlbank’s head coach Mick Thompson commented, “The offense took care of the ball and executed well. We always worry about ball security the first game, and the players did an excellent job of keeping focus.” 

“Defensively, we had a lot of new pieces playing their first varsity action, but they flew around and made a lot of plays,” Thompson went on to say. 

Tri-Valley won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball.Their first foray downfield didn’t produce sufficient yardage, and the Mustangs turned the ball over on downs. Milbank had similar luck and the two teams stayed locked in a defensive squabble until the Bulldogs secured a first down with just two minutes to go in the opening quarter. 

Milbank Quarterback Lincoln  Holscher, a 6’ 4’” junior, connected with senior Sam Rick who stayed on his feet to get to the 40-yard line in Mustang territory. Holscher, with the help of junior tight end Bennett Hunt, Rick, and senior wide receiver Liam Street snaked the ball down to the red zone and moved it to the 17-yard-line before the quarter expired. The score was still 0-0.

The Bulldogs kept their momentum going to start the second quarter. At fourth down and 13 on the 17-yard line, Holscher delivered a 22-yard TD bomb to junior running back Max Scoular. Milbank took the lead 6-0. 

Kicker Franklin Pederson, a senior, lined up and put the ball between the posts to add the extra point. The Bulldogs went ahead 7-0. Only 16 seconds had ticked off the second quarter clock.

On the return, Tri-Valley got the football to the 42-yard line, but Mustangs quarterback, Cooper Durick, couldn’t find a hole. Kale Wenzl, sophomore linebacker for the Bulldogs, forced a fumble. Milbank got the ball back and proceeded to march downfield the other direction. On the way, Holscher connected with Lance Engebretson and twice with Rick. Rick bolted from the 39 to the 7-yard line for first and goal.  Holscher’s toss fell short to Grabow, but Hunt picked up two yards to get Milbank to third and goal. Holscher then unloaded to Rick, who clamped onto it for a 6-yard TD. The Bulldogs’ extra point kick was not good, but the score had climbed to 13-0.

After the kick-off, The Mustangs took possession at the 25-yard line, but were called for a penalty. They managed a first down, but the Bulldogs defense continued to apply serious pressure. A sack by Ethan Seyer, a holding call on Tri-Valley, and a narrow escape from a  pick-off pushed the  Mustangs to punt again with  6:15 left in the quarter. 

When Milbank found themselves at third-and-forever, the Bulldogs also set up to punt. 

On their next possession, the Mustangs again came muzzle to muzzle with Bulldog hounds, including Hunt, Street, and Brady Allen. The pack kept them pointless. With 22 seconds to go in the second quarter, Tri-Valley punted the ball back to the Dawgs. Milbank kneeled on it to end the half. The score sat at 13-zip in favor of Milbank.

The Bulldogs started the second half by receiving the ball. They took it 35 yards to the 45-yard line. Holscher passed to Engebretson for a 5-yard gain, and Rick made a run up the sidelines.  At third and 7 at the 23-yard line, Holscher hit Grabow who piloted  it to the 1-yard line. Holscher went back to the well to send another toss to Grabow, and Grabow worked it into the endzone for a 1-yard TD. The Bulldogs went ahead 19-0. 

Milbank tapped Grabow again, and he ran the ball in for the two-point conversion. The Bulldogs had built a  21-0 lead with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter.

Three touchdowns behind, Tri-Valley couldn’t help but feel the pressure on their home field. They returned the kick-off to the 50-yard line and  then secured a first down at Milbank’s 22 yard-line. They continued to head toward the prize.  

At first and goal, Alex McFarland muscled his way four yards into the endzone for six points. The Mustangs followed up with Kadyn King sending the  extra-point kick between the posts to put the score at 21-7. 

Although seven minutes remained on the clock in the third quarter, neither team’s rallies produced much action before the quarter ended.

Early in the fourth quarter, Milbank turned the ball over on downs. After the punt by Pederson, the Mustangs got to their own 38-yard line. Rick was in the right place at the right time and bagged an interception for the Bulldogs.  A  flag was thrown, but officials called a holding penalty on Tri-Valley and the ball  remained in Milbank’s hands. 

On third and 8, Holscher sent a pass to Grabow, but it fell incomplete. The Bulldogs were faced with a fourth-down situation, and they decided to go for it. Holscher got steady and aimed the pass at Rick. Rick nailed it in the corner for a 28-yard TD. Milbank’s kick was blocked, but the Bulldogs held a substantial lead at 27-7.

With 27 seconds left in the game, the Mustangs wrapped up  a parting gift for the Bulldogs. Durick completed  a pass to Cole Hendrixson,  and Tri-Valley sneaked in for a 4-yard TD. Durick then kept the ball to add a 2-point conversion. The Mustangs had upped their score to 15, but it was way too late. The Bulldogs had done their work early and they took home the 27-15 victory.

Thompson commended the boys for playing well, and said, ““We have things we can continue to improve on, but as a staff, we are proud of the way the players went out and played hard last week.”

Rick paved the way for Milbank with 10 receptions for 145 yards. Hunt led the Bulldogs in rushing with 26 yards on 11 carries. He also had nine tackles. Wenzl and Seyer had eight tackles apiece– three each for a loss. Seyer also had 2.5 sacks. Allen had five tackles – three for a loss and a shared sack. 

Quarterback Lincoln Holscher recorded four TDs. He completed 17 of  31 attempts for 234 yards passing and added 4 yards rushing on 6 attempts. 

Receptions – 234 total yards
Sam  Rick –   10 for 145 yards , including 1 TD
Max Scoular – 1 for 22 yards including 1 TD
Cade Grabow – 3  for 27 yards , including 1 TD
Liam Street  – 3 for 40 yards
Rushing  –  46 total yards 
Sam Rick –  2 carries for 7 yards
Bennett Hunt –  11 carries for 26 yards
Lance Engebretson –  9 carries for 9 yards

Tackles 
Sam Rick –  4 total  –  2 solo  (1 for a loss)
Bennett Hunt – 9 total –  6 solo (1 for a loss)
Oliver Erickson – 1 Total  – 1 solo
Brady Allen – 3 Total –  1 solo  (1 for a loss)
Cade Grabow –  1 Total – 1 solo
Kale Wenzl – 8 Total –  7 solo  (3 for a loss) .50 sack
Lance Engebretson –  3 Total – 2 solo
Mason Allen – 5 Total  4 solo ( 3 for a loss)  .5 sack
Bryton Blauert  – 1 Total
Ethan Seyer –  8 total  5 solo ( 3 for a loss)  2.5 sacks

Kick Offs/Punts
Franklin Pederson
5 Kickoffs for 198 yards
5Punts for 37 yards

Interceptions
Sam Rick – 1

Assistant Coaches for the Bulldogs 2026 season: Brian Pauli, Brody Gilbertson,Jeff Trapp, Carter Bowsher, Brian Sandvig, Connor Snaza, and Connor Bender.

Milbank      0   13     8     6      T27
Tri-Valley   0     0     7     8       T15

What’s next? The Bulldogs will host West Central this Friday night September 4. 
Kick off is at 7 p.m.  at A. B. Campbell stadium in Milbank. Fans could make a vital difference in this game.  West Central defeated Dakota Valley 37-0 last week and are ranked No. 3 in 11A just behind Sioux Falls Christian at No. 1 and Dell Rapids.