Gregory falls to Deubrook Area in 9AA semifinal

WHITE – Ryan Knutson ran for 243 yards and four touchdowns, Kay Glatzer came up with a big interception and Deubrook Area outscored Gregory 22-0 in the second half during a 44-37 come-from-behind victory over the Gorillas in Class 9AA semifinal action Saturday afternoon.

“Obviously, some things turned around in the second half for us,” Gregory coach Brian Allmendinger said.

After the Gorillas drove into the red zone early in the fourth quarter, Glatzer picked off a Jaden Bartling pass and returned it to midfield to set up the winning score. Aided by a pair of Gregory penalties and a big Knutson run, quarterback Taylor Olsen capped the drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge. His pass to Dustin Trooien on the two-point conversion — the same fade route that sent the Dolphins’ quarterfinal game to overtime — put Deubrook on top 44-37 with 7:38 remaining.

Gregory again moved the ball into the red zone on its ensuing possession but the drive stalled out at the Deubrook 15-yard-line. After a Deubrook three-and-out, Cory Byers shifted field posi-tion with a big punt, giving the Gorillas the ball on their own 37 with 2:38.

With a light rain making for slick field conditions, both teams fumbled the ball away in Gregory territory after that. The Gorillas had one last chance, getting the ball on their own 11 with 1:34 remaining. Following a 26-yard completion, Bartling lost control of a pair of snaps in the shotgun and also threw two incompletions to end the visitors’ chances.

With the Deubrook defense keeping Gregory in check, Knutson got the Dolphins back in the game with touchdown runs of 45 and 20 yards in the third quarter.

Knutson’s touchdown in the third quarter came at the 7:29 mark.

Allmendinger said a play and an official’s call earlier on the Dolphins’ drive game momentum-changing and strongly affected the outcome of the game.

Gregory safety Andrew Taggert intercepted a pass on his own team’s sideline, but the play was called pass interference and Knutson eventually scored his 45-yard touchdown later in the drive.

“It was a terrible feeling after the game,” Allmendinger said Sunday evening. “To be that close and to possibly go to play for a state championship, and to have it taken away from a questionable call at best, we couldn’t rebound for that. It’s just a sick, sick feeling.

Allmendinger later added about the pass interference call: “I asked who it was on and they never gave me a number. We could have stopped them after that, but it was an obvious momentum shift in the game.”

Riley Hanson added the two-point run on the second score, which pulled Deubrook within a point – 37-36 – with 4:13 left in the quarter.

Knutson rushed the ball 28 times while racking up the 243 yards.

“We ran about three or four run plays and we just lined up and pounded it,” said Deubrook Area head coach Adolph Shepardson. “We threw the ball when we needed to – I thought we were pretty effective when we threw the ball.”

There wasn’t a whole lot of defense played in the first quarter, as the high-powered offenses combined for seven touchdowns and 53 points in 12 minutes – resulting in a 31-22 Gregory lead.

Knutson scored Deubrook’s first two TDs, on runs of 39 and 15 yards; and Dustin Trooien added a 65-yard catch-and-run from Olsen to make it 22-15 with 2:33 left.

Bartling finished with 36 rushes for 170 yards and 11-of-23 for 150 yards with two interceptions through the air. He had a hand in all four of Gregory’s first-quarter TDs.

The Gorillas had the answer early, as Bartling hit Brady Boes for a 25-yard TD, Jonah Beck for a 17-yard score and Boes again for a 4-yarder to put the Gorillas up 23-22 with 24.2 seconds left. After Gregory recovered the ensuing kickoff, Bartling scored on a 12-yard run on the next play to make it 31-22.

Gregory finished the season with a 9-2 record.

Deubrook Area (11-0) takes on Howard (9-2) in the Class 9AA championship at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

First Quarter

DA: Ryan Knutson 39 run (Kay Glatzer kick)

G: Brady Boes 25 pass from Jaden Bartling (Cody Jung kick)

DA: Knutson 15 run (Jacob Berndt run)

G: Jonah Beck 17 pass from Bartling (Andrew Taggart pass from Bartling)

DA: Dustin Trooien 65 pass from Taylor Olsen (Glatzer kick)

G: Boes 4 pass from Bartling (Gavin Thomas pass from Bartling)

G: Bartling 12 run (Taggart pass from Bartling)

Second Quarter

G: Paul Taggart 5 run (conversion failed)

Third Quarter

DA: Knutson 45 run (run failed)

DA: Knutson 20 run (Riley Hanson run)

Fourth Quarter

DA: Olsen 1 run (Trooien pass from Olsen)

Tags: sports, gregory, football, updates