PARKSTON -- Hanson edged Parkston 24-16 on fullback Brock Tuttle’s 2-yard touchdown run with 2:18 remaining on the opening Friday of high school football action in South Dakota.
Tuttle’s plunge capped a 12-play, 71-yard drive by the Beavers, ranked No. 3 in 9AA, who ended Parkston’s 2020 season with a 34-22 win in the opening round of last season’s playoffs.
After two and half quarters, though, it looked as though Parkston was going to be the team to pull away.
Early in the second half, quarterback Cole Prunty rambled for a 95-yard touchdown to give Parkston a 16-8 lead and the Trojans got the ball back quickly after the next Beaver drive stalled, but a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ethan Cheeseman and ensuing two-point conversion brought Hanson level again at 16 with 5:54 remaining in the third quarter.
The two teams traded field position for much of the remainder of the third and much of the fourth quarters, but it was the Beavers who would have the remaining good scoring opportunities in the game’s closing moments.
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After four false start penalties derailed a drive where Hanson had first-and-goal at the 3, the Beavers forced a stop and drove 71 yards. Aided by a Parkston offside penalty on fourth-and-2 from the Parkston 4, Tuttle capped the drive with his late scoring plunge to take the lead.
Tuttle finished with 10 carries for 52 yards and the game-winning score. Jackson Jarding led Hanson’s ball carriers with 10 carries for 81 yards, including a 47-yard long run.
The Trojans, who will play at Stanley County on Aug. 27, went to the air on its final drive, but Hanson’s Kade Waldera intercepted Prunty with under two minutes to go and the Beavers were able to pick up a first down and run out the clock.
Waldera went 9-of-13 passing for 129 yards while his counterpart Prunty recorded 163 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 15 carries for the Trojans. The Beavers had a 275-237 advantage in total yards, while Parkston (0-1) ran for 216 yards on offense.
The game was the Mitchell Republic’s Gridiron Spotlight game and a complete replay can be found at mitchellrepublic.com.
Hanson (1-0) will travel to Garretson for a 6 p.m. Saturday game on Aug. 28.
