VERMILLION — Madison is once again the top team in Class 11A.
In a battle of teams with Bulldogs as mascots, No. 1 Madison ran over No. 7 Milbank on its way to a 31-0 victory in the Class 11A championship game Friday afternoon at the DakotaDome.
The win was Madison’s fourth state championship in seven seasons and first since winning three straight between 2015 and 2017.
After the two teams played to a 9-0 final score in favor of Madison on Sept. 17, the rematch looked poised to be another defensive battle. While Madison’s defense pitched another shutout and intercepted four passes, its offense broke loose. After nearly 19 scoreless minutes to open the contest, Madison opened the floodgates on Milbank, scoring all 31 points across the second and third quarters.
Madison (12-0) was led by 12-of-20 passing for 130 yards, 61 yards rushing and two total touchdowns by quarterback Nate Ricke. Running back Trey Smith, the contest’s most outstanding back and Joe Robbie MVP, added 51 yards rushing and a pair of scores and kicked Madison’s 25-yard field goal in the second quarter. Mike Peters and Peyton Wolf each had 39 receiving yards.
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For Milbank (8-4), quarterback Kaden Krause completed 9 of 19 passes for 88 yards. Karson Weber recorded 34 yards rushing and 34 yards receiving, and Marshall Voeltz had 49 yards rushing.
