The fireworks display did not officially begin until the conclusion of the Kernel Bowl, but Parker Phillips decided to start the show early.
The Mitchell running back weaved through the Spearfish defense on seemingly every carry, breaking Kernel standout Spencer Neugebauer’s school and Class 11AA record of 325 rushing yards in a game, set in a win over Pierre in 2016.
Phillips bolted for 378 yards on 13 carries, while his six touchdowns set a new school record and tied the Class 11AA mark as Class 11AA No. 4 Mitchell roared past Spearfish 73-13 on Saturday at Joe Quintal Field.
“It’s just wow,” MHS head coach Kent Van Overschelde said. “It’s no secret about (Phillips’) explosiveness and his vision. Tonight was a ‘wow’ night for him.”
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It did not take long for Phillips to get rolling, taking his first touch 51 yards for a touchdown, as the Kernels jumped out to a 28-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. By the end of the first half, the senior totaled 309 yards and five touchdowns on 11 carries.
Phillips joined Neugebauer and Trevor Hohn -- who ran for 309 yards against Pierre in 2002 -- as the only Mitchell (3-0) players to crack 300 yards in a game. He is also the eighth player in Class 11AA history to surpass 300 and fell 34 yards short of the overall 11-man state record of 412, set by McCook Central/Montrose's Jacobi Krouse on Friday.
“It’s a big accomplishment for me, but it’s also big for our whole team,” Phillips said. “It’s not just me breaking it, it’s the whole team that worked together to get it.”
Phillips was not the only runner to find success, however, as the Kernels ran for 670 yards as a team and racked up 693 total yards in the game. Jagger Tyler ran for a career-high 148 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, while Tucker Vilhauer had 99 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore quarterback Treyson Schulz found the end zone for the first time in his varsity career on a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and his lone passing completion went to Ryley Johansen for a 23-yard score in the second quarter as Mitchell controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
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“They were just getting after us and we had our guys in position to make a play,” Spearfish head coach Dalton Wademan said. “But they just outran us tonight.”
The 73 points scored by the Kernels are the most since a 79-point effort against Sturgis in 2016 and Van Overschelde admitted he began eyeing the scoreboard in an attempt to ensure the amount of points did not balloon.
Mitchell began to substitute on defense by the end of the first quarter, but the lead grew to 47-13 at halftime. The first-team offense was permitted one drive in the third quarter, which resulted in Phillips’ 69-yard touchdown run to break the rushing record.
Despite liberal substitutions and the implementation of a running clock when a team leads by 35 points or more in the second half, the Kernels still averaged 14.1 yards per play and held the Spartans (0-3) to -10 rushing yards in the game.
“It’s a difficult thing,” Van Overschelde said. “I’ve been on both sides of these types of games and I’ve never really left one expecting a team to give less than their best effort. When you play high school athletics, you want everyone to compete and give their best. Offensively, we just had a knack for getting in the open and breaking tackles.”
Sean Wenzel went 17 of 28 for 233 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while Brayden Delahoyde had 11 receptions for 201 yards and an 81-yard touchdown catch for Spearfish in defeat.
Joe Van Overschelde mad 10 tackles and recovered a fumble, while Ben Ziebarth had five tackles and a sack and Bryce Palmer had an interception for Mitchell, which travels to Class 11A No. 2 Dell Rapids at 7 p.m. on Friday.
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Mitchell 73, Spearfish 13
First quarter
M: Parker Phillips 51 run (Kick failed)
M: Phillips 12 run (Joe Haddon kick)
M: Treyson Schulz 16 run (Phillips run)
S: Brayden Delahoyde 81 pass from Sean Wenzel (Kick failed)
M: Phillips 32 run (Haddon kick)
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Second quarter
M: Phillips 46 run (Kick failed)
M: Ryley Johansen 23 pass from Schulz (Haddon kick)
M: Phillips 53 run (Kick failed)
S: Seth Hamilton 9 pass from Wenzel (Derek Webster kick)
Third quarter
M: Phillips 69 run (Haddon kick)
M: Tucker Vilhauer 5 run (Haddon kick)
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Fourth quarter
M: Jagger Tyler 3 run (Kick failed)
M: Vilhauer 41 run (Kick failed)
PASSING (C-A-INT-YDS): M: Treyson Schulz 1-8-1-23. S: Sean Wenzel 17-28-1-233.
RUSHING (ATT-YDS): M: Parker Phillips 13-378, Jagger Tyler 13-148, Tucker Vilhauer 9-99, Schulz 4-31, Carson Fahey 1-15, Team 1-(-1). S: Cadence Jones 17-7, Duncan Worthington 1-1, Brayden Delahoyde 1-(-3), Jaden Guthmiller 3-(-5), Wenzel 4-(-10).
RECEIVING (REC-YDS): M: Ryley Johansen 1-23. S: Delahoyde 11-201, Seth Hamilton 2-14, Carter Lyon 2-13, Austin McMillian 1-7, Jones 1-(-2).
