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ALEXANDRIA, S.D. — After being bounced from the playoffs for three straight years by Platte-Geddes, Hanson flipped the script.
In a rematch of a second-round thriller from last season, Hanson defeated Platte-Geddes 42-18 Thursday night to advance to the second round of the Class 9AA high school football playoffs.
A touchdown on back-to-back offensive plays — one as time expired in the first half and one on the first play of the second half — helped give momentum to the Beavers and put the game out of reach.
The touchdown at the start of the second half even eased some nerves for an admittedly nervous Jayce Slaba under center.
“I came out of the half kind of nervous but then we came out with that one-play touchdown it boosted my spirit,” Slaba said. “We lost the last three years to Platte. I just knew the game wasn’t over yet.”
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Hanson dominated the line of scrimmage, an area Beavers coach Jim Haskamp was emphasizing to his team all week, according to Slaba.
Winning the battle up front led Hanson to 294 rushing yards and a robust 7 yards per carry on the night, as well as five rushing touchdowns.
“Our kids did a great job up front (and) controlled the line of scrimmage for the most part,” Haskamp said. “That's where the success comes in running the football tonight. And that takes everybody, our line and our backs blocking for each other.”
Slaba ran the ball in twice on a pair of quarterback sneaks at the goal line and connected with Hadley Wallace for a score at the end of the first half as a part of his 7-for-11 passing for 79 yards.
Jackson Jarding had a trio of rushing scores, scampering for 202 yards on his 16 totes. But he gave credit to the guys up front for his big day.
“(It) makes it real easy,” Jarding said of running the ball with his offensive line. “(If) they get good blocks, then it's going to be a big play. I just got to make a couple guys miss and that's about it.”
The Black Panthers kept it close at the beginning of the game, tying it up at 6 in the first quarter before the Beavers put the next 36 points on the board. Joey Foxley had a pair of rushing touchdowns for Platte-Geddes, while Parker Bailey caught five passes for 46 yards. Dawson Hoffman threw for 100 yards on 10-for-18 passing but threw two interceptions, both to Ethan Cheeseman. Aiden Bultje also caught a touchdown on a Foxley pass.
The Black Panthers won last year's quarterfinal meeting in Alexandria, a 26-24 contest decided on a stopped two-point conversion in overtime.
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Hanson (8-1) advances to play No. 4 Hamlin on the road in the second round, while Platte-Geddes’ postseason comes to a close, ending the season at 4-5 after winning the Class 9AA championship in 2020 and 2021.
“Right away, (we are) looking to Hamlin,” Slaba said of the team’s mindset after the win. “On to our next game. That’s the most important game on our schedule.”
