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2016 11AAA Championship: Washington Wins A Classic Against Brandon Valley

Follow @Nate_WekSDPB

The Sioux Falls Washington Warriors defeated the Brandon Valley Lynx 41-31 in the 11AAA championship game on Saturday night. This is back-to-back titles for the Warriors football program.

Kickoff

Brandon Valley got the ball to start the game, but on the first play, Matt Eigenberg fumbled the football after a 14-yard gain. Washington recovered, and it was 4-yard run by Tupak Kpeayeh to cap off the 34-yard drive for the Warriors.

The Lynx got a turnover midway through the opening quarter, courtesy of Matt Eigenberg, giving Brandon Valley great field possession. Alex Waltner gets a 5-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Grage to tie the game at 7-7.

On the first play of the next Washington drive, Jayden Johannsen threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Thuro Reisdorfer, which gave the Warriors the lead back, 14-7, with 5:54 to play in the first quarter.

End of 1st Quarter: Sioux Falls Washington 14 Brandon Valley 7

Brandon Valley lessened the margin after Drew Jurgens knocked in a 28-yard field goal.

Washington answered on their next possession finishing an 80-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by Sean Oromo. This gave the Warriors a 21-10 lead over the Lynx at the 8:09 mark in the second quarter.

The Lynx then put together a 92-yard, seven-minute drive. Quarterback Alex Waltner finished it with a 27-yard touchdown run. And with 56-seconds to play in the half, Sioux Falls Washington held onto a slight 21-17 lead.

Halftime: Sioux Falls Washington 21 Brandon Valley 17

Brandon Valley started the scoring in the second half when Waltner completed an 80-yard pass and catch to Wilson Kolbeck. That led to a 7-yard touchdown pass from Waltner to Grage giving the Lynx a 24-21 lead over Washington at the midway point of the third quarter.

Needing a big play, the Warriors rose to the occasion. Logan Uttecht stepped in front of Waltner pass for the interception. Two plays later Kpeayeh exploded through the middle for a 35-yard touchdown. This gave Washington the lead back, 28-24, with 2:31 to play in the third.

The Warriors got the ball back after a Brandon Valley three-and-out. On the next play Kpeayeh fumbled, recovered by the Lynx. Then, Braiden Peterson broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown. With 1:09 to play in the third quarter, Brandon Valley led Washington 31-28.

On the kickoff following the touchdown, Reisdorfer returned it 99-yards for a touchdown, which is an 11-man record for longest kick return. This gave the Warriors a 34-31 lead, due to a missed extra point.

End of 3rd Quarter: Sioux Falls Washington 34 Brandon Valley 31

Late in the game and with the Lynx desperately needing a third down stop, Kpeayeh broke loose for a 38-yard touchdown. That gave Washington a 10-point lead with only 1:31 to play in the game.

Time ran out on the Brandon Valley next possession, sealing the victory for Washington.

Final: Sioux Falls Washington 41 Brandon Valley 31

Tupac Kpeayeh of Washington is the 11AAA Joe Robbie MVP. In the game he had 231 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

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Nate Wek is currently the sports content producer and sports and rec beat reporter for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. He is a graduate of South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism Broadcasting and a minor in Leadership. From 2010-2013 Nate was the Director of Gameday Media for the Sioux Falls Storm (Indoor Football League) football team. He also spent 2012 and 2013 as the News and Sports Director of KSDJ Radio in Brookings, SD. Nate, his wife Sarah, and three sons, Braxan, Jordy, and Anders live in Canton, SD.