It’s been quite a year for Viborg-Hurley. Some would say it’s been perfect, which is also what their 11-0 record displays. But if you’re a Cougars fan, you know, the journey isn’t done yet.
Viborg-Hurley has simply been one of the best teams in all of high school football this year, not just in 9AA. During the regular season, the Cougars outscored their opponents 392-56. In the playoffs, they outscored their opponents 154-54.
After the Cougars narrow 32-26 win in the semifinal round against Lemmon/McIntosh, head coach Rob Kessler said it was a relief to get to this point.
‘Our boys, they work so hard, and we worked so hard this summer. And I swear, they don’t tire. They might get a little banged up, but they don’t tire, they just keep going,” explained Kessler. “They’ve got hearts of gold and they’re a team. They pick each other up when one of them is down, and that’s what it takes to win, and that’s what they have, and that’s what’s so special about it.’
Up next for Viborg-Hurley is Bon Homme, the defending state champions. It’s a modo as old as time, to be the best you’ve got to beat the best. As far as preparation, Kessler’s squad is going to keep doing what they’ve done all season long
‘I’m thinking it’s another football game. We’re going to take it just like we do every other game,’ said Kessler. ‘We’re going to watch a lot of film, we’re going to come up with a game plan, we’re going to get the boys prepared, and we’re going to go out and play football.’
As a co-op, Viborg-Hurley is still looking for their first state championship. They reached the title game in 2010, but fell to Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan.
Viborg won a stand-alone state title (9B) in 2000, while Hurley won it all in 2008 during its co-op with Marion.
As for the defending 9AA state champion Bon Homme Cavaliers, football has always been a big part of their school. Along with winning a state football title in 2018 in the 9AA class, Bon Homme also won a pair of 11-man titles in the mid-90’s.
The Class 9AA championship game between Viborg-Hurley and Bon Homme will take place on Thursday November 14thand approximately 1:45 pm CT. All seven state championship games will air live on SDPB1-TV and be streamed live online at sdpb.org/football and sd.net.
