Harrisburg’s Hunter Headlee looks to pass against the Lynx at Brandon Valley High School on Friday, Sept. 23, 2016.
There will be some serious travel involved for No. 5 Pierre and No. 3 Spearfish as they look to upset top-seeded Mitchell and second-seeded Harrisburg, respectively, Friday night in the 11AA semifinals.
Below are previews of the two matchups.
No. 2 Harrisburg vs. No. 3 Spearfish, 6 p.m.
When No. 2 Harrisburg and No. 3 Spearfish take to the field Friday night, it will have been exactly four years and two days since they last met. That 2012 matchup also came in the 11AA semifinals and saw the Tigers punch their ticket to the Dome with a 35-17 win.
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The unfamiliarity between the two programs presents its own layer of challenges for the coaches. Sure, game film helps to reveal schemes and expose tendencies, but until the teams take the field, it’s impossible to know the speed at which the opponent operates.
“They are very physical and are very aggressive,” Harrisburg coach Brandon White said of Spearfish. “They run they schemes very well. We expect a very hard-fought game that may come right down to the wire.”
Theoretically, the Spartans’ aggressiveness could work in the Tigers’ favor — at least offensively. Harrisburg features a three-headed monster with quarterback Jack Anderson, tailback Hunter Headlee and receiver Justis Clayton.
In last week’s 53-15 rout of Yankton, the trio combined for seven total touchdowns, with Anderson and Headlee going for 296 total rushing yards and Clayton accounting for 88 of Headlee’s 175 passing yards.
“These 3 gentlemen allow us to be very balanced offensively,” White said. “It is hard to load the box with our ability to move the ball through the air. Then when teams start to roll coverages to Justis then we are able to get Jack and Hunter going on the ground.”
The three players compliment one another on the field. Sealing off one creates opportunities for the others. Their success is rooted in the team’s depth along the offensive line, where Harrisburg rolls eight-deep.
“They all understand that none of their success comes without out the big boys in the trenches,” White said. “The depth that we have built has been probably our most overlooked asset to our success.”
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However, for as dynamic as the Tigers’ offense is, they do not score an abundance of points. In fact, they average just 31 points per game (Spearfish averages 26). Harrisburg is looking to control the clock and grind down its opponent.
“We will approach this game very similar to the previous 10 games,” White said. “We hope to be very balanced(run/pass)… We need to control the clock and keep their offense on the sidelines.”
Though there’s no head-to-head matchups to gleam information from, Harrisburg and Spearfish do share three common opponents: Huron, Mitchell and Douglas. Both teams beat Douglas. Harrisburg also beat Mitchell and Huron, while Spearfish lost to both teams.
No. 1 Mitchell vs. No. 5 Pierre, 7 p.m.
Last year, Mitchell had its season derailed in the semifinals. That run, which featured a win over Pierre in the quarterfinals, has served as a significant motivating factor for the Kernels as they prepared for this year’s tournament.
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“Playing in the semifinal game a year ago fueled our preparation for this season. There is no substitute for experience,” Mitchell coach Kent VanOverschelde said. “We experienced a loss to open 2016, which forced us to evaluate our process. We have worked to not look back, because we wanted our direction to forward. We have adopted a mentality to play ‘em one game at time, and that has helped us focus each week.”
Mitchell emerged with a 42-13 victory when the two teams went head-to-head in Week 8. That victory was keyed offensively by the Kernels’ ability to chew up yards on the ground. Defensively, their linemen’s ability to get pressure on the quarterback allowed the secondary to settle in and start building some confidence as the game progressed.
“In general, Pierre brings toughness to playing field,” VanOverschelde said. “A few of the names change, but the resiliency and toughness is part of their culture. We know that Pierre has had time to prepare and eager at another shot at the Kernels.”
Led by running back/linebacker Spencer Neugebauer, Mitchell’s offense relies heavily on its ability to run the ball. It averages over 325 rushing yards per game and puts up nearly 45 points every time it takes the field.
“Spencer has broken all of our program’s rushing and scoring records,” VanOverschedle said. “Defensively, his understanding of the game and athleticism has been complimented by our defensive play forward mentality… Spencer is a special player in that his number one focus is his team and teammates.”
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen .
Harrisburg head coach Brandon White looks on during a game against Huron at Harrisburg High School Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, in Harrisburg, S.D.