#1 ranked Titans roll past Vermillion

With 8:54 left on the clock in the fourth, the Tea Area High School football team scored their eighth touchdown of the night this past Friday, Sept. 4 against Vermillion, ending the game early as Tea notched the 54-0 victory.

The Titans got on the board in the opening quarter twice, once as Conner Mulder rushed 15 yards into the endzone for the score and again as Garrett Kolbeck took the carry 15 yards for the score. Point afters by Chase Van Tol put Tea Area up 14-0 heading into the second quarter.

Tea Area continued to roll in the second quarter as Kaden Johnson found the endzone twice, scoring on a nine yard run and a 35 yard carry. Kolbeck reached the endzone for the second time of the night as well, rushing it in from two yards out. Van Tol kicked through all three point afters, giving Tea Area a 35-0 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, Kolbeck earned his third touchdown of the night, rushing in from two yards out. Van Tol’s point after gave the team a 42-0 lead. With time running out in the third, Jaxon Weber took the carry and ran it into the endzone from 37 yards out. The point after was blocked but the Titans took the 48-0 lead with them into the fourth quarter.

One more score was all it took for the Titans to close the book on this one and they got just that as Jackson Smythe took the one yard carry into the endzone for the final score of the night, giving Tea Area a decisive 54-0 shutout win.

The Titans finished the night with 471 yards of offense, gaining 418 on the ground and 53 in the air. Vermillion was held to just 85 yards of offense in the game, rushing for only two net yards and gaining 83 in the air.

Leading the Titan rushing attack was Johnson who finished the night with 149 yards on 13 carries. Kolbeck rushed for 84 yards on ten carries. Mulder rushed seven times for 60 yards, Austin Lake 53 yards on seven carries and Weber 42 yards on two carries. Jessen Wiebenga had one rush for seven yards and Smythe had four yards on two carries.

In the air, Lake completed five of eight attempts for 53 yards. He threw one interception in the game.

Mulder grabbed two passes for 31 yards and Johnson grabbed two for 20. Braden Beach also had a grab for two yards.

Defensively the Titans forced four fumbles on the Tanagers, recovering two of them. Credited with the fumble recoveries were Peyton Thompson and Klayton Sattler.

Jeff Worth had two interceptions for the Titans in the game and Kolbeck had one as well, which he returned for nine yards.

Leading the team in tackles was TJ Krietlow who had six in the game. Isaac Johnson, Worth, and Trevor Welch each had four. Reis Kirschenman and Matt Halbur each had two and Beach, Lake, P. Thompson, Blake Thompson, Caden Barnett, Ian Bennett, Caden Ellingson, Kolbeck, Mulder, and Cayden Reiniger each had one. Weber also had a blocked punt in the game.

With the win, Tea Area remains the number one ranked team in Class 11A. The Titans are scheduled to travel to West Central this Friday, Sept. 11. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. West Central defeated Custer, 42-19 in the season opener and lost to Pierre last Friday, 24-14.