Pierre rallies past Tea Area in fourth quarter

The Tea Area High School football team saw a fourth-quarter lead slip away last Friday night as the Titans fell to Pierre, 38-17, in a match-up of two previously undefeated teams.

Tea Area entered the Sept. 25 contest at Hollister Field with a 4-0 record, as did Pierre. The Titans led 10-7 at halftime and pushed their advantage to 17-10 with 11:23 remaining in the fourth quarter before the Governors scored 28 unanswered points to pull away.

The loss drops Tea Area to 4-1 on the season ending their four-game winning streak. Pierre remains unbeaten in the all-time series between the two teams. 

The 10-7 halftime advantage was Tea Area’s first halftime lead over Pierre since the 2021 state championship game. The Titans’ fourth-quarter touchdown gave them their first fourth-quarter lead over the Governors since the 2022 regular-season meeting at Pierre.

Tea Area opened the scoring in the second quarter when Mitch Grant scored on a three yard quarterback keeper with 6:07 remaining. Landon DeRuyter added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

Pierre answered with a 37-yard touchdown run and an extra point to tie the game at 7-7.

With no time remaining in the second quarter, DeRuyter connected on a 31-yard field goal to send the Titans into halftime with a 10-7 advantage.

Pierre tied the game at 10-10 with a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter, setting up a decisive fourth quarter.

Tea Area regained the lead with 11:23 remaining in the game when Miles Jelen scored on a one yard touchdown run. DeRuyter’s extra point put the Titans ahead 17-10.

Pierre responded quickly, scoring on a two yard touchdown run with 10:06 remaining. The extra point tied the game at 17-17.

The Governors then took the lead with 7:02 left on a 74-yard touchdown pass. Pierre added another touchdown on a four yard run with 5:27 remaining. Pierre scored again on a 28-yard touchdown with 1:48 left, completing the 28-point fourth-quarter outburst.

Tea Area finished with 307 total yards, including 147 rushing and 160 passing. 

Grant led the Tea Area rushing attack with 67 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Hayden Bialas added 35 yards on five carries before leaving the game with an injury. Devyn Rhodes had 28 yards on four carries. Jelen finished with nine yards and a touchdown on six attempts.

Grant completed 7 of 16 passes for 116 yards, with Lane Sieber leading the Titans with 90 receiving yards on two catches. Adam Berglund added 32 yards on two receptions, while Lucas Randall had 19 yards on two catches.

Defensively, Grant led Tea Area with 11 total tackles. Sam Stansbury finished with six, and Landen Bolte and Bryaden Gniffke each had five. The Titans recorded three sacks, with Hayden Bialas, Lual Thiik each recording one, and Stansbury and Ben Bruns combining for one. Thiik also had a forced fumble and Noah Severson and Gavin Stahnke each had a fumble recovery for the Titans. 

Tea Area will take on Brookings this Friday, Oct. 2 at home. Brookings s 0-5. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m.