Titans fall to Roosevelt, 21-14

The Tea Area High School football team battled Class AAA Sioux Falls Roosevelt on Friday, Oct. 16, at Howard Wood Field. Despite entering halftime tied at 7-7, the Titans were unable to overcome two third-quarter touchdowns by the Roughriders, falling 21-14.

Tea Area struck first in the second quarter, putting together an impressive 11-play, 85 yard scoring drive. Quarterback Mitch Grant capped off the possession with a four-yard touchdown run with 7:18 remaining in the half. Landon DeRuyter added the extra point to give the Titans a 7-0 advantage.

Roosevelt answered less than two minutes later on a 63-yard touchdown run. The extra point, tied the game at 7-7 with 5:37 remaining before halftime.

The Roughriders took control in the third quarter, scoring twice to build a 21-7 lead. They found the end zone on a one-yard run with 6:23 remaining in the quarter, completing a seven-play, 48-yard drive. Just over three minutes later, they scored on an 83-yard touchdown run, extending Roosevelt’s lead to 14 points.

Tea Area continued to battle in the fourth quarter, putting together another lengthy scoring drive. The Titans marched 75 yards in five plays, with Grant scoring his second rushing touchdown of the evening on a three-yard run with three minutes remaining. DeRuyter’s extra point brought Tea Area within seven, 21-14, but the Titans were unable to complete the comeback.

Despite the loss, Tea Area held the advantage in several statistical categories, outgaining Roosevelt 351-293 in total offense. The Titans recorded 18 first downs compared to Roosevelt’s 10 and controlled the ball for 30:29, while the Roughriders had possession for 17:31.

Grant led the Titans’ passing attack, completing 15 of 23 attempts for 184 yards with no interceptions. Devyn Rhodes also saw time at quarterback, completing three of five passes. Tea Area finished with 174 passing yards.

On the ground, Brayden Gniffke led Tea Area with 52 yards on six carries, while Beau Werdel added 42 yards on nine attempts. Grant finished with 42 net rushing yards on 15 carries and accounted for both Titan touchdowns. Rhodes contributed another 29 yards on four carries as Tea Area totaled 177 rushing yards.

Grifin Wiebenga led the receiving corps with five catches for 79 yards, including a 30-yard reception. Lane Sieber added 37 yards on two receptions, while Adam Berglund finished with three catches for 30 yards. Cameron Hillestad and Lucas Randall each recorded two receptions for 17 and 15 yards, respectively.

Defensively, Grant led with eight tackles. Gavin Stahnke had seven and Sam Stansbury finished the night with four. Ben Bruns broke up a pass in the game. 

With the loss, the Titans drop to 6-2 on the season. They will host Yankton this Thursday, Oct. 22 in a 6:30 p.m. game. Yankton sits at 6-2 on the season. This marks the final regular season game with playoffs beginning on Thursday, Oct. 29.