Titans fall to Yankton in regular-season finale: Tea Area enters postseason as fourth seed

The Tea Area High School football team closed out its regular season on Thursday, Oct. 22, falling to Yankton, 35-18, at Titan Stadium. The loss dropped the Titans to 6-3 on the season as they prepare to enter postseason play.

Yankton jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the opening quarter to take a 14-0 advantage. The Bucks added three more touchdowns in the second quarter, extending their lead to 35-0 at halftime.

Two early Tea Area touchdowns were called back due to penalties, preventing the Titans from putting points on the board in the opening half.

The Titans found its offensive rhythm in the second half, scoring its first touchdown with 8:19 remaining in the third quarter. Quarterback Devyn Rhodes connected with Lane Sieber on a 34-yard touchdown pass to put the Titans on the board, 35-6.

The Titans continued to battle in the fourth quarter, scoring on back-to-back offensive plays. Rhodes connected with Griffin Wiebenga for a 75-yard touchdown pass before finding Wiebenga again for a 49-yard touchdown just over a minute later. Tea Area was unable to convert on its extra-point attempts, bringing the final score to 35-18.

Despite the loss, the Titans put together an impressive passing performance, finishing with 334 yards through the air. Rhodes completed 10 of 23 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Mitch Grant added 31 passing yards, completing two of seven attempts.

Wiebenga led the receiving corps with eight catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns, including the 75-yard scoring reception. Sieber added two receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown, while Grant recorded one catch for 20 yards and Adam Berglund added a seven-yard reception.

On the ground, Tea Area finished with 48 rushing yards. Grant led the Titans with 29 yards on six carries, while Henry Fortin added 25 yards on four attempts.

Yankton finished with 368 yards of total offense, including 276 passing yards and 92 rushing yards. Tea Area recorded 382 yards of total offense.

Defensively, the Titans were led by Grant with nine tackles, Sam Stansbury with six, and Brayden Gniffke with five. Beau Wranek had a sack in the game.  

Tea Area now turns its attention to the Class 11AA playoffs, where the Titans enter as the fourth seed. They will host fifth-seeded Sturgis Brown on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. at Titan Stadium.

The winner will advance to the semifinal round on Friday, Nov. 6, facing the winner of the Pierre/Mitchell match-up.

The Class 11AA State Championship game is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.