Titans roll past Sturgis 39-15, improve to 4-0

The Tea Area High School football team remained unbeaten on the 2026 season with a 39-15 victory over Sturgis Friday, Sept. 18, at Titan Stadium.

The Homecoming win improved the Titans to 4-0 on the season and extended their all-time record against Sturgis to 6-0. 

Tea Area jumped on the board first when Mitch Grant scored on a six yard touchdown run with 3:22 remaining in the first quarter. Landon Deruyter added the extra point to give the Titans a 7-0 lead.

Sturgis answered with a nine yard touchdown pass but missed the extra point. Sturgis later added a 22 yard field goal to take a 9-7 lead.

The Titans regained the lead with 6:36 remaining in the first half when Grant connected with Lane Sieber for a 65 yard touchdown. Deruyter’s extra point put Tea Area ahead 14-9.

Grant added another touchdown run in the third quarter, this time from 11 yards out, to extend the lead to 20-9. Sturgis answered with a 12 yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion to make it 20-15 heading into the fourth quarter.

Tea Area took control in the final period. Deruyter connected on a 29 yard field goal with 10:34 remaining, and the Titans added a safety when Johnson was sacked in the end zone with 9:50 left.

The Titans then put the game away with two more touchdowns. Devyn Rhodes found Sieber for a 50-yard touchdown pass with 9:41 remaining, and Grant scored his third rushing touchdown of the night on a 60-yard run with 3:52 left. Deruyter converted both extra points.

Tea Area finished the night with 511 yards of total offense, including 274 yards rushing and 237 yards passing. The Titans recorded 17 first downs. 

Grant led the rushing attack with 118 net yards on ten carries and three touchdowns. Devyn Rhodes added 62 yards on five carries, while Hayden Bialas rushed for 61 yards on five attempts. Grant also completed six of his ten passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, while Rhodes completed three of his seven pass attempts for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Sieber had a record-setting night, catching six passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, including receptions of 65 and 50 yards. His 203 receiving yards established a new Tea Area single-game record, surpassing the previous mark of 183 yards set by Evan Munkvold against Parkston in 2016.

The Titans’ 511 yards of total offense also tied the fourth-highest single-game total in school history, matching the 511 yards recorded against Mitchell in 2024.

Tea Area’s defense held Sturgis to 300 yards of total offense, including 117 rushing yards and 183 passing yards. The Titans recorded five sacks, with Bialas recording two in the game and Thiik Lual, Sam Stansbury, and Beau Wranek each getting a sack. Brayden Gniffke led the team in tackles with 13 in the game. Grant and Bialas each had seven and Lual finished with six. Stansbury and Noah Severson each had five. Landen Bolte broke up three passes in the game and Grant had one break up pass. 

The Titans improved to 4-0 and will face off against undefeated Pierre this Friday, Sept. 25 at Hollister Football Field in Pierre. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. Tea Area will be home again on Friday, Oct. 2 when they play host to Brookings.