VERMILLION, S.D. — Pierre outdueled Yankton 56–35 in the highest-scoring Class 11AA state championship game in history at the DakotaDome on Friday night.
Behind a powerhouse performance from junior standout Porter Hunsley and a perfectly timed Hail Mary to close the first half, the Governors captured another state title and capped a wild, back-and-forth thriller that featured 63 combined points before halftime.
Hunsley was everywhere for Pierre, rushing for 165 yards and four touchdowns, adding another score through the air, and finishing the night as the Joe Robbie MVP as well as Outstanding Back. Quarterback Jerren Deal delivered one of the biggest throws in Pierre postseason lore—a 51-yard Hail Mary to 6’6″ tight end Cooper Terwilliger as time expired in the second quarter, breaking a 28–28 tie and sending the Governors into halftime with a 35–28 lead.
Deal completed 14 of 20 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, and Pierre (9–3) never trailed after that halftime miracle.
A First Quarter Track Meet
Both offenses opened in overdrive, combining for six touchdowns in the opening quarter alone. Pierre struck first with a short Hunsley run, but Yankton immediately answered when Tegan LaCroix returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards to the house.
Pierre responded right back—Deal found Carter Schiefelbein for a 78-yard strike—and after a nine-yard Hunsley score made it 21–6, Yankton quarterback Tate Beste hit Owen Eidsness on a 28-yard touchdown to tighten things again.
Then the Governors delivered a lightning bolt when Schiefelbein housed a 97-yard kickoff return, pushing the lead to 28–14. Yankton closed the quarter with a two-yard score from Jace Sedlacek, and Sedlacek later tied the game 28–28 with another touchdown run midway through the second.
Just when it looked like the teams would head into halftime even, Deal bought time, launched one deep, and Terwilliger elevated above the Yankton secondary to snatch a momentum-shifting touchdown as the horn sounded.
Pierre Pulls Away
The second half saw Pierre’s offense settle in while the defense stiffened. Deal connected with Hunsley on a 19-yard touchdown midway through the third, and after Yankton answered with a 45-yard strike from Beste to Eidsness, Hunsley barreled in from 13 yards out to rebuild a two-score cushion at 49–35.
Hunsley’s fourth rushing touchdown—an eight-yard run early in the fourth—broke the game open for good. Pierre controlled possession the rest of the way, while the Governor defense closed the door with an interception on Yankton’s final full drive.
Yankton Fights to the Finish
Beste led the Bucks (9–3) with 261 yards passing and two touchdowns, both hauled in by Eidsness, who finished with 96 receiving yards. Sedlacek was a force on the ground, rushing for 136 yards and two scores on 24 carries.
Yankton kept pace for nearly three full quarters but ultimately couldn’t match Pierre’s explosive plays—three touchdowns of 50 yards or more—and special teams swings.
Awards and Stats
Pierre swept major awards, with Hunsley named both MVP and Outstanding Back, while Max Bogenhagen earned Outstanding Lineman honors. The Governors outgained Yankton 491–433, converting all five red-zone trips into touchdowns.
The win marks yet another state championship for Pierre, adding to one of the most dominant decade-long runs in South Dakota prep football history.
And few will forget the moment that tilted it—Deal’s moon-shot to Terwilliger, a Hail Mary that stamped its place among the most dramatic plays ever seen inside the Dome.