Titans fall to Yankton, prepare for match-up against Sioux Falls Washington

The Tea Area High School Titans faced off against the Yankton Bucks on Friday, Oct. 18, in a hard-fought game that ended in a 28-7 loss for the Titans. 

The game began strong for Tea Area as Dawson Eimers broke free for a 22-yard touchdown run just five minutes into the first quarter, putting the Titans up 7-0 after Marshall Smythe’s extra point. However, Yankton responded late in the quarter, tying the game at 7-7 with 2:40 left on the clock.

Yankton dominated the second quarter, scoring twice to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. The Bucks added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, securing a 28-7 victory over Tea Area.

The Titans put up 263 yards of total offense, with 166 on the ground and 97 through the air, while Yankton tallied 283 yards, 108 rushing and 175 passing.

Tea quarterback Daschle Lowery completed 10 of 28 pass attempts for 97 yards but threw two interceptions. Riley Svanda led the receivers with three catches for 39 yards, while Cole McKinney grabbed three catches for 37 yards. Marshall Smythe, Griffin Wiebenga, and Landon Bolte contributed with one catch each.

On the ground, Eimers led the rushing attack with 67 yards on 11 carries, followed by Tyler Rhead with 58 yards on nine carries. McKinney added 26 yards on ten carries, and Kade Korleski chipped in 10 yards on two carries.

Defensively, Kade Korleski, Jacob Jongejeugd, Charlie Leslie, and Hayden Bialas each recorded a sack, with Korleski and Jack Gearman recovering fumbles. Emmett DeGeest forced a fumble, and Rhead, Eimers, and Caleb Kuhnert led the team in tackles with eight each. Smythe and Korleski followed closely with six tackles apiece, while Wiebenga added four. DeGeest and Svanda contributed three tackles each.

The Titans now hold a 4-4 record and will look to bounce back in their next game against Sioux Falls Washington (2-6) this Thursday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. in Tea.