Week 1 Recap: Elkton/Lake Benton vs. Colman/Egan

Football Season is finally back in the Dakotas! South Dakota opened up their seasons in Class 11B and all the 9-man classes. Elkton/Lake Benton Elks (9AA) hosted the Colman/Egan Hawks (9A) on Thursday night for the season opener. The Elks had a good crew of returners from last season, both upper and underclassmen. I got a good preview of a few Hawk players from a camp this off season, they also bring a young team to the field for this season. Check out the game recap below!   Scoring Summary:   (1Q) ELB- [player_tooltip player_id='101184' first='Ryan' last='Krog'] 26 yard pass to [player_tooltip player_id='210630' first='Tanner' last='Stein'], PAT Good (7-0 ELB).   (1Q) ELB- [player_tooltip player_id='101184' first='Ryan' last='Krog'] 36 yard pass to [player_tooltip player_id='210630' first='Tanner' last='Stein'], PAT Good (14-0 ELB).   (2Q) ELB- [player_tooltip player_id='101184' first='Ryan' last='Krog'] 30 yard rush, PAT Good (21-0 ELB).   (3Q) ELB- [player_tooltip player_id='101184' first='Ryan' last='Krog'] 49 yard rush, PAT No Good (27-0 ELB).   (3Q) ELB- [player_tooltip player_id='101184' first='Ryan' last='Krog'] 30 yard pass to [player_tooltip player_id='210630' first='Tanner' last='Stein'] PAT No Good (33-0 ELB).   (3Q) CE- [player_tooltip player_id='395539' first='Ben' last='Zwart'] 3 yard rush, 2-point No Good (33-6 ELB).   (3Q) ELB- Riddick Westley 52 yard rush, 2-point No Good (39-6 ELB).   (4Q) ELB- Dustin Asmus 12 yard rush, 2-point Good (47-6 ELB).   (4Q) CE- Hayden Pearson 2 yard rush, 2-point Good (47-14 ELB).   (4Q) ELB- Colt Beck 66 yard rush, 2-point Good (55-14 ELB).   Players Highlighted (Elkton/Lake Benton)   '23 QB/DB- [player_tooltip player_id='101184' first='Ryan' last='Krog'] opening his Senior year with five total touchdowns is pretty impressive. I could tell him and his receivers had good chemistry all game long, putting his passes in places where only they would make the catch. He had good poise in the pocket as well, only pulling and running when he absolutely needed to, kept his eyes downfield under pressure and still making good passes down the field. He made good decisions to keep on the read options as well, and found open space.   '23 RB- Riddick Westley controlled the run game for the Elks. He ran really well between the Guards, ran with physicality and speed, really making the defense earn tackles. He was ripping off big chunks of yardage all night and stayed patient behind the line of scrimmage, letting the blocks develop. He ran good routes out of the backfield giving the Elks another target, but also could stay in an block to protect the QB.   '23 DB- Garrett Neill impressed me on the defensive side of the ball. He was a good tackler on the perimeter, he kept his contain, broke down and made good form tackles out on the edge. He would make the pads pop as well when he could square the ballcarrier up. He was also good in pass coverage, making the QB hold onto the ball when he we look in his direction.   '24 LB- Blake DeVries was all over the defensive side of the ball, he was wracking up the tackles, both solo and combo. Any time there was a pileup, he seemed to pop up from the bottom of it each time. He would make his pass-run reads quickly and get to the spot to make the play on each play. He was a very sure-handed tackler, did not need to be in perfect position to make the tackle, didn't have to be a pretty tackle, just had to be an effective tackle.   '24 LB- [player_tooltip player_id='210631' first='Teigan' last='Krog'] was the other side of the double-edge sword at LB. He was the punisher however, he was either taking out blockers and drilling the ballcarrier. He was also quick to get his pass-run reads and flow to the ball just as quick. When I heard the pads pop, it was usually him standing over the player he just ran over. Even being the hard-hitter, he was another sure handed tackler.   '25 WR- [player_tooltip player_id='210630' first='Tanner' last='Stein'] catching 3 TD's on opening night in your sophomore year is pretty nice I'd say. He was the vertical threat all night. Whenever they were close enough to score, they let Krog chuck it deep and Stein was the guy on the receiving end every time. He is quick off the snap and gets to top speed in a hurry, beating the DB out of his break each time. He also has great focus on high arcing passes and does a good job reeling them in, especially in traffic.   Players Highlighted (Colman/Egan)   '23 WR/DB- Logan Voelker was moving all over the field for the Hawks on offense and defense. He was the guy they trusted to make the play when they needed it. He has good vision and agility to extend plays. He ran good routes and hands to be a reliable receiver too. He had the speed to roam around the defensive backfield and makes tackles and plays on the passes thrown his way.   '23 TE/LB- [player_tooltip player_id='395539' first='Ben' last='Zwart'] was a good lead blocker in the run game, which lead to him being a reliable target running routes out of the backfield. He was a very physical runner with the football and ran through many tackles with his big frame and good speed. He was a good tackler when he got his reads and found his way to the football often.   '23 OL/DL- Tanner Anderson was a good anchor on the offensive and defensive line. He plugged the gaps on his side of the line of scrimmage on defense and could get some pressure on the QB almost every play. He was drawing a lot of double teams in the game. Offensively, he was doing a great job opening gaps for the run game, and driving his opponent off the ball. He was good in pass protection on his side of the ball as well.   '23 QB- [player_tooltip player_id='89292' first='Easton' last='Williamson'] did a good job keeping the offense moving down the field on most drives. He made good decisions with the football, not forcing passes to receivers, delivering good passes to his open receivers to make plays. He would pull down and run often, getting good chunks of yardage on key downs.   '24 WR/DB- Jackson Wright was a very sure handed tackled on the perimeter, kept his contain and wrapped up well. He also flowed around the field well to find the ballcarrier in the run game, finishing the play with a sure handed tackle. He was good in pass coverage as well. He could run with his matchup and keep the QB from throwing his way.   '25 RB/LB- Hayden Pearson played well on the defensive side of the ball. He flowed well in the run game and found the ballcarrier consistently. He had good pad level taking on blocks, shedding them and delivering a hit to the ballcarrier when making the tackle in the gap. He had a couple nice carries late in the game and showed his physicality when running the football.

Football Season is finally back in the Dakotas! South Dakota opened up their seasons in Class 11B and all the 9-man classes. Elkton/Lake Benton Elks (9AA) hosted the Colman/Egan Hawks (9A) on Thursday night for the season opener. The Elks had a good crew of returners from last season, both upper and underclassmen. I got a good preview of a few Hawk players from a camp this off season, they also bring a young team to the field for this season. Check out the game recap below!