VERMILLION – The game lived up to the hype.

In a battle of undefeated teams with playmakers on both sides of the ball, Hitchcock-Tulare was able to turn back Herreid-Selby Area 50-28 to capture the Class 9B state football championship Thursday afternoon at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

“It was a great team effort and that’s what it’s all about,” said Hitchcock-Tulare coach Tom Salmen. “It wasn’t me, me, me; it was just let’s get it done.”

It took one big play after another for the Patriots to finally subdue the Wolverines.

“We talked going in, our goal was four scores and four stops would have been enough to be in the game, and we were close,” said Herreid-Selby Area coach Clayton Randall. “Points-wise we had the four scores, we just could not get a stop when we had to have it.”

That trend was established on the first possession of the game when the Patriots converted two third downs and one fourth down on the way to a touchdown when Carter Binger tossed a 6-yard pass to Cole Schroeder.

The Wolverines responded on their first possession when Tray Hettick scored on a one-yard quarterback keeper. A two-point PAT gave Herreid-Selby Area its only lead of the game.

Hitchcock-Tulare’s ability to produce continued throughout the opening half as the Patriots converted four third downs on their next possession that culminated in a Binger TD strike to Riley Fliehe for 17 yards. A touchdown with 10 seconds left in the half on a Binger 4-yard run left HT with a 20-8 halftime advantage.

Turns out the drama was just getting started.

After the Wolverines closed the deficit to 20-14 on a Brenden Begeman 6-yard run, HSA forced the only punt of the game. The momentum appeared to be shifting as Herreid-Selby Area drove to the Patriots’ 12-yard line before Brendan Nowell intercepted a pass and raced 98 yards for a touchdown.

That 12-point lead lasted all of a minute before Begeman scored again, this time on a 7-yard run early in the final quarter.

Again, Hitchcock-Tulare responded and went up double-digits when Binger hit Landon Puffer with a 13-yard TD pass. And again, the Wolverines closed the gap one more time as Begeman produced an 8-yard TD run.

“We were just making big plays there in the fourth quarter. It was crazy. Herreid-Selby was driving down the field on us all the time,” Binger said. “Shout out to Brenden Begeman. He’s one heckuva back. He is just incredible.”

There were still a couple of big plays remaining, however.

Puffer took a short toss from Binger and sprinted 65 yards for a TD on the very next play from scrimmage and when it appeared that Herreid-Selby Area would respond one more time, Puffer intercepted a pass in the end zone with 4:59 left that finally gave the Patriots a little breathing room in a wild and hard-hitting contest.

“It was a hard fought game, for sure,” said Hitchcock-Tulare lineman Jacob Michlitsch who was selected as the game’s Outstanding Lineman. “Hard fought.”

In the end, the Patriots just made a few more plays than Herreid-Selby Area, which never gave up until the final whistle.

“It just shows how much we put into it,” Hettick said of his team’s numerous comebacks. “There were a lot of opportunities to quit – a lot of guys were hurt and injured and they were feeling it – but no one ever did.”

Binger put an exclamation point on the victory with a 44-yard TD run on another fourth-down conversion with a minute left. The senior finished with 133 yards rushing, 238 yards passing, and five total touchdowns on the way to be selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player.

“I know people think that I’m the MVP, but I couldn’t do it without my linemen,” Binger said. “They are just incredible. I have to give it to them. They are so good.”

There was still one more milestone play remaining in the closing seconds.

Begeman, who entered the game needing 189 yards to break the all-time career record for most rushing yards, was 33 yards short in the final minute of the game.

The standout got 11 yards on one carry and then broke through a host tacklers on the final carry of his high school career to grind out a 21-yard run that allowed him to set the record by a single yard, finishing with 6,807 rushing yards.

“It’s an honor,” said Begeman, who had to be helped off the field following that carry. “It really shows the hard work that our whole team put into everything that we’ve done in the weight room, and it’s also just a gift from God to be able to rush that many yards.”

Begeman, who played through a hamstring injury he suffered in a semifinal victory last week, finished the game with 189 yards and three touchdowns.

It was the Patriots who ended up taking home the most coveted trophy in Class 9B football.

“I think at the end of the day, we just all worked very hard and brought our W,” Michlitsch said. “I’m just very proud of these boys and what we’ve accomplished this year.”

Puffer who had 147 yards receiving and 16 yards rushing was selected Outstanding Back in the game.

Hettick finished with 269 yards passing and capped his career with a lifetime of memories of playing for the Wolverines. He recognized all of the past HSA players that helped him with his current group of teammates.

“Those guys taught me how to be a leader and allowed me to lead these guys,” Hettick said, “and these guys are going to go on and do great things, I know that.”

Trevor Gill had 161 yards receiving for the Wolverines and Cole Zabel added 94.

Herreid-Selby Area ended the year 11-1 and lost for the just the fourth time in the past 35 games. It took a huge effort from the Patriots to account for the latest setback.

“Definitely two really good football teams on the field today,” Randall said. “A credit to them. They made more plays than we did. And they made big plays – third down, fourth down stuff – when they had to have it.”

The victory marked the third state championship for Hitchcock-Tulare and its first since 2009 as the squad capped off an undefeated season.

“It is very satisfying,” Salmen said. “It’s just great for these guys to do it. Yes, of course I want it as a coach, but I want it more for them than for me.”

Hitchcock-Tulare (12-0) 6 14 6 24 – 50

Herreid-Selby Area (11-1) 8 0 6 14 – 28

First Quarter

HT – Cole Schroeder 6 pass from Carter Binger (run failed), 4:37.

HSA – Tray Hettick 1 run (Brenden Begeman run), :21.

Second Quarter

HT – Fliehe 17 pass from Binger (run failed), 6:49.

HT – Fliehe 4 run (Landon Puffer pass from Binger), :10.

Third Quarter

HAS – Begeman 6 run (run failed), 6:34.

HT – Brendan Nowell 98 pass interception return (run failed), :09.

Fourth Quarter

HSA – Begeman 7 run (run failed), 11:02.

HT – Puffer 13 pass from Binger (Schroeder pass from Fliehe), 8:23.

HAS – Begeman 8 run (Begeman run), 5:56.

HT – Puffer 65 pass from Binger (Fliehe run), 5:45.

HT – Binger 44 run (Schroeder pass from Fliehe), 1:00.

OFFENSE: Hitchcock-Tulare rushing 39-222 (Binger 12-133, Erik Salmen 17-45, Fliehe 6-25, Puffer 3-16, TJ Salmen 1-3), passing (Binger 12-15-0 for 238), receiving (Puffer 4-147, Fliehe 4-56, Schroeder 2-22, TJ Salmen 1-10, E. Salmen 1-3), first downs 18; Herreid-Selby Area rushing 39-234 (Begeman 23-189, Hettick 14-40, Mason Vetter 2-5), passing (Hettick 12-21-2 for 269), receiving (Trevor Gill 5-161, Cole Zabel 5-94, Darion Barker 1-12, Begeman 1-2), first downs 24.]

DEFENSE: Hitchcock-Tulare, TJ Salmen 10 tackles and 1 sack, Puffer 8 tackles and 1 INT, E. Salmen 8 tackles, Fliehe 8 tackles, Binger 7 tackles, Jackson Maynard 7 tackles and 1 sack; Herreid-Selby Area, Nathan Bradford 11 tackles, Collin Tisdall 11 tackles, Begeman 9 tackles, Hettick 5 tackles.