Aberdeen Central faced its up and downs on Friday night.

The Golden Eagles pushed through adversity en route to a 30-6 homecoming win over Huron in an Eastern South Dakota Conference football game at Brownell Activities Complex.

“Sometimes it isn’t always very pretty. Things are up and down,” Central coach Justin Briese said. “We’ve got the weather, we got penalties, everything was kind of crazy, but like I told the guys we just find a way to win and that’s what we got to do.”

Central opened up the game on a positive note, as Golden Eagles safety Cordel Rychlik intercepted a Huron pass in the first quarter. On the very next play, running back Avery Ligon scampered 81 yards for the opening score.

Central’s first test came with 3:31 left in the opening quarter when quarterback Parker Lemer left the game with an injury. Briese said the offense became limited with Lemer’s injury despite backup Michael Anderson playing well.

“It kind of limits us a little bit as far as what we can do,” Briese said. “Michael Anderson did a great job coming in. He’s just not the same passer that Parker is, but you know what, the next guy came up and he got the job done.”

With Lemer sidelined, the Golden Eagles leaned on a bruising running game led by Ligon and fullback Austin Erickson. Briese said even after Lemer left the game, the game plan mostly stayed the same.

“We still wanted to run the ball. We wanted to do that effectively,” Briese said. “Between Erickson and Ligon, those guys tote the ball for us, but it really comes down to the guys up front. Ligon and Erickson run hard, but the guys up front making the key blocks we need is important, too.”

Erickson was quick to give credit to the offensive line for his success.

“It was all won up front. The big dogs, they make the game,” Erickson said. “Wouldn’t be able to do anything without them.”

The Golden Eagles tacked on a 23-yard Joey Dallman field goal as time expired in the first half, sending the team into the locker room with a 10-0 lead.

However, the next test for Central would come before the second half could get underway.

Lightning in the area would delay the second half kickoff for a half hour, forcing both teams to stay in the locker room for an extended period of time. Briese said the team needed to refocus during the delay.

“We came out of the half and we were pretty pumped up. We were ready to go and keep things rolling from what we did in the first half,” Briese said. “Then we had to head back in and refocus and get things straight again and back to where we wanted to be.”

Once the teams began the second half, Central relied heavily on the running game. Ligon and Erickson churned up the yards, with Erickson providing several big plays, including touchdown runs of 23 and 11 yards in the second half.

Erickson described the scoring plays.

“I saw a seam, and I caught a couple of blocks, and I was gone,” Erickson said. “The blocking was great today.”

Erickson said he relishes the opportunity to step up and make plays for his team.

“I love it. I love to carry the ball,” Erickson said. “I love my O-line. They’re so good, so it’s amazing.”

In addition to Erickson’s two second-half scores, Ligon added a 26-yard touchdown reception from Anderson, while Huron added a late touchdown run by Colton McNeil to cap off the scoring.

Briese was pleased with how his defense performed, as the Golden Eagles finished with four interceptions on the night.

“They’re playing great. We work on a lot of the fundamentals and skills that we just apply right to the game and we just get better each week,” Briese said.

Ligon led the Golden Eagles with 171 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown, while Erickson finished with 111 yards on 12 carries and two scores. Anderson finished with 68 yards passing and a touchdown pass. Cooper Eisenbiesz had 38 receiving yards on two receptions.

For Huron, McNeil passed for 127 yards, while Cashton Caudell rushed for 104 yards on 13 carries. Gavin Moeding led the Tigers with 48 receiving yards on six receptions.

Central (3-2), now on a three-game winning streak, will host Watertown next Friday, and Briese knows it will be a big game for both teams.

“They’re a big, physical team. They love to pound the ball just like we do, so it’s going be a battle,” Briese said. “Two ground forces going after each other.”

Aberdeen Central 7 3 13 7 – 30

Huron 0 0 0 6 – 6

First Quarter

AC – Avery Ligon 81 run (Joey Dallman kick), 5:33

Second Quarter

AC – Dallman 23 field goal, 0:00

Third Quarter

AC – Austin Erickson 23 run (kick no good), 3:32

AC – Ligon 26 pass from Michael Anderson (Dallman kick), 0:02.9

Fourth Quarter

AC – Erickson 11 run (Dallman kick), 3:29

H – Colton McNeil 1 run (kick no good), 1:06

OFFENSE: Huron, rushing 19-117 (Cashton Caudell 13-104), passing 15-30-4 for 127 (Colton McNeil 15-30-4 for 127), receiving (Gavin Moeding 6-48, C.J Gainey 3-42); Aberdeen Central, rushing 36-285 (Avery Ligon 16-171, Austin Erickson 12-111, passing 6-10-1 for 75 (Michael Anderson 4-7-0 for 68), receiving (Cooper Eisenbiesz 2-38, Ligon 1-26).

DEFENSE: Huron, Kolby Hofer interception; Aberdeen Central, Cordel Rychlik interception, Brayden Comstock interception, Tate Huff interception, Gabe Sumner interception, Jack Bertsch sack.