VERMILLION – It was a game that looked like a track meet and ended in a basketball score, but was played on a football field.

Warner outlasted Deubrook Area 76-54 to claim the Class 9A state championship at the DakotaDome on Thursday. Warner coach Kerwin Hoellein was almost speechless when asked how he described the game.

“’Wow’ … does that do it or not?” Hoellein joked. “I thought that first quarter lasted like three days. You know, every time I looked up there, the clock wasn’t changing much. The only thing that changed on the scoreboard was the score.”

The first quarter alone was a highlight reel full of plays from nearly the start of the game. On the third play of the game, Deubrook Area fumbled the ball inside its own five-yard line, with Warner’s Zachary Evans recovering the fumble at the Dolphins two-yard line. One play later, Jesiah Baum plunged in for the opening score, giving the Monarchs a 7-0 lead.

However, Deubrook Area answered just over a minute later as Dolphins running back Gavin Landmark scored on a 37-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Jace Vomacka scored the two-point conversion, putting the Dolphins up 8-7. The track meet was on.

“We thought we could get some of their defenders in certain places where we wanted them based on formation. We were able to do that,” Deubrook Area coach Nathan Lamb said when asked about the offensive game plan entering the game.

Warner came back with a 43-yard touchdown run by Hunter Cramer to give the Monarchs a 13-8 lead before each defense made a play, flipping the momentum in a matter of less than a minute, a theme that seemed to repeat throughout the game. Warner’s Brodey Sauerwein intercepted a Vomacka pass with just under six minutes left in the opening quarter. Less than a minute later, Deubrook Area’s Jacob Jorenby intercepted a Warner pass and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown, giving the Dolphins back the lead.

The Monarchs retook the lead on a Charlie Dulany 5-yard run with just under two minutes left in the first quarter, but once again, Deubrook Area responded with a big play as J.P. Rogness returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards for a score, giving the Dolphins a 22-21 lead after a wild first quarter.

Dulany, who finished with four touchdown runs in the game, including three in the third quarter, summed up the game in a few words.

“Very intense, exhausting, and to be honest, a little emotionally damaging,” Dulany said. “We gave up a lot of big plays, I’m not going to lie.”

Cramer, who won the Joe Robbie MVP and Most Outstanding Back awards, had a hand in five touchdowns in the game, including three in the second quarter. Cramer hit Sauerwein on a 3-yard touchdown pass early in the quarter before Deubrook Area again responded with a Landmark touchdown run, as well as a Vomacka pass to Rogness. Cramer then added a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 36 late in the first half.

After the touchdown, Warner recovered an onside kick, which then resulted in another 1-yard plunge from Cramer just before halftime, flipping the momentum back to the Monarchs heading into the break with a 42-36 lead.

Cramer described the game as “weird.”

“That was a weird looking game, I’m not going to lie,” Cramer said. “There was like 20 points in that first quarter, and I thought it was the fourth quarter. I’m not going to lie, I was so gassed.”

The second half opened with Dulany scoring two touchdowns to extend the Monarchs lead to 56-36, giving Warner what seemed like a comfortable cushion. But, again, Deubrook Area showed it was not going away without a fight. Rogness proceeded to score two touchdowns in just over two minutes, one on an 85-yard kickoff return and another on a 64-yard punt return.

Lamb said the Dolphins have a certain mindset when they step on the field to return kicks and punts.

“When we take the field, we just have the mindset that we’re expecting to return it,” Lamb said. “Whether we do or not is one thing, but that’s just kind of their mindset. It’s just nice to see our guys make those plays.”

In the final quarter, Warner was determined to put an exclamation point on a wild game. After beginning at their own 21 with 52 seconds left in the third quarter, the Monarchs proceeded to

chew up over eight minutes of clock on a 14-play drive that was capped off by a Cramer 3-yard touchdown run. Dulany said the goal was to run out the clock.

“We knew we had to hold onto the ball,” Dulany said. “Just keep going, don’t let the exhaustion get the best of you, and just run out that clock and we knew we had ourselves a ring.”

Cramer added an interception on the ensuing Deubrook Area drive to all but seal the game.

Warner defensive lineman Preston Cavalier, who won the Most Outstanding Lineman award and had a sack in the game, said defensive adjustments were needed throughout the game.

“I got up to the line and as soon as the ball was snapped, I was like, oh my gosh, these guys are strong. I’ve got to change my game,” Cavalier said. “So, later, during the third quarter, fourth quarter, the game changed. I got through the line, started to get through, and started to get after that quarterback.”

Baum added a 50-yard touchdown run for the Monarchs’ final points, while Vomacka added a 14-yard pass to Jorenby to finish out the scoring.

In total, both teams combined for 130 points, the most in a South Dakota high school football championship game, as well as 892 total offensive yards. Warner broke or tied several 9-man championship records, including tying the record for most points scored by one team (76, 2001 Kimball), and breaking the record for most first downs in a game with 31 (26, 2001 Kimball, 2012 Canistota, and 2017 Gregory). Deubrook Area set records as well, including most points for a runner-up team and most return yardage with 321 yards (221, 2008 Ipswich).

It was Deubrook Area’s second appearance in a state title game, having won the 2012 Class 9AA title. Despite the loss, Lamb said the game was special in many ways.

“Pretty special game, special night for Warner,” Lamb said. “Congratulations to them. Probably overdue. Coach Hoellein and all the other coaches, they’re great guys, great coaches, as everybody saw.”

For Warner, it is the first state football title in school history, after finishing runner-up in the school’s previous four appearances. Cavalier said it meant a lot to finally bring a state title home to Warner.

“It means a lot since we haven’t had a state title before,” Cavalier said. “It feels great to put my name up on that wall.”

Cramer noted that the hard work paid off after coming up short in two of the last three years.

“Everyone worked for it,” Cramer said. “We put our time in there. We’ve been here a couple times before, came up short, and we finally won one.”

Hoellein summed up the jubilation of finally bringing a state football title back to Warner.

“It’s awesome. It’s awesome,” Hoellein said. “It’s surreal and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Deubrook Area (8-4) 22 14 12 6 – 54

Warner (12-0) 21 21 20 14 – 76

First Quarter

W – Jesiah Baum 2 run (Alec Mikkelsen kick), 10:29.

D – Gavin Landmark 37 run (Jace Vomacka run), 9:25.

W – Hunter Cramer 43 run, 7:24.

D – Jacob Jorenby 87 INT TD (Gavin Landmark run), 5:02.

W – Charlie Dulany 5 run (Cramer pass to Alex Pudwill), 1:57.

D – J.P. Rogness 79 Kickoff return TD, 1:44.

Second Quarter

W – Cramer 3 pass to Brodey Sauerwein (Cramer pass to Sauerwein), 8:46.

D – G. Landmark 52 run (Vomacka pass to Connor Andrews), 8:35.

D – Vomacka 41 pass to Rogness, 5:31.

W – Cramer 1 run (Mikkelsen kick), 2:37.

W – Cramer 1 run, 0:21.

Third Quarter

W – Charlie Dulany 2 run (Cramer pass to Baum), 8:29.

W – Dulany 11 run, 7:10.

D – Rogness 85 Kickoff return TD, 6:57.

D – Rogness 64 punt return TD, 4:49.

W – Dulany 3 run, 3:37.

Fourth Quarter

W – Cramer 3 run (Mikkelsen kick), 4:25.

W – Baum 50 run (Mikkelsen kick), 2:05.

D – Vomacka 14 pass to Jorenby, 0:35.

OFFENSE: Deubrook Area, rushing 11-122 (Gavin Landmark 7-134), passing 13-18-2 for 128 (Jace Vomacka 13-18-2 for 128), receiving (Jacob Jorenby 4-59, Jaxon Quail 3-17, J.P. Rogness 2-47), first downs, 12; Warner, rushing 57-454 (Hunter Cramer 19-211, Jesiah Baum 19-153, Charlie Dulany 17-89), passing 15-21-1 for 188 (Cramer 15-21-1 for 188), receiving (Baum 5-78, Brodey Sauerwein 5-60, Devon Fischbach 2-27), first downs, 31.

DEFENSE: Deubrook Area, Gavin Landmark 12 tackles, Jacob Jorenby 10 tackles, interception, J.P. Rogness 10 tackles, Devon Landmark 8 tackles, Samuel Leen 8 tackles, Dylan Rios 8 tackles, Connor Andrews 8 tackles.Warner, Fischbach 7 tackles, Baum 5 tackles, Cramer 4 tackles, interception, Sauerwein interception, Preston Cavalier sack, Zachary Evans fumble recovery.