STURGIS – Aberdeen Central came out on the winning side of yet another theatrical finish Friday night, upending Sturgis 18-17 in the final second of a non-conference football contest.

The Golden Eagles scored on a 16-yard pass from Braylon Bowman to Colby Dauwen with 1.1 seconds remaining in the contest to draw within a point.

Central coach Justin Briese said the decision to go for the win was nearly automatic.

“The way our offense was moving the ball at that time, they moved the ball down and got that touchdown,” Briese said. “It was a no-brainer. Our offense is rolling right now. Let’s finish it. We didn’t come here to tie.”

Dauwen then took a direct snap into the end zone for the go-ahead conversion.

It was the perfect cap to the final drive, which began on Central’s own 38-yard line with just under 2 and a half minutes to play. The Golden Eagles had just given up a 21-yard go-ahead keeper to Sturgis quarterback Carter Williams, and needed a perfect drive to give themselves a chance at the end zone.

Enter backup quarterback Bowman in just his second start.

“Braylon did a great job that last drive of controlling things and getting the ball where it needed to go,” Briese said. “He took control and had some great awareness.”

Central eventually had the ball inside the 20 with about 11 seconds to go, enough time for two chances at the end zone. Bowman’s first pass fell incomplete, but his second one found Dauwen, who corralled the ball before it hit the ground.

“Colby did a great job of coming back (toward Bowman),” Briese noted.

Still, the host Scoopers had one second left on the clock.

Sturgis tried the hook-and-ladder approach, which fell short, but did draw a defensive penalty on the Golden Eagles. That meant the Scoopers had one last chance from their own 40-yard line. Again, they tried the hook-and-ladder, and again, the Golden Eagles snuffed it out.

“We knew they’d come out and try some razzle-dazzle stuff,” Briese said. “The way our defense was set up there was nowhere to go deep.”

Central, which managed just three points in the first half on a Joey Dallman field goal, got a 51-yard catch-and-run play from Bowman to Karson Borge in the third quarter to tie the game at 10.

The win marks the second straight for the Golden Eagles and the second time Central has scored late to secure a win. Friday’s contest was also the third straight contest decided by a touchdown or less.

“It was a fun game to watch and be a part of,” Briese said. “Just a little more exciting than I wanted it to be there at the end.”

Central stays on the road next weekend, traveling to Mitchell. The Kernels are coming off a 54-0 blanking at the hands of Tea Area.

The Golden Eagles are now 2-3 on the season after the thrilling win over Sturgis.

“It’s a tough thing to do to come all the way out here West River,” Briese said. “It’s good our guys could come out and compete for four quarters. We’ve got to keep eliminating mistakes, things that put us behind the chains on offense.”