Brandon Valley and Sioux Falls Lincoln have been the two best teams from the get-go this season in 11AAA High School football, and they met for the second time this season on Saturday in the Title Game.

BV entered with a mark of 10-1, their lone loss coming to Jefferson in the regular season finale.

Lincoln came in with the same record of 10-1, having lost only to BV back in early October.

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Last season culminated with a Lincoln win over BV in the Title Game, and this year's game brought extra meaning for both squads. Lincoln was in search of a three-peat, while BV was aiming for its first title since the 2020 season.

The story of Saturday's title game was the back-and-forth nature of the contest. Neither team scored consecutively in the game, as the teams traded scores throughout.

BV hopped out in front to a 7-0 lead on a Levi Veskrna touchdown run midway through the first quarter that was quickly equalized by Lincoln with a Brody Schafer touchdown pass to Everett Starks.

At half, the Lynx led 20-14, but Lincoln took its first lead midway through the 3rd with a Schafer touchdown run to give the Patriots a 21-20 advantage.

In the final quarter, BV scored with 5:38 to go and picked up a 2-point conversion to lead 34-27. Lincoln engineered a 9-play drive that got as deep as the Lynx 23, but couldn't advance it further.

The Lynx hung on to the 34-27 victory and finish as State Champions in Class 11AAA with a record of 11-1.

Joe Robbie Most Valuable Player: Luke Veskrna, Brandon Valley
Most Outstanding Back: Luke Veskrna, Brandon Valley
Most Outstanding Lineman: Hudson Parliament, Brandon Valley

Veskrna finished with 260 rushing yards on 39 carries and 3 touchdowns in the win. For Lincoln, Brody Schafter electrified once again with 382 total yards and 3 scores in the loss. Lincoln finishes the season as runner-up in the class with a 10-2 record.

Full stats and game summary are available here.

Source: SDHSAA.com