Plainsmen log first playoff win since 2017

Plainsmen Head Coach Tanner Collins said he saw an amped up version of his team last week as they prepared for the first playoff game of their high school careers. 

There was a different edge to everyone, he said. “It was like we flipped a switch.”

That led to one of their best weeks of practice all season, he added. 

That gave Collins and his Plainsmen the confidence to go into Bertrand and come home with a 48-26 win over the Vikings to advance in the D1 playoffs. 

On the first possession of the game, the Plainsmen opened with an 18-yard run by Ethan Sihm. 

From there on, Collins said they knew they could run the ball.

Even though the defense yielded a couple of early touchdowns, Collins said he never doubted his team would win the game. 

He said when the defense began trusting in and executing their game plan, they began to roll.

This week, they look to continue that roll when they hit the road again to face the 8-0 Arapahoe Warriors in the round of 16.

Collins didn’t mind that the Plainsmen had to travel again this week. “Worked out pretty good for us last week,” he said. 

Of all of the teams in the 16-team bracket, he said Arapahoe was likely the best draw his team could have gotten.

The Warriors rely heavily on the run. Collins said if the defense can force Arapahoe into the air, the Plainsmen “will be in really good shape,”

The game is slated for 6 p.m. MT. It will also be available online at striv.tv/channel/arapahoe/

Second quarter key in win

The Plainsmen needed just six plays to punch the ball into the end zone after the opening kickoff. 

Sihm and quarterback Triston Hite accounted for all 55 yards of the drive, with Nolan Foster getting the two-point conversion.

Bertrand answered on their opening possession. They needing just seven plays to score after starting at their own 15, capitalizing on a 30-yard run to move deep into Plainsmen territory.

The Plainsmen stopped Bertrand’s two-point conversion to keep an 8-6 lead.

On the ensuing possession the Plainsmen kept the drive alive with two fourth-down conversions with Sihm getting the score from four yards out. Hite added the extra point kick for a 15-6 lead. 

After a 40-yard run to the Plainsmen 25, Bertrand came up with their own fourth-down conversion on a 14-yard completion.

The Vikings would punch the ball in as the second quarter began to pull within one, 15-14. 

From there on, the Plainsmen dominated the quarter. 

The Plainsmen began chewing up yards on the ground with Hite getting the next score from a yard out. Nolan Foster added the two-point conversion. 

After the defense forced a Bertrand punt, Hite got loose again, this time for 72 yards and the score. Foster added another conversion for a 31-14 Plainsmen lead. 

The defense snuffed another Bertrand possession, forcing their second punt. 

Starting on their own 15, the Plainsmen ground out a 12-play scoring drive for a 38-14 halftime lead after another Hite kick.

After trading punts with the Plainsmen to open the third, Bertrand executed a 11-play, 62-yard drive to get on the board with 4:26 left in the third. 

A failed conversion preserved an 18-point lead for the Plainsmen. However, the Plainsmen mishandled the Bertrand kickoff and the ball went into the end zone. 

Fortunately, the Plainsmen covered it but it resulted in a safety, pulling Bertrand within two touchdowns. 

The Vikings started at midfield after the free kick went out-of-bounds. However, Bertrand fumbled the ball away on a fourth-down conversion attempt. 

The Plainsmen recovered at the Viking 35 but reciprocated with their own fumble on a fourth-down try to kill the drive as the fourth quarter began. 

The defense forced a three-and-out and Jeb Kohl returned the punt 20 yards to the Viking 33. 

Working the clock down over the next nine plays, Sihm capped the drive from two yards out. Hite hit Kohl for the conversion to reestablish a comfortable 46-22 lead. 

The Viking burned precious time with a 11-play drive that resulted in a touchdown. 

They followed with an on-side kick that was recovered by the Plainsmen, who ran out the clock for the 46-28 win.

The Plainsmen racked up 384 yards of offense with all but 40 in the air. 

Hite finished with 186 yards rushing on 19 carries and was 4-8 in the air for 40 yards. Sihm also broke the 100-yard mark with 119 yards on 24 carries. 

Collins said the offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, turning in one of the best performances of the season thus far.