The Dolphins recorded comeback wins over Potter County in the quarterfinals and Gregory in the semifinals and held off Howard 25-22 in the state Class 9AA championship, capping a perfect 12-0 season with the school's first state football title.
Five Deubrook Area players spearhead the South Dakota Football Coaches Association's Class 9AA All-State football team.
"It was a magical, phenomenal season," Deubrook Area head coach Adolph Shepardson said.
Record-setting senior running back Ryan Knutson, senior tight end Cory Byers, junior wide receiver Dustin Trooien, senior guard Dallas Murphy and senior linebacker Tyler Jensen each earned All-State honors for the Dolphins.
Three Aberdeen area players made the first team as well, including junior defensive end Derrick Podoll of Leola-Frederick. The Titans have built a great program, and Podoll was one of their many talented players this season. He made 83 tackles including 42 solos, 20 tackles for a loss and 11 quarterback sacks.
Opposing coaches described Potter County senior linebacker Tate Nafziger as a missile for his hard-charging, explosive, speedy play. A two-time All-State selection, the 215-pound Nafziger accumulated 54 solo tackles and 37 assists. "Tate has a true passion for the game of football and plays the game the way football should be played," said coach Vern Smith.
One of the defensive tackles was Tri-State senior Walker Lick of Rosholt. The 6-2, 230-pound Lick was chosen as the Tigers' defensive most valuable player for the second straight year - recording 47 solo tackles, 52 assists, three quarterback sacks, two pass deflections and a fumble recovery. "Walker is a very strong and a surprisingly nimble athlete," said coach Steven Schiltz. "His great instincts on the field allow him to predict offensive movements and make tackles virtually anywhere."
Twenty of the 24 players on the squad are seniors. Here is the rest of the team:
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Jaden Bartling, sr., Gregory. He rushed for 1,825 yards and 23 touchdowns and completed 80 of 140 passes for 1,570 yards and 26 TDs.
Fullback - Anthony Huber, sr., Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan. A returning All-State selection at fullback, Huber rushed for 1,114 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Running Back - Ryan Knutson, sr., Deubrook Area. The 150-pound Knutson 10.56 yards per carry during a remarkable season that included 2,434 rushing yards and a state-record 40 rushing touchdowns.
Running Back - Jake Kirsch, sr., Kimball-White Lake. A two-time All-State selection, Kirsch rushed for 1,282 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Wide Receiver - Dustin Trooien, jr., Deubrook Area. The state-champion Dolphins ran the ball a lot, but Trooien was a weapon in the passing game - hauling in 31 passes for 544 yards and three TDs.
Wide Receiver - Andrew Taggart, jr. Gregory. A key target for Bartling and the Gorillas, the junior caught 17 passes for 373 yards and seven TDs.
Tight End - Cory Byers, sr., Deubrook Area. The 6-foot-6 Byers was indeed a big target for the Dolphins, catching 14 passes for 231 yards and six touchdowns.
Guard - Dallas Murphy, sr., Deubrook Area. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Murphy spearheaded an offensive line that helped the Dolphins rush for more than 3,500 yards.
Guard - Nathan Dawson, sr., Howard. A three-year starter, the 6-0, 185-pound Dawson spearhead the line that helped the Tigers produce 4,455 yards of offense and 67 touchdowns this season.
Center - Matt Gillen, sr., White River. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Gillen was a two-way starter for three years and helped lead White River to an 8-2 record.
DEFENSE
Tackle - Franky Tusha, sr., Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan. The 230-pound senior compiled 89 tackles, four quarterback sacks and three fumble recoveries.
End - Ethan Pearson, sr., Elkton-Lake Benton. The 6-3, 218-pound Pearson had 35 solo tackles, 18 assists, two fumble recoveries and 19 hurries to go with a school-record 5.5 quarterback sacks.
Linebacker - Cole Potter, sr., Howard. The 195-pound senior made 63 tackles and had four quarterback sacks.
Linebacker - Tyler Jensen, sr., Deubrook Area. An honorable-mention All-State player as a junior, he recorded 158 tackles, two quarterback sacks and two fumble recoveries this season.
Linebacker - Rhett Florey, sr., Clark-Willow Lake. Florey was involved in 88 tackles (56 solos, 32 assists) for a Cyclone team that went 9-2 and advanced to the state semifinals. He had 15 tackles for a loss and six interceptions, three of which he returned for TDs.
Back - Evan Donahue, sr. Howard. The 5-8, 165-pound Donahue repeated as an All-State defensive back with 77 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Back - Trevor Reinesch, sr., Kimball-White Lake. Reinesch was involved in 84 tackles and also had four interceptions and a fumble recovery. He earned All-State honors for the second straight year.
Long Snapper - Eugene Martin, sr., De Smet-Iroquois. The four-year starter shined on offense, defense and special teams for the Eagles.
Kicker - Andrew Kirschenman, jr., Elkton-Lake Benton. The junior averaged 47.2 yards per kickoff, made four of six field-goal attempts and 24 of 26 point-after kicks for the Elks.
Punter - Jesse Taylor, sr., Kimball-White Lake. The senior averaged 41.1 yards per punt and help limit opponents to a return average of less than 2 yards per kick. He also had three punts inside the 20-yard line.
Special Team Player - Wyatt Krogman, sr., White River. The three-year starter was a threat on offense, defense and special teams.
HONORABLE MENTION
Derick Arbach and Denver Jost, Potter County; Brian Sumption and Tyler Hoffman, Leola-Frederick; Lee Sivertsen, Miller; Kay Glatzer and Riley Hanson, Deubrook Area; Brody Boes and Zach Sengelmann, Gregory; Willie Norwood, Kimball-White Lake; and Trevor Easton, Woonsocket-Wessington Springs-Sanborn Central.