No. 1 Dakota Valley starts playoff bid
By Steven Allspach Journal sports writer | Posted: Tuesday, October 23, 2007
NORTH SIOUX CITY -- Dakota Valley's football team has limited the opposition to 12 points or fewer in seven of eight games this season.
Then, there's that exception -- a tense 33-31 triple-overtime victory over Bon Homme in the third game of the season.
"Defensively, we played very well against Bon Homme the first time,'' points out Dakota Valley Coach Jason Jund. "The final score was a little misleading because we were tied 13-13 at the end of regulation and we were fortunate to have won.''
Dakota Valley and Bon Homme will renew acquaintances tonight when they collide in a South Dakota Class 11B playoff first-round game here.
Jund's Dakota Valley team brings a spotless 8-0 record into the fray while Bon Homme is 5-3.
Dakota Valley is fresh off a 12-0 shutout last Thursday over Garretson, ranked No. 1 at the time.
By winning, Dakota Valley leapfrogged Garretson from No. 2 to No. 1 in the final state rankings compiled by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association.
"Finishing the regular season unbeaten was a wonderful accomplishment for our guys, but the win over Garretson really had little influence on the final playoff pairings situation,'' said Jund, in his second year as the school's head coach. "We're the top seed now and would host possible quarterfinal and semifinal games.
After losing to Dakota Valley, Garretson slipped to third in the final 11B rankings.
The Dakota Valley-Bon Homme winner will tangle with the Wagner (5-3) and Platte/Geddes (6-2) victor in the quarterfinals next Monday. Jund's team also owns a regular-season victory over fifth-ranked Wagner and Bon Homme was rated No. 3 before the three-OT loss to the Panthers.
In other first-round playoff games involving Journal circulation area schools tonight, Yankton (7-2) hosts Pierre (3-6) in Class 11AA, Vermillion (3-5) plays at Lennox (5-3) in 11A, and Parkston (5-3) goes to Aberdeen Roncalli (7-1) in 11B.
In nine-man action, Alcester-Hudson (5-3) is at No. 1 Emery-Ethan (8-0) in 9AA while a pair of 9A matchups have Viborg (6-2) at No. 1 Avon (8-0) and Irene-Wakonda (6-2) at fourth-ranked Scotland (6-2).
Versatile quarterback/defensive back Josh Van Den Hul is Dakota Valley's leader.
The nifty and elusive 5-8, 155-pound senior son of the team's defensive coordinator, Jeff Van Den Hul, has rushed 91 times for 477 yards and seven touchdowns, along with completing 55 of 100 passes for 722 yards and 10 TDs.
"Josh makes things happen for us,'' says Jund, a former player and coach at Northern State University in his hometown of Aberdeen. "It all starts with him.
"He's a kid just born to play quarterback. He just has a knack of getting us out of trouble with his feet and his head by making the crucial plays. He's the prime example of a playmaker.''
Jund says a quick and speedy Bon Homme team mirrors his own squad.
"They'll run counters, get their wingbacks the football and use play-action passes,'' said the Dakota Valley coach. Logan Tycz, the Bon Homme quarterback, scored the only touchdown last Thursday in a 7-0 victory over Dakota Valley's neighboring rival, Elk Point-Jefferson.
The Panthers spread the wealth around in the passing game with Michael Broll, Blake Gunderson, Mark Mahnke and Kasey Trudeau operating as Van Den Hul's main targets.
Defensively, linebacker Adam Sexton is one of the anchors, along with Kyle Hooks, but Jund says it has been a different defender each and every week stepping up to help throttle the opposition.
In the win over Garretson, Van Den Hul and Cameron Carter each had 10 tackles, but in a win over Wagner in the seventh game, Hooks was credited with 16 tackles.
Jund says the first go-round with Bon Homme was less than an artistic success.
"We made six turnovers in the game, four in the first half, and Bon Homme had five turnovers,'' recalled the Dakota Valley coach.
If Dakota Valley, appearing in post-season play for the third time, and Wagner survive first-round challenges they would meet in a quarterfinal rematch in Region 3 with Dakota Valley the host.
In 2000, Dakota Valley reached the 11B state title game, losing 16-15 to Webster in the DakotaDome. The Panthers also dropped a 16-14 decision to Gregory in the 2001 quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, in 11A, Vermillion has qualified for the state playoffs for the 23rd time in Coach Gary Culver's 31 seasons as the school's head coach.
Vermillion lost a 21-7 decision to Lennox, tonight's foe in 11A, in the sixth game of the season.
In the loss, though, Culver's team limited Lennox to one first down and 18 yards of total offense in second half.
Then, there's that exception -- a tense 33-31 triple-overtime victory over Bon Homme in the third game of the season.
"Defensively, we played very well against Bon Homme the first time,'' points out Dakota Valley Coach Jason Jund. "The final score was a little misleading because we were tied 13-13 at the end of regulation and we were fortunate to have won.''
Dakota Valley and Bon Homme will renew acquaintances tonight when they collide in a South Dakota Class 11B playoff first-round game here.
Jund's Dakota Valley team brings a spotless 8-0 record into the fray while Bon Homme is 5-3.
Dakota Valley is fresh off a 12-0 shutout last Thursday over Garretson, ranked No. 1 at the time.
By winning, Dakota Valley leapfrogged Garretson from No. 2 to No. 1 in the final state rankings compiled by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association.
"Finishing the regular season unbeaten was a wonderful accomplishment for our guys, but the win over Garretson really had little influence on the final playoff pairings situation,'' said Jund, in his second year as the school's head coach. "We're the top seed now and would host possible quarterfinal and semifinal games.
After losing to Dakota Valley, Garretson slipped to third in the final 11B rankings.
The Dakota Valley-Bon Homme winner will tangle with the Wagner (5-3) and Platte/Geddes (6-2) victor in the quarterfinals next Monday. Jund's team also owns a regular-season victory over fifth-ranked Wagner and Bon Homme was rated No. 3 before the three-OT loss to the Panthers.
In other first-round playoff games involving Journal circulation area schools tonight, Yankton (7-2) hosts Pierre (3-6) in Class 11AA, Vermillion (3-5) plays at Lennox (5-3) in 11A, and Parkston (5-3) goes to Aberdeen Roncalli (7-1) in 11B.
In nine-man action, Alcester-Hudson (5-3) is at No. 1 Emery-Ethan (8-0) in 9AA while a pair of 9A matchups have Viborg (6-2) at No. 1 Avon (8-0) and Irene-Wakonda (6-2) at fourth-ranked Scotland (6-2).
Versatile quarterback/defensive back Josh Van Den Hul is Dakota Valley's leader.
The nifty and elusive 5-8, 155-pound senior son of the team's defensive coordinator, Jeff Van Den Hul, has rushed 91 times for 477 yards and seven touchdowns, along with completing 55 of 100 passes for 722 yards and 10 TDs.
"Josh makes things happen for us,'' says Jund, a former player and coach at Northern State University in his hometown of Aberdeen. "It all starts with him.
"He's a kid just born to play quarterback. He just has a knack of getting us out of trouble with his feet and his head by making the crucial plays. He's the prime example of a playmaker.''
Jund says a quick and speedy Bon Homme team mirrors his own squad.
"They'll run counters, get their wingbacks the football and use play-action passes,'' said the Dakota Valley coach. Logan Tycz, the Bon Homme quarterback, scored the only touchdown last Thursday in a 7-0 victory over Dakota Valley's neighboring rival, Elk Point-Jefferson.
The Panthers spread the wealth around in the passing game with Michael Broll, Blake Gunderson, Mark Mahnke and Kasey Trudeau operating as Van Den Hul's main targets.
Defensively, linebacker Adam Sexton is one of the anchors, along with Kyle Hooks, but Jund says it has been a different defender each and every week stepping up to help throttle the opposition.
In the win over Garretson, Van Den Hul and Cameron Carter each had 10 tackles, but in a win over Wagner in the seventh game, Hooks was credited with 16 tackles.
Jund says the first go-round with Bon Homme was less than an artistic success.
"We made six turnovers in the game, four in the first half, and Bon Homme had five turnovers,'' recalled the Dakota Valley coach.
If Dakota Valley, appearing in post-season play for the third time, and Wagner survive first-round challenges they would meet in a quarterfinal rematch in Region 3 with Dakota Valley the host.
In 2000, Dakota Valley reached the 11B state title game, losing 16-15 to Webster in the DakotaDome. The Panthers also dropped a 16-14 decision to Gregory in the 2001 quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, in 11A, Vermillion has qualified for the state playoffs for the 23rd time in Coach Gary Culver's 31 seasons as the school's head coach.
Vermillion lost a 21-7 decision to Lennox, tonight's foe in 11A, in the sixth game of the season.
In the loss, though, Culver's team limited Lennox to one first down and 18 yards of total offense in second half.
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Get it right wrote on Oct 23, 2007 6:04 PM:
facts? wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:09 AM: