Knights finish as Runner-Ups
Everything about the 2020 season for Sandhills-Thedford was magical. From the way, it started with a convincing victory over Mullen who knocked them out of the playoffs the previous season, to their come from behind victory over Fall City Sacred Heart to reach the state championship in football for the first time as a co-op.
This season was sparked by a determined group of young men who were trying to prove they were better than how they finished in 2019. Throughout the season the team never let off the pedal and dominated all their opponents throughout the regular season and the first three rounds of the playoffs.
Despite falling in the
D2 State Championship to Bruning-Davenport/ Shickley, this group proved they are moving in the right direction as a program. There are some key pieces returning next season for this squad, which is exciting, to say the least as the team tries to replicate their success.
“We had a lot of young kids who played tonight and throughout the year,” S-T Head Coach Josh Deines said. “Like I told my players, now see you
see what it takes to get to this point and what a winning program like BDS looks like.”
A big reason for the success of this group was a solid senior class of leaders. As a freshman, they went 4-5 and made lots of strides throughout the years to be in a position to compete for a State Championship.
“This senior group has come a long way,” Deines said. “Reed was a fouryear starter, Dailey was
a four-year starter, and Grant has come along way on his ability to play the quarterback position.”
This year’s senior group had six seniors. They were Grant Ahlstrom, Matt Dailey, Lan Wilde, Tyson Stengel, Reed McFadden and Brayton Branic.
The Knights set a record for wins in a season with twelve. S-T offense racked up a total of 716 points on the year and they only gave up 189 points.
This year’s team had two running backs who had over 500 rushing yards. They were Reece Zutavern with 715 yards and Dane Pokorny with 2,123 yards. Both are juniors and will be returning next season.
There is no doubt this group will go down in the record books for S-T. Congratulations on all your handwork and dedication on making this a memorable year for your school and the community.