Groton Area led 7-6 at halftime but Beresford scored 22 unanswered points in the second half to remain unbeaten and hand the Tigers their first loss 28-7 on Friday.
Coach Jordan Carson’s squad, now 1-1, hosts Flandreau at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Fliers stand at 0-2 after losses to Aberdeen Roncalli 21-0 and Clark-Willow Lake 35-8.
“Hats off to Beresford. They are a well-coached team that can wear you down as the game goes on,” said GA coach Jordan Carson. “They took advantage of a few key moments and capitalized with a couple scores. I thought we played well defensively, but struggled to consistently move the ball as the game wore on.
“Our focus this week is trying to clean up our game more each week, making sure we get the right players in the right spots, doing the right things,” stressed Carson. “Flandreau has some explosive players and they are going to come to town looking to make some plays. We are going to have to have a sound defensive strategy and good execution. On the offensive side we are still figuring out what works and what needs work, but we are getting better each week.”
Beresford got on the board first when the Watchdogs intercepted a pass and ran it back 29 yards for a 6-0 lead with just over five minutes gone in the opening period. But the Tigers answered with a 32-yard Anthony Tracy scamper and Ryder Schwan added the PAT kick for a 7-6 lead that stood at halftime.
The Watchdogs took the lead back at the 5:45 mark of the third quarter on a one-yard run to lead 14-7 after three periods and then put the game away with a pair of scores in the final stanza.
Beresford ran for 186 yards and passed for 69 and held a 255-165 total yardage advantage. Groton Area managed 105 on the ground and 60 through the air.
Tracy led GA rushers with 53 yards on just six carries and quarterback Asher Johnson added 38 on 16 tries. Tracy also caught six passes for 24 yards to lead in the receiving department. On the defensive side of the ball Braden Fliehs had 11 stops and Gunner Hardy and Ryder Schwan had seven tackles each.
FOR FULL STATS SEE THIS WEEK'S JOURNAL
