ESPN 99.1 Game of Week: President’s Bowl Wrap-Up

Roosevelt and Lincoln won two featured games at Saturday's President's Bowl to to set-up a monster No. 1 vs. No. 2 game this Friday at Howard Wood Field.

In the early game, O'Gorman played it's first game without quarterback Tanner Schulte and the Lincoln Patriots did what they did best, run the ball. The Patriots rushed for 361 yards and defeated the Knights, 51-20.

The Patriots took advantage of some early turnovers by O'Gorman and some excellent special teams, as Ned Sudbeck put Lincoln up early 14-0 with a 70 yard punt return.

By halftime, the Patriots had built a 23-6 lead, but the Knights made it a game in the third quarter when A.J. Martinec picked off a Patriots pass for touchdown, and  the lead was 23-13. Sooner than later, the Patriots were just too much for the Knights. After the third, Lincoln went up 44-13 and the rest is history, as the Patriots won 51-20.

As the Patriots knocked off the Knights, they have cemented themselves as a legit title contender in 11AAA. The Patriots have been led by running back Caden Quintanilla, as he put up another big game on the ground last Saturday. In his first two games of the season, Quintanilla has rushed for 280 yards and five touchdowns.

Looking ahead to the Patriots season, Lincoln plays Roosevelt next weekend in a huge clash of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. Then, the Patriots play Watertown, Brookings, Rapid City Stevens, Harrisburg, and close out the season against Washington. If Lincoln could get past the Riders, the Patriots have a chance to finish undefeated going into the playoffs, but in the season-finale, the two-time defending champion Washington Warriors loom and could cause the Patriots trouble.

In the nightcap, Roosevelt and Washington's defenses battled it out in the first half, and then the Rough Riders exploded offensively behind quarterback Taryn Christion to defeat the Warriors, 30-7.

In the first half, as both student sections fired up their teams, the defenses shined and forced turnovers. Washington's Alex Koepke recovered the game's first turnover early in the first quarter, but Washington couldn't find the endzone and capitalize. A few drives later, Roosevelt's Christion found Chase Vinateri for a touchdown, and that would be all the scoring in the first half.

In the second half, the Riders went up 13-0, and then Washington's Luke Reiter roared into the endzone, rushing for a 40-yard score to cut the lead to 13-7. However, that would be it for the Warriors, as on the next few drives, Christion went 78 yards for a rushing touchdown, and passed for a 53- yard score to go up 27-7.

The Riders won 30-7, and Christion finished the game, 20-of-30 for 327 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown.

As Roosevelt knocked off Washington for a second consecutive win, the Riders reign as No. 1 in the ESPN 99.1/KELOLAND Sports/KSHB Radio high school football rankings appears safe for another week. The Riders have been led by a strong defense, only allowing seven total points in two games. However, the real star has been quarterback Taryn Christion. In two games, Christion has shown his dual-threat capabilities at quarterback for the Riders. He has completed 34-of-55 of his passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 186 yards and three touchdowns so far in 2013.

Barring a loss against Lincoln this upcoming weekend, the Riders should be able to go undefeated heading into the playoffs. The Riders play Rapid City Central, Aberdeen Central, Mitchell, Rapid City Stevens and O'Gorman to finish their season.

Lincoln and Roosevelt play on Friday while Washington and O'Gorman play on Saturday in the Dakota Bowl.