11AAA football: Harrisburg outlasts SF O'Gorman - Sioux Falls Live

The Harrisburg Tigers walked onto their home turf on an October night knowing they needed to establish a physical ground game. They just did not expect to have to claw their way through a wildly unpredictable opening half to do it.

According to reporting from Sioux Falls Live, 4th-seeded Harrisburg outscored No. 5 SF O’Gorman 21-10 in the second half of their opening-round 11AAA playoff game on Thursday, October 29, 2026, pulling away for a 41-24 victory.

David Doe led the charge for the Tigers, rushing for 185 yards and three touchdowns while averaging over six yards a carry. His night started with a statement: a 67-yard touchdown run on the very first play of the game, putting Harrisburg up 7-0 just 16 seconds in.

Ground Attack Meets Sudden Counterpunches

O’Gorman faced a massive uphill battle from the opening kickoff, playing without their standout quarterback, Chace Hermanson, who was sidelined with a wrist injury. Talec Schlimgen stepped into the starting role under center and immediately kept the Knights competitive through explosive plays.

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After Harrisburg seized a 14-0 lead following an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jonah Young to Myles Nour, Schlimgen answered. The replacement quarterback kept the ball on a read-option, scampering 64 yards down to the 1-yard line before punching it in himself to cap a 71-yard drive.

The momentum swung violently on the next possession. After Harrisburg turned the ball over on downs at the O’Gorman 41, the Knights dialed up a trick play. Receiver Braylon Treasure took a reverse, planted his feet, and launched a 55-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Charron, evening the score at 14-14.

Harrisburg responded by leaning heavily on its offensive identity. Drew Kleinsasser punched in a 6-yard touchdown run to cap a 75-yard drive, though a late defensive stand by O’Gorman kept the score at 20-14 heading into halftime.

“We know we had to run the ball. That’s kind of who we’ve become,” said Harrisburg head coach Brandon White. “We’re going to take shots when we can take shots, we believe in our receiving crew, it’s just the way the games go. We had to take possessions away from them. They started scoring fast on us there with the reverse pass and the big run, so we needed to get back to who we were and running the football. Kudos to our O-line, man, they’re absolute grinders — big hogs up there that love doing what they do.”

Taking Control After the Intermission

The second half belonged to the Harrisburg defense and the unrelenting legs of Doe. On O’Gorman’s first possession of the third quarter, Thomas Osman intercepted Schlimgen, flipping field position and setting up a 4-yard touchdown run by Doe that extended the lead to 27-14.

O’Gorman mounted a 77-yard drive that stalled, forcing the Knights to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Rylan Cody. But a failed onside kick handed Harrisburg prime field position, and Doe capitalized by scoring his third rushing touchdown of the night, blowing the game open to 34-17.

Schlimgen was intercepted a second time, this time by Nour, effectively shutting down any lingering comeback hopes for the Knights. Kleinsasser added his second touchdown of the night from two yards out late in the fourth quarter to push the advantage to 41-17. O’Gorman managed a late 72-yard scoring drive ending in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Abe Struck to Alex Christian, but the clock quickly ran out on their season.

Young finished the night completing 21 of 31 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. Junior Hudson Hillman paced Harrisburg’s receiving corps with 109 yards on seven receptions, while Nour added 67 yards on eight grabs.

What Lies Ahead in the Semifinals

With the opening-round win secured, the 6-4 Tigers advance to face the top-seeded Jefferson squad in the semifinals next week. It marks a rematch of a lopsided season opener played nearly nine weeks ago.

“We’re going to enjoy this one tonight,” White said. “We’re going to get to work tomorrow morning right away. Our kids will be ready. We know we played Jefferson — we didn’t play our best — that was week one, so almost nine weeks ago now. We’ll put a plan together to do our best and our kids will be ready to go, I promise you that.”

O’Gorman finishes its campaign at 5-5, left to wonder how deep a playoff run might have gone with a fully healthy roster.

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