BRIDGEWATER, SD — A strong passing attack paved the way for the Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central football team on Friday night.
Holden Havlik scored four touchdowns, including three in the second half, to help the fourth-seeded Blackhawks to a 28-13 victory over Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan in the teams’ Week 1 meeting of Class 11B.
After a defensive-heavy first half of the game in which the Seahawks led 7-6 at halftime, WWSSC increased the pressure in the backfield and forced BEE to make mistakes.
Blake Durham/Mitchell Republic
“We were very aggressive and really solid (in the second half),” said Michael Schmitz, the new Blackhawks coach, “and the guys went along with it. It took us a while to get used to it, but it’s starting to show results.”
The Blackhawks were undeterred by a 68-yard touchdown run by BEE quarterback Holden Wollmann in the third quarter. Hayes Havlik recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter, denying the Seahawks’ last chance at a comeback after Macklen Weber intercepted the ball and gave BEE possession near the halfway line.
WWSSC’s offense, which had been stagnant in the second quarter except for an eight-yard touchdown catch by Sam Poncelow, began to score points with big plays. Payton Uecker’s 51-yard run set up a touchdown pass from Havlik to Ryder Michalek that put the Blackhawks ahead for good.
Blake Durham/Mitchell Republic
“We were slacking on offense, so we left the defense on the field longer,” Seahawks coach Jeff VanLeur said. “I think we were a little tired and couldn’t get away from those blocks. … They found our weak spots, so we tried to adjust and cover those passing lanes, but there were too many.”
Havlik found Michalek from 30 yards out for a touchdown pass as the Blackhawks ran down the clock in the fourth quarter. Two great stops by Tyson Eddy, including a sack that set the Seahawks back 14 yards on their final drive, sealed the game and the win for WWSSC.
The Blackhawks totaled 426 yards of offense throughout the game. Havlik completed 23 of 40 passes for 294 yards and four touchdown passes. Uecker ran the ball 12 times and totaled 85 yards in the running game, while WWSSC totaled 132 rushing yards. Michalek finished the game with 135 yards receiving on 11 catches. Camden Jost led the Blackhawks defense with seven tackles and Eddy had six tackles. Michalek also totaled an interception.
Blake Durham/Mitchell Republic
BEE (0-1) was held to 237 yards rushing and 116 yards through the air in the game. Wollman finished the game 6 of 16 passing for 111 yards and one interception. He also ran the ball 14 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Weber finished the game with 81 receiving yards on three catches and one interception on defense. Jason Zeeb and Riley Weber led the Seahawks with nine tackles. The Seahawks face Lead-Deadwood on Saturday, Sept. 7.
WWSSC (1-0) faces Lead-Deadwood on Friday, August 30th in Wessington Springs and the team will look to carry the momentum from its first game of the season.
“It’s good to get these guys a win and get them on the winning track,” Schmitz said. “We played a tough team in Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan and they did a great job tonight.”
Blake Durham has been a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic since October 2023. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in communications in December 2022. Durham covers a variety of prep and college sports in the area.
