In a repeat meet up in less than a week against Rapid City Christian in Wessington Springs, the Blackhawks wrap up their season after a 36-7 loss to the Comets in first-round playoff football action.
“All year the Blackhawks have been a dynamic team that’s fun to watch,” said Blackhawks Head Coach Kenny Huether. “We had a few uncharacteristic mistakes Thursday that hurt us in the game. I have to give credit to our opponent, they were good enough to capitalize on those mistakes.”
Huether looks back on the 7-1 success of this year’s regular season and reflects on “a couple of things that jump out.”
“We went 13-5 the last two years combined. We are 13-0 against teams that finished 5-3 and worse and we are 0-5 to teams that ended 6-2 or better. We haven’t found a way to beat those top programs in the state yet,” he pointed out. “That falls on me as a coach. We need to be better prepared to compete against those upper echelon teams.”
Looking at Rapid City Christian’s physicality, size and talent, Huether recognizes that leading up to the matchup with the Comets, the Blackhawks hadn’t played anyone at that level yet in the season.
“They are a very good, athletic football team and played very well against us,” he said. “Their program is on the rise with their school growing at a rapid pace and attracting high level athletes.”
Playing most of the game on the Comets’ half of the field, Coach Huether looks to seven or eight plays that ended up dictating the game.
“We were always behind the eight ball when it came to field position. That did us in,” he explained. “Our total offense was 280 yards — not a bad number — but we were only able to capitalize on one drive.”
Plans for the offseason include a big push to improve physically and build up strength in the weight room.
“Football is a physical game, you have to prove you are stronger than the opposition,” he said.
Despite the loss, Huether maintains his gaze on a bright future for the Blackhawks.
“We have five good seniors we are going to miss but when you have a roster of 42 and have close to another 15 that saw action this year, you have a really good nucleus moving forward,” he said. “As your program grows and more and more kids get in there, they quickly realize they had better put time in the weight room and in the offseason to get time on the field. We already have a growing number of kids devoting time in the off season to get bigger and stronger.”
Coach Huether is quick to express gratitude to the three Blackhawks assistant coaches for the time, effort and dedication they put in this season.
“All three are in their mid twenties and have a real passion for football,” Huether said. “Garrett Larson did a great job as defensive coordinator for varsity and Junior High Coach Eriq Swiftwater led the team to a 4-2 record. Trey Weber coached JV and finished 4-1 on the season.”
Huether also thanks the Boosters from all three communities for providing meals when the team traveled to away games and the support from parents and fans.
“Thanks to the parents and fans for supporting us all year. Even at the times games were 4-5 hours away, we still experienced really good fan support. We as a team certainly appreciate it.”