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Phoenix head coach addresses his team in the locker room prior to its Sept. 3 home game against Elkton-Lake Benton.<\/p>\nWhen Elkton-Lake Benton came to town to face Freeman\/Marion\/Freeman Academy the third week of the season, it was a major test for the Phoenix. The Elks were the No. 1-ranked team in the South Dakota High School Prep Media Football Poll and one of the early odds-on-favorite to contend for the Class 9AA state championship.<\/p>\n
Dustin Tschetter, head coach of then-fourth-ranked FMFA, recognized the magnitude of the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cFreeman has been part of eight state football championships,\u201d he told his players in the locker room prior to the Sept. 5 game, a reference to Freeman\u2019s five state titles as the Flyers and three as part of the Pride cooperative with Canistota. \u201cThere are some people in this town who think this is the biggest game ever to be played on this field, and that\u2019s a tribute to you guys. You\u2019ve busted your butt for four years to play games like this. Do your job, be physical, rally to the ball, and lastly, go kick their damn ass.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Phoenix did.<\/p>\n
Phoenix head coach addresses his team in the locker room prior to its Sept. 3 home game against Elkton-Lake Benton.<\/p>\n
Their 42-28 victory over the Elks propelled them from No. 4 to No. 1 in the rankings and put all of Class 9AA football on notice \u2014 that Phoenix football was for real.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big win, no doubt,\u201d Tschetter said after the game. \u201cWe\u2019ve got bigger things ahead that we hope to go out and accomplish, but this is four years in the making. They\u2019re a damn good football team and we\u2019ve learned a lot about who we are right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, FMFA\u2019s victory over Elkton-Lake Benton was a watershed moment in a season that was already brimming with optimism and helped carry the team to an 8-0 regular-season record, the Great Plans Conference championship and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Now, there\u2019s one game left to play \u2014 a rematch against Elkton-Lake Benton in Thursday night\u2019s Class 9AA state championship. The Elks come into the game 10-1, their only loss that Sept. 3 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have two very explosive athletes,\u201d Tschetter said of Elks, referring to senior quarterback Colt Beck and senior running back Eliot Erickson. Beck, the Dakota Valley Conference MVP, has 1,397 yards passing and 21 touchdowns on the season while Erickson, also a member of the all-conference team, has rushed for 1576 yards and 23 touchdowns. \u201cWe miss a tackle they\u2019re going to get a lot of yards. There\u2019s no doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he also feels good about what the Phoenix bring to the table \u2014 and he should.<\/p>\n
FMFA also has an all-conference quarterback in Riley Tschetter \u2014 who has thrown for 2,071 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed for another 454 yards and 13 scores \u2014 as well as multiple weapons elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Senior Luke Peters has carried the ball for 959 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, sophomore David Walter has caught 27 passes for 622 yards and nine touchdowns, and senior Karter Weber has 532 yards receiving and five touchdown catches to go along with three scores on the ground.<\/p>\n
And the Phoenix\u2019s defense is stout, giving up fewer than 10 points a game \u2014 impressive considering three of their wins have come against the other top teams in 9AA football: Parkston on Aug. 22, Elkton-Lake Benton on Sept. 3 and Hamlin in the state semifinal on Nov. 7. FMFA also wiped the floor with Avon, defeating the Pirates 58-8 to claim the Great Plans Conference title (Avon is facing Dell Rapids St. Mary for the Class 9B championship late Thursday morning).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to come down to tackling, winning the turnover battle and us being us,\u201d Tschetter said of Thursday\u2019s game against the Elks. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to play our style of football regardless of what the score is. Just wear them down. We have more bodies that are going to play than they have.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dome is going to be hot,\u201d he continues, \u201cso we\u2019re hoping our depth will wear them down and hopefully we\u2019ll have our way as the game goes along.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thursday state championship game will bring an end to what has been a successful FMFA cooperative. The Phoenix finished 7-3 and won a first-round playoff game its first two years as a program, and last season played to an 8-3 record and fell one touchdown short from upsetting Parkston in the state semifinals.<\/p>\n
Now, FMFA is in a position to end its run in the best way possible \u2014 with a state title for three schools and two communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cA wise man once told me,\u201d Luke Peters said in the final breakdown after the Phoenix\u2019s semifinal win over Hamlin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people want it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people wish for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people go out and get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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