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Nov. 15—VERMILLION — It’s not often that someone outside the offensive backfield receives Joe Robbie MVP honors at the South Dakota high school football championships.
But on Friday at the DakotaDome, Howard tight end/defensive end Luke Koepsell joined the elite club by placing his fingerprints all over the Tigers’ 38-30 victory over Wolsey-Wessington in the Class 9A title tilt.
“This is definitely something I’ve dreamed about,” said Koepsell, who was also recognized as the most outstanding lineman of the championship contest. “It just feels good to have the team trust me in those situations to make a play. I’ve worked really hard for that, so I just got to thank my coaches and teammates.”
No. 24 in black and orange was all over the field on Friday, terrorizing the Warbirds as he made title-winning contributions in all three phases of play.
On offense, Koepsell hauled in four receptions for 100 yards, including touchdowns covering 17 and 42 yards, and made a nifty one-handed snag on a two-point conversion that put Howard up by 16 points late. That’s not to mention his contributions blocking for Howard backs, who gained 275 yards on the ground.
Defensively, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder sacked the Warbirds’ elusive quarterback once and collected six more tackles. On special teams, Koepsell converted a fourth down with a 21-yard run as an up-man on a fake punt, extending a drive that resulted in a touchdown. Later, he recovered an onside kick to give the Tigers an extra possession and also pounced on an attempted onside kick by Wolsey-Wessington.
“I think most people would say it was an incredible day, and it was, but we know Luke. That’s just a Friday night because that’s how he plays,” said Howard head coach Pat Ruml. “We just expect that out of him, but this year, you could feel there was just a little more…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/luke-koepsell-leaves-lasting-mark-004800448.html
Author : The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Publish date : 2024-11-16 00:48:00
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