VERMILLION — Brandon Valley made sure the opportunity to settle a score didn’t go to waste.
A year after falling to Sioux Falls Lincoln in the state Class 11AAA football championship, the Lynx closed out an 11-1 season with a 34-27 victory over Lincoln in the championship rematch on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in the DakotaDome.
The Lynx were top-seeded and No. 2-rated and Lincoln (10-2) No. 1-rated and second-seeded.
Much like last year, the two teams battled to the wire.
Heavy dose of Levi Veskrna
A huge performance by Brandon Valley running back Levi Veskrna made the difference in a game in which the two tams combined for 834 yards of total offense.
Brandon Valley rushed for 341 yards and passed for 77 (41-8). Lincoln gained 172 yards rushing and 244 passing (416).
Veskrna provided a major share of Brandon Valley’s offense, setting state Class 11AAA championship game records with 39 carries (breaking his own record from last year) and 260 yards rushing. He scored on runs of 2 and 6 yards in the first two quarters to help the Lynx take a 20-14 halftime lead.
Veskrna, named the Joe Robbie Most Valuable Player and the South Dakota Football Coaches Association’s outstanding back of the game, also dashed 17 yards to the end zone on a fourth-down play in the third quarter.
Offenses steal the show
It wasn’t just Veskrna and the Brandon Valley rushing game, Sioux Falls Lincoln quarterback Brody Schafer put on a show with his arm and his legs.
Schafer completed 23 of 32 passes for 242 yards, tossing TD passes to Everett Starks (9 yards) in the first half and Louison Akossi (5 yards) in the second half.
He also added 138 yards rushing on 22 attempts, dashing 48 yards for a score in the first half and adding a 1-yard TD plunge in the third quarter that, combined with Jake Burkett’s point-after kick, put the Patriots ahead 21-20.
Veskrna’s third TD run put the Lynx back ahead before Lincoln regained a 27-26 advantage on Akossi’s TD catch with 10:52 remaining in the game.
One last score plus a defensive stop
Brandon Valley scored on five of its seven offensive possessions and the non-scores came when the Lynx ran down the clock at the end of the second and fourth quarters.
Lincoln scored on four of its first five possesions — the Patriots’ final first-half possession ended with an interception in the end zone by Brandon Valley’s Nolan Pudwill.
After the Lynx took the lead on quarterback Briggs Knuton’s 5-yard TD scamper with 5:38 remaining, Brandon Valley’s defense stopped Schafer on a fourth-and-2 run at Brandon Valley’s 23-yard line with 1:31 left.
The Lynx, who ran out the clock to end the game, also got 75 yards rushing (including a 55-yard TD dash in the second quarter) from Ryder Mueller. Knutson completed eight of 10 passes for 77 yards and Jack Blomgren caught four of them for 53 yards. Bryton Stroh and Chase Leary each made nine stops and Gage Mandery eight for BV’s defense.
Akossi hauled in eight passes for 66 yars, Sam DeGroot five for 72 and Starks five for 50 for Lincoln. Ethan Olson notched 10 tackles, Colin Lunders nine and Jakobe Byrd seven for the Patriots’ defense.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Class 11AAA high school football championship
