VERMILLION Huge games from Riley Tschetter and Luke Peters helped top-rated and top-seeded Freeman-Marion/Freeman Academy cap a perfect season with the state Class 9AA football championship.
The Phoenix (12-0) dominated the final three quarters on the way to a 46-22 win over No. 2 Elkton-Lake Benton on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in the DakotaDome.
The state title was the first ever for the co-op. Freeman has won five titles and three others as part of a co-op with Canistota. Marion also won a state title as part of a co-op with Hurley.
Tschetter, a quarterback, earned Joe Robbie Most Valuable Player honors by completing 15 of 22 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 37 yards rushing and a score.
Peters, named to the South Dakota Football Coaches Association’s outstanding back of the game, rushed 10 times for 65 yards and two TDs and also hauled in a 73-yard scoring pass from Tschetter.
FMFA moved up to No. 1 in the state rankings with 42-28 home win over then-No. 1 ELB on Sept. 5 and the two teams were close early.
The Phoenix opened the game with Tschetter’s long TD pass to Peters, who also added the conversion run. ELB answered about four minutes later with a 49-yard scoring pass from Colt Beck to Myles Poindexter. Wanner Enriguez added the point-after kick.
With 5:04 left in the first period, Tschetter teamed with David Walter on a 45-yard TD strike. Tschetter added the conversion for a 16-7 lead.
The Elks stayed close on Beck’s 23-yard TD run a couple of minutes later and the point-after kick cut FMFA’s lead to 16-14 after one period.
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FMFA took over the game after that, reeling off 30 answered points. It didn’t help the Elks that quarterback Beck injured his ankle and was limited throughout the game.
The Phoenix increased their lead to 37-14 at halftime with the help of a 21-yard TD pass from Tschetter to Tate Sorensen and two TD runs by Peterson (6 and 4 yards) in the second quarter.
A 3-yard TD run by Tschetter in the third quarter and a 35-yard field goal by Tayden Kerrigan in the fourth quarter pushed FMFA’s lead to 46-14.
Beck rounded out the game’s scoring with an 11-yard TD run with 4:54 remaining. Savion Stephens added the conversion.
The Phoenix finished 407 yards of total offense, compared to 313 for the Elks.
Six receivers hauled in passes for FMFA, led by Walter’s four catches for 113 yards and Easton Tschetter’s five for 77. E. Tschetter also made nine tackles and Peters seven. Jackson Donlan recovered a fumble.
Tate Sorensen, who was selected as the SDFBCA’s outstanding lineman, hauled in three catches for 33 yards and also added two quarterback sacks on defense.
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Despite being limited, Beck still completed eight of 16 passes for 163 yards and also carried the football 12 times for 70 yards. Eliot Erickson rushed 15 times for 80 yards and also made five receptions for 65 yards. Poindexter caught two passes for 54.
The Elks, who closed out a 10-2 season, received 10 tackles from Poindexter.
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: State Class 9AA high school football championship game