Defense drives latest semifinal run for Winner football

Nov. 3—WINNER, S.D. — Swarm. Swarm.

That’s the motto the Winner football team chants each time it breaks the huddle to take the field on defense.

It serves both as a challenge and a promise. Wherever the ball goes, 11 Warriors will be in pursuit, trying to make a stop.

An example of that mentality showed up in the biggest moment of Winner’s season to date. With under three minutes to play in last week’s quarterfinals, a Deuel receiver got open behind the defense, but the Warriors didn’t give up on the play. Logan Calhoon chased down the ball carrier inside the red zone and forced a fumble, and Ash Kaiser scooped up the recovery. The play preserved a gritty 7-0 victory and was emblematic of Winner’s defensive performance all season.

The Warriors might bend, but they rarely break.

“Defense is a team deal, and it takes everyone stepping up and doing their jobs,” Winner head coach Kevin Keiser said. “When everyone is doing their jobs together, it works well.”

“That’s probably one of the best parts about football right there: those difficult moments and if you’re able to get through them,” added senior lineman Mason Curtis. “When times get tough, we really try to rally. It’s tough, but those moments are awesome.”

This season, the Warrior defense has delivered stops much more often than not. Winner has allowed just six points per game for the year, a figure that leads all of Class 11B and is second across all four classes of 11-man football. That mark is bolstered by six shutouts in 10 games, including four straight for the 9-1 Warriors, who didn’t allow a point in the month of October. They’re one win away from a milestone 20th state championship game appearance overall and 10th in Class 11B (since 2009).

Winner football has a longstanding identity as one of the most physical teams in Class 11B, particularly along the line of scrimmage, and this year’s crew has remained committed to that blueprint. However, this year’s Warriors are physically a little smaller than many of their past teams, but are making up for it with quickness. According to Keiser, the result has been a defense that is slightly more vulnerable up the middle, but has excelled at shutting down runs and quick passes to the perimeter.

Kaiser, a senior linebacker, leads the team with 54 tackles, including 6 1/2 for loss. Curtis and fellow senior lineman Jaxon Day have combined for 11 of the Warriors’ 20 total sacks along with three fumble recoveries. On the back end, Carter McKenzie has five interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

“There’s that old saying that defense wins championships, and I think we really believe in that,” Curtis said. “We love defense because we love to be physical. Pretty much every game this season, we’ve been the smaller team, but we’ve got that scrappiness in us. We’re always ready to battle it out.”

Keiser was also keen to note that the Warrior offense, while not as explosive as in past seasons, has done its part to play complementary football and help the defense, too. The Warriors are averaging 23.8 points per game, the eighth-best mark in Class 11B, but that doesn’t account for the style of game they are content to play.

Winner is 6-0 since losing its lone game to date against No. 2 St. Thomas More back on Sept. 11, yet the Warriors haven’t scored more than 21 points in any of those contests. Instead of relying on big plays, Winner regularly sustains long drives on offense, shortening the game. A possession that doesn’t result in points but still takes six to eight minutes off the clock and flips field position is still largely considered a success, according to Keiser.

“It’s more relaxing when you score a few more points, but it’s nice to know there are times you can put your defense out there,” Keiser said. “The defense has really picked it up for us, and we know we can count on them.”

For Winner, a semifinal clash with Elk Point-Jefferson is like looking in a mirror, with both programs among the preeminent powers in Class 11B. A victory for Winner would mean a sixth trip to Vermillion in eight seasons, while EPJ is after its fourth DakotaDome appearance in five years.

“They do things the right way. They really put a lot of work and pride into their program,” Keiser said of EPJ. “Right now, they’re the team in 11B that people look up to, I believe.”

Both programs have an established identity running the football and playing hard-nosed defense. On one hand, Keiser said that should be a benefit, as the Warriors largely know what to expect from their counterparts.

On the other, the Huskies execute exceptionally well and are explosive, too, making them a challenge to slow down, let alone stop, consistently. EPJ, at 10-0, hasn’t scored less than 27 points in a game this season, making them the ultimate challenge for the Warriors’ defense.

“They’re very well orchestrated in what they do. They’re really big up front. They’re just solid everywhere,” Keiser said of the Huskies’ offense. “They really don’t have a weak link when you watch them, and they do a lot of things really well.”