Houchin: Trojans dial up ‘dark-side’ defense to deliver Class 9AA title triumph

VERMILLION, S.D. — Defense wins championships, and the Parkston Trojans saved their best defensive performance for the biggest stage on Thursday night at the DakotaDome. After surrendering an opening-drive touchdown, top-seeded Parkston settled in and shut down No. 3 Platte-Geddes the rest of the way to capture the Class 9AA state championship with a commanding 36-6 victory. The win secured the Trojans’ second state title in five years and capped an undefeated championship run at 12-0. For a brief moment, it appeared P-G had found the formula to challenge Parkston. The Black Panthers opened with a defensive stop before putting together a nine-play, 46-yard scoring drive that took just under five minutes. Senior running back Landon Keiser touched the ball on eight of the first nine plays, including the opening-drive touchdown, to give Platte-Geddes an early 6-0 advantage. However, that was the last time the Black Panthers found the end zone.

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