Alma win puts Plainsmen in D1 playoffs

The Perkins County Plainsmen took advantage of four second quarter miscues by the Alma Cardinal offense to build a comfortable 41-6 halftime lead en route to a 64-44 win here Friday night.

The win closed out the regular season for the Plainsmen but more importantly, secured a spot in the D1 playoffs for the first time since 2017.

In the Round of 32, the 6-2 Plainsmen will travel to Bertrand Thursday night to face the 6-2 Vikings with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. MT.

Head Coach Tanner Collins felt Bertrand was a good draw for his team.

He said the Plainsmen match up well with the Vikings. 

Bertrand focuses on the ground game but has shown the ability to pass as well. He said they have a quarterback and halfback that are both quick and run the ball well.

Both Perkins County and Bertrand lost to Dundy County Stratton, the defending D1 state champion, and both defeated their only other common opponent in Alma. 

The Plainsmen’s only other loss came to 5-3 Sutherland two weeks ago while Bertrand lost the same week to 8-0 Arapahoe. 

    In the Round of 32, the teams are split into two 16-teams brackets, starting at the west and working east. Perkins County is the #10 seed in the west while Bertrand is the #7 seed. 

Seeding is based on the wildcard point system.

Following this week’s game, the remaining 16 teams will be seeded according to their wildcard points. 

Other western teams in the Plainsmen’s bracket include: #2 Arapahoe, 8-0; #3 Dundy County Stratton, 7-1, the defending D1 state champion; #4 Hitchcock County, 7-1; #11 Sutherland, 5-3; # 14 Cambridge, 4-4; and Alma, 3-5. 

Burwell is the #1 seed at 8-0 in the west. 

Plainsmen capitalize 

The first quarter of Friday’s game proved to be close before the Plainsmen capitalized on numerous Bertrand blunders in the second quarter. 

The Plainsmen needed two possessions before getting on the board. 

Three consecutive runs of 16 yards by Nolan Foster, 11 by Triston Hite and another 11 from Foster put the Plainsmen on the board. 

Hite found Hayden Foster in the end zone for the conversion and an 8-0 lead. 

    Alma answered with a 41-yard pass completion to set up their first touchdown. Their two-point conversion failed, keeping the Plainsmen up 8-6.

Perkins County took the kickoff and moved from their own 32 to the Alma 14. 

Faced with a 4th-and-5, Collins opted for a 30-yard field goal by Hite, who split the uprights with plenty of leg for more. 

After a touchback, Alma lost five yards on a penalty and faced a 3rd-and-18 at their own 7. The shotgun snap sailed over the quarterback’s head and he was tackled by Ethan Sihm for a safety with 9:09 left in the second quarter. 

    After the free kick, the Plainsmen took advantage of the field position. Hite hit Hayden Foster behind the defense on a 29-yard touchdown pass. Hite added the kick for a 20-6 lead with 5:58 left. 

Between there and the end of the half, the Plainsmen put up four more scores. 

Three resulted from Alma fumbles at their own 16, 7 and 10. 

Alma did punt once, with the Plainsmen needing just four plays to convert it into points. 

Another reception by Foster, who, despite being interfered with and laying on his back in the end zone, remained focused to pull the ball out of the air for the score.  

One more score by Nolan Foster gave the Plainsmen a 48-6 halftime lead. 

Both teams added a touchdown in the third with Alma scoring four touchdowns to the Plainsmen’s one in the fourth. 

Despite that, they still trailed the Plainsmen by 20 at the final gun, 64-44.