Baltic

This week's game preview is sponsored by the JL Arend Insurance Agency of Emery!

Seahawks

Season Preview

After being bounced from the playoffs in the first round for the first time since moving up to 11-man in 2015, the Seahawks return a mix of experience and youth heading into the 2023 season. In total, BEE returns 8 players with starting experience from last year.

Senior Drake Gustafson (6'4", 200 lbs.) will take over at QB after playing WR last season. Drake had 3 receptions for 35 yards and a TD in 2022. He will return in the defensive secondary where he led the team in interceptions with 3 and was 6th in tackles with 39.

Playing RB this year will be junior Macklen Weber (6'1", 190 lbs.) and Kean Stevenson (5'11", 180 lbs.). Weber makes the move over from QB where he threw for 259 yards and 5 TDs last season and rushed for 297 yards and 4 TDs. Both will start on the defensive side as well where Stevenson was 3rd in tackles last season with 48. Weber had 28 tackles and an interception.

Senior Korbyn Kayser (6'1", 205 lbs.) is one of three returning starters on the offensive and defensive line. Korbyn was 5th in tackles last season with 41 and tallied 2 sacks and 4 tackles for loss. Another returning lineman for BEE is junior Jason Zeeb (6'0", 205 lbs.). Zeeb returns at center and on the defensive line where he had 38 tackles, and 2 tackles for loss last season. Also returning on the line is junior Riley Weber (6'1", 215 lbs.).

Some other top returnees from last season include seniors Camdyn Stoterau (6'3", 195 lbs.) and Taite Klumb (6'3", 185 lbs.) Stoterau suffered an injury after the second week of the season and wasn't able to return until the first round of the playoffs. Camdyn tallied 15 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss in those three games, and will be a key contributor on both sides of the ball this season for the Seahawks. Klumb returns for his senior season after seeing plenty of action on both sides of the ball last year. Taite mostly played WR but also saw limited action at QB. He had 28 tackles and an interception at safety last season and be another key player the Seahawks will need to step up to have success.

As the season goes on, the Seahawks will also be looking for contributions from Sophomore WR/DB Holden Wollmann (6'0", 150 lbs.), Freshman RB/LB Carson Johnson (5'11", 175 lbs.), Junior WR/DB Braeden Nebelsick (6'2", 160 lbs.), Sophomore TE/DE Luke Storm (5'11", 150 lbs.), Sophomore RB/LB Wyatt Anderson (5'8", 165 lbs.), Junior OL/DL Gabe Neugebauer (5'10", 170 lbs.), Senior OL/DL Sage Mendoza (5'10", 230 lbs.), Freshman OL/LB Thiago Juarez (5'7", 170 lbs.) and Senior OL/DL Carter Hofer (6'2", 260 lbs.)

The returning starters from last year look to help lead BEE through the first half of the season and help the new starters gain experience and improve by the end of the season to once again be in the hunt towards the end of October. While the first four teams on BEE's schedule should be improved over last year, those four teams had a combined record of 8-24 and none of them were playoff teams. The last half of the regular season will surely test the Seahawks as it includes matchups vs Sioux Valley and McCook Central/Montrose and road games with the defending 11B Runner-up Winner and defending 11B Champion Elk Point-Jefferson.

Last Season

The Bulldogs have struggled since making the move up to 11-man football two years ago, going 1-15 over those two seasons. Baltic opened the season with a 44-0 loss to BEE, then fell to Elk Point-Jefferson 55-0, and McCook Central/Montrose 54-0. The Bulldogs closest defeat of the season came against Flandreau, falling 28-12 on their homecoming. Baltic then fell to Jim River 31-6, Parker 21-6, Sioux Valley 55-0 and ended the season with a 20-6 loss to Sisseton.

This Season

Baltic returns 7 starters on offense and 7 starters on defense from last season. Among those include Senior QB/LB Tate Feucht (6'0", 185 lbs.), SR WR/LB Payton Anderson (6'2", 174 lbs.), Senior WR/LB Jack Erickson (6'5", 181 lbs.), Senior C/DE Jagger Jenks (5'11", 220 lbs.), Senior OT/DE Landon France (6'1", 213 lbs.), Sophomore WR/CB Ben Erickson (5'11", 152 lbs.), Senior RB/LB Riley Schultz (5'10", 178 lbs.), Sophomore OT/DT Trevor Cuperus (6'5", 212 lbs.) and Junior RB/CB Braxton Allen (5'11", 145 lbs.).

Being a member of the Big East Conference, Baltic will play some of the best teams 11B has to offer during the regular season. After tonight's game against the Seahawks, the Bulldogs take on the defending 11B Champion Elk Point-Jefferson. Following that Baltic hosts consecutive games with McCook Central/Montrose and Flandreau. The Bulldogs then travel to Jim River on September, 15th before hosting Parker the following week. Baltic closes out the regular season with a road game against Sioux Valley, a bye week on October 6th, and travels to Sisseton in their regular season finale.

Last Match-Up

The Seahawks piled up 28 first quarter points and rolled to a 44-0 win over Baltic in the 2022 season opener.

Sam Hofer got the scoring started for BEE, completing a 6 yard TD pass to Drake Gustafson on the games opening drive to take an 8-0 lead. After trading punts, a Baltic fumble was recovered by the Seahawks inside their own 5 yard line. Hofer scored 2 plays later to give BEE a 14-0 lead with just under 5 minutes left in the quarter. The ensuing kickoff was recovered by the Seahawks and 5 plays later Riley Endres ran in from 25 yards out to give his team a 20-0 lead with 3:16 left in the 1st quarter. Baltic went 3-and-out on their following drive and the Seahawks went 55 yards in 3 plays, capped off by a 12 yard TD run by Jaden Eddy. That gave BEE a 28-0 lead after one quarter. Late in the 2nd quarter, Hofer scored on a 12 yard run, capping off a 15-play, 57 yard drive, and the Seahawks led 36-0 at the half. With a running clock the second half, BEE tacked on one more TD on a 35 yard run by Kory Storm to give us our final, 44-0.

Endres led the attack offensively for BEE, rushing for 156 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Hofer completed 4-of-5 passes for 86 yards and a TD, and also rushed for 20 yards and 2 TDs. Storm carried the ball 3 times for 46 yards and a TD. Eddy added 37 yards rushing on 10 carries and a TD. Sutton Arend was the leading receiver with 3 receptions for 80 yards.

Defensively, Camdyn Stoterau led the way with 7 tackles and a tackle for loss. Kody Klumb added 6 tackles and a tackle for loss and Jason Zeeb had 4 tackles and a tackle for loss. Aguer VanSickle had a sack and Gustafson had an interception.

For Baltic, Isaac Weeman was the leading rusher with 18 yards on 7 carries. Tate Feucht completed 5-of-15 passes for 21 yards and an interception.

BEE racked up 342 yards of total offense (256 rushing, 86 passing). The Seahawks had 20 first downs and totaled 8 penalties for 40 yards. Baltic ended up with just 26 yards of total offense (5 rushing, 21 passing).

The Seahawks defensive efforts against Baltic were stellar, and among one of the best defensive games played by the Seahawks since the move up to 11-man.

- The 26 total yards of offense given up was the 3rd fewest given up by BEE all-time. The current record for least total yards given up is -3 yards against Wagner in 2019.

- BEE gave up only 5 rushing yards in the win. That is the third fewest all-time. The current record for least rushing yards allowed is -39 against Wagner in 2019.

Game Bits

This is the third all-time matchup between the Seahawks and Bulldogs. BEE defeated Baltic 54-0 in 2021 and 44-0 in 2022.
BEE has never lost a regular season opening game. The last time the Seahawks lost the first game of the season was in 2006 as Emery/Ethan when they fell to Marion/Hurley 34-28 in overtime.
In the preseason South Dakota Prep Media Football Poll the Seahawks are ranked #5 and have all four of the other ranked teams on their regular season schedule. Class 11B Runner-up Winner is ranked #1, receiving 14 1st place votes. Elk Point-Jefferson is 2nd with 2 first place votes, followed by McCook Central/Montrose. Hot Springs, Deuel and Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central all received votes.
In the preseason Coaches Poll the Seahawks are also ranked #5. Winner is ranked #1, receiving 16 of 27 1st place votes. Defending 11B Champion Elk Point-Jefferson is 2nd with 7 first place votes. Sioux Valley is #3 and received 2 first place votes, and Hot Springs comes in at #4. Also receiving votes is McCook Central/Montrose who also received 2 first place votes, St. Thomas More and Tri Valley.
Big East Conference teams in action tonight include Elk Point-Jefferson hosts Parker and McCook Central/Montrose hosts Flandreau. Sioux Valley is already off to a 1-0 start as they defeated Scotland/Menno 42-0 last night.
Games of interest tonight in 11B include: Winner hosting Tri-Valley, Mt. Vernon/Plankinton travels to Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central, Aberdeen Roncalli is at Groton. Hot Springs hosts Redfield on Saturday.
The forecast at kickoff tonight in Baltic calls for mostly sunny skies, a temperature of 82 degrees and winds out of the southeast around 15 mph, gusting up to 35.
Baltic will be livestreaming tonight's game. A link can be found on our home page.
The Junior High and Junior Varsity teams will kick off their seasons on Monday in Baltic. The JH game will start at 4:30 pm with the JV game to follow.