Kernels' Tucker Vilhauer makes key play in South Dakota football all-star game, helping Blue team to victory
Jun. 11—VERMILLION, S.D. — A defensive struggle defined the 2022 South Dakota high school football all-star game on Saturday, with the Blue team, coached by Mitchell's Kent Van Overschelde, coming out on top by a score of 10-8. The game was played at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.
One of Van Overschelde's Kernel seniors, Tucker Vilhauer, had a key play for the Blue team, picking up an interception in the fourth quarter to stop a potential go-ahead scoring drive for the Red squad with 8:52 remaining.
West Central had its share of the spotlight getting the Blue team on the scoreboard. The Trojans' Gavin Koch had a 17-yard touchdown pass to Langford's Benjamin Gustafson in the first quarter to put Blue ahead. West Central's Braden Dierckx hit a 42-yard field goal before halftime to stretch the lead to 10-0 for the Blue team.
In the third quarter, the Red team got on the scoreboard with a nine-yard touchdown run from Konner Berndt (Sturgis), with Timber Lake's Tucker Kraft scoring on a two-point conversion. The teams mostly traded punts before the Red team got a final chance with the ball at its own 13-yard-line with 1:29 remaining, but Blue forced a turnover on downs to seal the victory.
The game's awards were all directed to the Blue team, with offensive MVP Nathan Ricke, of Madison, defensive co-MVPs in brothers Trey and Trevor Sayler, of Herreid/Selby Area, and overall game MVP David Alpers, of O'Gorman.
Vilhauer was one of three MHS picks to the game, joined by Joseph Van Overschelde and Jace Larson.
