Journal staff
VERMILLION - Mike Galliger rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns to lead West Central past St. Thomas More 51-13 in the Class 11A championship game Friday at the DakotaDome.
The victory in the title game was the 11th Class 11A state championship in 15 season for the Trojans, and their sixth in seven seasons.
St. Thomas More took a quick 7-0 lead when Landon White scored on a 44-yard run. West Central scored 44 unanswered points before the Cavaliers scored again when White broke loose for an 81-yard TD on a kickoff return.
The Trojans scored 34 of their 51 points after halftime.
Mike Galliger scored his third touchdown of the game - and 27th of the season - as West Central took a 37-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
Dylan Peterson reached paydirt on a 6-yard run to convert St. Thomas More's third turnover of the half into points as West Central ran its lead to 30 points. The Trojans led 17-7 at the half but built a 37-7 lead thanks to 20 third-quarter points, which all came following St. Thomas More turnovers.
Quarterback Nick Nelson scored on a 5-yard run to push West Central out to a 23-point lead midway through the third quarter. The Trojans took advantage of More's second turnover of the game - an Alex Hollibaugh fumble - leading up to Nelson's run.
St. Thomas More had possession of the football to start the second half, but quarterback Nathan Jacobson's pass was intercepted and returned to the St. Thomas More 20. Mike Galliger scored on a 5-yard run to convert the turnover into Trojan points early in the third quarter to up West Central's lead to 17 points.
The Trojans took their first lead midway through the second quarter when West Central running back Dylan Peterson scored from five yards out, and then extended that to a 17-7 lead thanks to a couple of big Mike Galliger runs.
Galliger scored on a handoff up the middle for a 16-yard touchdown, capping off a 69-yard drive for the Trojans as the second quarter was winding down. Galliger had just hurt St. Thomas More on the play before, running around the left side for 32 yards.
The Trojans first touchdown was made possible when the Trojans converted a key fourth-and-two inside the STM 10-yard-line, thanks to a run by Seth Hodges around left end.
St. Thomas More had gotten off to a great start Thursday, scoring on its first possession on its third play from scrimmage. Landon White took a handoff and scooted around the right side, cut inside one of his blocks, and then outran West Central defenders and scored on a 44-yard run.
White also added on the extra point, and the Cavaliers led 7-0 early in the first quarter.
West Central cut the lead to 7-3 late in the quarter, thanks to a Chris Wenk 28-yard field goal. The Trojans moved the ball much better on their second drive of the game, including converting a halfback pass from Chris Wenk to Cody Lowe on a third-and-long from midfield. But the Cavaliers got a key stop on the drive inside their own 10-yard-line, when Cory Hartley sacked quarterback Nick Nelson and forced the Trojans to attempt the field goal.
West Central controlled the clock in the first half with 17:50 in time of possession. St. Thomas More had the ball for only 6:05,and could get nothing going in the first half after their opening scoring drive.
