FARGO — For the second time in three seasons, Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison is heading home a state champion.
The Aggies held off defending champion Kindred 14-12 at the Fargodome Friday to claim the North Dakota Division 1A football state title.
Ben Schepp’s 92-yard touchdown pass to Matt Jochim late in the third quarter — a Dakota Bowl record for both longest pass completion and longest scoring pass reception — held up as the game-winner.
“No, that’s awesome,” said Schepp, unaware of the record-breaking play. “That’s just the cherry on top, I guess.”
The previous records were held by Richland, set during the 9-man title game in 2005 when quarterback Dustin Erbes found receiver Jon Griffith for a 90-yard touchdown reception in a 42-7 win for the Colts.
On Friday, with 39 seconds remaining in the third, Schepp found Jochim down the left sideline on a short pass completion. From there, Jochim couldn’t be caught.
“It’s just insane,” Schepp said of the state title. “Look up (to the stands) and it’s just blue and gold. The community support is insane. It was a great team win. Everybody. Everybody on the field. Everybody deserved this.”
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It’s the second state title for the Velva-D-A-G co-op program and 12th for Velva overall. The Aggies finish the year with a mark of 11-1, with their lone loss coming to the previously-unbeaten Vikings in the season opener in August.
“The guys had to rise up and they did,” Velva head coach Matt Weilder said. “We’ve prepared for this opportunity and these different situations. We felt good that our kids were going to compete for four quarters and make a play.”
The teams were tied 6-6 at halftime. Kindred opened the scoring with 2:40 remaining in the opening quarter when quarterback Jake Starcevic found the end zone on an 8-yard run.
The Aggies responded with 7:32 left in the second when Schepp found receiver Reggie Bruner for a 25-yard touchdown reception. The play came two snaps after a Vikings turnover, when Starcevic was intercepted by Velva’s Bradyn Bossert.
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After the 92-yard strike from Schepp to Jochim, Kindred managed to pull within two points late in the fourth quarter after Kylan Swenson’s 3-yard touchdown run with 1:44 remaining.
However, Swenson’s conversion run was ruled just short of the end zone to keep the Aggies on top.
Kindred ultimately forced a Velva punt with 1:18 remaining to get the ball back with no timeouts, but Starcevic was intercepted by Jochim on the third play of the possession at the Velva 25-yard line to seal it for the Aggies.
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Kindred finished its season at 12-1, ending a run of 24 straight wins dating back to its last defeat on Oct. 29, 2022.
“Give all the credit in the world to Velva,” Kindred head coach Eric Burgad said. “They had us dialed in. Sometimes, a team’s just got ya and it felt like they had us (today).
“I’m really proud of how our kids played. It’s no discredit to our kids. I’m very proud to be the coach of this group and it was a heck of a fun season. That’s the message for us, chin up and congrats to Velva.”
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Schepp finished with two interceptions on defense while going 8 of 12 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas Bodine led the Velva ground game with 50 yards on 14 carries.
Starcevic finished 10 of 19 passing for 137 yards and three interceptions, while Swenson finished with 113 yards and a touchdown in 19 carries.
Velva finished with 237 yards of offense to Kindred’s 327.
Schepp was named Division 1A Senior Athlete of the Year while Burgad received Coach of the Year honors.
“All the communities … Velva, Garrison, Drake, Anamoose, everybody has come together,” Schepp said. “It’s amazing and I just thank God for it every day.”
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VEL 0 6 8 0—14
KIN 6 0 0 6—12
KIN — J. Starcevic 8 run (kick failed)
VEL — Bruner 25 pass from Schepp (try failed)
VEL — Jochim 92 pass from Schepp (Iglehart pass from Schepp)
KIN — K. Swenson 3 run (try failed)
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Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum
