The Pipestone Area Arrows put the finishing touches on a winning football season with a 53-18 thrashing of the Madison, S.D. Bulldogs Friday night at Paulsen Field in Pipestone.
With the victory, the Arrows (5-3) secured a home playoff game and will host the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers (5-3) Tuesday night.
“For the most part, I thought we played a decent game,” Pipestone Area head coach Troy Bouman said on Monday. “I thought the special teams played really well, returning two kicks for touchdowns and another for a big gain.”
Although the Pipestone Area offense had little difficulty moving the ball against the Bulldogs, it was the special teams that broke the game open for the Arrows.
After claiming a 14-0 first-quarter lead on touchdown runs by Tyler Evans (43 yards) and Taylor Jolitz (four yards), the Bulldogs rallied back. Madison junior defensive back Mitch Benson intercepted a Brandan Alfson pass at the Madison 45, and the Bulldogs took eight plays to punch it in with Matt DeBilzan finishing the drive on a 24-yard TD run.
On the ensuing kickoff, Pipestone Area tailback Jadon Evans returned the ball 60 yards to the Madison 15. Jolitz (17 yards on four carries) did the rest, carrying the ball four times and pounding the ball across the goal line from six yards out to give the Arrows a 21-6 lead with 5:09 remaining in the first half.
The Arrow defense pushed the Bulldogs back on their next possession and forced a punt from the Madison 48. Senior end Shandon Jones received the kick at the Arrow 17, charged up the middle, cut to the outside and raced 83 yards to the end zone.
If Jones’ punt return didn’t break the backs of the Bulldogs, the next return certainly did.
Receiving the second-half kickoff, the Arrows looked to put the game away, and Jadon Evans was bent on being the final straw. The junior received the kick at the Arrow 20, broke a tackle at the 29 and cut outside to his left. After gaining the corner, Evans followed his blocks to midfield and burst past the last Madison defenders to post an 80-yard touchdown return.
“All the guys on the special teams did a great job of blocking tonight,” Evans said following the game. “It was nice to contribute tonight, and it’s a great way to prepare for the playoffs.”
With the game in hand, the Arrows began to relax, and the Bulldogs took advantage of PAS’ lackadaisical play to put the ball in the end zone twice before the Arrows could respond.
The Arrows, however, eventually got back on track in the fourth quarter. After a 40-yard kickoff return by Jolitz put the Arrows on the Madison 31, Pipestone Area needed just two plays to pad their lead. Alfson (4-of-5, 58 yards) opened the fourth firing. The senior quarterback immediately connected with senior running back Michael Merrill for a 12-yard passing gain and followed with a strike to Jones. The senior corralled the quick out turned up field and navigated the sideline all the way to the end zone – giving the Arrows a sizable lead.
Following another lackadaisical offensive effort by the Bulldogs, the Arrows struck again. Beginning at the Madison 49, the Arrows worked the ball to the 24 through hard running from Tyler Evans and Josh Groeneweg. On second down from the Madison 24, Alfson found Groeneweg alone on the left flat, and the junior wove his way through several would-be tacklers and into the end zone for a 47-18 advantage with 7:58 to play.
“The field conditions weren’t very good, and we were ahead enough that we didn’t have to throw the ball very much,” Bouman said. “When we did, though, we were able to get it behind their linebackers and into the end zone.”
Junior Aaron Kozlowski took the helm for the Arrows with 4:25 remaining in the tilt and fed Jadon Evans the ball. Evans had gains of two, 18, 11 and six yards, and Matt Haraldson added a run of five yards to help the Arrows move the ball from midfield to the Madison 3. Haraldson did the rest, pounding the ball up the middle to the game’s final tally.
“He must have had a good night’s rest because he was really on his game offensively and defensively tonight,” Alfson said of Evans. “He must have eaten his Wheaties.”
While blocking was a key in the touchdowns the Arrows scored on kick returns, blocking from the snap wasn’t too shabby either. On Tyler Evans (121 yards on 14 carries) initial touchdown run, senior lineman Cody Thomssen had the block that gave the PAS junior running back the corner. Jolitz, too, had ample holes to dash through, as Thomssen, Trevor DeBates, Cody Schulze and Mark Abrahamson were getting a good push off the ball.
“We made some mistakes in the game, but the offensive line did a good job opening up holes for our backs to get through,” Bouman said. “We’ll need to improve on that more, though, if we want to advance in the playoffs.”

Madison 0 6 12 0 – 18
Pipestone Area 14 13 7 19 – 53