Orioles punch ticket back to State A Championship with win over Dell Rapids
- Lennox Independent Staff
- Nov 12
- 2 min read
For the second straight season, the Lennox High School football team is heading to the State Championship. The Orioles edged Dell Rapids, 15–14, in a nail-biting semifinal match-up on Friday, Nov. 7, securing their chance to defend their 2024 title.
Last season, Lennox broke a long championship drought—claiming the 2024 State Championship after defeating Sioux Falls Christian, their first title since 1982. In a storyline fit for a re-match, the Orioles will once again take on Sioux Falls Christian for the Class A crown. Kickoff is set for Friday, Nov. 15, at 12 noon inside the DakotaDome in Vermillion.
Head coach Shawn Flanagan praised his team’s resilience in the narrow semifinal victory.
“We’re really excited to be back in the state championship game and to represent our school and community. Our athletes have worked incredibly hard and put in a lot of effort to get here,” said Flanagan. “Dell Rapids played us really tough—it came down to the wire, but we found a way to win. These close games really build character, and even though we didn’t play our best, we stuck together as a team and battled through on offense, defense, and special teams. It was a great, hard-fought win, and we’re proud of the way our team kept fighting.”
Dell Rapids struck early with a 28-yard touchdown pass, taking a 6–0 lead in the first quarter. Lennox answered in the second with a five-yard touchdown run by Jhaimann Huntington, the point after by Cloy McVey put the Orioles up 7-6. Dell Rapids regained the lead shortly after, returning an interception for a touchdown to go up 12–7 before half.
The Orioles trailed until the fourth quarter, when Ramsey Williams powered in an eight-yard touchdown run. Lennox opted for the two-point conversion—and Huntington delivered, crossing the goal line to give the Orioles a 15–12 advantage. The defense held strong and Dell Rapids’ missed their field goal with just 1:38 left. Huntington took the safety in the final seconds, leaving the final score 15-14 —punching the Orioles’ ticket to State. Lennox finished the game with 225 yards of of offense, gaining 81 yards in the air and 144 on the ground. They finished with 13 first downs.
Dell Rapids posted 161 total yards with 71 passing and 90 rushing.
Huntington went 10-of-27 for 81 yards with one interception and had a long pass of 23 yards in the game. Brennen Juffer grabbed four receptions for 49 yards. Drake Mikkelsen had four receptions for 29 yards and Talen Eich grabbed two passes in the game for three yards.
On the ground, Huntington rushed for 107 yards on 12 carries including one touchdown. Williams finished with 15 carries for 35 yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, Jevyn Lefers finished with seven tackles. Williams had seven and Gavin Horner finished with five.
The Orioles now turn their focus to the DakotaDome, where they will battle Sioux Falls Christian for the 2025 State Championship, with a chance to make school history with back-to-back State Championships.