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Hankinson 27,

Parshall-White Shield 12

Key play: Hankinson QB Alex Althoff's 23-yard TD pass to Danny Hangaard with 6:56 to play in the third, giving Hankinson a two-score lead.

Key player: Althoff, who had four TDs and an interception.

Key stat: Three of Althoff's five completions went for touchdowns.

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FARGO - Hankinson gained the bulk of its yards on the ground in Friday's Dakota Bowl 9-man championship game.

But when the Pirates needed a big play, they went to the air.

Hankinson quarterback Alex Althoff threw for three touchdown passes and added one more on the ground as the Pirates topped Parshall-White Shield 27-12 to take the 9-man title at the Fargodome.

The Braves scored a touchdown midway in the fourth to reduce their deficit to two scores, but were picked off late in the fourth quarter deep in Hankinson territory to stunt a potential rally.

Althoff passed only seven times, completing five of them. But three of those completions went for touchdowns.

"We played hard, but if you break down our defense and let people get behind you, you're going to have that happen," Braves head coach Mark Grueneich said. "That's why we gave up some touchdowns, which was unfortunate."

Althoff accumulated 184 total yards between passing and rushing, as the Braves limited Pirates star running back Garrett Stein to just 77 yards on 20 carries.

"They got on Garrett Stein, he's carried us the whole playoffs," Althoff said. "When we give him a hard play-action, they're going to bite on us. (Receiver) Danny Hangaard is a sure hand when you throw him the ball. That's what got us through."

Althoff got Hankinson on the board with 10:02 remaining in the first quarter. The Braves struck back with 4:45 to play in the first quarter, as Parshall-White Shield QB Jaren Enockson connected with Payton Two Crow on a 24-yard scoring strike.

Hankinson added its second score of the game midway through the second quarter following an Althoff interception of an Enockson pass.

Parshall-White Shield appeared to have held the Pirates, as Hankinson was forced to attempt a fourth and 12 from the Parshall-White Shield 29. But Althoff found Dwight Anderson on a deep crossing route for a touchdown to take a 12-6 lead into the locker room.

Midway through the third quarter, Hankinson was again on the move, but once again it appeared Parshall-White Shield might be able to turn the Pirates away.

But on third and 11, Althoff found Danny Hangaard for a 23-yard TD pass. Finally, one of the two teams was able to convert a point after attempt as Althoff ran it in for a 20-6 Hankinson lead.

The fatal blow came late in the third quarter. Parshall-White Shield had once again forced the Pirates a fourth down in its own territory.

Althoff found his favorite target once again, as he pitched it to Hangaard for a 37-yard score, putting the Braves in a 27-6 hole following the extra point.

"We're best friends, we're always together," Althoff said. "When you're always together you form a bond and that chemistry just comes with it."

Anderson spearheaded the Hankinson defense, collecting 14 solo tackles and 19 total. Greg Oster and Elliot Waldock each had 10 total tackles for the Braves.

Penalties stung the Braves. Parshall-White Shield was flagged seven times for 35 yards, putting the Braves in first- or second-and-long situations multiple times.

"One of the things is we had trouble hearing so sometimes our center had trouble with the snap count," Grueneich said. "Another thing is we knew how quick they were coming off the ball so that put some more pressure on us, so those penalties did really hurt."

Parshall-White Shield was able to move the ball for most of the game in chunks, but the Braves were unable to hit on many big plays.

"Their defensive theory is a lot like ours, give up the small plays, but not the big one," Grueneich said. "Today they achieved that."

Enockson finished with 117 yards rushing on 24 carries and passed for another 86 yards, completing 8 passes.

Despite the loss, the season was a successful one for the Braves, who outperformed nearly every expectation for their season.

"It shows what kids can accomplish when they believe in themselves and believe in each other," Grueneich said. "Nobody really gave us a chance at the start of the year. Being here is a real treat, we would have like to have done better. I'll have to say this for them, even until the very end we tried."