Nathan Beitler/MDN Aggie junior running back Logan Vincent charges through defenders on a carry in their round one game against the Southern McLean Roughriders in the 2025 NDHSAA Division A Football State Playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 25.

The Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison Aggies stormed through the Southern McLean Roughriders to take home victory 49-6 in round one of the 2025 NDHSAA Division A Football State Playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 25.

The Aggies were the first to kick the ball off in the first quarter. The Roughriders started just outside the ten yard line and only made it to just inside the 30 yard line before the Aggie defense put a stop to their advance. The Roughriders were unable to cross the 50 yard line before being forced to punt. The Aggies began their first drive of the ball game on their own 30 yard line. Not long after, the Aggies would score their first of many touchdowns on a pass from senior quarterback Cooper Kittleson to junior wide receiver Brady Hauff. Hauff ran into the endzone with his defender steps behind him, giving Kittleson a clean shot to score. The two point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the Aggies with an early 6-0 lead. The Aggie defense kept up the pressure, forcing another punt by the Roughriders on their second possession. The Aggies kept their momentum going in their second possession, working their way down the field and scoring a touchdown off of a run by junior running back Logan Vincent with two minutes 35 seconds left on the clock. The two-point conversion attempt failed after the pass was knocked away, leaving the score 12-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was even stronger than the first for the Aggies, with Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison scoring on four different occasions within the twelve minutes. The first touchdown of the quarter was earned by Vincent on an untouched run straight through the Roughriders’ defensive line. This time the extra point would succeed, giving the Aggies a 19-0 lead less than a minute into the second quarter. The second touchdown of the quarter was once again scored by Vincent on another run. The third touchdown was also scored by Vincent, this time on a pass just outside the endzone. The Aggies’ fourth and last touchdown of the quarter came on a touchdown pass to the back corner of the endzone to senior tight end Mason Kraft. The extra point was good and the Aggies ended their first half of the ball game with a comfortable 40-0 lead.

The second half of the game slowed way down for the Aggies, scoring just one touchdown late in the third quarter on a six-yard run by Vincent up the middle of the field. The Aggie’s last points of the game came on a safety as sophomore defensive lineman Lexton Smith tackled the Roughriders’ junior quarterback Joshua Laning in the Aggie endzone. The Roughriders scored their first and only touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter with under a minute left in the ball game. Southern McLean’s junior running back Brady Vollmuth took the ball 38 yards to score for the Roughriders and prevent a shutout. Their extra point would miss, leaving the score 49-6 for a Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison victory in the first round of state playoffs.

“The offensive line, I couldn’t do it without them,” said Aggie running back Logan Vincent. “The holes [in the line] were amazing, they were huge. They hit them pretty hard. Like I said, I can’t do it without them.”

Vincent took the ball 133 yards on 17 carries over the course of the ball game and scored five of the Aggies’ touchdowns, four being rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown. The Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison Aggies will advance to the Division A Football State Quarterfinals to face off against the Park River Area Aggies this Saturday, Nov. 1, back at Velva High School to continue their state title defense.