Nathan Beitler/MDN Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison Aggie senior quarterback Cooper Kittleson (left) charges through the defense, securing a first down and scoring a touchdown in their home game against the Park River Area Aggies in their state quarterfinals game at home on Saturday, Nov. 1.

The Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison Aggies took down the Park River Area Aggies in the Division A State Football quarterfinals at home on Saturday, Nov. 1, 50-6 and will advance to the state semifinals.

Velva was the first team to put points on the board in their weekend game. Junior Logan Vincent scored his first touchdown of the game on a two-yard run after taking a direct snap and running around the left side of the defense. Senior quarterback Cooper Kittleson completed a pass to senior tight end Mason Kraft for the two point conversion. The score was 8-0 for an early Velva lead with six minutes eleven seconds remaining in the first quarter. Velva would widen their lead once more in the first quarter with a six yard run into the end zone by Kittleson and Vincent scored his second set of points on a run for the two-point conversion. The first quarter ended with a comfortable 16-0 lead for Velva.

Velva scored three more touchdowns in the second quarter of the ball game. They first scored on a 12-yard passing play from Kittleson to junior wide receiver Brady Hauff with seven and a half minutes left in the half. The second touchdown of the quarter came after only twelve seconds had elapsed from the board. Park River Area fumbled the ball when trying to return the kickoff and Velva recovered the ball on their own 23 yard line. The Aggies scored on the very next play with a 23 yard touchdown pass from Kittleson to senior wide receiver Grady Crawford. Velva scored once more in the first half with a long 54-yard run into the endzone by Cooper Kittleson. Two out of the three two-point conversion attempts for the Aggies were successful, giving them a 38-0 lead before Park River Area could put any points on the board. Park River Area would not leave the first half scoreless though, earning a touchdown of their own on a two-yard run that ended with senior Tucker Omdahl diving into the endzone. They were unable to secure the two-point conversion, leaving the score 38-6 going into half time.

The third quarter started again for Velva with another long run by Cooper Kittleson. This time, Kittleson took the ball 45 yards for a touchdown. This time, the extra point would fail, giving them a 44-6 lead. The last points of the game were scored with a minute and a half left in the third quarter when Velva’s senior running back Brody Seidler ran the ball in to score the last points of the game. The third quarter and the ball game ended with a 50-6 lead for the Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison Aggies.

Velva ended the game with a total of 429 offensive yards. The Aggies carried the ball 345 yards on the ground over 34 carries. They had just 84 yards gained passing the ball, with seven out of eleven passes completed by quarterback Cooper Kittleson. Velva had five rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns. Park River Area ended the game with 179 offensive yards. They had 45 yards gained on the ground over 18 carries and 134 passing yards. Eight out of 22 passes were completed by sophomore quarterback Jaxon Omdahl. They had one rushing touchdown.

The Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison Aggies will take on the Langdon Area-Munich Cardinals in the state semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 8, at Langdon Area High School.