Pierre seeks 9th Class 11-AA title in nine years

The Pierre Governors have captured eight of the last nine Class 11-AA state football championships and enter Friday's title game with no losses.

The team will play Watertown at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Dakotadome in Pierre, S.D. The Governors hold the pre-season favorite status due to a roster that returns many key players from previous championship runs.

Coach Steve Steele built the program's recent dominance. Terwilliger, a senior at Pierre High School who is committed to play for the Penn State Nittany Lions, credited Steele with establishing the culture that defines the team today.

"Pierre Governor football has a great tradition and Steve kind of started that," Terwilliger said. "We’ve had a lot of success and won a lot of championships and been to the championship game quite a lot of years."

Terwilliger noted that growing up in the city allowed him to watch elite athletes compete at the local stadium. He specifically named former players Grey Zabel and Lincoln Kienholz as role models who set the standard for his generation.

"Just growing up and going to the football games in Pierre you look at those athletes ahead of you," Terwilliger said. "Those Grey Zabels and those studs like that makes you want to play for that program."