True-blue Trojan: Parkston's Luke Bormann named Mitchell Republic football player of the year

PARKSTON, S.D. — Luke Bormann’s fondness for football took off in the same place his prep career came to a close — celebrating a state football championship on the floor of the DakotaDome.

A fan of the sport from an early age, some of Bormann’s earliest football memories come from watching Parkston High School compete for the 2013 and 2014 Class 11B titles. Though the Trojans came up short the first go-around, just one year later, Bormann, then a third-grader coming off his first season of organized football, got to celebrate on the dome turf with the varsity Trojans as Parkston captured its first-ever state football championship.

That day sparked a flame that grew in intensity until Nov. 9, 2023, as Bormann, now a senior, and his teammates took down the program’s first nine-man state title. Clearing the final hurdle had proven elusive, as the Trojans suffered a handful of setbacks and heartbreaks in pursuit. But like the group of Trojans that provided a young Bormann with some of his earliest formative football memories, the senior and his teammates banded together to bring their football journey full circle with Parkston’s 12-7 victory to cap and unbeaten 12-0 season.

It was a cathartic experience for Bormann and his teammates, who had spent the better part of three seasons in pursuit of returning Parkston football to the standard set as they watched as youngsters.

“It's honestly more relief than anything. The anxiety of ‘What happens if we don't win?’ It's all gone. We did it,” Bormann said of ending his senior season as a state champion. “We did things that meant a lot to this community before the championship game even started, but for it to go down the way they did, it means a lot for this community to finally be on the top of the mountain again, and I couldn't be happier about it. To put a bow on everything — all the hard work, the long days, the long seasons that didn’t go our way — with a state championship feels great.”

For his role in leading the Parkston football program to an undefeated state championship as the Joe Robbie MVP and most outstanding back honoree, earning all-state and all-conference recognition along the way during his senior season, Luke Bormann earned the Mitchell Republic's 2023 football player of the year award.

As the leading rusher in Parkston’s double-wing attack, Bormann racked up 1,226 rushing yards on just 103 attempts, an average of nearly 12 yards per carry. All told, he produced 1,721 all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns this season, including both Trojan scores in the Class 9AA championship victory.

Since 1994, the Mitchell Republic football player of the year has been selected by the newspaper's sports staff, and conducted via a point-based voting system that awards five points to the top player, four points to the second player on the ballot and so on. Bormann received three of four first-place votes and 18 total points to become the first Parkston player to win the award.

Other players receiving consideration were Parkston’s Will Jodozi and Brayden Jervik, Avon’s Aziah Meyer, Howard’s Taiden Hoyer and Jackson Remmers, Canistota’s Tage Ortman, Hanson’s Brock Tuttle and Chamberlain’s Cruz Soulek.

Parkston's Luke Bormann (11) carries the football while being pursued by several Howard defenders during the Class 9AA football state championship game between the Parkston Trojans and the Howard Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

Lightning in a bottle

Bormann spends his springs and summers racing around the bases for the Parkston High School and American Legion Post 194 baseball teams, but he could well be a star on the track, as well, given the sprinter speed he brought to the gridiron for the Trojans.

Parkston head coach Matt Grave, who remembers seeing Bormann’s competitive spirit and athletic abilities as a seventh-grader in his physical education class, referred to Bormann as “lightning in a bottle” for his ability to impact the game with his speed and playmaking instinct. The fifth-year head coach recalls a three-interception game against then-defending state champion Platte-Geddes (which went on to repeat) in 2021 as the first instance that Bormann flashed his game-breaking abilities, which only grew as Bormann’s role expanded.

Bormann’s 23 touchdowns this season were scored five different ways, as he rushed for 16, caught four, passed for one and had one each in kickoff return and punt return.

“He can do a lot of different things,” Grave said of Bormann. “Give him a little bit of a crease, and he's slippery enough that he can just hit it and go.”

A prime example of Bormann’s explosiveness came in this season’s semifinals against Hamlin. Bormann rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns, including a 96-yard breakaway to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.

It hardly stopped there. As several Trojans battled injury in the Class 9AA championship, there was little mystery as to who was going to be involved. With the offense in need of a spark, No. 11 in blue became Parkston’s quarterback, as the coaching staff trusted him to read the defense and make the correct play.

Parkston's Luke Bormann (11) throws a pass during the Class 9AA football state championship game between the Parkston Trojans and the Howard Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

“He just has a sense of the moment and a sense of what the other team is trying to do and what we're trying to do,” Grave said. “He trusts his teammates, and they allow him to be successful.”

For Bormann, there was no bigger moment than late in the third quarter of the title contest. As he recalls, the Trojans went to a formation installed on the day of the game, prompted by injuries, running the concept “14 GT” which called for the guard and tackle to pull around and clear a hole.

It was executed to perfection.

With Parkston trailing 7-6, Bormann ripped off a 74-yard sprint to give the Trojans their first lead, the only one they’d need to close out the program’s first nine-man title.

“If you watch the play, at about the 30-yard line I'm looking backward and thinking, ‘Where's everybody at?’” Bormann said with a smile while shaking his head. “I couldn't believe how open it was, there hadn't been that big of a crease all game. But our offensive line took everybody and just washed them out of the play.”

‘From fun to focus’

In 2021, Bormann was thrust into the lineup for the first time due to an injury to a teammate, becoming a defensive starter. An eager Bormann was full of confidence, Grave remembers, but the coaching staff was less certain at the time.

Still, Parkston reached the Class 9AA semifinals as the No. 2 seed but lost a late lead in a loss to Canistota/Freeman. Bormann missed out on the Trojans’ playoff run due to a concussion, but as the program closed in on an elusive trip to the DakotaDome, a switch flipped.

“He showed glimpses that he could go compete, and you could see that confidence,” Grave recalled. “... He just enjoyed being out there with the guys to compete. It didn't matter rain, sunshine or snow; he was our energy guy.

“His junior year, it just went from fun to focus. We were close. We lost in the semifinals at home, and we didn't want that feeling again,” Grave continued. “So his junior and senior year was really kind of fine-tuned, and he brought other guys along with him. He really focused on growing into more of a man than just having fun playing sports.”

Parkston's Luke Bormann (11) carries the football during the Class 9AA football state championship game between the Parkston Trojans and the Howard Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

The results that followed were indicative of a sharper, determined squad. Parkston bashed its way to a state title game appearance in 2022, wiping out the No. 3 and No. 2 seeds on the road in the quarterfinals and semifinals by a combined score of 70-15. A 34-14 defeat against Wall in the title game was a tough result to swallow, but Bormann, who was quickly evolving into the Trojans’ go-to vocal leader, and a rising senior class knew they had the talent and motivation to get back and break through the final barrier.

“We didn't put our best foot forward and learned from that experience,” Bormann said. “That was huge going into this year because we knew what we had we knew the talent. We figured if we stayed disciplined and took care of the football, we were gonna be our own worst enemy.”

Bormann and company were spot-on.

Parkston put forward one of the most dominant defensive seasons in nine-man history, shutting out eight of 12 opponents and allowing 30 total points for the season, 14 of which came in the first game. During their playoff run, the Trojans faced the first, third and fifth-ranked scoring offenses in the class and held them to 10 total points. Bormann jokes that the defensive line and linebackers were so dominant that he didn’t have to do much from his defensive back spot, where he had 28 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions.

Parkston's Luke Bormann (11) tackles a Viborg-Hurley ballcarrier during the first round of the Class 9AA state high school football playoffs on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Parkston. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

Offensively, the backfield of Bormann alongside fellow senior Brayden Jervik and junior Kolter Kramer behind a powerful offensive line pushed the Trojans' offense. For the season, Parkston churned out nearly 4,000 total yards and more than 41 points per game, finishing the season with a scoring margin of 494-30.

“The O-line just did an incredible job this year trying to crush guys in so we can get the edge,” Bormann said, giving a special shout-out to pulling guard Jaron Nesheim. “It's fun to be the guy that it takes one seam, one cut, but our offense this year was pretty great. We can take a few plays, get five or six yards a pop or we could take one play 70 yards. When you can do both of those things that makes you a lot more dangerous.”

Along the way, the Trojans looked to Bormann, who never shied away from the moment. At halftime of the 2023 title game and facing a 7-0 deficit, Bormann spoke to the team before the coaches came to the locker room.

“I won’t get into exactly what I said, because that's not exactly paper-worthy,” Bormann said with a small laugh. “We just needed to get on the same page. Throughout the year, I talked at halftime if we needed it to give our guys a little spark.

“We had guys that were going through stuff, and you could tell on their faces just how much it hurt them to be out there,” he continued. “I pretty much said, ‘Guys, we're talented, but we're not showing it. I know it sucks, but we all just need to fight through it and give the best 24 minutes we got. I think we're gonna win this game, but it's going to take each and every one of us.’”

From left, Parkston's Brayden Jervik and Luke Bormann celebrate a tackle for loss during a nine-man football game on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Parkston. Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic

After talking amongst themselves on the field for several minutes, the Parkston coaching staff came into the locker room at the tail end of Bormann’s impassioned monologue.

“I didn't get to hear much of it, but you could sense the intensity,” Grave said. “When we walked in, you could see everybody's eyes changed, everybody's demeanor changed. Whatever was said in there, they listened, and everybody rallied together.

“That just shows the maturity and the leadership that he has from being that smart, goofy kid as a middle schooler, to now being a mature individual that's trying to lead men,” he added. “It was the perfect timing for us, and it was something that they needed from a teammate and not a coach, just to get everybody's attention and get refocused.”

Parkston proud

As much as Bormann and company wanted to win a state championship for the program and for themselves, they also wanted to bring a trophy back to the community of Parkston.

“It's kind of tough to measure how much it means. There's no town that I'd rather do it for than Parkston,” Bormann said. “I’m born and raised here, and everywhere you’ve got support. Everybody's involved, and it means a lot that we can do it for them because they've always been here for us.

“At our welcome home celebration, there were so many people. So many people came to say congrats and wanted to see us one more time, and I think that that really put a bow on it all,” he continued. “You could definitely see that people in the community were waiting for this, and they wanted to win just as badly as we did.”

The way the 2013 and 2014 teams left a lasting impression on future generations of Trojans such as Bormann’s senior class, Bormann and Grave are hopeful that the 2022 and 2023 Parkston Trojans have provided the spark to another bright future.

“The environment they've created is special, and this is what (the seniors) wanted to leave for the next several years,” Grave said. “To see Luke have a vivid memory (of Parkston football in 2013 and 2014) from that many years ago, hopefully we did something to continue that and everybody has that same burning desire.”

Parkston's Luke Bormann (11) leaps into a teammate's arms in celebration following the Trojans' win over Howard in the Class 9AA football state championship game on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

Here's a look at the other players who received consideration, with their vote-point totals in parenthesis:

Aziah Meyer, Avon (17): The lone junior in consideration, Meyer earned Joe Robbie MVP and most outstanding back honors in the Class 9B championship game, helping Avon to its first title since 2013. In a true breakout season, Meyer piled up 1,846 rushing yards and 37 total touchdowns.

Taiden Hoyer, Howard (8): A three-year dual-threat starter at quarterback, Hoyer guided the Tigers to two championship appearances and wrapped up his career with more than 4,000 yards of total offense and 70 touchdowns. Also a 2023 all-state defensive back, Hoyer had 111 tackles and 12 interceptions in his career.

Will Jodozi, Parkston (6): An all-state defensive lineman in 2022, Jodozi earned all-state honors on the offensive side this season and was the most outstanding lineman of the Class 9AA championship game. This season, he paved the way for nearly 4,000 total yards, 3,500 of which came on the ground, and 62 touchdowns.

Tage Ortman, Canistota (4): Guiding the Hawks to a Class 9A semifinal, Ortman accounted for 32 total touchdowns this season, passing for 1,747 yards and rushing for 925 more, adding three defensive interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He finished his prep career with just shy of 6,700 total yards of offense and 82 total touchdowns.

Jackson Remmers, Howard (3): The leading rusher on the Class 9AA runners-up, Remmers put up 948 yards and 10 touchdowns in his lone season in the Tigers’ backfield after coming to the program from McCook Central/Montrose, where he was a Class 11B honorable mention in 2022.

Brayden Jervik, Parkston (2): At the core of a Trojan defense that allowed just 90 yards per game and 30 total points for the year, Jervik earned a repeat all-state selection at linebacker and was a threat out the backfield on offense. He finished the season with 53 total tackles, four tackles four loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovered, five passes defensed and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

Brock Tuttle, Hanson (1): Honored as the Class 9AA All-American on the 2023 all-state team, Tuttle finished his prep career with three straight all-state nods, two at fullback (2021, 2023) and one at linebacker (2022). For the Beavers, Tuttle amassed more than 2,000 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns in his career.

Cruz Soulek, Chamberlain (1): After a knee injury forced him to miss his junior season, Soulek broke program records for single-season and single-game passing yards in his final campaign with the Cubs. Soulek eclipsed 1,600 passing yards and 1,100 rushing yards this season and accounted for more than 5,000 yards and 42 touchdowns in his prep career.

Action from the Class 9B football state championship game between the Avon Pirates and the Faulkton Area Trojans on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Action from the Class 9AA football state championship game between the Parkston Trojans and the Howard Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Action from the Class 9AA football state championship game between the Parkston Trojans and the Howard Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Canistota quarterback Tage Ortman (3) carries the football through a crowd of Elkton-Lake Benton defenders during a nine-man high school football game on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Elkton.

Action from the Class 9AA football state championship game between the Parkston Trojans and the Howard Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Action from the Class 9AA football state championship game between the Parkston Trojans and the Howard Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Brock Tuttle snaps the football and runs out of the wildcat for a big gain in the first quarter of Hanson's game against Canistota on Sept. 22, 2023 in Canistota.

Chamberlain's Cruz Soulek awaits a snap during a high school football game on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, in Chamberlain.

Past players of the year