RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The Hardrocker Football team dominated the game on Saturday from the first snap to the last, to start 2-0 for the first time since 2017.

The first quarter started fast, starting with a 7-play 75-yard drive capped with a 2-yard touchdown run by Ahmad Lewis. The offense got the ball back a couple of plays later thanks to a Gavin Chaddock sack-fumble. One play later, Jayden Johannsen found Lewis for an 8-yard touchdown through the air. On the ensuing Mayville State possession, the Hardrocker defense would step up again, with Chaddock intercepting a pass. Orlando Westbrook III finished off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown, giving South Dakota Mines a 21-0 lead. Before the end of the first quarter, Connor Taylor would add a 27-yard field goal, and Johannsen would connect with Isaiah Eastman for a 6-yard passing score after a Kendahl Johnson interception gave the Hardrockers good field position.
 
Going into the second quarter, the Hardorckers held a 31-0 lead and didn't let up, getting a second sack-fumble, this time from Otutoa Afu. Unfortunately, the Hardrockers would give the ball right back to the Comets, this would happen one more time a couple of drives later, however, the South Dakota Mines defense was up to the task, getting stops and turnovers all night long, posting a shutout through 3 and a half quarters. The Hardrocker offense would get going again a few minutes later on a connection from the Zur brothers, Spencer Zur hit Collin Zur for a 41-yard touchdown through the air. A few drives later Lewis would score his third touchdown of the day to give South Dakota Mines a 45-0 lead going into halftime.
 
Mayville State broke the shutout in the fourth quarter on a 34-yard passing touchdown. The South Dakota Mines offense would score one more time, with Kaleb Roth running it in from 5-yards out, giving the Hardrockers the 52-7 lead that they would end the game with.

About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.