SPEARFISH, S.D. – Behind a school-record 244 yards rushing from Phydell Paris, the Black Hills State University football team ran away with a 36-10 Swarm Days victory over New Mexcio Highlands Saturday afternoon in Lyle Hare Stadium.
Paris broke the single-game rushing record of 230 yards set by Dave Buum in 1967. The Yellow Jackets, 4-1 overall and in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, also set a team rushing record, recording 447 yards on the ground, breaking the 22-year old record of 402 yards.
The Cowboys (0-5, 0-4 RMAC) got on the scoreboard first when Cody Keith hit Vincent Venegas for a 21-yard connection and a 7-0 lead with 6:41 to go in the first quarter. Black Hills State answered with a field goal from Jess Edens with 1:02 left in the quarter when he hit a 24-yard field goal.
Black Hills State took its first lead of the game when Ryan Hommel hit Eriq Swiftwater for a four-yard touchdown capping a 14-play, 67-yard drive spanning 5:39. The 10-7 lead would hold through the remainder of the first half.
The second half the Yellow Jackets took off running, attempting just one pass in the entire half. Black Hills State rushed for329 yards in the second stanza including two touchdowns from Paris, and one each from Payten Gilmore and Zach Meyer.
The opening play of the third quarter saw Phydell Paris rush for 52 yards followed by two rushes of six yards each. Gilmore took it from there, running 11 yards into the end zone. The freshman was hit at the two-yard line but found momentum on a second push for the score and 16-7 lead.
The Cowboys answered back with a six-play, 30-yard drive with a 38-yard field goal from Luke Jones. That was the last time Highlands would see points go on the scoreboard as the Yellow Jacket defense held NMHU to just 252 yards of total offense.
With the defense doing its part, Paris took the game over with a 12-play, 80-yard drive with 5:02 elapsed on the clock. Paris and Gilmore rushed the entire drive and Paris' one-yard run into the end zone give the Green and gold the 23-10 lead with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
On BHSU's first drive of the fourth quarter, Paris capped a seven-play, 77-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown with 9:59 on the clock. Zach Meyer scored the final touchdown of the game when he ran untouched into the end zone on a 12-yard run and the final score of 36-10.
Not to get lost within the rushing performance, the offensive line blocked for three different Yellow Jacket quarterbacks, not allowing a single sack and helping re-write the record books.
The defense held the Cowboys passing game to 11-of-27 for 88 yards and 164 yards on the ground. The 252 yards that the Yellow Jacket defense held NMHU to, is the fewest since Fort Lewis had 160 yards of offense in the 2012 season.
Damon Goldhammer led the defense with nine tackles while Travis Groves tallied six. Drew Hebel picked of his nation's leading sixth interception of the year when he stepped in front of a Keith pass early in the first quarter. Luis Bach tallied his second interception of the season.
Jarrell Ganaway and Austin Goddard each recorded a sack as the Yellow Jackets totaled six tackles for a loss. Thayer Sauter led the way with 1.5 tackles for a loss.
After Paris' record 244 yards rushing, and an average of 7.9 yards per rush, Gilmore totaled a season-best 107 yards on 16 carries as Shane Brooks totaled 48 yards. Rob Nuttall tallied 24 yards as Ben Sjobaken and Meyer each record 14 and 12 yards, respectively.
Hommel passed for 160 yards on 18-of-30 passing, all in the first half, as Erick Hairston-Belcher was his favorite target with seven receptions for 37 yards. Swiftwater had five receptions for 40 yards and the touchdown. Paris caught two passes, totaling 61 yards.
Jairan Manning led the Cowboys offense with 106 yards rushing on 14 carries.
Black Hills State looks to take down the RMAC's top team next Saturday, hosting Colorado Mesa in a noon kickoff. Colorado Mesa squeaked out a 20-19 win over CSU-Pueblo Saturday and is 5-0 on the season and in the RMAC.
