Special Senior Season

BROOKINGS – Bergan Tetzlaff finished up his junior year of high school by committing to play football at South Dakota State. That set him up to enjoy a senior year that has been filled with memorable moments as he prepares to play football collegiately.

The year began with Tetzlaff being the focal point of the Bobcat football team. The ‘Cats went 5-5 under first-year head coach Carter Gordon, but there were plenty of memories made by Tetzlaff and his teammates.

In the third week of the season Brookings played Aberdeen Central at home and Tetzlaff scored a one-yard touchdown on fourth and goal with 14 seconds left to lift the Bobcats over the Golden Eagles. Then in the final week of the regular season the Bobcats hosted top-ranked Huron and came away with a 22-14 win over the Tigers.

Tetzlaff said those two wins were special, but getting to do it with his friends made it even better.

“Those wins in those tight, close games with your high school buddies, those really kind of make your senior year and your football career. Those celebrations in the locker room after a hard fought win and crossing the end zone every time and looking around for your buddies and they’re just all chasing you.

Those are the moments that really matter. You forget about all the conditioning and stuff and you’re just out on the field playing with your boys,” Tetzlaff said.

Brookings season ended with a 7-2 loss to Huron in the quarterfinals of the Class AA Playoffs. However, Tetzlaff was named the Class 11AA All-American as he did damage offensively on the ground and through the air. He had 24 catches for 460 yards and six touchdowns and then ran for 317 yards and seven touchdowns on 70 carries.

Tetzlaff said his senior year was a lot of fun because coach Gordon put the ball in his hands throughout the season.

“It was a special senior season,” Tetzlaff said. “I had a new head coach and I really like [coach] Gordon a lot. He allowed me to really expand my role in the offense. We had some wildcat options for me that really kind of focused on me with the ball and I was really appreciative of that,” Tetzlaff said.

Tetzlaff was an All-State selection as a tight end and Gordon said that he put a lot on Tetzlaff’s plate in his senior season and he stepped up big time, both on and off the field.

“Bergan was a crucial piece to our team the last two years,” Gordon said. “We asked a lot of him this past season and he always answered the bell. He was an incredible leader and teammate.

“We are very grateful to have been a part of his journey and thankful for the amount of time he poured into the Bobcat football program. We cannot wait to watch him compete at the next level for the Jackrabbits.”

After the football season, Tetzlaff turned his attention to the basketball court. He would be the starting center for the Bobcats again and although Brookings struggled in the win-loss column, going 1-19, Tetzlaff put together a strong season. He was named a Class AA All-State Honorable Mention after averaging 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Tetzlaff said it was nice to be an honorable mention, but once again, it was more important for him to accomplish that with his teammates.

“That was a nice little touch to the end of the season. I mean, it doesn’t really mean something to me, but it was just an honor to play with my buddies and finish out my last team sport in high school with them,” Tetzlaff said.

The Bobcats went a combined 2-38 in Tetzlaff’s final two basketball seasons. He said it was tough but he learned a lot from a leadership perspective.

“You know it’s different when you’re leading and you’re winning, like that’s just a different leadership mentality. When you’re not winning, it’s tougher to rally the troops, to get everyone to believe in where we can head and where we can go when you’re losing. So yeah, it is definitely a different mentality from a leader perspective,” Tetzlaff said.

Tetzlaff also had a first-year head coach in basketball this season in Joe Frederiksen. Frederiksen said it meant a lot to have a guy like Tetzlaff on his team in his first year because he gave everything to the team.

“He’s one of those guys, I tell him that he’s one of the toughest guys around. He was playing through an injury and he battled through all that. It’s great to see the heart and the will that he always has. You know, [he’s always thinking] what can I do to help the team. That’s him,” Frederiksen said.

Now that basketball is in the rearview mirror, Tetzlaff will finish out his senior year on the track & field team, throwing javelin and running short sprints.

He will then turn his attention back to football as he’ll be joining SDSU as a defensive end. Playing for the Jackrabbits will be special for Tetzlaff as both his brother and father played for SDSU.

Tetzlaff’s father, Kevin, was named a member of the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame after a stellar career on the football team from 1988-91. He anchored the Jackrabbits’ defensive line and was a two-time First Team All-North Central Conference selection. In 1991 he was a named a Division II All-American by the Associate Press and Football Gazette

Tetzlaff’s brother, Preston, was a linebacker for the Jacks from 2016-2021 and was a team captain during the 2020-21 season.

Tetzlaff said both his brother and father have played a big role in shaping him into the player that he is.

“My brother has been really good for me. We would watch film my sophomore and junior year, finding ways to get better. I would go and work with him in the summer, just because he’d done it before. I knew he got to the highest level, college football. He kind of instilled in me the work ethic, and my Dad did too. [They both helped me] become the best version of myself,” Tetzlaff said.

Given his family lineage at SDSU, it made for a pretty easy decision to commit to the Jackrabbits when Tetzlaff received an offer.

“Watching my brother play for [SDSU] and growing up here in Brookings, it’s been kind of a dream [to go there]. Going to every game and seeing the atmosphere and how dedicated the fans are and stuff like that, it’s always been a dream to wear the yellow and blue. So, when they offered me, I didn’t commit on the spot, but I knew, this is the place that I’ve always dreamt of going to. This is why I worked so hard to get into this position to have an opportunity to play here,” Tetzlaff said.

Just like his father, Tetzlaff will play on the defensive line for the Jackrabbits. He mostly played linebacker for the Bobcats and averged 11 tackles per game in his senior season, but believes that defensive line will be the position that will allow him to make the most of his skillset.

“It’s going to be really fun. I played D-line a little bit in high school, but mostly linebacker. Working with [SDSU defensive line] coach [Logan] McCormick and [SDSU defensive coordinator Brian Bergstrom] on the defensive side of the ball, they’re going to put me in the best position.

Right now I’m 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds and I have pretty long arms. I think my size, IQ and strengths [make defensive end the best position for me],” Tetzlaff said.