RAPID CITY - After Rapid City Central's 57-26 loss to Sioux Falls O'Gorman on Friday, Cobbler head coach Trent Pikula had some words for his players.

"We have to play the one team we have to win against year in and year out," Pikula said about Thursday's game against Rapid City Stevens, telling his team it should have no problem getting excited for the game.

Not lost on the coach was some added significance in the game. Both Rapid City teams will have only one win entering the game, and the loser may find itself out of the playoffs.

However, Central won't have much momentum from its game Friday.

The Cobblers had trouble tackling against O'Gorman's potent rushing attack.

O'Gorman running backs Will Powell, Phil Wright and Mike Isaacson did most of the damage en route to a 43-7 halftime lead and a 57-26 win. The backs made big plays to score touchdowns on three of the Knights' first five possessions.

Pikula said the Knights did not do anything that his team did not prepare for. The team just has to get back to some fundamentals and tackling, he said.

Issacson opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run after running for 23 yards on the previous play. After a Central three-and-out, the Knights (7-1 overall, 6-0 Greater Dakota Conference) again found the endzone, but this time through the air. Quarterback Tony Viger connected with Powell for 32 yards.

Then, Wright got in on the act in the second quarter - on both offense and defense. He intercepted a Will Mechling pass which set O'Gorman up in the red zone. He then ran untouched into the end zone three plays later.

Central (1-7, 0-6) scored its only seven points against the Knights' starters on the next drive. After Pikula took a timeout and talked to his players, Dimitri Fahey connected with Brad Wells on a double-reverse pass play that covered 79 yards.

But the Knights kept control.

On the ensuing kickoff, Wright took the kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown - the first of three special teams touchdowns for the Knights. Powell added a 61-yards punt return for a touchdown later in the quarter to make the halftime deficit 43-7, and Wright took the opening kickoff of the third quarter 85 yards to complete the starters' scoring.

Central added three touchdowns against the Knights in the second half against the Knights' backups: a nine-yard run by Brad Winkelman, a Mechling 16-yard pass to Fahey and two-yard run by Thomas Vanderpol.

O'Gorman coach Steve Kueter was not surprised at his team's success.

"We came out and played well in the first half and held them off in the second half," Kueter said. "I thought Phil and Will did some things on special teams and did well."

He was also happy to get some backups into the game, starting early in the third quarter.