No. 1 seed Lincoln takes care of business against Rapid City Stevens in sub-freezing temperature

It was a below-freezing 29 degrees in Howard Wood Field, but No. 1 seed Lincoln braved the weather and looked dominant through the majority of their 56-21 win over No. 8 seed Rapid City Stevens.

Lincoln opened the game with 42 unanswered points.

"You never can take anybody for granted," Lincoln football coach Jared Fredenburg said of the matchup against the Raiders. "The whole adage of respect all, fear none. ... no wins are ever done on paper, you (have) to come on the field and prove it."

Patriots quarterback Tate Schafer threw for 194 yards and five touchdowns in the first half alone. Schafer ended the night with 212 passing yards and completed 17 of his 18 passes.

Wide receiver Jack Smith was also a standout in the first 30 minutes of play, bringing down two touchdown receptions and returning a punt 50 yards for a touchdown. He finished the game with 100 receiving yards and broke the record for most receptions in 11AAA, passing Lincoln assistant coach Trey Naasz.

The Raiders finally broke free in the second quarter when quarterback Tate Crosswait connected with Cael Meisman for a 65-yard touchdown pass.

Lincoln looked their most vulnerable during that stretch in the second quarter when the Rapid City Stevens defense forced two consecutive turnovers. Raiders senior defensive end Bryce Swanson came up with a pick-six and then the Raiders' defense forced a fumble on the ensuing drive.

Fredenburg said the lack of intensity and execution after building a large lead is something that's plagued this team throughout the season.

"It's just can't happen," Fredenburg said of that stretch. "No matter what we talk about our standard of play. We don't necessarily talk about who we play, we talk about how we play, and how we played there for a segment of the second quarter was unacceptable."

Up next Lincoln will play Brandon Valley -- a team they defeated 55-13 in Week 8 -- in the Class 11AAA semifinals. The Lynx presents a very different challenge than what the Patriots faced in round one.

"They're big and physical and they play the style of ball that that wins games in October, November," Fredenburg said of their next matchup. "We have to match their physicality ... it's the semifinals of the state playoffs and so you just got to go out and play and you win or go home."

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Lincoln takes care of business against Rapid City Stevens