High School Football Playoff Preview 2017 by Mitchell Republic

Footbalpreview l Playoffs Prep

October 2017

A special supplement to The Daily Republic

S2 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Football Playoffs Preview

Four smallest football classes under new playoff format SD no longer using “crammed” schedule By Ryan Deal The Daily Republic This year, the nine-man and Class 11B teams will get extra time to battle through the mental and physical exhaustion of the playoffs. The South Dakota High School Activities Association has an altered playoff schedule for the three nineman classes and Class 11B. The first two rounds — the round of 16 and quarterfinals — will be on consecutive Thursdays, as opposed to the traditional Tuesday followed by Monday format. The semifinal round will be Friday, giving athletes a full eight days in between the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. SDHSAA assistant executive director John Krogstrand said a calendar committee was formed and it proposed the idea of spreading out the rounds. He said the players’ health and safety was the main reason for the move. “It will give those kids that rest time that they need, especially down the stretch when you are already kind

of banged up anyway,” Krogstrand said. Krogstrand added in previous years weather pushed back playoff games and this allows for an extra buffer in case postponements force the schedule to be altered. Initially, coaches were against the move because it meant an earlier practice starting date. The four classes began practice on Aug. 7 this year. “I didn’t like it at the beginning because we started early,” Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central coach Jason Kolousek said. “But I knew it would be beneficial toward the back end and I think it was a very positive move going to that, just for the safety of the kids and I think that’s the most important thing that it allows, is that proper recovery time for the players.” In the old format, a team could play five games in 22 days, factoring in the last game of the regular season and if it played in a state championship game. Now, a team could play five games spread out through 28 days.

Matt Gade / Republic

McCook Central/Montrose's Austin Thu (25) fights out of the grip of Wagner's Sagon Ulrich (54) while carrying the ball during a prep football game Sept. 15 in Salem.

flict with other state events on those Fridays. The state cheer and dance competition is Friday, Oct. 20 and allstate chorus and orchestra is Friday, Oct. 27. The semifinal round is Friday, Nov. 3, while the state championship games are Nov. 9-11. The three nineman classes and Class 11B title games are Nov. 9-10. Classes 11A, 11AA and 11AAA start their quarterfinal playoffs on Oct. 26, with the semifinal rounds on Nov. 3. The Class 11AA title game is Nov. 10 and Class 11A and Class 11AAA state title games are Nov. 11.

“To play five days between playoff games isn’t what’s best for the kids and really, you play seven days between games all season and they crammed it in the short amount,” Winner coach Dan Aaker said. “So I think that’s a very positive thing for a lot of areas and I think the health and safety of our student-athletes is the biggest thing.” The first round of the playoffs are Thursday, Oct. 19 and the quarterfinal round is Thursday, Oct. 26. The SDHSAA decided on consecutive Thursdays because it did not want to con-

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 • S3

Football Playoffs Preview

Traxler: The festive football season has arrived



Republic’s prep football playoff guide. We’ve put together 16 pages of content on the postseason prospects of all of the area’s teams, which we hope will be a useful guide to following all the action over the next four weeks. Just like the professional and college sports, the postseason takes everything involved with the high school games and practices to another level. On the football field, the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, but the energy continues to build throughout the community, as every play carries more importance. Soon, decorated school buses criss-crossing South Dakota will be followed by convoys of fans. One of the great parts of high school sports is the feverish support they

Good Luck Titans!

and we are grateful for that. There is one notable, obvious omission from this special section, and that’s coverage of Mitchell High School. The Kernels will be one of the teams to watch in the Class 11AA playoffs and will start the postseason on Oct. 26. So while some of the playoff action is getting underway before the Kernels begin their postseason, look for extensive coverage of MHS football in The Daily Republic’s regular print edition and at mitchellrepublic. com. We’re excited to see another football postseason get started. And we’re looking forward to documenting every moment of it, all the way on the road to Vermillion.

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receive from the members of the community, parents, fellow students and passionate fans. The Daily Republic has always prioritized local high school sports and in the sports department, we enjoy following and documenting the amazing moments and performances on the high school sports scene. That’s led to a couple of new ventures for The Daily Republic this year, which includes Game of the Week coverage in the newspaper and at mitchellrepublic.com, along with our “Prep Focus” series, which runs weekly on Thursdays and documents great high school athletes across south-central South Dakota. The businesses that support this special section make both high school sports and the coverage of it possible

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Pep rallies. Festive fans. And great football. One of the best sports seasons of the year is late fall, simply because of playoff football. The next four MARCUS weeks are about as TRAXLER good as it gets for Sports editor high school football. Starting Thursday, teams will be whittled down, eventually left with seven crowned champions during Nov. 9-11 at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. This is an exciting time for a number of area communities, and that led to the inaugural edition of The Daily

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S4 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Football Playoffs Preview

Defending champions making their moves Colome, Gregory and Winner eye deep postseason runs

By Eric Mayer The Daily Republic Colome, Gregory and Winner are all familiar with the road to the DakotaDome. Last year, three teams separated by 27 miles along U.S. Highway 18 in south central South Dakota took the state by storm and the Cowboys, Gorillas and Warriors each claimed a state championship. As the 2017 playoffs begin, all three schools are in contention to defend their titles, but each enters the postseason in different scenarios. Gregory, which locked up its second straight unbeaten regular season with an impressive 44-14 win over No. 3 Miller/Highmore-Harrold last week, enters as a heavy favorite to repeat as Class 9AA champions. The Gorillas will be the No. 1 seed and will host Elkton-Lake Benton in their first playoff contest on Thursday in Gregory. Gregory head coach Brian Allmendinger said his team needs to continue doing what it does best — light up the scoreboard and play stout defense. “The biggest thing is just maintaining the focus and taking it one

snap at a time and one game at a time,” Allmendinger said. In eight games, Gregory is averaging 46 points per game and the

postseason experience and Allmenginder said his team faced plenty of challenges in the regular season. “We’ve played some really good

Ryan Deal / Republic

Colome’s Chase Dufek returns a kick upfield against Burke/South Central during a game earlier this season in Colome. Gorillas haven’t scored less than 34 points this season. Led by 12 seniors, Gregory has plenty of players with

teams,” said Allmendinger, noting Wolsey-Wessington, Rapid City Christian, Kimball/White Lake,

Parkston, Bon Homme and Miller/Highmore-Harrold each lost to Gregory and reached the playoffs. “That should prepare us pretty well for the postseason.” Allmendinger stressed how competitive Class 9AA appears to be. He pointed to Hamlin, which also finished the regular season 8-0 and North Border as two tough teams. “North Border, there’s four schools put together there and they have a bunch of upperclassmen on that team,” Allmendinger said. “Irene-Wakonda has had a really nice season. Some of the far east teams we don’t see a lot but Garretson, Arlington-Lake Preston and Baltic are tough programs. Just like last year, there’s just a bunch of good teams out there.” While other teams in Class 9AA will be gunning to knock off the Gorillas, they’ll have to do it in Gregory and Allmendinger said home field advantage can’t be understated. “We really like playing at home and it’s a special atmosphere,” Allmendinger said. “We get a lot of great support from the community.”

Winner embracing challenge in Class 11B

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 • S5

Football Playoffs Preview

FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF PAIRINGS FOR PREP FOOTBALL SMALL SCHOOLS By The Daily Republic

The first round of the South Dakota High School Activities Association football playoffs in Class 11B and nine-man classes will start Thursday, Oct. 19. The pairings are listed below:

CLASS 11B

Region 1 No. 4 Bennett County (4-4) at No. 1 Groton Area (5-3), 6:30 p.m. No. 3 Mobridge-Pollock (4-4) at No. 2 Aberdeen Roncalli (4-4), 8 p.m., at Swisher Field. Region 2: No. 4 Elk Point-Jefferson (3-5) at No. 1 Sioux Valley (8-0), 7 p.m., in Volga No. 3 Canton (4-4) at No. 2 Sioux Falls Christian (7-1), 7 p.m., at Bob Young Field, Sioux Falls. Region 3: No. 4 Mount Vernon/Plankinton (5-3) at No. 1 Woonsocket/Wess. Springs/Sanborn Cent. (7-1), 7 p.m., in Wessington Springs No. 3 McCook Central/Montrose (5-3) at No. 2 Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan (6-2), 7 p.m., in Bridgewater. Region 4 No. 4 Stanley County (5-3) at No. 1 Winner (6-2), 7 p.m. No. 3 Lead-Deadwood (5-3) at No. 2 Red Cloud (6-2), 3 p.m., in Pine Ridge.

CLASS 9AA

Region 1 No. 4 Wolsey-Wessington (4-4) at No. 1 North Border (7-1), 7 p.m., in Frederick No. 3 Webster Area (6-2) at No. 2 Miller/Highmore-Harrold (6-2), 7 p.m., in Miller Region 2 No. 4 Garretson (6-2) at No. 1 Hamlin (8-0), 7 p.m., in Hayti No. 3 Baltic (6-2) at No. 2 Arlington/Lake Preston (6-2), 7 p.m., in Arlington Region 3 No. 4 Deuel (5-3) at No. 1 Bon Homme (6-2), 7 p.m., in Tyndall No. 3 Parkston (4-4) at No. 2 Irene-Wakonda (7-1), 7 p.m., in Irene Region 4 No. 4 Elkton-Lake Benton (4-4) at No. 1 Gregory (8-0), 6 p.m. No. 3 Rapid City Christian (4-4) at No. 2 Kimball/White Lake (4-4), 6 p.m., in White Lake

CLASS 9A

Region 1 No. 4 Potter County (4-4) at No. 1 Warner (6-2), 7 p.m. No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake (6-2) at No. 2 Britton-Hecla (7-1), 7 p.m., in Britton Region 2 No. 4 Chester Area (3-5) at No. 1 Howard (7-1), 7 p.m. No. 3 De Smet (4-4) at No. 2 Canistota/Freeman (5-3), 7 p.m., in Canistota Region 3 No. 4 Herreid/Selby Area (3-5) at No. 1 Corsica-Stickney (8-0), 6:30 p.m., in Corsica No. 3 Alcester-Hudson (4-4) at No. 2 Avon (6-2), 7 p.m. Region 4 No. 4 Philip (3-5) at No. 1 Lyman (5-3), 7 p.m., in Presho No. 3 New Underwood (5-3) at No. 2 Timber Lake (5-3), 7 p.m., in Timber Lake.

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Region 1 No. 4 Hitchcock-Tulare (4-4) at No. 1 Sully Buttes (8-0), 7 p.m., in Onida No. 3 Langford Area (4-4) at No. 2 Faulkton Area (5-3), 7 p.m., in Faulkton Region 2 No. 4 Northwestern (3-5) at No. 1 Colman-Egan (8-0), 7 p.m., in Colman No. 3 Waverly-South Shore (3-5) at No. 2 Castlewood (7-1), 7 p.m. in Castlewood Region 3 No. 4 Sunshine Bible Academy (4-4) at No. 1 Colome (7-1), 7 p.m. No. 3 Burke/South Central (4-4) at No. 2 Scotland (4-4), 7 p.m. Region 4 No. 4 Bison (5-3) at No. 1 Wall (8-0), 7 p.m. No. 3 Kadoka Area (5-3) at No. 2 Harding County (8-0), 7 p.m., in Buffalo.

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S6 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Football Playoffs Preview

Team-by-team look at area high school playoff teams By Ryan Deal and Marcus Traxler The Daily Republic

Class 11A top-ranked Madison, which took down BEE 33-6 on Sept. 8. BEE reached the 11B semifinals a year ago, falling to eventual state champion Winner.

Seventeen area football teams have reached the playoffs, each hoping to be the one to put together a special run to the DakotaDome and a South Dakota state high school football championship. A preview on each area team can be found below:

Mount Vernon/Plankinton

Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan

Marcus Traxler / Republic

Canistota/Freeman quarterback Trey Ortman throws a pass during a game at Menno/Marion earlier this year. quarterback and poses a dual-threat in the backfield. Both Weber and Arend have serviceably picked up in Cole Gassman’s place after the allstate running back was lost earlier this year to a knee injury. On defense, lineman Carter Dye has

been all over the place for the Seahawks. In the regular season, he had 79 tackles and nine sacks for BEE. Weber and Bradlee Schultz each have 52 tackles. Overall, the Seahawks have allowed 76 points this year, with nearly half of those given up to

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PLAYOFFS: Page S7

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After years of dominating the nineman ranks, Bridgewater-Emery/ Ethan (6-2) is now looking to make 3-for-3 in Class 11B first-round victories, as it hosts McCook Central/ Montrose in the first round at 7 p.m. Thursday in Bridgewater. Both teams are members of the Big East Conference and the Seahawks blanked MCM 27-0 on Oct. 6 in Salem. Coached by longtime Seahawks leader Jeff VanLeur, BEE boasts a big running game, which was averaging nearly 300 yards per contest prior to the team’s season finale against Sioux Valley, which the Cossacks won 27-15. Jamin Arend has run for 958 yards and 12 touchdowns as BEE’s primary back, and Dustin Weber has eight touchdowns and 418 yards on the ground. Brady Hawkins starts at

Coached by Brent Olson, Mount Vernon/Plankinton (5-3) makes its first appearance in the Class 11B playoffs, taking advantage of four wins in the team’s final five games. The Titans face Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central in the first round at 7 p.m. Thursday in Wessington Springs. Jesse Hastings carries much of the load for the Titans. He surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season. In MVP’s regular-season finale victory at Beresford, Hastings had 230 yards on 22 carries and three touchdowns. He’s scored 16 touchdowns on the ground, and scored at least once in each of MVP’s eight games this year. Quarterback Hayden Haak threw for 432 yards and five touchdowns and ran for four TDs in the Titans’ run-heavy offense.

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 • S7

Football Playoffs Preview

McCook Central/Montrose

PLAYOFFS

McCook Central/Montrose (5-3) would love to get back to winning ways in the playoffs. MCM took full advantage of a easier early season

From Page S6

Hunter Pranger and Thomas Baker are at the heart of the Titan defense, each making 71 tackles this season. MVP made the Class 9AA quarterfinals a season ago, before falling at Baltic.

The first round of the playoffs will lead MCM to play Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan once more, as the two Big East Conference rivals meet in Bridgewater. Running back Austin

Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central

It was a banner year for the Blackhawks, their first in Class 11B. WWSSC won its final six games, including a 21-14 thriller over Winner Oct. 13 to claim the Southeast South Dakota Conference title. The Blackhawks route much of their offense through bruising running back John Witte, who has 174 carries for 1,346 yards and 20 touchdowns. Quarterback Trent Kingsbury threw for 642 yards during the regular season and seven touchdowns, while running for 343 yards and five scores on the ground. Trey Weber has four touchdowns receptions and has three interceptions on defense, as does fellow secondary stalwart Trey Ulmer. WWSSC’s first-round matchup is with Mount Vernon/Plankinton at 7 p.m. Thursday in Wessington Springs, and both sides met often in the Class 9AA ranks. Coached by Jason Kolousek, the Blackhawks downed the Titans 27-6 at Mount Vernon Sept. 1. The Blackhawks are the No. 3 overall seed, which would mean a home game in the quarterfinals if WWSSC can defeat MVP.

Winner

Marcus Traxler / Republic

Mount Vernon/Plankinton’s Hayden Haak cocks his arm to throw during a prep football game Sept. 22 against Winner in Mount Vernon. schedule to win five straight games, before closing with three losses to No. 1-ranked Sioux Valley (34-7), No. 2 Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan (27-0) and Class 11A traditional power West Central (28-21).

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The two-time defending state champions, Winner is back in the Class 11B playoffs and the top seed in its region again, although this year it represents Region 4. That sets up a date with Stanley County — which moved up this year from Class 9AA — in the first round at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Warriors won 42-6 at Fort Pierre Aug. 25 when the two Southeast South Dakota Conference foes met earlier this season. The Warriors remain a run-heavy offense, with a number of quality backs to hand the ball to, rushing for more than 275 yards per game. Winner had 27 first downs and 473 yards of total offense in the first meeting with Stanley County and 430 of those were on the ground, so the Buffaloes will need to stop the run to stay in the game. Riley Calhoon (526 yards / five touchdowns), Phillip Jorgensen (457 yards / one touchdown) and Matt

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Thu had 128 yards in the first meeting, but the Fighting Cougars were held to 240 yards of total offense and couldn’t stop BEE’s rushing game from gaining 362 yards. MCM’s run game averages 233

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yards per game this season and gains 16.5 first downs per game. Thu has run for 646 yards on 91 carries and seven touchdowns. Tanner Grocott (49 tackles) and Kyle Tuschen (47) are among the defensive leaders for MCM. The Fighting Cougars were eliminated by Tri-Valley in the first round of the 2016 playoffs. Coached by Ryan Evans, MCM is seeded No. 11 overall in the 16-team bracket and plays at 7 p.m. Thursday in Bridgewater.

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S8 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Football Playoffs Preview

Matt Gade / Republic

Lyman’s Tate Wagner (20) rolls out of the pocket on a pass play during a game Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan’s Jamin Arend (2) stiff arms Madison’s Jerett Lurz Oct. 13 in Presho. (12) during a game on Sept. 8at Trojan Field in Madison

PLAYOFFS From Page S7

Smither (358 yards / four touchdowns) are among the main ball carriers for Winner. Coach Dan Aaker’s Warriors are the No. 4 overall seed, meaning Winner would be guaranteed a home game in the quarterfinals with a victory.

Bon Homme

Bon Homme (6-2) secured the top seed in Region 2 of Class 9AA, despite having a one-more defeat than Irene-Wakonda (7-1). Bon Homme began the 2017 campaign with five straight wins, before dropping games against ranked foes Gregory (36-26) and Warner (18-12) in back-to-back weeks. The Cavaliers earned regular-season wins over playoff qualifiers Parkston, Wolsey-Wessington, Miller/ Highmore-Harrold and Kimball/ White Lake. The Cavaliers are powered by quarterback Bryce Scieszinski, who has more than 5,000 career passing yards. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Scieszinski is coming off a six-touchdown performance in a 61-6 win over Platte-Geddes. Scieszinski’s top targets are Colin Adams and Joey Slama. Tim Hajek anchors the defense for Bon Homme, which is led by longtime coach Byron Pudwill. Bon Homme was bounced in the first round of last year’s Class 9AA playoffs against Mount Vernon/ Plankinton, 42-37. The Cavaliers

play Deuel at 7 p.m. Thursday in the first round in Tyndall, and as the No. 4 overall seed in Class 9AA, will be at home if they can take down the Cardinals.

Parkston

In its first season in Class 9AA, Parkston (4-4) is the No. 3 seed in Region 3. The Trojans played a demanding schedule this season, which included wins over playoff qualifiers Kimball/White Lake (26-18) and Potter County (50-21). Parkston suffered defeats against playoff teams Bon Homme, Gregory, Wolsey-Wessington and Miller/ Highmore-Harrold. Quarterback Dawson Semmler carries the Trojan offense, which also features Brady Albrecht, Brayden Leischner and Tulsa Janish. Parkston was defeated by Winner 52-0 in the first round of last year’s Class 11B playoffs. The Trojans, coached by Eric Norden, play Irene-Wakonda on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Irene in the first round this season. Parkston is the No. 11 overall seed in the tournament.

Gregory

Ranked No. 1 all season in Class 9AA, Gregory (8-0) is now also the top overall seed in the playoffs and will have home-field advantage throughout. Backed by a potent offensive attack, the defending state champs rolled through the regular season undefeated. The Gorillas are currently riding

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a school-record 20-game winning streak. Quarterback Andy McCance and wide receiver Jayd VanDerWerff are dynamic playmakers for the Gorillas. McCance is the school’s career passing leader. This season, VanDerWerff has 406 receiving yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He’s added 264 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. The Gorillas will be looking for their third state title in four years. In addition to last year’s state title, Gregory also won the Class 9AA crown in 2014. Gregory, led by coach Brian Allmendinger, plays Elkton-Lake Benton at 6 p.m. Thursday in the opening round.

Kimball/White Lake

Kimball/White Lake (4-4) is back in the playoffs for a second straight season and can thank its effort in the second half of the season for that. After an 0-4 start and playing the four toughest teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, the WiLdKats earned a 16-14 win over Wolsey-Wessington and then blew out Ipswich/Edmunds Central, Platte-Geddes and Lyman by an average of more than 47 points per game. Quarterback Dylan Mohnen engineers the KWL offense, which runs through Kory Peters, Carter Fredericksen and Jackson Nockels as the primary ball carriers. Kimball/White Lake will play Rapid City Christian in the first round of the playoffs in a 6 p.m. game Thurs-

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Howard (7-1) is in the playoffs for a second straight year, moving up to Class 9A this season. The Tigers have the top seed in Region 2 and will host Chester Area at 7 p.m. Thursday. Howard won the prior meeting this season, a 49-28 victory over the Flyers Oct. 6 in Howard. The Tigers, coached by Pat Ruml, boast a multi-faceted rushing attack, mixing a number of running backs around quarterback Mitch Kramer. Juniors Michael Hofer, Zach Pardy, Gavin Ericksen-Reisdorfer and seniors Kalub Carmichael and Ethan Cramer all take key carries for the Tigers, an offense that is averaging 46.7 points per game. Evan Kizer, Aidyn Feldhaus and EJ Leetch are the key players on the Howard defense. Howard, which won the Class 9A championship in 2014, is tied for the No. 3 overall seed in Class 9A, meaning the Tigers will be home in the quarterfinals if they can get past Chester Area.

Canistota/Freeman

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PLAYOFFS: Page S9

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day in White Lake. The teams shared only two common opponents despite being in the same Region 4. The Comets also played Lyman and lost 16-12 to the Raiders. Coach Dale Taylor’s WiLdKats are the No. 13 seed overall in the Class 9AA bracket.

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Football Playoffs Preview

PLAYOFFS From Page S8

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Matt Gade / Republic

Howard

Parkston’s Luke Bietz (1) tries to shake off the tackle attempt of Bon Homme’s Kaleb Crownover (27) during a nine-man football game Aug. 18 in Tyndall.

Canistota/Freeman

In the team’s first year under a new name, mascot and colors, Canistota/ Freeman battled to a 5-3 mark in the regular season. (Canistota and Freeman players played together in 2016 under the Canistota Hawks name.) The Pride host De Smet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the opening round in Canistota. The Pride were the preseason No. 1 for the state’s media in Class 9A but had their season knocked off course with a close loss to Howard 27-26 in Cornbelt Conference play. C/F scored an impressive win over Irene-Wakonda 34-28 on Sept. 22 but lost on the road at Baltic the next week (4228) and was stunned in the regular season finale by Garretson 48-8 in Canistota. After playing mostly quarterback as a junior, Scott Jolley was the bellcow running back for the Pride in the regular season, rushing 177 times for 981 yards and 16 touchdowns, while

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PLAYOFFS: Page S10

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S10 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Football Playoffs Preview

Corsica-Stickney

From Page S9

regular season. (Canistota and Freeman players played together in 2016 under the Canistota Hawks name.) The Pride host De Smet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the opening round in Canistota. The Pride were the preseason No. 1 for the state’s media in Class 9A but had their season knocked off course with a close loss to Howard 27-26 in Cornbelt Conference play. C/F scored an impressive win over Irene-Wakonda 34-28 on Sept. 22 but lost on the road at Baltic the next week (4228) and was stunned in the regular season finale by Garretson 48-8 in Canistota. After playing mostly quarterback as a junior, Scott Jolley was the bellcow running back for the Pride in the regular season, rushing 177 times for 981 yards and 16 touchdowns, while adding three receiving scores and 80 tackles on defense. Tristan Pierce has ran for 442 yards. Trey Ortman moved under center and completed 60-of-104 passes for 959 yards and nine touchdowns, and has most frequently found Charles Harberts, who has caught four touchdowns and has 302 yards. Bailey Sage leads the defense at linebacker, making 70 stops for Canistota/Freeman, which is seeded seventh overall in the class and coached by James Strang.

The Jaguars from Corsica-Stickney have proven to be one of the strongest area nine-man teams annually, and 2017 is no outlier. C-S finished the regular season at 8-0, winning the Great Plains Conference and averaging 47.1 points per game with four shutouts. The Jaguars have been explosive offensively, rushing for more than 2,000 yards as a team, while throwing for nearly 900 yards as a team. Quarterback Blake Moke leads a strong offense, which includes Bryce Plamp, Caysen Eide, Gavin Zomer and Cordel Menning as key playmakers, leading the last remaining undefeated team in Class 9A. The Jaguars defense is allowing six points and about 160 yards per game for opponents. Corsica-Stickney has bowed out in the semifinals each of the last two years, falling at Langford Area in 2015 and at home against Colome in 2016, with both of those opponents eventually winning the state title. Corsica-Stickney, as the No. 1 overall seed in the class, will have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, and will host Herreid/Selby Area in the first round at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Corsica.

Avon

After two years away from the playoffs, Avon (6-2) is back in the postseason in 2017 and seems poised to make a threat in Class 9A. Avon hung 22 points on Corsica-Stickney, the No. 1-ranked team in the class in

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Region 4 in Class 9A, edging fellow 5-3 foes Timber Lake and New Underwood. Lyman defeated New Underwood on Sept. 29 in a 22-0 contest. But thanks to a 52-0 loss to Kimball/White Lake in the regular season finale, Lyman scored and allowed the same amount of points this season — 204. Tate Wagner has been effective at quarterback, completing 63.3 percent of his passes (50-of-79) for 781 yards and 10 touchdowns. Carter Collins has been the primary back for the Raiders, rushing for 806 yards on 156 carries and seven touchdowns, with five 100-yard games this season. Corwin Mohr-Eymer is dangerous in the ground and aerial game, rushing for 400 yards and five touchdowns, while hauling in 24 passes for 492 yards and six touchdowns for Lyman. When Lyman last made the playoffs in 2014 and 2015, the Raiders were in Class 9AA. Lyman is the No. 8 overall seed in Class 9A, so the Raiders need a couple of upsets to remain at home in the playoffs.

Lyman

Colome, the defending champions in Class 9B, begin their efforts to repeat in earnest on Thursday, hosting Sunshine Bible Academy at 7 p.m. Thursday. Coached by former Winner standout Ben Connot, the Cowboys weren’t tested in their first five games of the season, winning by a combined

Of the 17 area teams in the playoffs this year, only two of them did not make the playoffs in 2016 and Lyman is one of those teams returning to the fold. Thursday’s 7 p.m. first-round matchup with Philip is a rematch of a regular season contest, a 38-12 win over the Scotties in Presho. Coached by Michael Kieffer, the Raiders claimed the No. 1 seed in

PLAYOFFS: Page S12

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the season opener Aug. 18 and rattled off six wins after that in Great Plains Conference play before a tight 26-20 loss to Colome on Oct. 13. Jacob Cihak is the primary back for the Pirates, and has ran for better than 11 yards per carry this season. He has 1,191 yards on 106 carries and 22 touchdowns, while adding 38 tackles and two interceptions on defense. Tate Wynia has 659 rushing yards and eight touchdowns and has made 87 tackles on the season. Brady Cameron has been efficient at quarterback, hitting 60 percent of his passes for 738 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wyatt Duncan has made 70 tackles for the Avon defense. Avon plays Alcester-Hudson in the first round at 7 p.m. Thursday, which will be a rematch of a game from Aug. 25 that was postponed two days and completed on a Monday afternoon, with Avon doubling up Alcester-Hudson 72-36. Cihak ran all over the Cubs in the first meeting, racking up 279 yards and six touchdowns. Avon had 457 yards on the ground in total.

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 • S11

Football Playoffs Preview

Marcus Traxler / Republic

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S12 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017

From Page S10

294-40 margin. But the Cowboys hit the heart of the Great Plains Conference schedule with Scotland, Corsica-Stickney and Avon to close the regular season, and Colome won two of the three. Corsica-Stickney dealt Colome (7-1) its only loss of the year in a 22-6 contest and the Cowboys wrapped up the regular season with an important 26-20 win over Avon. Chase Dufek, Jackson Kinzer and Wyatt Cahoy are the leading ball carriers for Colome, which is quarterbacked by Layton Thieman. Colome has the fifth-most seed points in Class 9B heading into the 16-team bracket and has made the state semifinals in three of the last five playoffs.

Burke/South Central

and Bonesteel joined forces for football, the Cougars are looking to pick up a first-round road win over Scotland, which would be their first playoff triumph since 2013. The game is at 7 p.m. Thursday in Scotland. Mike Sebern’s team went 4-4 in the regular season, but had an important 40-28 home win over Alcester-Hudson in the season finale to make sure they’d be in the playoff field. Finn Hanson ran wild on the Cubs, with 218 rushing yards on 21 attempts, while Tyrone Mizner and Brock Karbo each had 70-plus rushing yards, as Burke/South Central ran for 379 total yards. Michael Preslicka, Jaden Frank, Hanson and Karbo are among the defensive leaders for the Cougars. BSC, which averaged nearly 29 points per game, is tied for ninth in overall seed points among the 16 teams in the Class 9B bracket.

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Scotland Scotland earned a 30-12 win at Bonesteel to open the season Aug. 18 and that victory gave the Highlanders (4-4) the right to host Burke/South Central in the first round of the Class 9B postseason at 7 p.m. Thursday. Both teams finished 4-4 and had the same amount of seed points (40.750). In that first meeting, Bryan Vaughan carried the ball for 91 yards and two touchdowns and Mason Dennis threw a touchdown pass, as the Highlanders ran for 212 yards in the win. Dennis had three touchdown passes and 230 yards in Scotland’s regular season finale and nearly helped his team upset then-undefeated Colome on Sept. 29 in a 20-14 loss. Scotland, coached by Ryan Robb, made the Class 9A quarterfinals a year ago before falling to Warner. Scotland is among a number of teams with the ninth-most seed points in the class.

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Class 11AAA 1. SF Washington (32) 8-0 160 1 7-1 127 2 2. SF Roosevelt 3. SF O’Gorman 6-2 96 3 6-2 65 4 4. Brandon Valley 5. RC Stevens 4-4 17 5 Receiving votes: Aberdeen Central 14, SF Lincoln 1. Class 11AA 6-2 157 1 1. Pierre (29) 2. Harrisburg (3) 5-3 129 3 3. Mitchell 5-3 97 2 4-4 63 4 4. Douglas 5. Brookings 2-6 23 5 Receiving votes: Yankton 6, Huron 5. Class 11A 1. Madison (31) 8-0 159 1 8-0 128 2 2. Dakota Valley (1) 3. Dell Rapids 7-1 96 3 6-2 51 5 4. St. Thomas More 5. Tea Area 5-3 29 4 Receiving votes: Milbank 12, Todd County 4, Tri-Valley 1.

Class 11B 8-0 160 1 1. Sioux Valley (32) 2. SF Christian 7-1 121 3 3. Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan 6-2 91 2 4. Woon./Wess. Springs/S. Central 7-1 73 5 5. Winner 6-2 35 4 Class 9AA 1. Gregory (32) 8-0 160 1 2. Hamlin 8-0 128 2 3. Bon Homme 6-2 86 4 4. North Border 7-1 40 RV 5. Miller/Highmore-Harrold 6-2 34 3 Receiving votes: Irene-Wakonda 27, Baltic 5. Class 9A 1. Corsica-Stickney (32) 8-0 160 1 2. Howard 7-1 126 3 7-1 88 4 3. Britton-Hecla 6-2 71 2 4. Warner 6-2 25 5 5. Clark/Willow Lake Receiving votes: Avon 7, Canistota/ Freeman 3. Class 9B 1. Colman-Egan (29) 8-0 156 1 2. Sully Buttes (3) 8-0 126 3 3. Colome 7-1 90 2 4. Harding County 8-0 46 5 5. Castlewood 7-1 41 4 Receiving votes: Wall 21.

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

The South Dakota Prep Media football polls for the week of Oct. 16 are listed below, ranking the top-five teams and listing the team’s record, points received and ranking in the previous poll. First-place votes received are indicated in parentheses. (This poll is the final edition of the season for the Class 11B and nine-man classes.)

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 • S13

Football Playoffs Preview

Matt Gade / Republic

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S14 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017

first-round matchup on Thursday in Winner, but the team will likely have to win a few road contests to advance to the DakotaDome. As far as Winner head coach Dan Aaker is concerned, his team’s postseason began last week with a game that came down to the wire against Woonsocket/Wessington

Springs/

Sanborn Central. The Blackhawks edged the Warriors 21-14. “This loss other than where it puts us seeding-wise, doesn’t mean anything, we can take a lot from this,” Aaker said after last week’s game. “Penalties killed us and got us in bad down and distance. We are not built to recover from some of those things, we just have to play cleaner, that’s the bottom line.” Aaker added he was proud of his team’s effort against the Blackhawks, but noted the loss should be eye-opening ahead of the playoffs. “(Our guys) know that playing hard isn’t going to cut it all the time, you have to execute on top of it,” Aaker said. “We know that we can play with

Battle-tested Cowboys in the mix in Class 9B Colome starts its quest for a repeat title in Class 9B after earning a big 26-20 victory over Class 9A foe Avon last week. The top seed in Region 3, the Cowboys (7-1) will host Sunshine Bible Academy (4-4) in the first round of the Class 9B playoffs on Thursday in Colome. Class 9B appears to be as deep as any football class in South Dakota as four teams — Colman-Egan, Sully Buttes, Harding County and Wall — each enter the postseason unbeaten. Colman-Egan, last year’s Class 9A state champions, are among the favorites, but the Cowboys returned key pieces from last year’s 9B championship team. “Experience plays an important role in making a run in the playoffs. Knowing what to do in situations and how to handle them helps a lot,” first-year head coach Ben Connot said. “I believe having the composure to handle adverse situations to give 001646256r1

Marcus Traxler / Republic

Gregory’s Caleb Stukel returns a kickoff during a football game in Parkston earlier this season. ourselves a chance will show what experience we have.” Colome’s only loss was Oct. 6, falling to Class 9A No. 1 Corsica-Stickney 22-6 but Connot said the Avon win only helps to build confidence. “Beating a team like Avon after coming off a loss a week ago to a great Corsica team proves to us that we can battle with some really good teams,” he said. The Cowboys weren’t on the tips of many tongues entering the playoffs a season ago, and that’s a scenario

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that would suit Colome just fine this season again. “We know that no matter where you are seeded you will have to beat a few good teams to get to the championship,” Connot said. “The two unbeaten teams that stand out right now are Sully Buttes and Colman-Egan. They have put up some great numbers and have beat some very good teams to show for it. We hope we can get a shot at them eventually and prove that we can play with them.”

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From Page S4

anybody, but we also know we have to execute to the fullest … and that’s what is going to be the focus.” Winner is averaging 27.5 points per game, while allowing 13 points per game.

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 • S15

Football Playoffs Preview

Matt Gade / Republic

Winner’s Ty Bolton, right, carries the ball against Mount Vernon/Plankinton on Sept. 22 in Mount Vernon.

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605-227-4215

Tom Gerlach 125 North Dakota Ave. • Corsica, SD

GO FOR THE GOAL WILDKATS!

Proud Supporters since 1982

Ethan Office

Midwest Cheese

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725 S. Main, Kimball • 605-778-6483 www.overwegrepair.com

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JAGUARS!

605-796-4150

200 North Main · Salem, SD 605-425-2090

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www.brickhouseﬂowers.com

Find us at www.facebook.com/ brickhouseflowers/

S16 • Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Football Playoffs Preview

Eric Mayer / Republic

Corsica-Stickney quarterback Blake Moke (32) stands behind center Josh Gerlach (61) and tackle Jacob Joachim (62) during a game against Avon earlier this year.

A-1 Gas & Go 001646047r1

Rafferty Robbins Drug Store 108 S Main Howard, SD 605-772-5581

Good Luck Pirates!

Go Highlanders!

JAMIE WREN

605-286-3500

550 Main Street Monday - Friday: 9:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. • Saturday: 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Box 367 - Scotland, South Dakota 57059 • (605)583-2234 • www.fmsbscotland.com

West Highway 50 Avon, SD

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Downdraft Bake Booth

ustom Plus Collision Center C is a family owned business that has been serving the Mitchell area since 2004. In 2009 we built a new facility with state of the art equipment to better serve our customers. We take great pride in every job we complete, and are deeply committed to the quality of our work, the timeliness of the repairs, and the complete satisfaction of our customers. t Custom Plus we oﬀer a full line of services, from ﬁxing a minor door ding to a major collision repair. We can handle any insurance claim to take the hassle out of the repair process and get your vehicle back to you in a timely manner. All repairs are backed with a lifetime warranty, including a lifetime paint warranty.

ervices we oﬀer: Collision S Repair, Paintless Dent Removal, Glass Replacement, Custom Paint, Spray in Bedliners, Paint Protection Film, and a full line of vehicle accessories.

Deer at it again? ia n. Hail ag got you r he t down? e g o t ck a b u o y t u p n a ec W

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960 Commerce Street · Mitchell, SD · 605-996-1959 HOURS: Monday-Friday: 8AM - 5:30PM, Saturday: By Appt.

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GO TIGERS!