High School Football Playoff Preview 2018

PREP

Football Playoffs OCTOBER 2018

PREVIEW

A special supplement to The Daily Republic

2

Football Playoffs Preview

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

A team-by-team look at the area football playoff participants

By The Daily Republic

Quarterback Brady Hawkins has also been stellar this season, posting 769 yards and eight touchdowns through the air and another six scores on the ground, while also leading the Seahawks with 87 tackles on defense.

BEE hosts Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central in the first round at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Bridgewater. Back on Aug. 24, the Seahawks downed the Blackhawks, 41-0. A return trip to the DakotaDome not only gives BEE a chance to redeem last season’s loss, but potentially the earlier loss to Canton this season.

Fifteen area football teams qualified for the South Dakota High School Activities Association playoffs, with each vying for a trip to the DakotaDome and a state championship.

A preview on each area team can be found here:

Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central In their second year in Class 11B, the Blackhawks grabbed the No. 4 seed in Region 3 after recording a 3-5 record during the regular season, which included back-to-back wins by a total of seven points. WWSSC beat Redfield/Doland 14-8 on Sept. 14 and came back the following week to beat Chamberlain 13-12 in overtime on quarterback Landon Wolter’s only rushing score of the season.

The Blackhawks have struggled with turnovers this season, turning the ball over 20 times, but they have also been opportunistic on defense.

WWSSC has forced 12 turnovers, with 11 of them being fumbles and nine of them came in its three wins.

The Blackhawks draw the top seed in Region 3, Bridgewater-Emery/ Ethan, in the first round Thursday at 7 p.m. in Bridgewater. WWSSC hopes to avenge a 41-0 loss on Aug. 24. The Blackhawks committed three turnovers and surrendered 497 yards of total offense to the Seahawks in their first meeting.

Mount Vernon/Plankinton

It has been a season to remember so far for MVP, which won its first seven games before falling to Beresford, the No. 3 overall seed in Class 11B. The Titans are in just their second seaWoonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central’s Landon Wolter (3) son of 11-man football, but enter the carries the ball against Wagner on Aug. 17 in Wessington Springs. Eric Ruml playoffs with the No. 4 overall seed (56) is in the background. (Ryan Deal / Republic) and the No. 2 seed in Region 3.

MVP has outscored opponents 336was ended last season by Bridgewa- road should it get through Custer.

115 this season, with running back ter-Emery/Ethan in the quarterfinals.

Jesse Hastings serving as the bellWinner has averaged 32.5 points per Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan cow of the offense. The 6-foot, 230game this season and 40 in its final pound junior ran for 1,090 yards and Last season’s state runner-up in three games following a loss to Mount 20 touchdowns, averaging 9.8 yards Vernon/Plankinton. The offense is led Class 11B has spent most of this year per carry in the process. Backfield by a rushing attack that averages 282 atop the South Dakota Prep Media partner Weston Tobin also added 541 yards per game on the ground and has poll until a Sept. 28 loss to now-No. yards and eight touchdowns on the four players with at least five touch- 1 Canton. The game was the lone loss ground. for the 7-1 Seahawks, who earned the downs.

The Titans don’t take the air often, Trevor Peters (731 yards and 11 No. 2 overall seed for the playoffs and but five of quarterback Hayden Haak’s touchdowns) and Phillip Jorgensen the top seed in Region 3.

Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan is led by 20 completions have resulted in (565 yards and five touchdowns) get the bulk of the carries, but quarter- do-it-all running back Jamin Arend, back Brady Fritz and running back who racked up 887 rushing yards and PLAYOFF: Page 3 Winner Sam Kruger have also been proven 14 touchdowns, including a 288-yard, four-touchdown performance against After starting the season 3-2, Win- commodities in the backfield. ner won its final three games of the The Warriors host No. 4 Custer Sioux Valley in the regular season regular season to finish 6-2, earning in the first round on Thursday. The finale. Arend also has two receiving the top seed in Region 4. The War- Wildcats are 5-3 after a pair of losing scores, two punt returns for touchriors look to bounce back into the seasons previously. Winner had the downs, a kick return for a score and upper echelon of Class 11B after a run sixth-highest seed point total, which interception returned for a touchof back-to-back state championships means it’s looking at playing on the down.

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Football Playoffs Preview

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

PLAYOFF From Page 2

touchdowns. Haak also added 294 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

MVP hosts the No. 3 seed in Region 3, Stanley County, at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Mount Vernon. The Titans downed the Buffaloes 40-7 in the opening week of the season after holding Stanley County to just 151 yards of total offense. It was one of two losses in a row to start the season for the Buffaloes, who then rattled off five consecutive wins and finished the season 5-3.

Bon Homme

Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan’s Jonah Hofer runs by a host of Madison defenders on Sept. 7 in Bridgewater. (Marcus Traxler / Republic) Bon Homme is hoping to avenge last year’s quarterfinal loss after entering the playoffs with the top seed in the region. First up for the Cavaliers is Deuel on Thursday in Tyndall for a rematch of last year’s first round game that saw Bon Homme roll, 50-0. The Cardinals enter the playoffs 5-3, but have not beaten a team with a winning record.

TDA/ACDC After years of futility on the gridiron, the Nighthawks won their final six games after starting the season 0-2 and have secured the No. 2 seed in Region 3. TDA/ACDC is in its second year as a co-op, but this marks the first playoff appearance for TDA since 2009.

The Nighthawks have beaten opponents by an average of 28 points

could mean the two teams provide a shootout.

Gregory Coming off a 6-2 regular season, the Gregory Gorillas are looking for a three-peat. Gregory’s losses this season have come to the top-two teams in Class 9AA, Bon Homme (7-6) and Wolsey-Wessington (3413), though the Gorillas still earned the top seed in Region 4.

Despite not topping 15 points in its two losses, Gregory is still averaging 34 points per game. However, it is powered by a strong defense, which have allowed 10.4 points per contest and shut out Parkston and Rapid City Central.

JJ Beck leads the team with 55

PLAYOFF: Page 4

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per game during the winning streak and have an offense that has posted 39 points per game during that span.

The unit is propelled by quarterback Jace Faulkner who has 16 touchdowns and five interceptions this year, along with 436 yards on the ground and 10 scores.

Faulkner has a pair of weapons in Daaron Tronvold and Micah Lau that can score from anywhere on the field.

Tronvold has 1,327 all-purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns, with 783 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, not to mention six interceptions on defense. Lau, meanwhile, has registered 672 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.

TDA/ACDC has a tough opening round draw in Irene-Wakonda (6-2) at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Tripp.

The Eagles are averaging nearly 53 points per game this season, which

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Howard’s Lane Miller (20) trips up Canistota/Freeman’s Austin Thu (25) as he carries the ball Aug. 24 in Howard. (Matt Gade / Republic)

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The Cavaliers appear to be one of the top teams in Class 9AA after posting a 7-1 record in the regular season, earning the No. 4 overall seed and the top seed in Region 3.

Bon Homme took the top seed in the class, Wolsey-Wessington, to the brink in a 38-36 loss on Aug. 24 and then raised some eyebrows with a 7-6 win over two-time defending state champion Gregory on Sept. 21.

Quarterback Joey Slama leads an offense that has scored 25 points or more in seven of eight games.

The 6-foot-3 senior is completing 67 percent of his passes for 960 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also leading the team in rushing with 471 yards and 10 more scores and also leads the team with 45 tackles and three interceptions on defense.

Christian Uecker has also proven versatile, rushing for 406 yards and five touchdowns, while also averaging 19.3 yards per catch out of the backfield.

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Football Playoffs Preview

Gregory’s J.J. Beck (32) carries the ball during a nine-man football game against Wolsey-Wessington on Oct. 5 in Wolsey. Also pictured for Gregory is Peyton Feyereisen (40). (Marcus Traxler / Republic) 4-0, the Bulldogs lost three of its final four contests.

From Page 3

Kimball/White Lake The WiLdKats faced three of the top five Class 9AA teams in the first five weeks of the season, leading to a 2-3 start. Kimball/White Lake would bounce back, however, to win its final three games of the season in resounding fashion to enter the playoffs at 5-3 and the No. 3 seed in Region 4 after playing seven of its eight games against playoff teams.

KWL has a variety of playmakers, highlighted by senior running back

Carter Fredericksen, who has posted 11 rushing touchdowns and three more receiving scores. Quarterback Javen Holan is also a threat, throwing seven touchdown passes and running for three more, while Caden Lenz is dangerous as a runner and receiver.

The WiLdKats have one of the biggest lines in the state, with six players 6-foot-6 or taller, led by 6-foot7, 300-pound South Dakota State University commit Bo Donald.

Despite its strong finish, KWL begins its quest to return to the semifinals once again and will do so on the road Thursday against Jones

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tackles and three sacks, while Luke Murray has two interceptions and Rhoss Oliver has racked up 49 tackles and two sacks. Beck is also Gregory’s go-to back, recording 804 yards and 14 touchdowns. Grant Thomas is 40-for-87 through the air for 688 yards and nine touchdowns, including five to Caleb Stukel.

Gregory hosts Baltic (5-3) in the first round at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Gregory. After starting the season

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PLAYOFF

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

PLAYOFF From Page 4

Canistota/Freeman A year after reaching the Class 9A quarterfinals in its first year as a co-op, Canistota/Freeman won its first seven games of the season before falling to Class 9AA power Garretson, 42-22, in the regular season finale.

The Pride (7-1) have grabbed the No. 3 overall seed in the playoffs and the top seed in Region 2.

Before last Friday’s loss, Canistota/Freeman had scored at least 34 points in every game, led by quarterback Trey Ortman, who threw for 900 yards and 13 touchdowns, while completing 63.7 percent of his passes and only tossing three interceptions.

The junior also ran for 591 yards and 12 scores and made 30 tackles on defense.

Ortman has a reliable runner to pitch to in Austin Thu, who notched 932 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, while averaging eight yards per carry. Tyce Ortman has been the team’s leading receiver with 23 catches for 333 yards and five touchdowns.

The Pride is set to host No. 4 Ipswich/Edmunds Central (3-5) in the first round at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Freeman. The Tigers are making their first playoff appearance since 2012, but are just 1-5 since winning the first two games of the year.

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Football Playoffs Preview

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

seed in Class 9A Region 2.

After scoring a total of 50 points in the first three games, Howard has averaged 50.2 points per game in its last five outings. Don’t expect Howard to throw many passes, as the Tiger offense averages 297 yards per game on the ground with a threepronged attack. Howard spreads the ball around evenly between three senior runners. Michael Hofer has rushed for a team-high 863 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Zach Pardy has

racked up 856 yards and 11 scores and Gavin Ericksen-Reisdorfer has 578 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, E.J. Leetch has recorded eight sacks from his position on the defensive line and Tisyn Spader has come up with three interceptions.

The Tigers reached the semifinals last fall, but a return trip must include stringing together a few road wins, starting with Thursday’s first round game at Deubrook Area. The Dolphins started the year 0-3, but closed out

the regular season with five straight wins.

Corsica-Stickney Last season’s Class 9A state runner-up, the Jaguars enter the playoffs with a 4-4 record and the No. 2 seed in Region 3. The Jaguars have been a staple in the postseason in recent years. In addition to last season’s

PLAYOFF: Page 6

Howard

Corsica-Stickney’s Blake Moke (32) stiff arms Avon’s Ashton Frank (88) while carrying the ball during a game Aug. 17 in Avon. (Matt Gade / Republic)

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The Tigers had an inauspicious start to the season, dropping their first two games, but quickly rebounded to win the next five games, including a wild 60-57 shootout win over Class 9AA Irene-Wakonda on Sept. 14. Howard would eventually lose the final game of the regular season to Class 9AA Viborg-Hurley, 54-52, in overtime to finish 5-3 and move into the No. 3

Football Playoffs Preview

Kimball/White Lake’s Carter Fredericksen (20) stiff arms Parkston’s Rylan Leischner during a game Aug. 31 at Joe Quintal Field in Mitchell. (Matt Gade / Republic)

PLAYOFF

Moke has thrown for 843 yards and 10 passing touchdowns this season.

From Page 5 Defensively, Jaden Barse has racked up 46 tackles and three interceptions.

Offensively, he’s rushed for 386 yards runner-up finish, they reached the and four touchdowns, while hauling semifinals in 2015 and 2016. in 22 catches for 227 yards and three This season’s team is powered more scores. offensively by running back Caysen Corsica-Stickney will host Lyman Eide and quarterback Blake Moke.

(3-5) on Thursday in the first round Eide has rushed for 836 yards and of the playoffs in Corsica. eight touchdowns. He’s added 241 receiving yards and three more scores. On defense, Eide has recorded Lyman 39.5 tackles. An all-state quarterback, The Lyman football team reached

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Lyman’s Corwin Mohr-Eymer runs the ball down the sideline during a game against Hill City Sept. 14 in Presho. (Marcus Traxler / Republic)

the playoffs out of a crowded Region mage (681 rushing, 347 receiving and 4 in Class 9A. The Raiders (3-5) were six total touchdowns) for the Raiders. tied on seed points with Ipswich/ Ty Schindler has thrown for 633 yards Edmunds Central but both teams were able to claim the final two spots in the PLAYOFF: Page 7 playoffs. The Raiders will leave the region to take on Corsica-Stickney in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday in Corsica.

Lyman boasts a big offense, averaging 350 yards per game and four games of 200-plus rushing yards on the season. Corwin Mohr-Eymer has more than 1,000 yards from scrim-

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Football Playoffs Preview

Platte-Geddes’ offensive line blocks for Kade Starr as he delivers a pass during a game at Parkston on Sept. 14. (Jeremy Karll / Republic)

Corsica-Stickney’s Jaden Barse (44) breaks free from the attempted tackle of Avon’s Riley Rucktaeschel (5) during a game Aug. 17 in Avon. (Matt Gade / Republic)

PLAYOFF From Page 6

and six touchdowns for Lyman, while rushing for 514 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. Carter Collins has 512 rushing yards and five touchdowns to diversify the rushing game.

Platte-Geddes The Black Panthers only needed one win to qualify for the playoffs this season. Platte-Geddes won its lone game of the season on Sept. 7 in a 44-6 rout of Herreid/Selby Area.

Despite holding a record of 1-7, the Black Panthers placed third in Class 9A Region 3, giving them an automatic playoff berth.

Running back Kade Starr has been the go-to player on offense. He has not only seen the end zone as a runner, but returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown during a Sept. 14 game at Parkston.

The Black Panthers are set to face the top seed in their region, Alcester-Hudson, at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Alcester. The Cubs are looking to rebound from a 56-6 loss in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

Colome If fans are looking for offense, Colome would be an ideal team to watch. The Cowboys scored 500 points during the regular season and have beaten opponents by an average of 47 points per game en route to an 8-0 record.

Colome has been able to rack up yards through the air and on the ground, with quarterback Jackson Kinzer throwing for 930 yards, 14 touchdowns and no interceptions, while also leading the team in rushing with 715 yards and 12 scores.

The Cowboys also have a two-headed monster in the backfield with senior Chase Dufek (572 yards and seven touchdowns) and freshman Riley Shippy (547 yards and 10 touch-

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The Cougars roll into the playoffs on a three-game winning streak to earn the No. 2 seed in Class 9B Region 3. After dropping two out of three games in the middle of the season, Burke (6-2) outscored its opponents 144-24, including an emphatic 30-12 win over Alcester-Hudson in the regular season finale.

The Cougars rely heavily on dualthreat quarterback Brock Karbo, who leads the team with 464 yards through the air and four touchdowns, along with 422 rushing yards and eight scores. Finn Hanson has also had a strong season in the backfield, leading the team with more than 500 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

Burke is set to host Sunshine Bible Academy at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the first round of the playoffs. The Crusaders (5-3) are led by freshman running back Joel Underwood, who has more than 700 yards and 11 touchdowns for a team seeking its first playoff win since 2009.

Ryan Deal, Jeremy Karll, Nick Sabato and Marcus Traxler contributed to this story

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Colome earned the No. 2 overall seed in Class 9B and the top seed in Region 3, which means the Cowboys host Gayville-Volin (3-5) at 6 p.m.

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Football Playoffs Preview

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Gridiron revival

By Nick Sabato The Daily Republic

program has encouraged competition in practice.

“We were just down for so many years and with the addition of AC/ DC, now we have numbers,” Gemar said. “Your starting spot is not guaranteed because you’re another year older.

You have to earn that spot.”

This season didn’t start as planned, though, losing to Alcester-Hudson 34-12 in the season-opener and then falling to Class 9B No. 2 Colome 54-6 in the second week to begin the year 0-2.

TD/A/AC/DC would rebound in its next two games to beat Avon and Centerville by a combined 88-12, but it wasn’t until the next week against Burke that the team truly began to build confidence. The Nighthawks scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to upend Burke, 40-32, for their third of six consecutive wins.

“I think that’s the week our kids figured it out,” Gemar said. “The following week we carried it over against another good team in Corsica-Stickney and our kids have just kept it going ever since. … These kids are on a mission. They are going to refuse to lose.”

Defensive linemen Cliff Johnson, Alex Maas and Gabe Baas have combined for 30 tackles for a loss this season on a unit that has surrendered just 11 points per game during the winning streak, while Daaron Tronvold has proven to be a major play-

Nighthawks close out regular season with six wins to reach playoffs

TRIPP -Tripp-Delmont/ Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian is a mouthful to say, but in 2018, the Nighthawks have been a handful on the gridiron.

In the second year of the merger between Tripp-Delmont/Armour and Andes Central/Dakota Christian, the Nighthawks are experiencing a football renaissance.

Not only is TD/A/AC/DC set to make a playoff appearance, but after winning its final six regular season games, it earned the No. 2 seed in Class 9AA Region 3 and is set to host Irene-Wakonda on Friday in Tripp.

“The excitement is back,” TD/A/ AC/DC head coach Mark Gemar said.

“It’s a lot of fun to go to the grocery store or just go in town anywhere and people want to talk football. There’s a buzz. … It’s nice to have that buzz back in football.”

Entering the season, success on the football field has been at a premium. Before the two programs merged together, AC/DC made the playoffs in one of its two years together, while Andes Central hadn’t made the playoffs since 2011 as a standalone program. TDA, meanwhile, had put together just a 6-49 record since its last playoff appearance in 2009.

The first year of the co-op between Tripp-Delmont/Armour and Andes Central/Dakota Christian yielded a 1-7 record, but added depth to the

Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian receiver Daaron Tronvold runs past a tackle attempt by Avon’s Ashton Frank during a nine-man football game on Aug. 31 in Avon. (Ryan Deal / Republic) maker with 1,324 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns (10 receiving), to go along with six interceptions.

The offense is averaging 39 points per game in its last six outings, and the unit is led by quarterback Jace Faulkner, who has thrown 16 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions this season and only one pick during the winning streak, to go along with 10 rushing scores.

“He has really matured into a leader, he’s matured into a team player -- he’s the general out there,” Gemar

said. “He knows what we’re trying to accomplish, he gets our players in the right spots, he knows that uptempo offense we want to run and it’s been really fun watching him run this offense.”

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Football Playoffs Preview

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Sustaining success Building a nine-man football power starts before varsity

By Jeremy Karll The Daily Republic

Success breeds success.

That’s how head coaches James Strang (Canistota/Freeman), Brian Allmendinger (Gregory), Ben Connot (Colome) and Pat Ruml (Howard) describe their tradition of winning in the nine-man football ranks. All four programs have won at least one state championship since 2009, combining for 10 titles in that time frame.

But to breed success, a school must first find success. Sometimes that doesn’t mean winning a state title, rather being driven to get to the DakotaDome after a couple of semifinal losses. Once a program gets a taste of success, expectations are raised.

“I guess one of the big things about being (in Howard) and winning the games that we’ve won is the community just expects it every year,” Ruml said. “The expectations every year is to win a state title.”

Higher expectations come with pressure, though, especially for younger players who are tasked with continuing the program’s successful run. That’s where a strong senior class helps. Howard’s senior running backs Michael Hofer and Zach Pardy both said they try to instill a strong work ethic into the younger players, starting with lifting during the summer.

“We work hard everyday,” Pardy said. “Summer lifting programs, we try to get everyone there, the younger kids included. Every day, we try to get everyone out here and doing the best they can.”

They can also share keys to making

a deep playoff run, such as having momentum and confidence heading into the playoffs. However, being tested during the season is what makes teams “prepared,” according to Pardy, who called the playoffs a “new season.”

Although, a tough schedule doesn’t always result in wins. This year, Howard started 0-2 with losses to Class 9AA No. 3 Garretson and Class 9A No. 2 Canistota/Freeman, while Gregory lost to Class 9A No. 1 Wolsey-Wessington and No. 2 Bon Homme in the second half of the season. But those loses could be a blessing in disguise.

“With the schedule that we’ve played, easily some of the top teams in the state on our schedule, and that helps going into the playoffs knowing we’ve seen the best of the best,” Allmendinger said.

However, building a successful program starts years before players make varsity. For small towns, it often starts with volunteers in the community coaching the youth football programs starting in third grade.

While kids are taught the fundamentals in elementary school, many programs start running the same offense and defense as the varsity team in junior high. That said, the main benefit is attracting kids to the sport at an early age.

“I think a huge part of the small school factor in success is the number of guys you can put on the field,” Strang said. “It doesn’t necessarily matter so much for playing Friday nights … but in order to be successful, you have to have those numbers and competition in practice.”

Canistota’s numbers increased in 2016 when it became football co-op

Howard’s Zach Pardy (22) carries the ball as Howard’s Isaac Feldhaus (12) runs behind him during a game against Canistota/Freeman Aug. 24 in Howard. (Matt Gade / Republic) with Freeman, which helped save its junior high program, too.

Having kids dream about becoming the town’s next “real life small-town superstar,” as Strang likes to say, is also pushed by kids being taken to the varsity games by parents who also played on the football team, Colome high school players coaching the youth teams and Howard introducing their youth players at its first home football game.

“Around here, football’s everything,” Connot said. “... As a little kid, you grow up watching that and being a part of it, so a lot of your parents played on really successful teams, so football means a lot to them.”

Building interest in the sport in turns makes the community more

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invested, as well. Beyond volunteer coaches, booster clubs buy equipment for Gregory’s youth programs and are why Howard’s facilities are “topnotch,” per Ruml, while Connot said the high school football games are, “what everyone looks forward to on Friday nights.”

Simply put, these towns have pride for their nine-man teams.

“There’s a lot of excitement, not only in the school but in the community,” Allmendinger said. “People are proud of the fact they can go to Rapid City and wear their Gregory Gorilla apparel. It’s not just a significant thing in the school, it’s more than that. It’s our town, our community is building that sense of pride.”

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10

Football Playoffs Preview

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Deal: Road to Vermillion filled with excitement It’s mid-October in South Dakota and that means one thing: playoffs.

Small towns across the state will rally behind their teams for Ryan Deal the next few weeks.

They’ll honk their car horns after every touchdown, drink hot chocolate and bundle up along the sidelines as cold weather hits the state.

School bands add to the atmosphere as school spirit reaches its peak.

South Dakota’s four smallest classes of football will start the postseason action on Thursday. The three larger classes will start next week. It all ends on Nov. 8-10 at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

It’s undoubtedly one of the best times of the year as small-town football captures the attention of the state. All those hours of hard work that started in the August heat will reach its climax in the bitter cold or in

warmness of the DakotaDome.

Here at The Daily Republic, we are just as excited as you. Our sports staff has put together a prep football playoff guide for the second-straight season. It’s filled with area team-byteam capsules for the four smaller classes of football and other content to get you ready for the playoffs.

Throughout the season, we cover as many areas games as possible and focus on featuring athletes in our stories, photos and videos. Our sports staff is spoiled working in this coverage area. This is small-school territory and we are almost ensured a trip to Vermillion each year because of the powerhouse teams in our area. We enjoy documenting players, coaches and fans throughout the year. The prep football guide is an extension of our coverage efforts. We hope you enjoy it.

Here are a few storylines to keep an eye on:  Our coverage area is littered with

Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan’s Brady Hawkins tries to get away from Jacobi Krouse, of McCook Central/Montrose, on Oct. 5 in Bridgewater. (Ryan Deal / Republic)

some of the top nine-man teams in the state and Class 11B in the Mitchell area is just as strong as ever. An area team has played for the Class 11B state title every season since 2011.

The teams that played for those state titles include: McCook Central/Montrose, Winner (three times), Parkston (twice) and Bridgewater-Emery/ Ethan. This season, Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan, Mount Vernon/Plankinton and Winner are once again contenders to make it to Vermillion.  Class 9AA is also strong, with a local team making it to Vermillion every year since 2009 and some years two area teams played for all the marbles. Gregory has been the cream of the crop in Class 9AA in recent history. The Gorillas have won three of the last four state titles and Brian Allmendinger’s crew can’t be counted out again this season. Also, keep tabs on Bon Homme. The Cavaliers edged Gregory (7-6) and narrowly lost to Wolsey-Wessington (38-36) and

Gregory’s Grant Thomas (6) carries the ball past Parkston’s Brandon Walz (45) on Aug. 24 in Gregory. (Ryan Deal / Republic)

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rematches loom large. We approve of rematches in the playoffs.  Canistota/Freeman has played perhaps the toughest schedule in 9A. The Pride have faced five Class 9AA teams and only lost one of those contests. That schedule will pay dividends come postseason time. Howard advanced to the semifinals in 9A last season and are always a tough out in the playoffs. Also, don’t count out Corsica-Stickney. The Jaguars are 4-4, but have made deep runs each of the past three seasons and that experience will certainly help.  Colome won the 2016 Class 9B state title and advanced to the semifinals last season. The Cowboys again find themselves among the favorites in Class 9B and sport an undefeated record heading into the playoffs.

Colome is the No. 2 overall seed and teams will have to make the long trek to the south central part of the state.

Buckle up and bundle up. It’s about to get fun.

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Football Playoffs Preview

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

SDHSAA first-round football playoff pairings

By The Daily Republic

Below are the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s first-round pairings for the state football playoffs for Class 11B and the nine-man classes.

The first round of the playoffs begins on Thursday, Oct. 18, and the eight winners in each class will be re-seeded 1-through-8 prior to the state quarterfinals on Thursday, Oct. 25.

Mount Vernon/Plankinton’s Colton Tobin (9) hauls in a reception as Winner’s Sam Kruger (14) defends during a game Sept. 21 in Winner. (Matt Gade / Republic)

CLASS 11B

Region 1: Elk Point-Jefferson (3-5) at Aberdeen Roncalli (5-3); Mobridge-Pollock (5-3) at Groton Area (5-3) Region 2: Sioux Valley (4-4) at Canton (8-0); Sioux Falls Christian (6-2) at Beresford (6-2) Region 3: Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central (3-5) at Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan (7-1); Stanley County (5-3) at Mount Vernon/Plankinton (7-1) Region 4: Red Cloud (6-2) at Lead-Deadwood (6-2); Custer (5-3) at Winner (6-2)

CLASS 9AA

Region 1: Miller/Highmore-Harrold (4-4) at Wolsey-Wessington (8-0); North Border (4-4) at Webster Area (6-2) Region 2: Elkton-Lake Benton (5-3) at Arlington/Lake Preston (8-0); Hamlin (7-1) at Garretson (8-0) Region 3: Deuel (5-3) at Bon Homme (7-1); Irene-Wakonda (6-2) at Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/ Dakota Christian (6-2) Region 4: Baltic (5-3) at Gregory (6-2); Kimball/White Lake (5-3) at Jones County/White River (6-2)

CLASS 9A

Region 1: Potter County (5-3) at Britton-Hecla (8-0); Clark/ Willow Lake (6-2) at Warner (6-2) Region 2: Ipswich/Edmunds Central (3-5) at Canistota/Freeman (7-1); Howard (5-3) at Deubrook Area (5-3) Region 3: Platte-Geddes (1-7) at Alcester-Hudson (6-2); Lyman (3-5) at Corsica-Stickney (4-4) Region 4: Philip (3-5) at Timber Lake (8-0); Lemmon/McIntosh (4-4) at New Underwood (5-3)

CLASS 9B

Region 1: Hitchcock-Tulare (4-4) at Sully Buttes (8-0); Langford Area (4-4) at Faulkton Area (6-2) Region 2: Dell Rapids St. Mary (3-5) at Castlewood (6-2); Bison (4-4) at Colman-Egan (6-2) Region 3: Gayville-Volin (3-5) at Colome (8-0); Sunshine Bible Academy (5-3) at Burke (6-2) Region 4: Faith (4-4) at Wall (8-0); Kadoka Area (4-4) at Harding County (7-1)

SD Prep Media Football Poll The South Dakota Prep Media football polls for the week of Oct. 17 are listed below, ranking the top five teams and listing the team’s record, points received and the ranking in the previous week’s poll. First-place votes received are indicated in parentheses. (This poll is the final edition of the season for Class 11B and nineman classes.)

CLASS 11AAA 1. SF O’Gorman (24) 8-0 2. SF Washington 6-2 3. Brandon Valley 6-2 4. SF Roosevelt 6-2 5. Watertown 6-2

120 89 70 56 25

1 2 3 4 5

CLASS 11AA 1. Pierre (23) 6-2 119 1 2. Harrisburg (1) 5-3 90 3 3. Yankton 4-4 72 2 4. Brookings 4-4 49 5 5. Mitchell 3-5 19 4 Receiving votes: Huron 10, Sturgis 1.

CLASS 11A 1. Dakota Valley (24) 8-0 120 T2. Madison 7-1 84 T2. Tea Area 7-1 84 4. West Central 4-4 39 5. Todd County 7-1 16 Receiving votes: Dell Rapids 11, Thomas More 3, Hot Springs 3.

1 2 3 4 5 St.

CLASS 9AA 1. Wolsey-Wessington (24)

8-0 120 1 2. Bon Homme 7-1 92 2 3. Garretson 8-0 67 3 4. Arlington/Lake Preston

8-0 45 4 5. Gregory 6-2 30 5 Receiving votes: Hamlin 6.

CLASS 9A 1. Britton-Hecla (23) 8-0 119 1 2. Canistota/Freeman (1)

7-1 78 2 3. Timber Lake 8-0 75 4 4. Warner 6-2 44 5 5. Clark/Willow Lake 6-2 39 3 Receiving votes: Alcester-Hudson 4, New Underwood 1.

CLASS 9B 1. Sully Buttes (21) 8-0 2. Colome (3) 8-0 3. Wall 8-0 4. Castlewood 6-2 T5. Colman-Egan 6-2 T5. Harding County 7-1 Receiving votes: Burke 6, Area 2.

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CLASS 11B 1. Canton (24) 8-0 120 1 2. Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan

7-1 94 2 3. SF Christian 6-2 54 4 4. Beresford 6-2 31 RV 5. Winner 6-2 30 5 Receiving votes: Mount Vernon/ Plankinton 29, Lead-Deadwood 2.

Bon Homme’s Joey Slama (7) runs the ball during a game against Parkston Aug. 17 in Tyndall. (Matt Gade / Republic)

Wishing all a winning season!

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Football Playoffs Preview

Colome’s Jackson Kinzer (6) fires a pass into the end zone for a score during a game against Alcester-Hudson Sept. 21 in Colome. (Matt Gade / Republic)

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Mount Vernon/Plankinton’s Weston Tobin (5) carries the ball during a game against Chamberlain Oct. 5 in Mount Vernon. (Matt Gade / Republic)

Burke’s Finn Hanson (21) carries the ball during a game at Corsica-Stickney on Sept. 7 in Corsica.

(Jeremy Karll / Republic)

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