10 can’t-miss games in South Dakota high school football season’s 2nd half
There’s just four more weeks left in the South Dakota high school football regular season. That went too fast.
Regardless, there’s still a lot of great football to play and, arguably, some of the best games of the season still remain on the schedule in the final few weeks. Here’s some games that the Argus Leader will be tracking, and you should be, too.
Week six: O’Gorman at Jefferson
Where: Howard Wood Field
When: 5 p.m. Friday, Sep. 30
You won't have to wait long to see a battle between the two best offenses (and maybe defenses, too) in 11AAA. Friday at 5 p.m. the No. 1 Cavaliers host the No. 2 Knights at Howard Wood Field. This is, undoubtedly, Jefferson's biggest test so far this season, but the Cavaliers have been tested before and it hasn't yet mattered. This game is due for a lot of explosion, though, and it might be a race to see who can get a stop.
More:Elk Point-Jefferson continues to inch closer to No. 2 in 11B: High school football polls
Week six: Pierre at Brandon Valley
Where: Brandon Valley high school
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Sep. 30
The No. 1 team in 11AA, Pierre, has a little more riding on this game than it did going into the season. Class 11AA's No. 2, Tea Area, bested 11AAA No. 2 O'Gorman a few weeks ago, turning this game from an intriguing matchup to a test of where each team stands just two weeks before they meet for the first time since the 11AA championship game. Brandon Valley has improved drastically in recent weeks, and even though Pierre has some supporters as being named the best team in all of South Dakota in recent weeks, the Lynx will give a fight as they always do.
Prep sports:The 'hectic' 15 hours that led to yet another national honor for O'Gorman star Bergen Reilly
Week six: St. Thomas More at Aberdeen Roncalli
Where: Dacotah Bank Stadium (Aberdeen)
When: 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1
Aberdeen Roncalli has dominated its way through its early-season schedule, but it hasn't gotten a test like St. Thomas More yet. By this point, the Cavaliers' loss to Hot Springs seems to be an outlier as 11B STM just picked up an enormous 20-10 win over Class 11AA Sturgis last week. These are two of the best teams in 11B at this point of the season, and one can really establish themselves ahead of a postseason push.
More:Vote for Argus Leader South Dakota high school football player of the week
Week seven: Brandon Valley at Sioux Falls Lincoln
Where: Howard Wood Field
When: 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7
Brandon Valley started slow. Sioux Falls Lincoln started fast. But now, both will enter this matchup with pretty similar records. 11AAA is always close, and this game could provide some indication of who will lead that second tier of contenders in the class. If nothing else, it'll be a signature win for two teams that need them approaching the end of the year.
Week seven: West Central at Winner
Where: Winner high school
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7
The No. 1 in 11A vs. the No. 1 in 11B. Cross-class matchups haven't impacted Winner, which hasn't lost a game since 2019, much in recent years. But this is a test like nothing they've seen in a while. 11A's No. 4, Beresford, held them to just 22 points (though the Warriors shut the Watchdogs out offensively) and West Central's defense is maybe the best in 11A. Winner will have some issues in this one, but it's the Warriors, so West Central probably will, too.
More:Lincoln, Canistota's records will look better at end of season, and more from week six
Week seven: Beresford at Sioux Falls Christian
Where: Sioux Falls Christian school
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7
Since an 0-2 start, Sioux Falls Christian has surged to three-straight wins behind a large returning group that created optimism about a bounce-back for the Chargers in the preseason. But Beresford has been in the 11A rankings all year long. This could be a test of just how much better SFC has truly gotten. Beresford has beaten every 11A opponent its faced this year, and will be coming off a matchup with the class' No. 2 in Dell Rapids. There's a chance they enter the matchup looking as powerful as they've ever been.
Week eight: Tea Area at Pierre
Where: Hollister Football Field (T.F. Riggs high school)
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14
Not a ton of explaining necessary for this one. Pierre and Tea Area are the two best teams in 11AA, and routinely are discussed as programs that could likely even have good seasons if they went up one class more. The Titans proved that by beating O'Gorman, and Pierre has an opportunity to do the same in a matchup with Brandon Valley the week before. Regardless of what happens between now and then, circle this as maybe the best game of the South Dakota high school football season.
More:Pierre's dominance, Harrisburg's quick rebuild headlined Week 5 of South Dakota high school football
Week eight: Britton-Hecla vs. Herreid/Selby Area
Where: Dacotah Bank Stadium (Aberdeen)
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14
Since the beginning of the year, Herreid/Selby Area has risen to the top team in Class 9B and stayed there despite some undefeated and one-loss teams sitting right behind them. HSA has maybe the best playmaker in 9-man football in Brendan Begeman, but Britton-Hecla quarterback BoDell Davidson has a claim for that, too. Coming in as the 9AA team in the matchup, the Braves will have a lot to prove, but the Wolverines won't make things easy.
Week eight: Platte-Geddes at Canistota
Where: Canistota high school
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14
The final game of each of these teams' seasons will have huge playoff implications for both groups. Sitting with not-the-best records, but each ranking within the top-16 in seed points in 9AA and 9A, respectively, Platte-Geddes and Canistota will likely view their final game of the season as a must-win. That creates enough intrigue for a matchup that already featured two of the more exciting teams in 9-man football.
More:Football Insiders: Breaking down South Dakota high school football
Week nine: Harrisburg at O’Gorman
Where: McEneaney Field (O’Gorman high school)
When: 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20
Harrisburg has been surging in recent weeks, and at this point of the season, it's possible they could have a claim for the No. 2 spot in 11AAA. But the current team in that No. 2 position, the Knights, will have an opportunity to take it back by the end of the season. Wherever the rankings fall, these will be two teams that started strong and are still improving facing off when teams are supposed to be playing their best. Sign us up.
Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota high school football: 10 can't-miss games to end season
