Breaking down the South Dakota Prep Media football poll for the week of Sept. 19: C-S ranked for first time

Landon Dierks, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
·5 min read

Sep. 19—MITCHELL — Following a quiet week in terms of movement in the rankings last week, five of the seven classes had programs move into their respective top-fives in this week's poll, including three teams making their first appearance of the season.

Corsica-Stickney, which went 2-7 a year ago, has already doubled that win total this season. The Jaguars have taken advantage of a favorable early schedule to go 4-1 and earn the No. 5 place in Class 9B this week ahead of a home game against Avon, the program that fell out of the rankings this week to make way for C-S.

Alcester-Hudson, the lone team to defeat the Jaguars this year, also cracked the top five for the first time this season, doing so in Class 9A. The Cubs, who are 5-0 and have been receiving votes since the Sept. 6 poll, benefited from Canistota's most recent loss, as the preseason No. 1 Hawks (2-3) tumbled from the rankings for the first time.

Aberdeen Roncalli had been on the cusp of a top-five appearance for some time, having received the most votes outside of the top five in every Class 11B poll since the preseason, and finally got in this week as St. Thomas More dropped out for the first time. Despite entering the media poll at No. 5 this week, the Cavaliers are currently tied with No. 1-ranked Winner for the Class 11B lead in seed points.

The fifth spot in both the Class 11AAA and Class 11AA polls changed hands this week as well. Brandon Valley returns to the Class 11AAA ranks in place of Rapid City Stevens after the Lynx made their most recent appearance on Aug. 29. Meanwhile, Sturgis reclaimed its place in the Class 11AA poll from Mitchell, as the Scoopers and Kernels are the only two teams to hold the No. 5 place in the class this season.

Based on last week's poll, the Sept. 23 slate of games had the potential for nearly a dozen contests featuring both teams either in the rankings or receiving votes if the Sept. 16 results favored the top teams.

Those programs largely delivered, with this week's action set to include six games between two ranked teams and five more between a ranked team and an opponent receiving votes.

There are a pair of Class 9AA-versus-Class 9A challenges, with Wall hosting Lyman in a West River showdown and Hamlin traveling to Castlewood for a meeting of No. 3-ranked regional rivals separated by fewer than 15 miles. In Class 9B, top-ranked Herreid/Selby Area is on the road at third-ranked Sully Buttes for a game that will end the hopes of a perfect season for one of three remaining unbeatens in the class.

In the 11-man ranks, Class 11AAA No. 4 Sioux Falls Lincoln looks to end a two-game skid with a cross-town trip to No. 2 O'Gorman. Class 11AA No. 3 Yankton hosts No. 2 Tea Area as the Bucks hope to rebound from a lopsided loss at No. 1 Pierre. Rounding out the ranked-on-ranked games is Class 11A No. 4 Canton — fresh off a six-point loss to No. 2 Dell Rapids — making the trip to No. 1 West Central.

Other matchups between teams on the fringes of the rankings include Canistota at Hanson, Mount Vernon/Plankinton at Tri-Valley, Avon at Corsica-Stickney, Beresford at Lennox, McCook Central/Montrose at Sioux Valley and Rapid City Stevens at Brandon Valley.

The South Dakota Prep Media football polls for the week of Sept. 19 are listed below, ranking the top-five teams in each class. First-place votes received are indicated in parentheses.

Class 11AAA

1. Jefferson (20), 4-0, 100; 2. O'Gorman, 3-1, 80; 3. Harrisburg, 3-1, 59; 4. Sioux Falls Lincoln, 2-2, 34; 5. Brandon Valley, 2-2, 24.

Also receiving votes: Rapid City Stevens 3.

Class 11AA

1. Pierre (20), 4-0, 100; 2. Tea Area, 4-0, 78; 3. Yankton, 3-1, 59; 4. Brookings, 3-1, 43; 5. Sturgis, 2-2, 9.

Also receiving votes: Aberdeen Central 5, Huron 3, Mitchell 2, Watertown 1.

Class 11A

1. West Central (14), 4-0, 94; 2. Dell Rapids (6), 4-0, 86; 3. Beresford, 3-1, 54; 4. Canton, 2-2, 29; 5. Dakota Valley, 3-1, 24.

Also receiving votes: Lennox 7, Sioux Falls Christian 6.

Class 11B

1. Winner (20), 5-0, 100; 2. Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan, 5-0, 70; 3. Elk Point-Jefferson, 4-0, 68; 4. Mount Vernon/Plankinton, 5-0, 35; 5. Aberdeen Roncalli, 5-0, 21.

Also receiving votes: St. Thomas More 3, Sioux Valley 2, Hot Springs 1.

Class 9AA

1. Howard (20), 5-0, 100; 2. Wall, 5-0, 77; 3. Hamlin, 5-0, 50; 4. Hanson, 3-1, 41; 5. Parkston, 4-1, 20.

Also receiving votes: Elkton-Lake Benton 12.

Class 9A

1. Gregory (18), 4-0, 98; 2. Warner (1), 4-0, 78; 3. Castlewood (1), 4-0, 61; 4. Lyman, 4-0, 38; 5. Alcester-Hudson, 5-0, 20.

Also receiving votes: Canistota 3, Harding County/Bison 2.

Class 9B

1. Herreid/Selby Area (20), 4-0, 100; 2. Hitchcock-Tulare, 5-0, 79; 3. Sully Buttes, 5-0, 60; 4. De Smet, 3-2, 26; 5. Corsica-Stickney, 4-1, 22.

Also receiving votes: Avon 7, Kadoka Area 6.