A dozen northeastern South Dakota teams alive in football playoffs. Here's what to expect.
For fun, let's just call them the Dandy Dozen.
There are basically 12 northeastern South Dakota teams set to compete tonight in the South Dakota high school football playoffs.
Class 11B and nine-man teams had their first-round games last week. The ones who survived will play quarterfinal games tonight. The state's Class 11AAA, AA and A teams will make their playoff debuts in what are also quarterfinal games in those classes.
Aberdeen Central, Watertown begin playoff journeys
There are only two area teams opening the playoffs and both are in Class 11AA: Aberdeen Central and Watertown.
Aberdeen Central (5-4) saw its five-game winning streak come to a halt with a 42-7 loss to fourth-seeded Class 11AAA Sioux Falls Lincoln last week, but the Golden Eagles still held their No. 3 seed in 11AA and will host sixth-seeded Spearfish (4-5) at 6 p.m. at Brownell Activities Complex.
More:South Dakota high school football quarterfinals: 11-man games to watch
The Eagles are a much different team now than they were earlier in the season under first-year head coach Justin Briese, but there's still some reason for caution. Aberdeen Central lost to Sturgis 18-13 in Week 3. Spearfish beat Sturgis 28-27 last week.
The game against the Scoopers was after lopsided season-opening losses to the two 11AA powerhouses, Tea and Pierre. Add in the long bus ride to Sturgis and it's not hard to understand how it happened. The Eagles have since established their running game and gained confidence. Plus, they get to play at home tonight.
Watertown and head coach John Hodorff didn't have to call around to find game film for its first-round playoff matchup. The seventh-seeded Arrows (3-6) visit second-seeded Tea Area (8-1) at 6 p.m. The same two teams met last week in Watertown and the Titans came away with a 39-6 win.
But, as Hodorff commented after the game, "It's a completely different situation. Now, if you don't win, you're done and if you do, you get to keep going. It's a short playoff in 11AA football. You need only two wins to get to the (DakotaDome in Vermillion), so you just never know what can happen."
There are at least three things that need to happen if the Arrows hope to turn the tide on the Titans. Tea used some big special teams plays to take control last week and that can't happen again.
The two other key factors involve the Arrow offense, which will likely need another big game from junior running back Juven Hudson. Hudson is the first Watertown runner to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season since Shay Bratland gained 1,565 yards in 2013. Watertown didn't a complete a pass in 10 attempts last week and needs to be able to be able to pass the ball in order for Hudson to truly get going.
Which playoff games look to be the ones to watch tonight?
It might not be safe to get into the prediction business, but the two games involving area teams that could definitely prove to be worth the money are the Hot Springs at Aberdeen Roncalli matchup in Class 11B and the Hanson at Hamlin battle in Class 9AA.
Second-seeded Roncalli puts its unbeaten record (9-0) on the line when its hosts seventh-seeded Hot Springs (7-2) at 6 p.m. at Dacotah Bank Stadium.
The Cavaliers continued their impressive season with a 46-0 first-round win over Mobridge-Pollock. They have outscored their opponents 334-25 this season.
More:South Dakota high school football playoff quarterfinals: 9-man games to watch
Still, it won't likely be a cakewalk against a Hot Springs team that rolled past perennial power Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan 45-6 last week to open the playoffs. Hot Springs has two losses, but one came to No. 1 Class 11A Dell Rapids and the other to No. 5 Class 11B McCook Central-Montrose.
Roncalli coach Billy Young expects a battle and knows from watching film that the Bison are underrated. But their six-hour bus ride to Aberdeen is seemingly an advantage for the Cavaliers.
Hot Springs' power running game will be matched against Roncalli's salty defense, and it should be a fun battle to watch.
That game could go down the wire, but so could the Hanson-Hamlin game.
As the No. 4 seed, the Chargers get to host, but Hanson, while seeded fifth, finished the regular season ranked third in the media football poll. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Hayti.
Both squads are 8-1. Hamlin opened the playoffs with a 41-8 win over Viborg-Hurley and has a talented team that features running back Luke Fraser and quarterback Tyson Stevenson, among others. The Chargers' only loss was an 8-6 setback to No. 1 Class 9A Warner.
Hanson opened the season with a 20-12 loss to Howard, the state's No. 1-ranked Class 9AA team. The Beavers fell to Platte-Geddes in the playoff quarterfinals last year, and Platte-Geddes went on to win its second-straight state title. Hanson got even last week with a 42-18 first-round playoff win.
Other games that could be too close to call
There are a few games tonight that fall into this category, and that should be expected as the playoffs go along. They include Canistota at Warner and Castlewood at Lyman in Class 9A, De Smet at Kadoka Area in Class 9B and Freeman-Marion/Freeman Academy at Elkton-Lake Benton in Class 9AA.
Top-seeded and top-ranked Warner (9-0) hosts ninth-seeded Canistota (5-4) at 7 p.m. in a game that, based on records alone, shouldn't be that close. The Monarchs rolled past Burke 53-0 in the opening round of the playoffs last week and have outscored their foes by a 375-89 margin.
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But here's the catch. Canistota was part of the Canistota-Freeman co-op that fell in the state Class 9AA championship last November. The Hawks four losses all came to Class 9AA teams, including to No. 1 Howard, No. 3 Hanson and No. 4 Elkton-Lake Benton. They have won three games in a row, including a 42-24 playoff win over Alcester-Hudson last week.
Canistota has a wealth of playoff experience to tap, and it will be helpful against the Monarchs, who can run and pass effectively and are led by handy man Hunter Cramer, who contributes all over the field.
Fourth-ranked and seventh-seeded Castlewood (7-2) visits third-ranked and second-seeded Lyman (8-1) in a game scheduled for 6 p.m. in Presho.
Lyman, which lost in the Class 9AA quarterfinals last fall, opened the playoffs with a 50-0 win over Oldham-Ramona-Rutland. Castlewood beat ORR 55-0 in the regular season. Lyman's only loss came to Wall, the No. 2 seed in Class 9AA.
Castlewood, which lost in the state quarterfinals a year ago to eventually runner-up Herreid-Selby Area, opened the playoffs with a 26-0 win over Timber Lake. The Warriors only losses this fall have come to 9AA teams Hamlin and Elkton-Lake Benton, the latter loss coming on a last-second Hail Mary pass.
De Smet (6-3) is the fifth-ranked and sixth-seeded team in Class 9B and visits a Kadoka Area team (6-3) that is not ranked, but is seeded third. Both squads were Class 9A teams last fall, and Kadoka Area lost in the first round to Castlewood, while De Smet advanced to the semifinals before losing to Herreid-Selby Area. Kadoka blasted New Underwood 60-6 and De Smet blanked Colome 50-0 in playoff openers last week. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Kadoka.
Fourth-ranked and second-seeded Elkton-Lake Benton had a somewhat close battle with Kimball-White Lake last week to open the Class 9AA playoffs, winning 32-18 to improve to 9-0. The Elks could get another close battle from seventh-seeded Freeman-Marion/Freeman Academy (7-2), which scored on the final play of the game to hold off Florence-Henry 36-30 last week. The Phoenix beat the Falcons 36-14 in the last game of the regular season, setting up a playoff rematch.
There may be no stopping No. 1 and No. 2 in Class 9B
Top-ranked and top-seeded Herreid-Selby Area and second-ranked and second-seeded Hitchcock-Tulare have been on what appears to be a crash course to the state Class 9B championship since the early part of the season.
The Wolverines (9-0) host eighth-seeded Avon (5-4) at 6 p.m. in Herreid, and Hitchcock-Tulare (9-0) hosts 10th-seeded and defending state champion Dell Rapids St. Mary at 7 p.m. in Hitchcock.
Herreid-Selby Area, which has outscored foes 480-92 on the season, blasted Lemmon-McIntosh 56-6, and the Patriots, who have outscored opponents by a 471-54 margin, cruised past Jones County in playoff openers last week.
It seems unlikely that the two favorites won't at least advance to the semifinals.
Tall tasks await Deuel, Redfield in Class 11B
The final area matchups tonight involve eighth-seeded Deuel (8-1) visiting top-ranked and top-seed Winner (9-0) at 6 p.m. and 11th-seeded Redfield (6-3) visiting second-rated and second-seeded Elk Point-Jefferson at 6 p.m. in Elk Point.
Two-time defending 11B champion Winner opened the playoffs with a 62-7 victory over Lead-Deadwood and has won 33 straight games.
Deuel and head coach Dusty Hourigan have enjoyed an impressive season of their own that's included seven straight wins since an early season 14-7 loss to Roncalli. The Cardinals took over in the second half to down St. Thomas More of Rapid City 27-10 last week.
Both teams defeated Webster Area this fall (Winner won 62-8 and Deuel 30-6), but that doesn't tell the whole story. It's a question of whether the Cardinals can do something most Class 11B teams haven't been able to do against the Warriors during the streak - win, or even stay close.
Redfield (6-3) upset sixth-seeded Woonsocket-Wessington Springs-Sanborn Central 7-6 last week, but faces a bigger task this week against an Elk Point-Jefferson team that opened with a 58-7 win over Rapid City Christian.
The third-seeded Huskies (9-0), who lost to Winner in the state semifinals a year ago, have outscored their foes 440-35 so far this season.
Thursday's Complete Pairings
All Times Central
CLASS 11AAA
First Round
No. 8 Sioux Falls Washington (3-6) at No. 1 Sioux Falls Jefferson (9-0), 4:30 p.m. at HowardWood
No. 5 Brandon Valley (4-5) at No. 4 Sioux Falls Lincoln (6-3), 7:30 p.m. at Howard Wood
No. 7 Rapid City Stevens (3-6) at No. 2 O'Gorman (7-2), 6 p.m.
No. 6 Sioux Falls Roosevelt (3-6) at No. 3 Harrisburg (7-2), 6 p.m.
CLASS 11AA
First Round
No. 8 Sturgis Brown (4-5) at No. 1 Pierre T.F. Riggs (9-0), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Brookings (5-4) at No. 4 Yankton (5-4), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Watertown (3-6) at No. 2 Tea Area (8-1), 6 p.m.
No. 6 Spearfish (4-5) at No. 3 Aberdeen Central (5-4), 6 p.m.
CLASS 11A
No. 8 Lennox (3-6) at No. 1 Dell Rapids (9-0), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Dakota Valley (6-3) at No. 4 Sioux Falls Christian (6-3), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Madison (4-5) at No. 2 West Central (8-1), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Canton (5-4) at No. 3 Beresford (7-2), 7 p.m.
CLASS 11B
Quarterfinals
No. 8 Deuel (8-1) at No. 1 Winner (9-0), 6 p.m.
No. 5 McCook Central-Montrose (8-1) at Mount Vernon-Plankinton (8-1), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Hot Springs (7-2) at No. 2 Aberdeen Roncalli (9-0), 6 p.m.
No. 11 Redfield (6-3) at No. 3 Elk Point-Jefferson (9-0), 6 p.m.
CLASS 9AA
Quarterfinals
No. 8 Bon Homme (6-3) at No. 1 Wall (9-0), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Hanson (8-1) at No. 4 Hamlin (8-1), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Freeman-Marion/Freeman Academy (7-2) at No. 2 Elkton-Lake Benton (9-0), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Parkston (8-1) at No. 3 Howard (9-0), 7 p.m.
CLASS 9A
Quarterfinals
No. 9 Canistota (5-4) at No. 1 Warner (9-0), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Philip (8-1) at No. 4 Harding County-Bison (7-2), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Castlewood (7-2) at No. 2 Lyman (8-1), 6 p.m.
No. 6 Wolsey-Wessington (6-3) at No. 3 Gregory (8-1), 7 p.m.
CLASS 9B
Quarterfinals
No. 8 Avon (5-4) at No. 1 Herreid-Selby Area (9-0), 6 p.m.
No. 12 Irene-Wakonda (4-5) at No. 4 Sully Buttes (7-2), 7 p.m.
No. 10 Dell Rapids St. Mary (5-4) at No. 2 Hitchcock-Tulare (9-0), 7 p.m.
No. 5 De Smet (6-3) at No. 3 Kadoka Area (6-3), 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: South Dakota high school football playoffs preview, schedule 2022
