The top of 11AA might be the best football in South Dakota — and more from week seven
A year ago, we were still talking about Pierre and Tea Area in 11AA, but the conversation was a little different. The eventual state-champion Governors were, around this time of the year, trailing behind the Titans even though they had looked absolutely flawless all year long. Except for one game.
Its season-opener was against eventual 11AAA-champion Harrisburg, maybe one of the best 11AAA teams we’ve seen in a while. It didn’t go well for Pierre, and in part because it was a feel-good story that Tea was so dominant in just its first year in 11AA, the Titans were the team to beat. It resulted in an instant-classic 11AA title game where Pierre won its fifth-straight title on a last-second field goal.
Long story short: It’s a good thing when these two teams are close.
Well, here we are again. Two weeks after Tea Area shocked O’Gorman, the Governors topped Brandon Valley 43-34 Friday. The 11AA prophecy is a reality, two weeks shy of a week-nine matchup between these two teams who may very well meet in the 11AA championship game, too. The Governors' win showed exactly what Tea’s did a few weeks ago: The two top teams in 11AA might just be as good as football gets in South Dakota.
“It was a really fun game for our program,” Pierre head coach Steve Steele said after the game. “I’m happy we were able to pull it off.”
There’s so much fun still to come from both of these teams, but after toppling the only 11AAA teams on their schedules, these juggernauts are setting us — the people interested in South Dakota high school football — up for some late-season magic once again.
More:22 South Dakota high school football underclassmen to know in 2022 (and beyond)
We may never see a wide receiver performance as good as Lincoln wide receiver Jack Smith’s ever again
Things haven’t been going great for Lincoln lately, and in the second half Friday, they were in the midst of a second-half collapse that took them from up 31-10 at halftime to headed to overtime tied … at 31. They won, 37-34, in overtime on a game-winning touchdown to tight end Sam Hindbjorgen after a Raiders field goal on the first possession of overtime.
Lincoln has had issues with poor halves all season long, but there’s a reason why people around the state still think highly of the Patriots. Their individual talent (many of which are underclassmen) is remarkable. And Friday, it was on what can only be described as a ridiculous display.
Junior quarterback Tate Schafer threw for 453 yards, adding five touchdowns to the total. This week would be all about Schafer had it not been for his top target. The numbers, for Lincoln junior wide receiver Jack Smith, are simply staggering: 21 catches, 377 yards, four touchdowns. Those look like passing numbers. Good ones, too.
More:South Dakota high school football scores: Sept. 30
Let’s take a step back for a second and examine that. The Argus Leader highlights the best individual performances each week. There have been some incredible performances, but the caveat — always — is how much more difficult those performances are to recreate in 11AAA. Had Smith come away from that game with 10 catches, 188 yards and two touchdowns, for many, that would be a game of a lifetime. Now double it. The result is a game that may be discussed in Lincoln circles for decades. And we may never see a performance like it in South Dakota high school football ever again.
Parkston’s win over Gregory, a good reflection of 9-man football overall, adds intrigue to 9AA race
Last year, it was pretty obvious: 9A was the best 9-man class. Classes, of course, are built based on enrollment, so that shouldn’t necessarily be the case. Could the best teams in 9-man football come from a class that’s not 9AA? Sure. But with De Smet, Herreid/Selby Area, Howard, Wall and more, 9A was clearly the most talented class.
That’s why, in a way, seeing a 9AA team in Parkston — one we know is good but is outside of the top-5 in the class — beat 9A’s No. 1 Gregory was encouraging for 9-man football. There’s a parity in each of the classes that we really didn’t see much of last year. Parkston’s 35-32 win over the Gorillas wasn’t dominant, and that’s a pretty good reflection of Gregory, but it was still a win that moved them to 6-1 on the year.
No. 1 Howard and No. 2 Wall had beefed up 9AA by moving up a class even before the season started, but the teams further down the rankings are the ones that are making this class so good. Elkton Lake-Benton, which I argued a few weeks ago deserved a spot in the rankings, finally snuck into the top-5 last week after a 6-0 start. But Parkston deserves some credit, too.
It’s hard to say who will emerge in 9AA. Howard looks good, but they’ve been challenged. Wall is dominant, but their schedule hasn’t been the strongest. To rule out Hamlin, Hanson, ELB and Parkston at this point of the year would be silly. The playoffs are going to be fun.
More:10 can’t-miss games in South Dakota high school football season’s 2nd half
Top performers
Jack Smith, WR, Lincoln
Smith put up numbers in the receiving game that would be good for a quarterback in the passing game. He caught 21 passes for 377 yards and four touchdowns in what is maybe the best performance by a wide receiver South Dakota high school football has ever seen.
Tate Schafer, QB, Lincoln
The quarterback throwing Smith passes deserves a nod, too. Schafer passed for an 11AAA-record (per Lincoln football’s Twitter) 453 yards and added five touchdowns through the air in the Patriots’ overtime win over Rapid City Stevens.
Brendan Begeman, RB, Herreid/Selby Area
Begeman went over 5,000 yards rushing this week early in the Wolverines' 60-20 win over Northwestern, and then proceeded to add several hundred yards on top of that total later in the game. He rushed for 277 yards and five touchdowns as he moved to 13th all-time in the South Dakota high school football rushing books.
Lincoln Kienholz, QB, Pierre
Pierre’s star gets a second-straight nomination this week after yet another week of putting up passing and rushing numbers that would probably make quarterbacks and running backs alike jealous. He passed for 320 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 197 yards and two more touchdowns.
Bonus top performer: Riley Tschetter, QB, Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy
There are just four nominees for player of the week, but Tschetter’s performance is still worth mentioning. He passed for 386 yards and five touchdowns, adding 73 yards and a score on the ground.
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's Class 11AA is the best in state
