Oct. 27—Eight teams from each of South Dakota's seven classes remain in contention for state high school football championships this week, and in the four smallest enrollment classes, the field was halved with the first round.
As each class works down to its final four, here's one quarterfinal pairing to keep an eye on from each nine-man division, plus Class 11B.
Two traditional nine-man football powers meet up for a place in the Class 9B semifinals, each with recent DakotaDome pedigree. Avon is a state finalist from last season and won the Class 9B title in 2023, while Hitchcock-Tulare hoisted the hardware one year earlier in 2022.
Of the 28 state quarterfinal matchups to be played, this is the only one where the team with the better record is on the road, with the one-loss Patriots making the 150-mile one-way trip to play the two-loss Pirates.
In earning the higher seed, Avon is buoyed by the top-ranked opponent win percentage (.636) in the class. All three losses between the two teams have come against undefeated teams, as Avon fell to Class 9A No. 2 Freeman and Class 9B No. 2 Dell Rapids St. Mary, and Hitchcock-Tulare dropped one against Class B No. 3 Warner.
The most recent meeting between the two squads came during Avon's run to the 2023 state championship, when the Pirates claimed a 38-14 quarterfinal victory.
Defenses will be put to the test on Thursday night, as two of the highest-powered offenses in Class 9A will make their case for a semifinal spot.
Castlewood and Centerville rank second and third in the class for points per game at 45.9 and 43.4, respectively, plus the Warriors boast one of the state's top playmakers in Kamden Keszler, who has accounted for 40 touchdowns. When it comes to defensive rankings, the Warriors have a decided advantage, allowing a class-low 8.7 points per game compared to the 20.4 by the Tornadoes, which ranks 10th. However, Centerville has played a tougher schedule based on opponent win percentage.
The Warriors captured the state's attention early with back-to-back wins over perennial powers Class 9AA No. 2 Hamlin and Class 9A No. 7 Howard to open the season. Since then, Castlewood hasn't played another team with a winning record. Centerville might be lacking a signature win of its own, but its losses came to Class 9A No. 2 Freeman and Class 9B No. 4 Avon, despite scoring 66 combined points in those defeats.
As the No. 12 seed in Class 9AA, Sioux Falls Lutheran is one of the biggest wildcards left in the entire South Dakota high school postseason. The Eagles have been up and down this year after making the two-class jump straight from Class 9B, but the highs are significant. They have a win over quarterfinalist and No. 8 seed Bon Homme, plus are fresh off an upset of No. 5 seed Waubay/Summit in the first round of the playoffs.
On the other hand, Britton-Hecla (8-1) has been rock-solid, now winners of seven games in a row. Waubay/Summit is one of only two common opponents shared by the Braves and Eagles, and the final scores of those contests — Britton-Hecla won 40-22, while Sioux Falls Lutheran won 34-16 — point toward the two teams possessing similar firepower. However, the only other common opponent, Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan, offers a different perspective. Britton-Hecla just defeated BEE 34-14 in the first round of the playoffs, but BEE won 22-14 at Sioux Falls Lutheran on Sept. 11.
Britton-Hecla doesn't appear ripe for an upset, but if the tip-top version of Sioux Falls Lutheran arrives at Hugh Schilling Field, there could be some fireworks on Thursday night.
Sioux Valley made the cross-state trek from Volga to Rapid City to score a first-round upset, but can the Cossacks possibly do it again?
Sioux Valley will head west once again for a matchup with the undefeated defending state champions of St. Thomas More. While the Cossacks beat Rapid City Christian 41-37 last week, the second-seeded Cavaliers found themselves in a four-quarter fight with 15-seed Mount Vernon/Plankinton, scoring twice in the final frame to win 32-16. The week before, STM defeated Rapid City Christian 42-32.
The Cossacks have won four of their last five games after a 1-3 start, and the only recent loss came against No. 1 Elk Point-Jefferson 36-20. Perhaps the largest looming question is if Sioux Valley can score with STM for a full game, as the Cavaliers put up 45.7 points per game, nearly 20 points up on the Cossacks' season average (26.2).
These two teams met last August during the Cavaliers' undefeated state title campaign, with STM winning 28-14.