Pierre has been the standard in Class 11AA for several years, and this season has been no exception. 

The Governors are looking for their sixth consecutive Class 11AA state championship, and should they complete the chase, it would match the state record of six consecutive state titles set by West Central from 2000-2005 in Class 11A.

Pierre has been nothing less than dominant this season, outscoring its opponents by 34.4 points per game. The Governors average 47.9 points per game on offense, while defensively giving up just 13.5 points per game. The closest contests for the Governors have come against Brandon Valley (43-34) and Tea Area (35-30). Pierre defeated Yankton earlier this season on Sept. 16 in Pierre by a score of 55-10. The two teams will meet again for a trip to the DakotaDome on Friday at 7 p.m. in Pierre.

Yankton is looking to break through the semifinal round for the third year in a row after falling short the past two seasons. The Bucks lost to Pierre at home two years ago in the semifinal round, 21-12, before losing a heartbreaker at Tea Area in last season’s Class 11AA semifinals, 35-28. This season, the Bucks began the season with three straight wins before losing to No. 1 Pierre and No. 2 Tea Area in consecutive weeks. Yankton finished the season 2-2, with its two losses coming against Sioux Falls Roosevelt (34-29) and Aberdeen Central (29-7). The Bucks earned a quarterfinal win over Brookings, 49-14. Yankton has outscored its opponents by 10.3 points per game this season. The Bucks are looking for their first trip to the DakotaDome since winning back-to-back Class 11AA titles in 2014 and ‘15.

In the other semifinal contest, No. 2 Tea Area (9-1) wil host No. 3 Aberdeen Central (6-4) at 7 p.m. in Tea. 

After two Class 11A state titles in 2018 and ‘20, Tea Area has held its own since making the jump to Class 11AA. The Titans are gunning for their second consecutive Class 11AA title berth after falling to Pierre, 30-27, in last season’s championship game. 

Tea Area’s lone defeat this season was against Pierre, a 35-30 setback on Oct. 14 in Pierre. The Titans’ signature win was a 44-41 win over Class 11AAA semifinalist Sioux Falls O’Gorman on Sept. 9. Tea Area defeated Class 11AA semifinalist Yankton, 38-28, on Sept. 23 in Yankton. 

Tea Area’s offense averages 42 points per game, while allowing 12.3 points per game and has pitched four shutouts this season. 

The Titans blanked Aberdeen Central, 35-0, on Sept. 3 in Aberdeen. It was the second of a three-game losing streak for Aberdeen Central to start the season. The Golden Eagles pieced together a five-game winning streak to get over .500. 

Aberdeen Central picked up a 34-7 win over Spearfish in its playoff opener to set up the semifinal clash against Tea Area. Aberdeen Central is searching for its first trip to the DakotaDome since 2009, a 27-10 loss against Sioux Falls Washington in the Class 11AA championship game.