East meets West.

That’s a common theme for the Class 11B quarterfinal playoffs on Thursday.

Three of the four matchups feature East River vs. West River, with teams traveling across the state to keep their postseason hopes alive. 

The longest distance between two opponents, and perhaps the most intriguing matchup, is Hot Springs at Sioux Valley. The Bison (8-1) will make the 430-mile trek and more than six-hour trip to Volga to face the Cossacks (9-0).

Sioux Valley and Hot Springs mirror each other on the field and on paper. They rely heavily on their rushing attacks, play sound defense and have played three common opponents this season. They each own convincing victories over Hill City, Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan and McCook Central/Montrose. 

Sioux Valley's Boden Schiller carries the ball against Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan earlier this season in Bridgewater. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Sioux Valley averages 44.6 points per game, while Hot Springs averages 42.9 points per game. The Cossacks and Bison both allow 6.6 points per game. 

Hot Springs’ lone defeat was against Class 11A No. 1 Dell Rapids, a 20-14 setback on Sept. 8. Sioux Valley’s toughest game was against defending Class 11B state champ Elk Point-Jefferson, a 20-11 Cossacks’ win. 

Another Black Hills-area team, Rapid City Christian, will head north to face Deuel in Clear Lake. The Comets (7-2) will travel 430 miles and six hours to face the Cardinals (9-0). 

Rapid City Christian's Braylon Marshall carries the ball against Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central on Oct. 19 in Wessington Springs. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

For the Comets, it's another week of significant windshield time. Rapid City Christian traveled 250 miles to Wessington Springs the past two weeks, picking up back-to-back wins over Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central. 

Last week’s 36-7 win over the Blackhawks was Rapid City Christian’s first-ever 11-man playoff victory in school history. 

Deuel stayed undefeated with last week’s 20-14 win over Webster Area in the playoff opener. The Cardinals have pitched four shutout wins during the regular season. 

Aberdeen Roncalli (7-2) will travel 200 miles and 3 1/2 hours to face No. 1 Winner (9-0), in the third matchup featuring East River vs. West River. 

Webster Area's Aiden Barfuss carries the ball against Webster Area earlier this season in Winner. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Behind its patented rushing attack and smothering defense, Winner has put together another undefeated regular season. The Warriors have pitched three straight shutout wins, and haven’t given up a touchdown since Sept. 29 against Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan. Winner blanked Parker, 36-0, in its Class 11B playoff opener. 

For the Cavaliers, it’s their second consecutive trip to southern South Dakota. Roncalli defeated Wagner, 17-6, in its first-round game on the road. 

In the last Class 11B playoff contest, Elk Point-Jefferson (8-1) will host Tri-Valley (6-3) in another intriguing contest. The Huskies, who won last season’s Class 11B state championship, defeated the Mustangs, 24-14, on Oct. 6. 

Class 11B Quarterfinal Pairings 

No. 1 Winner (9-0) vs. No. 9 Aberdeen Roncalli (7-2), 6 p.m., CT, Winner 

No. 4 Elk Point-Jefferson (8-1) vs. No. 5 Tri-Valley (6-3), 7 p.m., CT, Elk Point

No. 2 Deuel (9-0) vs. No. 10 Rapid City Christian (7-2), 6 p.m., CT, Clear Lake

No. 3 Sioux Valley (9-0) vs. No. 6 Hot Springs (8-1), 6 p.m., CT, Volga