Round 2 of Huskies and Cossacks headlines the Class 11B quarterfinal round.

No. 1 Elk Point-Jefferson (9-0) hosts No. 8 Sioux Valley (5-4) in a rematch from a 41-26 Husky victory earlier this season.

The Huskies have looked like one of the best teams in 11B football all season long and are looking to make it back to the DakotaDome for the third time in the last four seasons, winning the 11B championship in 2022.

EPJ has earned notable wins over Winner (20-8), Class 11B No. 4 Wagner (48-0), and Mount Vernon-Plankinton (32-14).The Huskies are averaging 44 points per game while giving up just 12 points per game defensively. Beau Schmitz and Luke Schmitz have powered the Huskies this season.

The two senior running backs combined for 182 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries in the first round playoff win over Flandreau (42-14) on Oct. 23.

Sioux Valley is a dangerous team in 11B football after making last season’s state championship game.

All four losses for the Cossacks were against each of the top-4 seeds in the playoffs, including No. 2 St. Thomas More (28-14), No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake (26-8) and No. 4 Deuel (46-40).

Sioux Valley did earn a win over Clark/Willow Lake in its first meeting, 22-8, on Aug. 29. The Cossacks are averaging 32 points per game while giving up 23 points defensively. SV is led by senior wideout and South Dakota State football commit Mitchell Guthmiller, and junior quarterback Wyatt Hardt.

Two unfamiliar opponents will face off on the other side of the quadrant as No. 5 Wagner (7-2) travels to No. 4 Deuel (8-1) this Thursday.

The Cardinals are having one of its best seasons to date with just one setback on the year, a narrow 20-14 loss to Clark/Willow Lake on Oct. 3. But Deuel was able to get back in a groove a few weeks later, knocking off a stout Mobridge-Pollock team, 40-35.

The Cardinals also have wins over Sioux Valley (40-35) and McCook Central-Montrose (36-20) in the first round of the playoffs.

The Deuel offense is led by junior quarterback Aidan Sievers and junior tailback Gavin Kloos. Kloos rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns against Webster Area on Oct. 10 while Sievers completed 18 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown as well.

On the other side of the bracket, a sequel will take place between No. 7 Mount Vernon-Plankinton (5-4) and No. 2 St. Thomas More (9-0).

The Cavaliers were victorious in the first matchup, a 29-8 home victory on Aug. 29, but a rematch two months later could hold a different result. STM has dominated every team on its schedule this season with its closest win being 14 points against Sioux Valley to start the year.

The Cavalier defense is by far the best scoring defense in Class 11B football allowing just 29 total points in nine games, including a stretch of six consecutive shutouts.

MVP has had a tale of two seasons in 2025. After starting 1-4, they rattled off four straight wins, including three signature wins over Winner (14-6), Woonsocket-Wessington Springs-Sanborn Central (30-6) and most recently Mobridge-Pollock (40-12) in the opening round of 11B playoff action.

The Titans are also looking for revenge after losing to the Cavs in the 11B quarterfinals a season ago.

In the final 11B quarterfinal matchup, an 11-seeded Winner (6-4) team with nothing to lose will look for yet another upset win over No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake (8-1).

The defending state 11B champs took out No. 6 Woonsocket-Wessington Springs-Sanborn Central, 20-12, in the opening round of the Class 11B playoffs and could find a way to get another upset win this season. As a team with so much history and championship pedigree, they’re a dangerous matchup for anyone in the playoffs.

The Warriors lost four games in the regular season, the most they’ve had in two decades, all four of which were narrow losses to playoff teams, including No. 5 Wagner (34-20), No. 1 Elk Point-Jefferson (20-8), No. 6 WWSSC (20-6) and most recently MVP (14-6).

This season Winner is averaging 24 points per game while allowing just 14 a game defensively.

They’ll face a Clark/Willow Lake team that enters the quarterfinals with loads of confidence and winners of seven straight after an early season loss to Sioux Valley, 22-8, on Aug. 29. The Cyclones have picked up notable wins over No. 4 Deuel, 20-14, Mobridge-Pollock, 44-6, and even avenged the loss to Sioux Valley (26-8) just two weeks after the initial meeting.

CWL is averaging 31 points per game while giving up just eight points per contest on defense, the second least in Class 11B. The Cyclones are led by junior quarterback Joey Ries, junior tailback Jakob Steen and senior back Emmerson Larson.

No. 8 Sioux Valley at No. 1 Elk Point-Jefferson, 7 p.m., CT, Elk Point

No. 5 Wagner at No. 4 Deuel, 7 p.m., CT, Clear Lake

No. 7 Mount Vernon/Plankinton at No. 2 St. Thomas More, 5 p.m., MT, Rapid City

No. 11 Winner at No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake, 7 p.m., CT, Clark