VERMILLION — The unstoppable force meets the defending state champs in Class 9A title tilt.

No. 1 Wall (11-0) takes on No. 7 Howard (9-2) for the Class 9A state championship to start Friday’s slate at the DakotaDome at 10 a.m.

The Eagles have looked like a team on a mission after last season’s semifinal loss to Wolsey-Wessington, winning all 11 games by 41 or more points. Their closest win came against Castlewood, 41-0, in the 9A quarterfinals on Oct. 30.

Wall is searching for its fourth football championship, and its first since 2022 (9AA).

The Eagles average a class-best 54.2 points per game while allowing just 3.5 points per game, by far the best in 9A. In fact, the Eagles have only allowed 12 total points in its past nine games, outscoring its opponents 469-12.

Wall has knocked off notable opponents in Phillip (Twice, 54-6 and 56-5) and Harding County-Bison (73-20).

The Eagles are led by Dawson Handcock, Jace Mohr, Tanner Volmer and Younger Amiotte.

On the other sideline, the defending champs have found their way back to the DakotaDome despite being the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.

Howard dropped two games in the regular season against tough opponents in Alcester-Hudson (40-29) to start the year and Viborg-Hurley (32-22).

But the Tigers still picked up big wins over Hanson (12-7) and Centerville (52-32) before going on the road and beating No. 2 Warner (28-21) and No. 3 Alcester-Hudson (18-12) in the playoffs.

Howard, the defending 9A state champions and have hoisted gold five times in its school’s history. This is the third consecutive trip to the DakotaDome for the Tigers, losing to Parkston in 2023 (9AA).

The Tigers are averaging 38 points per game while allowing 18.5 points per game defensively.

Against Alcester-Hudson, Howard’s Kolt Becker finished with 285 yards of total offense. He rushed for 214 yards on 26 carries and added two catches for 74 yards. Drew Maier added 81 yards passing. Kean Hofer tallied nine tackles. The Tigers totaled 345 total yards.