Warner was the lone Class 9A team to go unscathed during the regular season, but a number of perennial powers are also scattered throughout the class. 

The Monarchs are the No. 1 seed and sit atop the class without a defending state champion. Howard, which won the 2021 Class 9A state championship, has moved up to Class 9AA and runner-up Herreid/Selby Area dropped down to Class 9B.

Warner is gunning for its first trip to Vermillion since 2020 when it dropped a 12-0 decision against Canistota/Freeman in the Class 9A state championship. 

Warner will host No. 16 Burke in the opener and the winner will play Canistota or Alcester-Hudson in the quarterfinals. 

After the Monarchs, there is no shortage of football powers chasing a trip to the DakotaDome. Lyman, Gregory, Wolsey-Wessington and Castlewood are bunched together in the bottom half of the bracket. 

Gregory's Rylan Peck carries the ball against Bon Homme on Oct. 14 in Gregory. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Lyman’s lone defeat was a 48-6 setback against Class 9AA No. 1 seed Wall. The Raiders feature a potent offensive attack and averages 42.8 points per game. Lyman plays No. 15 Oldham-Ramona/Rutland in the opener and the winner will play Castlewood or Timber Lake in the quarterfinals. 

If the top seeds win in the opener, Gregory would play Wolsey-Wessington in a matchup of Missouri Valley Conference foes in the quarterfinals. Gregory hosts Iroquois/Lake Preston, while Wolsey-Wessington hosts Deubrook Area. 

In the other first-round matchups, Harding County/Bison hosts Chester Area and Philip hosts Estelline/Hendricks. 

Canistota's Tage Ortman, right, carries the ball against Platte-Geddes on Oct. 14 in Canistota. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Most intriguing first-round matchup

It feels like déjà vu for Canistota. 

Last season, Canistota/Freeman (the co-op disbanded after last season) went into the playoffs with a 4-4 record and unlike previous seasons were a lower seed. It didn’t matter as Canistota/Freeman rattled off three straight road playoff wins over Florence/Henry, Ipswich and Parkston to advance to the Class 9AA state championship.  

In its fourth straight trip to the DakotaDome, Canistota/Freeman lost to Platte-Geddes in the title game. One year later Canistota is in a similar situation, is 4-4 entering the postseason and is a lower seed once again.  

The No. 9 Canistota plays at No. 8 Alcester-Hudson as it chases a fifth straight trip to Vermillion. If the Hawks beat the Cubs, they will likely play No. 1 Warner on the road. 

Alcester-Hudson scores 33 points per game, while giving up 14.5 points per game. The Hawks put up 29.1 points per game and give up 20.6 points per game. 

The Cubs suffered one defeat during the regular season, a 36-22 defeat against Avon. Alcester-Hudson’s signature win during the regular season was a 12-6 victory over Class 9B No. 5 seed Corsica-Stickney. 

Irene-Wakonda is their lone common opponent this season. Alcester-Hudson defeated the Eagles 36-14, while Canistota picked up a 43-28 victory. 

Class 9A First-Round Pairings

Note: Times are Central

No. 16 Burke (1-7) at No. 1 Warner (8-0), 7 p.m.

No. 9 Canistota (4-4) at No. 8 Alcester-Hudson (7-1), 7 p.m.

No. 13 Chester Area (3-5) at No. 4 Harding County/Bison (6-2), 6:30 p.m.

No. 12 Estelline/Hendricks (4-4) at No. 5 Philip (7-1), 6:30 p.m.

No. 15 Oldham-Ramona/Rutland (2-6) at No. 2 Lyman (7-1), 6 p.m.

No. 10 Timber Lake (5-3) at No. 7 Castlewood (6-2), 6 p.m.

No. 14 Iroquois/Lake Preston (2-6) at No. 3 Gregory (7-1), 7 p.m.

No. 11 Deubrook Area (4-4) at No. 6 Wolsey-Wessington (5-3), 7 p.m.