By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

Here is a game-by-game look at Thursday’s Class 9AA first-round matchups:

Elkton-Lake Benton (3-5) at Hanson (7-1)

Time/location: 7 p.m. at Alexandria

Outlook: Hanson dropped a 26-0 decision against Howard in its regular-season finale, but it still secured the No. 1 seed in Class 9AA. The Beavers own wins over four Class 9AA playoff teams, including No. 2 Parkston. Hanson features a balanced offensive attack, including a host of running backs in Jackson Jarding, Hadley Wallace and Brock Tuttle. Quarterback Kade Waldera orchestrates the Beaver offense. Elkton-Lake Benton snapped a three-game losing skid with a 44-22 win over Colman-Egan last week. The victory allowed the Elks to earn the No. 16 seed in the playoffs. ELB quarterback Ryan Krog has passed for 1,383 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 543 yards and six touchdowns. Aiden Erickson has caught a team-high 402 receiving yards and three touchdown passes. Riley Hunter (309 receiving yards/4 touchdowns) and Logan Kuehl (296 receiving yards/6 touchdowns) are also top targets for Krog. The winner plays the Platte-Geddes vs. Chester Area winner in the quarterfinals. 

Chester Area's Stratton Eppard carries the ball against Howard on Sept. 10 in Howard. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Platte-Geddes (6-2) at Chester Area (6-2)

Time/location: 7 p.m. at Chester.

Outlook: No. 8 Chester Area only lost to Howard (26-8) and Hanson (22-20) during the regular season. The Flyers concluded their 6-2 season with a 63-14 victory over Garretson in their regular-season finale. Chester Area quarterback Stratton Eppard has passed for more than 1,000 yards this season, while rushing for more than 800 yards. Jovi Wolf paces the Flyer receiving corps. Platte-Geddes, which won last year’s Class 9AA title, is coming off a 20-7 win over Kimball/White Lake in its regular-season finale. The Black Panthers dropped a 27-15 decision against No. 2 Parkston on Sept. 10, while their other defeat was against Gregory (28-8). Platte-Geddes quarterback Dawson Hoffman has thrown for 806 yards and 10 touchdowns. Grayson Hanson has rushed for 796 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jackson Neuman adds 321 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The winner plays the Elkton-Lake Benton vs. Hanson winner in the quarterfinal round. 

Stanley County (5-4) at Lyman (7-1)

Time/location: 7 p.m. at Presho.

Outlook: Lyman concluded a 7-1 season with a 54-0 win over Jones County last week. The Raiders’ lone defeat was a 42-6 decision against Wall on Sept. 17. Lyman is averaging 43.25 points per game, the defense is giving up just nine points per game and has pitched four shutouts. Running back Colton Collins has logged 1,487 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, while catching three touchdown receptions. Dual-threat quarterback Teagan Gourneau has rushed for 356 yards and seven touchdowns, while passing for 350 yards and five scores. Stanley County started the season 1-5, but won its final four contests to earn the No. 13 seed in Class 9AA. Quarterback Lathan Prince threw three touchdown passes in Stanley County’s 50-0 win over Dupree in its regular-season finale. The winner plays Timber Lake vs. Leola/Frederick Area winner in the quarterfinals. 

Leola/Frederick Area (4-4) at Timber Lake (7-1)

Time/location: 7 p.m. at Timber Lake.

Outlook: No. 5 Timber Lake concluded its 7-1 season with a five-game winning streak after blanking Faith (52-0) on Oct. 8. The Panthers are averaging 45 points per game, while giving up just 8.7 points per game on defense. Timber Lake’s lone defeat came against Class 9A No. 1 seed Herreid/Selby Area (38-28) on Sept. 3. Hank Kraft powers the Panthers with 1,432 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, while recording four touchdown receptions. Quarterback Kedrick Martin has passed for 677 yards and 13 passing touchdowns. Chazz Gabe is Martin’s top target with 337 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions. No. 12 Leola/Frederick Area dropped a 62-20 decision on Oct. 8 in its final regular season game. Hans Lapka led the Titans with 133 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the loss. The winner plays the Lyman vs. Stanley County winner in the quarterfinals. 

Parkston's Cole Prunty (2) carries the ball against Gregory on Sept. 18 in Gregory. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Bon Homme (3-5) at Parkston (6-2)

Time/location: 7 p.m. at Parkston. 

Outlook: Parkston began the season 1-2, but rattled off five straight wins to secure the No. 2 seed in Class 9AA. The Trojans concluded the winning streak with a 66-40 victory over Wolsey-Wessington on Oct. 15. Parkston won the regular season meeting against Bon Homme (46-7) on Sept. 24. The Trojans’ two defeats were against (24-16) and Garretson (35-20). In last week’s win, Cole Prunty posted 260 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Kolter Kramer added 108 rushing yards and one rushing score, while Kaleb Weber passed for 57 yards. The Cavaliers dropped a 42-12 decision against Gregory in their finale, but still earned the No. 15 seed in the postseason. Bon Homme’s Riley Rothschadl logged 166 passing yards in the loss. The winner plays the Hamlin vs. Garretson winner in the quarterfinal round. 

Garretson (4-4) at Hamlin (7-2)

Time/location: 7 p.m. at Hayti. 

Outlook: Before dropping a 35-24 decision against Warner in its finale, No. 7 Hamlin strung together six straight victories in the middle of the season. The Chargers are scoring 34.4 points per game, while giving up 15 points per game on defense. Hamlin recorded three consecutive shutout victories, while its highest-point total offensively was 66 points against Britton-Hecla in the opener. Offensively, Xander Sheehan has passed for 1,501 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s added 424 rushing yards and nine more touchdowns. Luke Fraser has rushed for 773 yards and nine touchdowns, while adding 408 receiving yards and six touchdowns receptions. Evan Stormo has hauled in 463 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. No. 10 Garretson played four other Class 9AA playoff teams, including a win over No. 2 Parkston (35-20). The Blue Dragons’ quarterback Dylan Kindt has passed for 1,946 yards and 23 passing touchdowns. He’s added 447 rushing yards and seven more scores. Kindt’s top target is Cooper Long, who has racked up 856 receiving yards and 11 touchdown receptions. Jayse Miller has compiled 497 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions. Carson Clark has 259 rushing yards, while Hunter Abraham has 222 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The winner plays the Bon Homme vs. Parkston winner in the quarterfinals. 

Lemmon/McIntosh (4-4) at Ipswich (7-1)

Time/location: 7 p.m. at Ipswich

Outlook: Ipswich’s lone defeat was a 46-28 decision against Class 9A No. 1 seed Herreid/Selby Area. The Tigers finished their season with wins over Faulkton Area (20-6), Leola/Frederick Area (62-20) and North Central (54-0) to earn the No. 3 seed. Ipswich scores 43.75 points per game, while giving up just 10.75 points on defense. Ian Beyers paces the offensive attack with 776 passing yards and nine touchdowns. Carson Gohl (683 rushing yards/15 touchdowns) and Tyler Hettich (345 rushing yards/7 touchdowns) contribute out of the backfield. Tyler Kadlec has a team-high 467 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions. Luke Peterson has 205 rushing yards and four scores. The No. 14 Cowboys posted a 3-1 record through their final four games to secure a playoff spot. Lemmon/McIntosh quarterback Sawyer Thompson leads the offense with 1,248 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. Tell Mollman has compiled 807 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, while posting 281 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. Tanner Miller (533 receiving yards/5 touchdowns) and Talon Trogstad (266 receiving yards/5 touchdowns) pace the receiving corps. The winner plays the Canistota/Freeman vs. Florence-Henry winner in the quarterfinals. 

Canistota/Freeman's Tage Ortman gets ready to deliver a pass against Hanson on Oct. 8 in Canistota. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Canistota/Freeman (4-4) at Florence-Henry (7-1)

Time/location: 7 p.m. at Florence. 

Outlook: No. 6 Florence-Henry won its first seven games before dropping a 25-14 decision against Warner on Oct. 1. The Falcons closed the season with a 34-20 win over Elkton-Lake Benton. Florence-Henry topped No. 7 seed Hamlin (34-24) on Aug. 27. In its win over Elkton-Lake Benton, Tegan Sumner threw for 72 yards and one touchdown. Ashton Hanson rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Ethan Paulson added 56 receiving yards and one touchdown reception. Canistota/Freeman, which won the last three Class 9A state championships, will be on the road to start this postseason. The Pride have played four other Class 9AA playoff teams, including wins over Elkton-Lake Benton (48-18) and Garretson (56-50). Quarterback Tage Ortman powers the Pride with 1,349 passing yards and 18 passing touchdowns, while scoring four more touchdowns on the ground. Isiah Robertson (506 receiving yards/5 touchdowns) and Will Ortman (352 receiving yards/9 touchdowns) lead the receivers. Robertson also has 444 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, while Noah Kleinsasser has 594 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The winner plays the Lemmon/McIntosh vs. Ipswich winner in the quarterfinals.