Editor’s Note: 605 Sports will unveil team preview capsules on all football classes leading up to the 2023 season openers. The information provided was submitted by coaches in response to an email sent by 605 Sports. 

Wall finally broke through and captured its elusive state football championship last season, its first since 1994. 

The Eagles will again be in the Class 9AA picture, which again appears to be the crowd at the top with other perennial powers back in the mix. Howard checks in at No. 1 in the preseason South Dakota Prep Media Football Poll and garnered 12 first-place votes. Wall received three first-place votes and is No. 2 in the preseason rankings.

Parkston, last season’s Class 9AA runner-up, is No. 3 and Hamlin (the other first-place vote) is No. 4. Bon Homme rounds out the top-five teams in the preseason poll. 

Team capsules (listed in alphabetical order): 

Bon Homme

Coach: Byron Pudwill (Career record of 110-96)

Last year’s record: 6-4

Key returnees: OL/DL Keegan Ashes, 6-0, 205, senior; WR/DB Landon Bares, 6-2, 175, senior; RB/LB Jackson Caba, 5-11, 160, senior; RB/LB Chapin Cooper, 5-10, 170, senior; OL/DL Jacob Cuka, 6-0, 200, senior; QB/DB Easton Mudder, 6-0, 160, senior; OL Kolten Vleck, 6-0, 170, junior; DB Evan Ulmer. 5-11 165. 

Top newcomers: OL/NG Rhett Connors, 5-8, 230, senior; OL/DL Cameron Cooper, 5-9, 135, junior; LB/RB Luke Guthmiller, 5-9, 150; TE/LB Zach Humpal, 5-7, 135, sophomore; RB/LB Grayson Johnson, 5-5, 120, sophomore; RB/DB Jackson Kaul, 5-8, 135, junior; TE/LB Payten Nielson. 5-10, 165, sophomore; QB/DB Landon Schmidt, 6-1, 160, junior; OL/DL Tristen Simek, 6-0, 285, senior; TE/LB Jace Toupal, 6-1, 175, senior; WR/DB Kashius Tucker, 5-8, 120, sophomore; WR/DB Caden Zomer, 5-10, 135, sophomore. 

Outlook: The Cavaliers have fourteen returning starters — seven starters on offense and seven starters on defense — returning from a team that finished 6-4 last season. 

Head coach Byron Pudwill has been part of the Bon Homme coaching staff for 41 seasons and is looking to build off a solid campaign in 2022.

“The keys to a successful season each year are built off a solid foundation that was laid down from past players,” Pudwill said. “The incoming players have seen the amount of work that is required to become successful. The new guys need that same work ethic and determination during the off-season from the 2023 Cavaliers.”

While there are some graduation losses to replace, Pudwill said the keys to a successful season are getting the new starters to trust each other on the field and play as a cohesive unit. 

“The veteran players need to know that their new teammates are willing to put in the work to become successful,” he said. “All the new starters will need to play as a family, and a unified team if they want to be successful.” 

With seven different starters returning on each side of the ball Pudwill likes the experience of the group that hit fall camp. 

Pudwill points to the losses of Isaac Crownover and Riley Rothschadl, both three-year captains, as obstacles the 2023 roster will need to overcome. 

“The Cavaliers will need some young guys to step forward and take over the leadership role,” Pudwill said. “Last year’s underclassman will have to prove their worth in fall camp to cover

those graduation losses. The new guys will have to learn quickly how to contribute both on and off the field in 2023.” 

Pudwill said Gregory, Kimball/White Lake and Parkston are three teams on the Cavaliers’ schedule that will be difficult. Pudwill said Parkston, Wall, Bon Homme, Hamlin, Freeman/Marion/Freeman-Academy and Hanson are likely to be among the top contenders in Class 9AA football. 

Elkton-Lake Benton 

Coach: Ethan Pearson (15-14 career coaching record) 

Last year’s record: 10-1 (lost to Parkston in Class 9AA semifinals) 

Key returnees: TE/DE, Carson Griffith, 6-4, 210, senior; WR/LB/S, Tanner Stein, 5-10, 180, junior; RB/LB, Riddick Westley, 5-9, 180, senior; RB/LB, Blake DeVries, 5-11, 180, junior; WR/DB, Tanner Drietz, 6-3, 175, junior; WR/DB, Quinten Poindexter, 6-0, 145, senior; OL/LB, Teigan Krog, 6-0, 195, junior; OL/DL, Jackson Smallfield, 6-0, 240, junior; OL/DL, Taiton Boersma, 6-0, 200, sophomore; WR/QB/DB, Colt Beck, 5-8, 160, sophomore; OL/DL, Quintin Westley, 5-9, 180, sophomore; OL, Rylen Coe, 6-3, 245, junior. 

Top newcomers: OL/DL, Rylen Coe, 6-3, 245, junior; OL/DL, Caleb Seiler, 6-8, 330, junior; OL/DL, Ashton Neill, 6-2, 215, junior; RB/WR, Eliot Erickson, 5-7, 150, sophomore; WR/DB, Lane Schindler, 5-8, 150, sophomore; TE/DL, Savion Stephens, 5-10, 180, sophomore; TE/LB, Myles Poindexter, 5-10, 160, sophomore. 

Outlook: The Elks return 26 letterwinners — seven starters on offense and eight starters on defense — from last season’s 10-1 campaign. Elkton-Lake Benton will need to replace quarterback Ryan Krog and center Garrett Neill, but the rest of the pieces are in place for another deep run. 

“I like what we return from last year’s team in the 26 letterwinners,” ELB coach Ethan Pearson said. “We had a lot of guys step up big last year, and this year we hope to watch them grow and get better every day of the year. I really like the way our team bonds together; they do a lot of things together outside of football and school, which is fun to watch. We have a group of guys that are dedicated to the weight room and are constantly competing with one another.”

Tight end Carson Griffith hauled in 395 receiving yards for eight touchdown receptions last season. Wide receiver Tanner Stein racked up 737 receiving yards and 13 touchdown receptions, while running back Riddick Westley rushed for 769 yards and three touchdowns. 

Running back Blake DeVries (271 rushing yards/3 touchdowns), wide receiver Tanner Drietz (236 receiving yards/2 touchdowns) and wide receiver Quinten Poindexter (3 touchdown receptions) will bolster the offensive unit. 

“Offensively, I think our biggest challenge this year is replacing the yards that Ryan Krog had – over 1,450 yards rushing and 1,700 yards passing,” Pearson said. “He was a big part of our offense last year, and this year our new starting quarterback and veteran running backs and receivers are all going to have to step up and replace those yards if not exceed those yards.

Defensively, the biggest challenges for the upcoming year are to prepare our players to be able to read each offensive set that they see on a weekly basis, get themselves into the proper spots pre-snap to be able to defend each offensive set, and to become sure tacklers to reduce any extra yards that might be given to an offense.”

Pearson expects Wall, Parkston, Hamlin, Howard and Hanson to be among the top Class 9AA teams this season. 

Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy

Coach: Dustin Tschetter  

Last year’s record: 7-3  

Key returnees: QB, Riley Tschetter, 5-10, 180, sophomore; TE/DE, Evan Scharberg, 6-0, 210, senior; WR/LB/DB, Rocky Ammann, 6-1, 165, senior; RB/LB, Dominic Sperling, 5-9, 160, junior; OL/DE, Sawyer Wipf, 6-0, 185, junior; LB/DB, Christopher Aasen, 6-0, 165, junior; DL, Dom Grear, 6-0, 180, sophomore. 

Top newcomers: DL/OL, Tate Sorensen, 6-3, 190, sophomore; WR/DB, Karter Weber, 5-9, 165, sophomore; RB/LB, Luke Peters, 5-11, 175, sophomore; OL/LB, Taylor Goodwin, 5-10, 170, sophomore; DE/WR, Jackson Donlan, 6-1, 170, sophomore; DB, Titus Sperling, 5-6, 140, sophomore; DL, Harley Crooks, 6-1, 175, senior; OL/LB, Hunter Nankivel, 6-0, 175, freshman; OL/DL, Tannen Auch, 6-0, 175, freshman; LB, Alaric Knittel, 5-8, 145, freshman. 

Outlook: The Phoenix bring back 16 letterwinners — five starters on offense and six starters on defense — from last season’s inaugural season as a football co-op. Quarterback Riley Tschetter returns after throwing for 2,225 yards and 30 touchdowns, while rushing for 300 yards and three more scores. Tschetter will be complemented by tight end Evan Scharberg (449 yards/7 touchdowns) and wide receiver Rocky Ammann (323 yards/2 touchdowns). Running back Dominic Sperling added 451 yards and three touchdowns last season. 

“We must find some consistency running the football,” coach Dustin Tschetter said. “Last year, we struggled at times to run the ball and that put a lot of pressure on our passing game. By running the ball consistently, we’ll be able to get the matchups we want in the passing game which will make our offense much tougher to defend.”

Coach Tschetter also hopes the defense can complement the offensive attack this season. 

“We must take a giant leap forward this year on defense if we want to become serious contenders in our conference and in the state,” coach Tschetter said. “Physicality, tackling and forcing turnovers must improve if we want to take the next step.”

Tschetter also anticipates a more cohesive team in its second season as a co-op. 

“We played a lot of kids last year and gained valuable experience and created a lot of depth that has varsity experience,” coach Tschetter said. “Now in our second season as a coop, the coaches are more familiar with each other and understand the strength and weakness of our roster and the players are starting to bond together and starting to trust each other.”

Coach Tschetter expects Howard, Avon, Corsica-Stickney and Gayville-Volin to be the team’s toughest regular season opponents. He said Howard, Parkston, Hamlin, Hanson and Wall will be the top Class 9AA teams this season. 

Hamlin 

Coach: Jeff Sheehan (145-54 coaching record)

Last year’s record: 9-2 (lost to Wall in Class 9AA semifinals)  

Key returnees: QB, Tyson Stevenson, 6-1, 160, senior; RB/DB, Luke Fraser, 6-0, 185, senior; TE/WR/DB, Evan Stormo, 6-0, 175, junior; WR/DB, Zac VanMeeteren, 6-5, 195, junior; TE, Dawson Noem, 6-3, 215, junior; OL/DL, Jameson Nebel, 6-3, 260, senior; OL, Noah Smith, 6-4, 275, senior; DL, Crithian Rodriguez, 6-0, 250, senior. 

Top newcomers: QB/LB, Jackson Wadsworth, 6-0, 175, sophomore; TE/DE, Aiden Abraham, 6-2, 180, sophomore; WR/DB, Mason Trowbridge, 5-9, 150, junior; RB/DB, Rylan Thue, 5-10, 160, sophomore.  

Outlook: The Chargers bring back 20 letterwinners — seven starters on offense and five starters on defense — from last season’s Class 9AA semifinal run. The Chargers will be headlined by all-state running back Luke Fraser, who rushed for 1,634 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, while hauling in 368 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions. Quarterback Tyson Stevenson threw for 1,636 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. Wide receiver Evan Stormo (602 receiving yards/8 touchdowns), Zac VanMeeteren (300 receiving yards/6 touchdowns) and tight end Dawson Noem (158 receiving yards/2 touchdowns) will also bolster the offensive unit. 

“We took strides this year and we will need to build on those next year,” Hamlin coach Jeff Sheehan said. “We have a great nucleus of players returning that are very competitive. They have a great work ethic and they want to be successful.”

Sheehan said Hamlin’s toughest regular season opponents will be Leola-Frederick Area, Castlewood and Dell Rapids St. Mary. He expects Howard, Wall, Parkston and Bon Homme to be among the top Class 9AA teams this season. 

Howard 

Coach: Pat Ruml (127-78 coaching record) 

Last year’s record: 9-1 (lost to Parkston in Class 9AA quarterfinals) 

Key returnees: QB/S, Taiden Hoyer, 6-0, 195, senior; TE/DE, Luke Koepsell, 6-3, 195, junior; FB/CB, Karsyn Feldhaus, 5-9, 150, senior. 

Top newcomers: LB/G, Calvin Halverson, 5-10, 190, junior; DE/G, Austin Severson, 5-11, 190, junior; LB/RB, Tate Miller, 5-8, 146, junior; DB/RB, Will Maier, 5-9, 140, senior; LB/TE, Carson Hinker, 6-1, 175, junior; DL/OL, Kade Grocott, 6-0, 220, senior; LB/RB, Jackson Remmers, 6-1, 180, senior; LB/TE, Weston Remmers, 6-1, 180, junior. 

Outlook: The Tigers return 15 letterwinners — three starters on offense and three starters on defense — from last season’s 9-1 season. Howard graduated seven seniors, including three all-staters from last year’s team. Quarterback Taiden Hoyer returns after throwing for 842 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for 585 yards and five more scores. 

“We will have a two-year starter at QB coming back on offense that will be a big leader for our team,” Howard coach Pat Ruml said. “We have some good athletes returning. We just need to get them some experience. Team chemistry is really good and they have maintained a great weight room work ethic this summer.”

The Tigers also return tight end Luke Koepsell and running back Karsyn Feldhaus, while they also bring in McCook Central/Montrose transfers Weston Remmers, Jackson Remmers and Kade Grocott. Jackson Remmers and Grocott were Class 11B honorable mention all-staters last season. 

“We have to continue to be physical every game,” Ruml added. “We will have a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball.”

Howard opens the season with a pair of tough Cornbelt Conference foes in Hanson and Canistota. Ruml expects Parkston and Hamlin to be among the top Class 9AA teams.

Ipswich

Coach: Brian Hogie (Career record of 70-83)

Last year’s record: 6-4

Key returnees: WR/DB Trevor Heinz, 5-10, 155, senior; TE/LB Chet Peterson 6-1, 175, senior; DB Max Kulesa, 6-1, 155, junior. 

Top newcomers: RB/DB Kyle Hettich, 5-9, 145, sophomore; RB/LB Casey Geditz 5-6, 155, sophomore; OL/DL Brody Davis, 5-10, 165; OL/DL Kadyn Weisser, 5-10, 185; OL/DL Justin Rohrbach, 5-9, 185.  

Outlook: The Tigers have five starters — two starters on offense and three starters on defense — that return from a team that finished 6-4 in 2022. The Tigers have some big graduation holes to fill including QB/DB Ian Beyers, Tyler Hettich, Carter Geditz and Colby Sylte, along with three starting lineman. 

“One of the big keys for us is going to be our ability to stay healthy and gain valuable experience,” coach Brian Hogie said. “We will be a very young team and untested and we will need to grow in every game and be able to learn from our mistakes.” 

Ipswich tied for the Class B state track title in May and Hogie likes some of the team speed and experience coming back at wide receiver and in the defensive backfield. 

“Our biggest challenges for the 2023 season will be trying to overcome our lack of varsity game experience and our size up front,” he said. “We are replacing a lot of key position over the last two seasons.”

Ipswich plays in the Lake Region Conference and he expects every week will be filled with hard-fought matchups for his young squad. 

“Our schedule as a whole is going to be very tough again,” he said. “The Lake region conference puts out a lot of great teams and each week is a battle in our conference.”

Hogie lists Hamlin, Hanson, Howard and Parkston among his favorites to be at the top of the 9AA standings. 

Kimball/White Lake

Coach: Ryan Skluzak

Last year’s record: 2-7

Key returnees: RB/LB Iden Meyers, 5-8, 160, junior; TE/DE Blake Leiferman, 6-6, 215, senior; RB/DB Mathan Mohnen, 6-1, 165, junior; TE/LB Lucas Lenz, 5-11, 175, junior; 

Outlook: The WiLdKats have 12 letterwinners returning from a team that finished 2-7 in 2022. Second-year coach Ryan Skluzak says the 2023 version of Kimball/White Lake football will have a nice mix of upperclassmen all the way to the incoming freshman class. 

Skluzak said he likes the off-season effort of this year’s squad. 

“A big chunk of our roster put in a lot of off-season work this summer and we’re really hoping to see that pay off on the field,” he said. “We were pretty young last season but return a nice group of experienced kids.

A very challenging schedule for the WiLdKats who have games with Parkston, Bon Homme, Howard, Platte-Geddes, Gregory, Dell Rapids St. Mary and Wall. 

“Our schedule really doesn’t give us much of a chance to catch our breath,” Skluzak said. “Steel sharpens steel and we are hoping to be very competitive if we can stay healthy.” 

Leola/Frederick Area 

Coach: Jeff Kosters ​​(133-88 coaching record) 

Last year’s record: 5-4

Key returnees: C Brandon Pickell, 6-3, 280, senior; G/DE Connor Spitzer, 6-2, 230; G Gus Sieh, 5-11, 175, senior; FB/DE Austin Mantel, 6-2, 175, senior; TE McKinley Kosters, 6-1, 220, senior; QB Brayden Sumption, 6-0, 160, senior; DT Dustin Wurtz, 5-11, 215, junior; LB Levi Little, 5-10, 170, senior; DB Noah Kippley, 6-0, 145; DB Gavin Nickelson, 5-10, 140, junior. 

Newcomers: FB/LB Tristan Sumption, 6-2, 155, senior; TE/DE/K/P Ethan Petrich, 6-2, 155, sophomore; WB/DB Westyn Thorpe, 5-7, 150; TE/DE Milo Sumption, 6-0, 175. 

Outlook: Leola/Frederick returns 12 starters — six starters on offense and six starters on defense — from a team that finished 5-4 in 2022. The Titans look particularly strong on defense and very strong on the defensive front. 

“Last year we returned all of our skill players and were inexperienced up front,” Kosters said. “This year will be the opposite as we return all but one of our starters from last year in the trenches. Likewise, we lost both of our running backs to graduation. I believe the strength of our team this season will be our offensive and defensive lines.”

Kosters said one of the big keys for the Titans will be to stay as healthy as possible with a lack of depth at most positions. 

“Having consistent play up front for us will be key, especially with the lack of experience we will have in the backfield with two new running backs in our double wing set,” Kosters said. “If we can get consistent solid play from those groups up front, it will help our offensive backfield gain more confidence.”

The schedule will leave this team tested by the time playoffs roll around. 

“I believe Hamlin will be our toughest opponent,” Kosters said. “Warner consistently fields very competitive squads and will have one of the more talented backs in our area as well. With Langford Area not having a varsity team this year, we picked up Herreid/Selby Area to replace them on our schedule. Three of our first four opponents were in the semifinals or Dome last year.”

Kosters feels like Howard, Hanson, Hamlin and Parkston will be the top teams in 9AA football this year. 

Platte-Geddes

Coach: Bruce Hanson (Career record of 28-13)

Last year’s record: 4-5

Key returnees: RB/LB Joey Foxley, 6-0, 185 senior; RB/LB Kasen Konstanz, 5-10, 145, senior; DE/TE Caden Oberbroekling. 6-1, 210, senior; LB/G Jack Ringling, 5-11, 220, senior; C Emmitt Bultjes, 5-11, 250, senior; TE/DE Skyler Hanten, 6-3, 190, senior; WR/CB Parker Bailey, 5-9, 150, senior; WR Tanner Dyk, 6-3 175, senior. 

Top newcomers: G/DT Tristan Petrik 5-8, 170, senior; WR/LB Thomas Summers, 5-9, 150, sophomore; WB/CB Quincy Stephens, 5-10, junior; QB/CB Jye Bailey, 5-8, 145; QB/CB Jye Bailey, 5-8, 145; QB/CB Emmit Holzbauer, 6-1, 185, junior. 

Outlook: The Black Panthers have 12 returning starters — six starters on offense and six starters on defense — coming back from a team that finished 4-5 last season. Platte-Geddes will rely heavily on Joey Foxley, who has been a key contributor since a freshman, including a starter on back-to-back state championship teams. 

Platte-Geddes coach Bruce Hanson said staying healthy will be key, among other things, for this season. 

“Staying Healthy will be the biggest thing for us,” Hanson said. “We lost three starters for the year in the first two games last year. Developing some depth that we can plug in and hopefully rotate some players. Figuring out who will win our QB position.”

Hanson anticipates another tough regular-season schedule for Platte-Geddes, which has games against Parkston, Gregory, Canistota and Viborg-Hurley. He expects Parkston, Hamlin, Howard, Viborg-Hurley, Wall, Hanson and Elkton-Lake Benton to be among the top Class 9AA teams this season.