Wall at Harding County/Bison 

BUFFALO — Wall will make the 170-mile trek up to Buffalo on Friday for a top-five Class 9A contest. The Eagles (1-0) are No. 2 in Class 9A, while Harding County/Bison (1-0) is ranked No. 5.

The game will loom large later in the season when teams are jockeying for postseason positioning and home-field advantage. 

Wall is coming off a 37-0 win over rival Philip, in which quarterback Tanner Volmer scored three total touchdowns.

The Ranchers, meanwhile, picked up a 50-8 win over Potter County in the opener. Against the Battlers, all-stater Rylee Veal rushed for 277 yards and scored four total touchdowns. 

Wall defeated Harding County/Bison, 41-12, in last season’s contest. 

Hanson at Hamlin 

HAYTI — Hanson and Hamlin, a pair of Class 9AA contenders, will square off in the second week of the season. Hamlin (1-0) is No. 2 in Class 9AA and Hanson (1-0) is No. 4 in Class 9AA.

Hamlin is coming off a 52-0 win over Britton-Hecla in the opener, while Hanson defeated Garretson 50-0 in its first game. 

Against Britton-Hecla, Hamlin piled up 327 total yards and rushed for 181 yards on the ground. Hamlin’s Jackson Wadsworth completed 9-of-13 passes for 192 yards and four touchdowns. Evan Stormo hauled in three touchdown receptions for 82 yards, and Boden Stevenson caught a 35-yard touchdown strike. Mason Trowbridge rushed for 123 yards on 11 carries and scored a rushing touchdown. 

Against Garretson, Sutton Dewald scored four touchdowns and finished with 108 rushing yards. Stetson Riggs, Cole Dewald and Austin Jager added touchdowns for Hanson, which rushed for 224 yards. Esten Schlimgen had 113 passing yards.

The top-five matchup will be a good measuring stick for both teams and the winner will get a nice power points boost in the standings. 

The teams met in the 2022 playoffs, a 26-20 Hamlin victory. 

Wagner at Winner 

WINNER — The Class 11B slate is highlighted by a top-five matchup in Winner. 

Class 11B No. 1 Winner (1-0) will host Class 11B No. 5 Wagner (1-0) in a Friday late-afternoon game. 

Winner blanked Hot Springs, 36-0, in the opener. Wagner, meanwhile, picked up a 34-8 win over Chamberlain in its opener. 

Against Hot Springs, Winner’s Karson Keiser scored three rushing touchdowns, while Ryken Orel and Zac Olson added touchdown runs. 

Against Chamberlain, Gannon Knebel ripped off five rushing touchdowns and had 140 yards rushing. Javian Pesicka posted 70 rushing yards. 

Winner won last season’s meeting against Wagner, 46-6. The Warriors are riding a 15-game winning streak against the Red Raiders, dating back to 2009.

Rapid City Christian at Canton 

CANTON — Rapid City Christian moved up from Class 11B, and its first-ever Class 11A game is against preseason No. 1 Canton. 

Canton received six first-place votes in the preseason poll to earn the top spot. Rapid City Christian, a Class 11B semifinalist, was honorable mention in the preseason rankings. 

Canton is powered by University of South Dakota commit Cain Wallner, who rushed for 1,070 yards and 18 total touchdowns last season. He racked up 1,759 all-purpose yards.

Simon Kieffer engineers Rapid City Christian’s offensive attack, throwing for 1,621 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 572 yards and five more scores last season. 

After its game vs Canton, Rapid City Christian plays top-five teams Sioux Falls Christian and Dell Rapids in back-to-back weeks. 

West Central at Sioux Falls Christian 

SIOUX FALLS — Sioux Falls Christian and West Central, a pair of Class 11A contenders, will face off in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Christian is No. 2 in Class 11A, while West Central is No. 4 in Class 11A.

West Central has played in the last two Class 11A state championship games, falling to Dell Rapids each time. Sioux Falls Christian advanced to last season’s Class 11A semifinals, falling to Dell Rapids 22-14. 

West Central edged Sioux Falls Christian, 14-6, in last season’s meeting. 

Elkton-Lake Benton at Viborg-Hurley 

VIBORG — Elkton-Lake Benton travels to play Viborg-Hurley in a top-five Class 9AA battle on Friday. Elkton-Lake Benton (1-0) is No. 3 in Class 9AA, while Viborg-Hurley (1-0) is No. 5 in Class 9AA.

ELB blanked Waubay-Summit, 42-0, in the opener. Viborg-Hurley, meanwhile, pulled away from Canistota for a 40-20 victory. 

ELB’s Blake DeVries rushed for 100 yards and two scores, while Eliot Erickson and Colt Beck added touchdown runs. Beck also passed for 81 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Tanner Drietz. Drietz also scored on an 81-yard return.

Viborg-Hurley’s Brenner Gerdes passed for 277 yards and four touchdowns. Nick Hanson added 147 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. 

The teams last met in 2020, a 60-8 Viborg-Hurley victory.