By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

Teams are one step closer to their ultimate goal: a trip to the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

South Dakota’s seven football classes have reached the semifinals and here’s a game-by-game breakdown of each nine-man semifinal game on Friday. All times are Central. 

Class 9AA

Platte-Geddes (8-2) at Timber Lake (9-1) at 7 p.m.

TIMBER LAKE -- It will be an all-Panther semifinal at Timber Lake’s Doug Kraft Field.

No. 5 seed Timber Lake outlasted No. 4 Lyman, 24-18, on Kedrick Martin-to-Hank Kraft’s 43-yard touchdown reception with 5 seconds left in the quarterfinals. No. 9 Platte-Geddes, meanwhile, upset No. 1 Hanson (26-24) in overtime to set up the Panther vs. Black Panther matchup. 

Platte-Geddes, which is playing its third consecutive road playoff game, is looking for a repeat trip to the DakotaDome after winning the 2020 Class 9AA state championship. Timber Lake last made the semifinals in 2018, bowing out to eventual Class 9A state champion Canistota/Freeman.

The matchup pits a pair of dynamic running backs against each other. Timber Lake is powered by senior running back Hank Kraft. The 5-foot-8, 200-pounder has racked up 1,719 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, while adding five touchdown receptions and 67.5 tackles on defense. 

Timber Lake quarterback Kedrick Martin has thrown for 795 yards and 14 touchdowns. Receiver Chazz Gabe has hauled in 367 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions. Defensively, Jayce Lawrence has 71 tackles, 4.5 sacks and one interception. 

Running back Grayson Hanson paces the Black Panthers on offense with 1,080 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively, the 6-foot, 175-pound senior has 65.5 tackles and one interception. 

Quarterback Dawson Hoffman (883 passing yards/11 touchdowns) engineers the Platte-Geddes offense. Jackson Neuman (367 rushing yards/5 touchdowns) and Chase Varilek (282 rushing yards) also power the rushing attack. Joey Foxley has hauled in 289 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. Jackson Olsen has proven to be a valuable weapon in the kicking game, hitting 11 of 14 point-after-attempts and two field goals, including a 46-yarder against Colman-Egan. 

Parkston's Cole Prunty (2) carries the ball against Garretson last week in the Class 9AA playoffs in Parkston. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Canistota/Freeman (6-4) at Parkston (8-2) at 7 p.m.

PARKSTON -- Canistota/Freeman is in a new class, but is back in familiar territory.

After winning the past three Class 9A state championships, Canistota/Freeman advanced to the 9AA semifinals after winning two straight road games. The No. 11 Pride advanced to the semifinals with a 14-0 win at Ipswich last week. 

Parkston has reached the semifinals for the first time since it won the 2014 Class 11B state championship. The No. 2 Trojans avenged one of their two losses, a 34-7 win over Garretson in last week’s quarterfinal round. 

Canistota/Freeman quarterback Tage Ortman leads the offensive attack with 1,581 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. The sophomore also has 160 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Isiah Robertson (689 rushing yards/9 touchdowns) and Noah Kleinsasser (652 rushing yards/5 touchdowns) power the ground attack. Kleinsasser also has three receiving touchdowns and 69 tackles on defense. Will Ortman has hauled in 425 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Parkston’s Cole Prunty posted 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over Garretson. Brayden Jervik added 108 rushing yards for Parkston, which recorded 437 total yards. 

De Smet's Rett Osthus carries the ball against Britton-Hecla on Oct. 21 in De Smet. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Class 9A

De Smet (10-0) at Herreid/Selby Area (11-0) at 7 p.m. 

SELBY -- Two undefeated Class 9A teams powered by their stingy defenses will clash in Selby.

No. 1 Herreid/Selby Area allows 14.9 points per game and has forced 38 turnovers this season. No. 4 De Smet, meanwhile, has pitched five shutouts and has given up 7.1 points per game. 

Last season, Herreid/Selby Area lost in the Class 9B semifinals to eventual state champ Wolsey-Wessington. De Smet is making its first semifinal berth since winning the 2003 Class 9A state championship. 

While both teams have elite defensive units, there are talented playmakers for both offensive attacks. Junior quarterback Tray Hettick engineers Herreid/Selby Area’s high-powered offense, compiling 1,699 passing and 26 passing touchdowns. Brenden Begeman, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior, has recorded 1,586 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. He also has nine touchdown receptions and 570 receiving yards. 

Trey Sayler has racked up 991 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, while Trevor Sayler has 480 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. Trevor Gill has hauled in six touchdown receptions. 

De Smet quarterback Colt Wilkinson has passed for 1,155 yards and 19 touchdowns. The senior signal caller has also scored eight rushing touchdowns. Rett Osthus (458 receiving yards/8 touchdowns) and Kalen Garry (416 receiving yards/8 touchdowns) are Wilkinson’s top targets. Garry is coming off 252 rushing yards and four touchdowns in last week’s win over Warner. 

Howard’s Karsyn Feldhaus leaps over a pair of Kimball-White Lake defenders during the first half of the Tigers’ playoff game on Oct. 21 in Howard. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Wall (10-0) at Howard (10-0) at 6:30 p.m.

HOWARD -- Two undefeated Class 9A teams -- with similar rushing attacks -- will collide in Howard. 

No. 2 Howard has racked up 3,260 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns, while No. 3 Wall has 2,157 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns. 

Howard is back in the Class 9A semifinals, one year after falling to eventual state champion and Cornbelt Conference rival Canistota/Freeman. Wall also qualified for last year’s Class 9A semifinals, but lost to runner-up Warner.  

Howard’s ground game is paced by John Callies, who has amassed 967 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. Ty Beyer has recorded 816 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Karsyn Feldhaus (568 rushing yards/12 touchdowns) and Griffin Clubb (555 rushing yards/7 touchdowns) also add pop to the rushing unit. Quarterback Taiden Hoyer has thrown for 796 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. South Dakota State University football commit Jace Sifore (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) has 343 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions. Defensively, Beyer leads the team with 145 tackles and Atticus Darnell has a team-high six sacks.

Cedar Amiotte powers the Wall rushing attack with 978 yards and 14 touchdowns, while hauling in 370 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He also has five interceptions on defense. 

Dual-threat quarterback Burk Blasius has accounted for 1,190 passing yards and 17 passing touchdowns, to go along with 476 rushing yards and nine more scores. 

Mason Heath (461 rushing yards/11 touchdowns) also contributes out of the backfield. Stran Williams (310 receiving yards/2 touchdowns) and Rylan McDonnell (316 receiving yards/8 touchdowns) pace the receiving corps. 

Avon's Riley Rucktaeschel fires a pass against Corsica-Stickney on Aug. 20 in Avon. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Class 9B

Dell Rapids St. Mary (6-3) at Avon (10-0) at 7 p.m.

AVON -- Avon, the last undefeated team in Class 9B, faces Dell Rapids St. Mary for the second time this season.

The No. 1 Pirates topped the Cardinals, 48-14, on Sept. 3 in Dell Rapids. But No. 5 Dell Rapids St. Mary, last year’s Class 9B state runner-ups, won five of the next six games to reach the semifinals. Avon, which won two games last season, hasn't reached the semifinals since it won the 2013 Class 9B state championship. 

Avon quarterback Riley Rucktaeschel has logged 595 passing yards and 14 touchdown passes, while rushing for 569 yarda and 13 touchdowns. He’s racked up 79 tackles and four interceptions on defense. Running back Brady Bierema has compiled 1,733 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. Lincoln Thury has hauled in 257 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, while registering 61 tackles on defense. 

The Cardinals’ Ty Brown has rushed for 711 yards and six touchdowns. Nick Gaspar has racked up 613 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, while C.J. Smith has passed for 508 yards and five touchdowns. 

Potter County (9-2) at No. 2 Faulkton Area (8-2) at 7 p.m.

FAULKTON -- Two familiar foes will square off for the second time this season and with stakes much higher than the first meeting. 

Potter County and Faulkton Area -- separated by 42 miles -- played in the season opener on Aug. 20 in Gettysburg. The Trojans claimed the season opener, 36-18. The Battlers only lost to Herreid/Selby Area (56-20) the rest of the way. 

No. 2 Faulkton Area was last in the semifinals in 2018 when it lost to eventual Class 9B runner-up Sully Buttes. No. 3 Potter County hasn’t reached the semifinals since losing to eventual state champion Colman-Egan in the 2016 Class 9A playoffs. 

The contest will feature a pair of dynamic quarterbacks. Potter County dual-threat quarterback Grant Luikens has thrown for 1,514 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing for 934 yards and 21 more scores. Cooper Logan has produced 460 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, while recording 296 receiving yards and five more scores. He’s racked up 105 tackles and three interceptions on defense. Drake Bassett has 26 receptions for 455 yards and three touchdown receptions. Seth Sharp has 367 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. Colt Wieseler has rushed for 375 yards and has a team-high 8.5 sacks on defense. Alex Tanner has 100 tackles from his linebacker position. 

Faulkton Area quarterback Parker Geditz paces the offense with 1,256 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s scored four rushing touchdowns. Simon Bowar has logged 883 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, while recording 75 tackles on defense. Garrett Cramer has registered 584 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Hunter Niederbaumer (472 receiving yards/3 touchdowns) and Bennett Cassens (216 receiving yards/3 touchdowns) have been reliable weapons in the passing game. Niederbaumer also has 61 tackles and 10 sacks on defense.