Winner at West Central 

HARTFORD — Two teams with championship aspirations in their respective classes will meet in Hartford.

Class 11B No. 1 Winner (6-0) plays at Class 11A No. 2 West Central (6-0) in a cross-class matchup, featuring two runner-up teams from last season. Winner finished runner-up in Class 11B, while West Central finished second in Class 11A.

The teams haven’t lost since their defeats in the DakotaDome. Winner won its sixth consecutive game on Sept. 29 against Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan, 32-12. 

Against the Seahawks, the Warriors rushed for 311 yards on 41 carries. Aiden Barfuss rushed for 105 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns. Karson Keiser (87 yards/TD) and Zac Olson (51 yards/TD) also powered the rushing attack. 

West Central’s sixth consecutive victory was against Tri-Valley, 20-6. Against the Mustangs, the Trojans tallied 354 total yards and rushed for 231 yards. Caden Alfson passed for 123 yards, while Chet Carda, Jesse Jost and Aiden Bartmann rushed for touchdowns.

Sioux Falls Lincoln at Brandon Valley 

BRANDON — Brandon Valley is Sioux Falls Lincoln’s next challenger.

The Class 11AAA No. 1 Patriots (6-0) are the last undefeated team in the state’s largest class, highlighted by wins over ranked teams Jefferson, Harrisburg and O’Gorman. Their next top-five clash is against Class 11AAA No. 5 Brandon Valley (4-2).

The matchup will feature a number of talented players, including Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Tate Schafer, who threw for 134 yards and five touchdowns in a 65-6 win over Rapid City Stevens last week. Schafer also has wide receivers Jack Smith and Mikey Roche, along with running back Dreavon Hodge to bolster the high-powered offense. 

Brandon Valley also counters with an explosive offensive attack, which is engineered by quarterback Jack Thue. Running back Levi Veskrna, wide receivers Landon Dulaney and Dveyoun Bonwell-Witte also highlight the Lynx on offense. Brandon Valley’s lineman Navarro Schunke, a multi-time state wrestling champ, is a major Division I college football recruit. 

Rapid City Christian's Simon Kieffer carries the ball against Mount Vernon/Plankinton earlier this season in Mount Vernon. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Hot Springs at Rapid City Christian

RAPID CITY — A pair of West River teams will collide in Rapid City.

Class 11B No. 3 Hot Springs (5-1) will play at Rapid City Christian (5-1) in a contest with big playoff implications. The Bison and Comets are tied at No. 9 in the Class 11B seed points standings with 41.667 points, and the winner could cement a first-round home playoff game. 

Hot Springs, which lone loss was against Dell Rapids, is coming off wins over St. Thomas More and Lead-Deadwood in back-to-back weeks. The Bison are powered by Camron Maciejewski, who rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns in their recent win over Lead-Deadwood. Hot Springs is also powered by Braden Peterson, Matt Close and Colin Iverson 

Rapid City Christian dropped a 7-0 decision against St. Thomas More on Sept. 1, but have won four straight wins and have recorded three straight shutout wins. In a 37-0 win over Hill City last week, Braylon Marshall rushed for 207 on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Simon Kieffer orchestrates the Comet offensive attack. 

De Smet at Hitchcock-Tulare 

HITCHCOCK — This week’s Class 9B slate is headlined by No. 2 vs. No. 4. 

Class 9B No. 2 De Smet (5-1) plays at Class 9B No. 4 Hitchcock-Tulare (4-2) in a key clash in the state’s smallest class. 

The Bulldogs have moved into the No. 1 in the seeds points standings, while the Patriots are tied at No. 5. 

De Smet’s lone loss was against Class 9AA Stanley County, but have rattled off four straight wins over Dell Rapids St. Mary, Oldham-Ramona-Rutland, Wolsey-Wessington and Arlington. 

The Bulldogs boast a balanced offensive attack, and it was on display against Arlington last week. Quarterback Britt Carlson led De Smet with 119 yards passing and two touchdowns. Carlson also found the end zone two more times while rushing for 85 yards. Kayden Fast and Tom Aughenbaugh combined for 98 yards receiving and the two touchdown receptions. Trace Van Regenmorter had touchdown runs of 48 and 20 yards for De Smet. 

Hitchcock-Tulare, which won last season’s Class 9B state championship, is coming off a 52-0 win over Sunshine Bible Academy. Against the Crusaders, Erik Salmen rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns while Payton Chasing Hawk had 69 yards rushing and a touchdown. Brendan Nowell and Blaze Binger combined for 33 yards with each contributing a touchdown. Nowell completed each of the nine passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. 

Elk Point-Jefferson at Tri-Valley 

COLTON — A key Class 11B contest takes place in Colton. 

Class 11B No. 4 Elk Point-Jefferson (5-1) plays at Tri-Valley (4-2) in a Class 11B matchup with big playoff implications. 

Elk Point-Jefferson, which won last season’s Class 11B state championship, is No. 5 in the Class 11B seed points standings with 42.333. Tri-Valley is not far behind in eight place with 41.833 points.

The Huskies dropped a 20-11 decision against Sioux Valley on Sept. 1, but have racked up three straight wins since. The Huskies are powered by Jake Gale (351 rushing yards/6 TDs) and Keaton Gale (865 passing yards/11 TDs) on offense. 

Tri-Valley is coming off a 20-6 loss against West Central. The Mustangs also dropped a 8-0 decision in triple overtime against No. 1 Winner in the season opener. Sandwiched in between the losses, Tri-Valley defeated Parker, Custer, Sisseton and Mount Vernon/Plankinton.