By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

Twenty-eight high school football games will take place across South Dakota as playoff action continues Thursday. Here’s a look at some notes and nuggets for the quarterfinal round. 

Hanson, Platte-Geddes collide once again in quarterfinals

Last season, Platte-Geddes captured the Class 9AA state championship with a convincing 42-12 win over Hamlin in the finals.

But the road to the DakotaDome in Vermillion was a little bumpy in the playoffs. The Black Panthers edged Hanson (17-8) in the quarterfinals and Viborg-Hurley (28-2) in the semifinals. 

Platte-Geddes and Hanson will again lock horns in the quarterfinal round. In last year’s quarterfinal contest, Jackson Olsen booted a 31-yard field goal to break an 8-8 tie with five minutes left, while the Black Panthers added a touchdown after recovering the ensuing kickoff. In 2019, the Black Panthers also eliminated the Beavers (26-22) in first round playoff action. 

No. 1 Hanson (8-1) will host No. 9 Platte-Geddes (7-2) at 7 p.m. Thursday in Alexandria as they’ll meet for the third straight postseason. 

Wall's Cedar Amiotte carries the ball against New Underwood earlier this season. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Rematch matchups 

Six of the 16 games in the Class 11B and nine-man ranks are rematch games from the regular season. 

In Class 11B, Sioux Valley can avenge its lone loss of the season, a 20-16 defeat against Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan on Aug. 20. Unlike the regular season meeting, the Cossacks (8-1) will host the quarterfinal contest at 6 p.m. in Volga. The Big East Conference football teams both advanced to last year’s Class 11B semifinals, with Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan qualifying for its fourth consecutive championship game. The Seahawks (6-3) have won six consecutive games against the Cossacks. 

In Class 9AA, Parkston hasn’t lost since a 35-20 decision against Garretson on Sept. 3. The Trojans, who are on a six-game winning streak, will face the Blue Dragons in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Thursday. In the playoff opener, No. 2 Parkston (7-2) escaped with a 20-15 win over No. 15 Bon Homme to avoid the upset. The No. 10 Blue Dragons (5-4) are looking for their second straight upset win after defeating No. 7 Hamlin (28-7) in the first round. 

In Class 9A, No. 3 Wall started its season with a 19-6 win over Gregory on Aug. 20 in the opener. The Eagles (9-0) and Gorillas (6-3) will meet again at 7 p.m. Thursday on Wall’s turf field along Interstate 90. Wall, which defeated North Central (56-6) in the opener, is gunning for its second consecutive trip to the Class 9A semifinals. Gregory defeated U.S Highway 18 foe Burke (34-6) last Thursday to start the postseason. 

In Class 9B, three of the four quarterfinal games are rematches from the regular season. No. 1 Avon (9-0) hosts No. 8 Alcester-Hudson (5-3) after the Pirates won the first meeting, 60-24, in Avon. The Pirates kicked off the postseason with a 64-14 victory over Estelline/Hendricks last week, while Alcester-Hudson blanked Sully Buttes by a 34-0 score. 

No. 4 Gayville-Volin (6-2) opened the season with a 42-28 win over Dell Rapids St. Mary on Aug. 20. The Raiders will host the No. 5 Cardinals (5-3) in the second round at 7 p.m. in Gayville. Gayville-Volin defeated Langford Area (36-14) in the playoff opener. Dell Rapids St. Mary, last year’s Class 9B state runner-up, kicked off its postseason with a 40-0 win over Corsica-Stickney.

No. 3 Potter County (8-2) and No. 6 Hitchcock-Tulare (7-3) treated fans to a six-point contest on Sept. 10 in Hitchcock. In the 44-38 win, the Battlers used a 22-point third quarter to help secure the victory. The Battlers topped Jones County (52-6) in the first round, while the Patriots blanked Faith (38-0) to advance to the quarterfinals. 

Class 9AA’s leading rushers clash in Presho

Two of the state’s premier nine-man running backs will battle in Presho. 

Lyman’s Colton Collins is Class 9AA’s leading rusher, while Timber Lake’s Hank Kraft is second in the class. The Raiders (8-1) and Panthers (8-1) will play at 7 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals in Presho. 

Collins has racked up 1,748 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns. Kraft is second in the class with 1,576 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. 

Collins, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior, has three games with 200 or more rushing yards this season. He erupted for 261 rushing yards on 36 carries and scored three touchdowns in last week’s 30-0 victory over Stanley County. He also has a 261-yard, five-touchdown performance in a 50-0 win over Philip. 

Kraft, a 5-foot-8, 200-pound senior, recorded four games with 200 or more rushing yards this year. He recorded 144 rushing yards and one touchdown in Timber Lake’s 14-8 victory over Leola/Frederick Area in the opener. Kraft had a season-high 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 42-6 win over Harding County.

And for the mid-1990s crowd, Lyman and Timber Lake also played in the 1996 Class 9A quarterfinal round. The Raiders topped the Panthers, 40-18, before falling to eventual state champ Plankinton/White Lake in the semifinals. Lyman is gunning for its first semifinals trip since the 2009 Class 9AA playoffs. Timber Lake last made the semifinals in 2018. 

Winner's Kaden Keiser, left, carries the ball against Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan earlier this season in Winner. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Winner, Tea Area look to continue winning streaks

Winner and Tea Area -- a pair of defending state champions -- will put their respective 20-game winning streaks on the line Thursday. 

Winner, which won last year’s Class 11B state championship, has won 20 straight after blanking Clark/Willow Lake (60-0) in the first round. It completed a 11-0 season with an 18-14 victory over Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan in last year’s title tilt. The Warriors haven’t lost since dropping a 21-14 decision against Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan in the 2019 Class 11B title game. Winner (9-0) is the last undefeated team in the class and will host McCook Central/Montrose at 6 p.m. Thursday.

This season, Tea Area moved up from Class 11A to Class 11AA and it hasn’t skipped a beat. The Titans (9-0) will host Sturgis at 7 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. Tea Area, which won last year’s Class 11A state title, won its 20th straight game after knocking off West Central (27-13) in its regular season finale on Oct. 21. Tea Area won last year’s Class 11A state championship over Canton, 35-16, to complete an 11-0 season. The Titans haven’t lost since dropping a 28-10 decision against Canton in the 2019 Class 11A semifinals. 

Four undefeated Class 9A teams set for quarterfinals

For the second straight season, a nine-man class could feature four undefeated teams in the semifinals. 

Last season, semifinalists Platte-Geddes, Hamlin, Viborg/Hurley and Lemmon/McIntosh were all undefeated. This season, Herreid/Selby Area, De Smet, Howard and Wall are all undefeated entering Thursday’s quarterfinals. Standing in their way are Castlewood, Warner, Wolsey-Wessington and Gregory. 

No. 1 Herreid/Selby Area (10-0) hosts No. 9 Castlewood (6-3), while No. 4 De Smet (9-0) hosts No. 5 Warner (6-3). In the bottom half of the bracket, No. 2 Howard (9-0) hosts No. 7 Wolsey-Wessington (6-3) and No. 3 Wall (9-0) hosts No. 6 Gregory (6-3). 

Thursday’s schedule

Class 11AAA

No. 8 Rapid City Stevens (3-6) at No. 1 Harrisburg (9-0), 6 p.m.

No. 5 Sioux Falls Lincoln (5-4) vs. No. 4 Sioux Falls Washington (5-4), 7 p.m., Howard Wood Field

No. 7 Sioux Falls Jefferson (4-5) at No. 2 Brandon Valley (8-1), 7 p.m.

No. 6 Sioux Falls O’Gorman (5-4) vs. No. 3 Sioux Falls Roosevelt (5-4), 4 p.m., Howard Wood Field

Class 11AA

No. 8 Sturgis (3-6) at No. 1 Tea Area (9-0), 6 p.m.

No. 5 Mitchell (3-6) at No. 4 Yankton (5-4), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Aberdeen Central (3-6) at No. 2 Brookings (7-2), 7 p.m.

No. 6 Watertown (3-6) at No. 3 Pierre (7-2), 7 p.m.

Class 11A

No. 8 Sioux Falls Christian (4-5) at No. 1 Madison (9-0), 7 p.m.

No. 5 West Central (4-5) at No. 4 Dell Rapids (6-3), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Milbank (6-3) at No. 2 Canton (8-1), 7 p.m.

No. 6 Tri-Valley (5-4) at No. 3 Vermillion (6-3), 7 p.m.

Class 11B

No. 9 McCook Central/Montrose (7-2) at No. 1 Winner (9-0), 6 p.m.

No. 13 Wagner (6-3) at No. 5 Elk Point-Jefferson (7-2), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan (6-3) at No. 2 Sioux Valley (8-1), 6 p.m.

No. 14 Beresford (6-3) at No. 6 Aberdeen Roncalli (7-2), 6 p.m.

Class 9AA

No. 9 Platte-Geddes (7-2) at No. 1 Hanson (8-1), 7 p.m.

No. 5 Timber Lake (8-1) at No. 4 Lyman (8-1), 7 p.m.

No. 10 Garretson (5-4) at No. 2 Parkston (7-2), 7 p.m.

No. 11 Canistota/Freeman (5-4) at No. 3 Ipswich (5-4), 7 p.m.

Class 9A

No. 9 Castlewood (6-3) at No. 1 Herreid/Selby Area (10-0), 6 p.m.

No. 5 Warner (6-3) at No. 4 De Smet (9-0), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Wolsey-Wessington (6-3) at No. 2 Howard (9-0), 7 p.m.

No. 6 Gregory (6-3) at No. 3 Wall (9-0), 5:30 p.m.

Class 9B

No. 8 Alcester-Hudson (5-3) at No. 1 Avon (9-0), 6 p.m.

No 5 Dell Rapids St. Mary (5-3) at No. 4 Gayville-Volin (6-2), 7 p.m.

No. 7 Harding County (6-3) at No. 2 Faulkton Area (7-2), 6:30 p.m.

No. 6 Hitchcock-Tulare (7-3) at No. 3 Potter County (8-2), 7 p.m.