By 605 Sports Staff

West Central at Winner

Two programs oozing with South Dakota football history will lock horns at Winner’s Warrior Field. 

When Class 11B No. 1 Winner hosts Class 11A No. 1 West Central, it will feature two powerhouses with a combined 21 state championships between them. The Warriors have nine total state championships, while the Trojans have 12 state titles. They met in two Class 11A state championships in 1993 and ‘98, both West Central victories. Their last meeting was in 2018, a 36-7 Winner victory. 

The teams are again enjoying stellar campaigns this fall. The Warriors are 6-0, sit atop the Class 11B seed points and have outscored their opponents by 38.7 points per game. Winner puts up 44 points per game and allows just 5.3 points per game, including three straight shutout victories. 

Winner again features a dominant rushing attack, highlighted by Aiden Barfuss (552 rushing yards/9 touchdowns) and Riley Orel (447 rushing yards/7 touchdowns). Quarterback Blake Volmer engineers the offense and has compiled 177 passing yards/five touchdowns, while rushing for 175 yards/4 touchdowns. 

The Trojans are 6-0, are ranked No. 2 in Class 11A seed points and have outscored their opponents by 25.3 points per game. West Central averages 35.5 points per game and gives up 10.2 points per game. It has also pitched three shutouts on defense this season. 

West Central is powered by Justin Zirpel, who has thrown for 1,012 yards and 13 touchdowns, while rushing for 469 yards and eight touchdowns. Aiden Bartmann has rushed for 255 yards and three touchdowns, while Owen Heath has hauled in 391 rushing yards and eight touchdown receptions. 

Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan at McCook Central/Montrose

Two Big East Conference rivals will face off in Salem on Friday with contrasting offensive styles to put on display.

Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan is ranked third in the Class 11B poll this week, and boasts a traditional power rushing attack. The Seahawks average 24.7 points per game and allow just 10.9 points per game. Riley Endres leads the Seahawk offense with 488 rushing yards and eight touchdown runs, while Sutton Arend leads the team with 225 receiving yards. The Seahawks are 5-1 on the season, winning their first five games of the season before dropping their first game last week against No. 1 Winner, 36-0.

McCook Central/Montrose is also 5-1 on the season. The Fighting Cougars won their first four games of the season before losing 35-0 to No. 2 Elk Point-Jefferson. MCM rebounded with an 18-14 win against Sioux Valley two weeks ago. The Fighting Cougars are powered by quarterback Boston Katzer, who has passed for 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns. Running back Jackson Remmers has rushed for 658 yards and six touchdowns, while Ty Doblar and Ty Morrison are the leading receivers. Doblar has 313 yards receiving and four touchdowns, while Morrison has 295 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Jackson Grady has 209 receiving yards.

Bon Homme at Parkston

Two Missouri Valley Conference foes will tangle for playoff positioning in Parkston on Friday. Both teams enter the contest with one loss, and a win would go a long way in determining the playoff seeding for either team.

Bon Homme comes into the game with a record of 5-1; the lone loss coming against undefeated and fifth-ranked Elkton-Lake Benton on Sept. 1, 30-14. The Cavaliers have been stellar on both sides of the ball, averaging 37.8 points per game on offense, while allowing just 8.3 points per game on defense. Bon Homme is led by senior quarterback Riley Rothschadl, who has passed for 394 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 420 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. Wide receiver Logan Winckler has 191 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season.

Parkston enters the game receiving votes in this week’s Class 9AA poll and have a record of 6-1, with their lone loss coming narrowly against third-ranked Hanson, 8-6. The Trojans are coming off an upset win last week against Class 9A No. 1 Gregory, winning 32-25. Parkston averages 34 points per game on offense, while only allowing 10.9 points per game on defense. The Trojans are led by quarterback Kaleb Weber and running backs Brayden Jervik and Luke Bormann.

Sully Buttes at Lyman

A couple of teams with identical records and rankings will square off in Presho on Friday.

Sully Buttes is ranked fourth in Class 9B and enters the game with a record of 5-1. The Chargers began the season with five consecutive wins before losing to Class 9B No. 1 Herreid/Selby Area two weeks ago, 46-6. Sully Buttes averages 30.7 points per game on offense, while giving up 13.3 points per game on defense. The Chargers are led by senior quarterback Landon Hepker.

Lyman is ranked fourth in Class 9A and also enters the game with a 5-1 record. The Raiders average 41.7 points per game on offense, while allowing 13 points per game on defense. Lyman began the season with four straight wins before losing to Class 9AA No. 2 Wall by a score of 48-6. The Raiders rebounded last week with a 54-0 win over Bennett County. Lyman is led by the trio of senior quarterback Teagan Gourneau (752 passing yards, 12 touchdown passes), running back Tance Wagner (609 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns), and wide receiver Cooper Long (538 receiving yards, 11 touchdown receptions).

Hitchcock-Tulare at De Smet

Top-five Class 9B foes will face off as No. 5 De Smet hosts No. 2 Hitchcock-Tulare on Friday.

Hitchcock-Tulare has cruised past the competition so far this season. The Patriots are 6-0 and have averaged 55.8 points per game offensively, while only surrendering seven points per game defensively. Hitchcock-Tulare has recorded three shutouts and has scored 50 points or more in five of its six games this season, including a 76 scoring barrage against Sunshine Bible Academy two weeks ago. The Patriots are led by running back Erik Salmen (742 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns), quarterback Carter Binger (1,026 passing yards, 18 touchdown passes), and wide receiver Landon Puffer (554 receiving yards, 12 touchdown receptions).

De Smet enters the game with a 4-2 record, but has not actually played a game in three weeks. This is due to the Bulldogs having a bye week two weeks ago and last week obtaining a win via forfeit against Arlington. De Smet is led by quarterback Britt Carlson (327 passing yards, six touchdown passes) and running back Kadyn Fast (200 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, three receiving touchdowns).

Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy at Corsica-Stickney

Teams with contrasting styles will meet in Corsica on Friday. 

While these two teams may look different on the field, on paper they look very similar. Both teams average 33.3 points per game on offense, both have 5-1 records entering the game, and both have similar margins of victory against common opponents Gayville-Volin, Burke, and Avon. However, that is where the similarities end.

Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy boasts a potent passing attack, led by freshman quarterback Riley Tschetter. Tschetter has passed for 1,316 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Tschetter’s favorite target is Maddox Kihne, who has 588 yards receiving and eight touchdown receptions. Dominic Sperling is the Phoenix’s leading rusher with 321 yards rushing. The Phoenix began the season 3-0 before losing to Class 9AA No. 1 Howard, 51-0, but have since won their last two games.

Class 9B No. 3 Corsica-Stickney boasts a balanced rushing attack on offense. The Jaguars are led by the running back duo of Waylon Bolle (704 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns) and Carter Wright (542 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns). Wright also leads the team with 243 yards receiving. Quarterback Shad Bosma has passed for 474 yards and four touchdowns. The Jaguars have won four straight games since their lone loss back on August 26 to Alcester-Hudson, a 12-6 decision.