No. 1 Elkton-Lake Benton at No. 3 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy

Two top teams in Class 9AA battle it out for the second consecutive week. Last week, No. 1 Elkton-Lake Benton hosted previously No. 3 Viborg-Hurley in a dominant 43-0 win over the Cougars. Now, a matchup with the new No. 3 Phoenix in Freeman, who’ve picked up wins over Parkston and Bon Homme to start the season. The matchup also features two of the best 9-man quarterbacks in the state with the Elks’ Colt Beck and Phoenix’s Riley Tschetter.

No. 5 Faulkton Area at No. 4 Herreid-Selby Area

Faulkton Area heads to Herreid-Selby Area in a top-5 showdown in Class 9B. The Trojans slipped in their first game of the season losing to Ipswich, 34-30, dropping one spot in the prep media poll. As for the Wolverines, they jumped into the to-5 over Faulkton Area and have not allowed a point through two weeks, with shut out wins over Faith (52-0) and Northwestern (42-0). The Wolverines scored six rushing touchdowns against the Wildcats last week, with 117 yards and two touchdowns coming from sophomore running back Porter Gregg.

Gregory at No. 4 Platte-Geddes

A renewed rivalry will take place Friday in Platte. Gregory (2-0) will travel across the Missouri River to take on Platte-Geddes (2-0) in a cross-class matchup. The Class 9AA Gorillas notched wins over Scotland-Menno and Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian and are receiving votes in the prep media poll, while the Class 9A No. 4 Black Panthers have allowed just 12 points in two weeks, with wins over Gayville-Volin and Colome.

No. 2 Wagner at Hot Springs

After last week’s historic win over Winner, Class 11B No. 2 Wagner looks to carry that momentum west to take on Hot Springs. The Red Raiders took down previously top-ranked Winner, 34-20, in Wagner behind the performance of senior quarterback Gannon Knebel, who accounted for 339 of Wagner’s 360 total yards, scoring five total touchdowns. As for Hot Springs, the Bison have had a shaky start to the year but played close to tough competition, including an 18-14 loss to Winner to open the season. The Bison are led by their running game with seniors Clancy Koupal and Connor Kramer leading the charge, along with quarterback Grant Heil and tight end Hunter Kunz.

No. 3 Dell Rapids at No. 4 Madison

A top-5 matchup highlights 11A football this week. The No. 3 Quarriers travel to No. 4 Madison after both teams’ dominant wins last week. Dell Rapids ran away from Dakota Valley, 28-7, in North Sioux City while the Bulldogs shutout Belle Fourche, 35-0, out west. The Quarriers are led by quarterback Drake Eastman and returning all-state players Kenny Swanson and Carson Maeschen. Madison’s Henry Veenhof will play a big role in this week’s matchup. Veenhof racked up 246 passing yards and three touchdowns, with Shane Veenhof hauling in five catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.

No. 5 Watertown at No. 2 Yankton

The defending state 11AA champions head south to take on No. 2 Yankton this Friday. Watertown’s title defense got off to a slow start last week in a 51-7 loss to Sioux Falls Jefferson, but looks to bounce back with a big win against the Bucks. Yankton is 1-0 to start the 2025 season with a 41-24 win over Huron last week, and will look for a second straight win over the defending champs.

No. 4 Sioux Falls O’Gorman at No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln

A premier matchup in 11AAA, No. 1 Lincoln hosts No. 4 O’Gorman in a top-ranked matchup in the state’s highest class. The Patriots, winners of the last two 11AAA state championships, are looking for their third consecutive title with the help of junior Brody Schafer. The  6-foot, 180-pounder quarterback tossed seven touchdown passes in the first half last week against Rapid City Stevens in the patriots 62-14 win, and is looking for more against the Knights. But O’Gorman will come into Saturday’s matchup riding a wave of momentum after knocking off Harrisburg, 25-24, at Tigers Stadium.