Parkston at Wolsey-Wessington 

WOLSEY — A pair of newly-minted No. 1 teams will play in Wolsey on Friday. 

After a wild week in nine-man football, Parkston (Class 9AA) and Wolsey-Wessington (Class 9A) catapulted to No. 1 in their respective classes. The Missouri Valley Conference foes will now clash in a No. 1 vs. No. 1 matchup.

Parkston has picked up convincing wins over Kimball/White Lake (60-14) and Platte-Geddes (46-0) to open the season. The Trojans, last season’s Class 9AA runner-ups, received three touchdowns from Luke Bormann last week against Platte-Geddes. Connor Prunty added a rushing score, while Carter Sommer and Maddux Brissette hooked up for a touchdown reception. 

Wolsey-Wessington's Moshe Richmond, center, carries the ball against Gregory on Aug. 25 in Wolsey. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Wolsey-Wessington defeated Iroquois/Lake Preston (50-0) and last season’s Class 9A state champ Gregory (48-32) to open the 2023 campaign. Wolsey-Wessington’s Caleb Richmond tossed four passing touchdowns in the victory over Gregory.

Parkston won last season’s contest against Wolsey-Wessington, 40-21. 

Avon at Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy

FREEMAN — A pair of high-scoring teams will collide for a Friday matinee game in Freeman. 

Class 9B No. 3 Avon will play at Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy, honorable mention in Class 9AA, for a Friday afternoon contest. 

The Pirates and Phoenix have both shown the ability to put up points and yards through the first two weeks. Avon (2-0) has picked up wins against Colome (42-12) and Burke (62-21) to start the 2023 season. 

The Pirates, who racked up 54 first-half points last week against Burke, finished with 403 rushing yards in the win. Aziah Meyer led the Avon ground game with 115 yards and three touchdowns. Trenton Soukup added 66 yards and a touchdown run for Avon. 

The Phoenix (2-0) have defeated Burke (56-19) and Iroquois/Lake Preston (50-0) to kickoff the season. Last week against the Sharks, the Phoenix racked up 276 total yards and held their opponents to 29 yards. Riley Gall led the Phoenix with 84 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Dominic Sperling added 66 yards on the ground while Riley Tschetter and Jackson Donlan each added rushing touchdowns. 

Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy won last season’s meeting against Avon, 34-24. 

Potter County at Faulkton Area 

FAULKTON — Faulkton Area, which jumped up to No. 1 in Class 9B, will host Potter County on Friday.

The Trojans earned the unanimous No. 1 ranking after shutting out defending champ Hitchcock-Tulare (40-0) on Aug. 25. Faulkton Area opened its season with a 24-6 win over Ipswich. 

Last week, Faulkton Area’s Garrett Cramer rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns against Hitchcock-Tulare. Layne Cotton added two rushing touchdowns 

Potter County also sports a 2-0 record, earning wins over Newell (68-30) and Sully Buttes (26-12). The Battlers are receiving votes in the latest Class 9B poll. 

Against Sully Buttes, Landon Larson threw for 158 yards and Carter Luikens rushed for 78 yards. Larson accounted for four touchdowns, including three through the air. 

Faulkton Area won last season’s meeting against Potter County, 64-16. 

Elk Point-Jefferson at Sioux Valley

VOLGA — Class 11B pundits will have their eyes set on this one.

No. 2 Elk Point-Jefferson will play at No. 3 Sioux Valley in a top-five Class 11B contest. Elk Point-Jefferson, which won the 2022 state championship, is riding a 14-game winning streak dating back to last year. 

The Huskies (2-0) have defeated Parker (48-6) and Baltic (41-6) to start their 2023 campaign. Last week against Baltic, Jake Gale led the Huskies with 11 carries for 110 yards with Gunner Ewing adding 38 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Keaton Gale passed for 161 yards and touchdown passes to Carson Timmins and Grayson Girard. 

The Cossacks (2-0) have defeated Scotland-Menno (42-0) and Sisseton (42-7) to open the season. Last week against Sisseton, Donovan Rose led the offense with 98 yards rushing and two touchdown runs. Boden Schiller added 86 yards on the ground with two touchdowns while also throwing a touchdown pass for the Cossacks. 

Elk Point-Jefferson won last season’s meeting against Sioux Valley, 50-0, snapping a nine-game losing streak against the Cossacks. 

Dell Rapids St. Mary at De Smet

DE SMET — Two Dakota Valley Conference teams coming off losses will face off Friday in De Smet. No. 2 De Smet will host No. 5 Dell Rapids St. Mary in a top-five Class 9B tilt. 

De Smet (1-1) is coming off a back-and-forth 38-30 loss against Stanley County on Aug. 25. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 40-12 win over Castlewood. 

Against Stanley County, Britt Carlson finished 10 of 21 for 170 yards, while he added 69 rushing yards and three scores. Kadyn Fast finished with 78 receiving yards, 91 return yards and 12 tackles. Tom Aughenbaugh posted 43 yards receiving. 

The Cardinals (1-1) opened their season with a 38-12 win over Waverly-South Shore. Dell Rapids St. Mary dropped a 42-6 decision against Class 9AA power Hamlin on Aug. 25. 

In the opener against WSS, Nic Gaspar scored five total touchdowns for the Cardinals. 

De Smet won last season’s meeting against Dell Rapids St. Mary, 52-8. 

Hanson's Jayce Slaba drops back for a pass earlier this season against Howard. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Chester Area at Hanson

ALEXANDRIA — The third week of the season kicks off Thursday with an intriguing standalone nine-man football game in Alexandria.

Chester Area plays at Hanson in the only contest on the Thursday schedule. 

Chester Area (2-0) have wins over Garretson (40-0) and Centerville (63-34) to open up the 2023 season. Against Centerville, Layke Wold had a career night and finished with nine total touchdowns. The junior quarterback completed 11 of 14 passes for 272 yards and six passing touchdowns, while rushing for 82 yards and three more scores. Chester Area’s Will Seeley hauled in 133 yard receiving and four touchdown receptions against the Tornadoes. 

Hanson (1-1) opened the season with a 26-0 loss against Howard. The Beavers rebounded for a 60-0 victory over Irene-Wakonda on Aug. 25. Hanson’s Weston Kayser logged three total touchdowns, scoring on two punt returns and hauling in a touchdown pass. 

Last season, Hanson blanked Chester Area, 50-0.