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PREP FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020

2 • The Mitchell Republic • Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Prep Football Playoff Preview

Team-by-team look at area high school playoff teams By Mitchell Republic The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the 2020 prep football season, but state championships dreams are still alive. Seventeen area football teams begin their quest for the DakotaDome in Vermillion, with Class 11B and the three nine-man classes starting playoffs Thursday. Here’s a preview on each area team in their respective fields:

BridgewaterEmery/Ethan

The Seahawks again have their eyes on the prize. Bridgewater-Emery/ Ethan, which has played in the last three Class 11B title games, is zeroing in on another trip to the finals. Last year’s state champs, BEE is riding a 20-game winning streak and has dominated the opposition this season. The Seahawks have outscored their opponents by a 348-46 margin. BEE’s closest game was against Sioux Valley (2112) on Sept. 4. Behind a dominant offensive line, BEE (8-0) has rushed for 2,229 yards and 27 touchdowns. Koby Kayser paces the ground game with 901 yards and 13 touchdowns. The speedster also has a team-high 1,311 all-purpose yards. Bodie Burnham has 630 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Kaden Klumb orchestrates the offense and has logged 448 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. Klumb’s

favorite target is Eric Gustafson, who has seven touchdown receptions and 224 receiving yards. Linebacker Rylee Schultz powers the defense with 61 tackles and four interceptions. Burnham has a teamhigh five interceptions on defense. The Seahawks defeated Winner in last year’s Class 11B championship, 21-14. The Seahawks are the No. 2 seed and will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason. BEE hosts Lead-Deadwood on Thursday in Bridgewater.

Winner

The Class 11B stalwarts from Winner are back in the mix. The Warriors have played in three of the last five Class 11B state championships, with titles in 2015 and 2016. Last year’s state runner-ups, Winner sports a 7-0 record and has outscored its opponents by a 326-54 margin. Offensively, the Warriors feature a host of ball carriers. Sam Kruger has 602 rushing yards on 61 carries and eight touchdowns. Riley Orel (415 yards/eight touchdowns), Kaden Keiser (300 yards/four touchdowns) and Evan Farner (six rushing touchdowns) also split carries out of the backfield. Quarterback Brady Fritz is a threat to score on the ground and through the air. He’s rushed for 332 yards and five touchdowns, while passing for 314 yards and six more scores.

Ryan Deal / Republic

Howard’s Sam Aslesen (8) runs back an interception against De Smet on Oct. 2 in Howard. Howard’s Tisyn Spader (10) blocks and De Smet’s Kain Gilligan (60) chases Aslesen. Kruger (26.5 tackles), Orel (25.5 tackles), Preston Norrid (24 tackles) and Landon Thieman (20 tackles) pace the defense. The Warriors fell to Bridgewater-Emery/ Ethan, 21-14, in last season’s Class 11B state championship. Winner is the No. 1 seed in Class 11B and will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Warriors host Garretson in this year’s opening round.

McCook Central/ Montrose

Behind its bruising running back, McCook Central/Montrose is back in the Class 11B playoffs. The Fighting Cougars’ running back Jacobi Krouse has logged 1,742 rushing yards on 246 carries and 20 touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder averages 248.8 yards per game. He’s recorded three games of 300 or more

yards, including an 11-man record 421 yards and six touchdowns against Mount Vernon/ Plankinton on Sept. 11. Quarterback Gavin Gordon also does his part running the offense, passing for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns. Wide receiver Avery Feterl has hauled in 36 receptions for 515 yards and five touchdowns. Linebacker Braedon Kerkhove has a teamhigh 70 tackles and one

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sack, while Carter Randall has 40 tackles. Kyle DeBoer has registered four sacks. Last season, MCM lost to eventual state champs Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan (42-0) in the Class 11B semifinals. The ninth-seeded Fighting Cougars (4-3) play at No. 8 seed Stanley County on Thursday in Fort Pierre.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020 • The Mitchell Republic • 3

Prep Football Playoff Preview

Matt Gade / Republic

Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central’s Clay Olinger (5) follows his blockers during a game against Chamberlain on Oct. 9 in Wessington Springs.

TEAMS

Elk Point-Jefferson. MVP also picked up a From Page 2 win over playoff qualifier Chamberlain. Offensively, Lincoln Mount Vernon/ Klooz has amassed Plankinton 587 rushing yards and Coming off a 46-0 nine touchdowns. He’s win over Miller/ also logged 23.5 tackHighmore-Harrold, les and one intercepMount Vernon/Plankinton is back in the tion on defense. Klooz split carries with Rylee Class 11B playoffs. The Titans are 3-3, Deinert, who has 398 with their losses against rushing yards on 71 fellow Class 11B playoff carries and five touchteams Winner, McCook downs. He has 31 tackCentral/Montrose and les on defense.

Quarterback Reed Rus has 359 passing yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for six touchdowns. He has 22.5 tackles and one interception on defense. Linebacker Cole Pranger (27 tackles) and defensive back Drew Gerlach (21 tackles/two interceptions) contribute on defense. Last season, MVP lost to Webster Area (2922) in the Class 11B

round on Thursday in Wessington Springs. The Blackhawks (6-2) finished the season with four wins in their last five games, including a 55-6 win over Aberdeen Roncalli in the regular-season finale. The WWSSC W o o n s o c k e t / W e s s - lone two losses were to ington Springs/San- top-seeded Winner and born Central returns Class 11A Canton, which to the playoffs in 2020 has won five games in after a one-year hiatus. a row. Clay Olinger has Seeded seventh, the Blackhawks face No. rushed for 610 yards 10 Sisseton in the first and six touchdowns for

quarterfinals. The No. 12-seeded Titans (3-3) play at fifth-seeded Elk Point-Jefferson on Thursday. MVP and EPJ played on Aug. 21, with the Huskies recording a 40-6 victory.

the Blackhawks, and has three 100-yard rushing games in the Blackhawks’ last four games. Camden Jost has ran for four touchdowns on the season. Tryce Slykhuis has eight total touchdowns (three passing, five rushing). Brady Larson has 48 total tackles for the Blackhawk defense, while Quinten Christensen has 46 tackles and Jost has 44 stops to his name.

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4 • The Mitchell Republic • Wednesday, October 21, 2020

TEAMS From Page 4

Chamberlain

Chamberlain (2-5) heads to the playoffs trying to summon some postseason magic in the Class 11B playoffs. Seeded No. 13, they visit fourth-seeded Sioux Valley in the first round on Thursday in Volga. Chamberlain has already shown a propensity to play low-scoring, defensive-minded games. The Cubs have played five games with a total of 30 points or less, and have held opposing teams to an average of 201 yards per game. On offense, the Cubs have scored more than 20 points just once this season and have been shut out four times and averaging 174.5 yards per game. Quarterback Cruz Soulek has thrown for 796 yards and five touchdowns for the season, most commonly finding Hayden Evans, who has 527 yards receiving and four 100-plus-yard receiving games. He’s hauled in 31 total receptions and two touchdowns. C.J. Yost has 192 rushing yards on 18 carries. Defensively, Noah Hutmacher has a team-high 65 tackles, while Garrett Ristau has 32 tackles. Sellyck McManus has posted a team-best four sacks. The Cubs bowed out in the first round of the 2019 Class 11B playoffs, falling 34-7 at Mount Vernon/ Plankinton.

Platte-Geddes Platte-Geddes

has

Prep Football Playoff Preview

together an undefeated regular season in a crowded Class 9AA field. The Black Panthers (8-0) are one of four undefeated teams in the class, with Viborg-Hurley, Hamlin and Lemmon/McIntosh also sporting perfect records. Platte-Geddes is seeded fourth overall in the class. Platte-Geddes quarterback Kelby VanDerWerff has passed for 777 yards and 11 touchdowns, while also scoring three rushing touchdowns. The 6-foot5 VanDerWerff has also hauled in two receiving touchdowns. Speedster Jackson Neuman has recorded 853 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, he’s racked up 27 tackles and three interceptions. Grayson Hanson has scored 10 rushing touchdowns to go along with 490 yards on the ground. He’s also scored three receiving touchdowns, while registering 54.5 tackles and three interceptions on defense. Nate Whalen has 251 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions, while intercepting two passes on defense. Tight end Caden Foxley has three touchdown receptions, while adding 34.5 tackles and 1.5 sacks on defense. Last season, Platte-Geddes lost to Viborg-Hurley in the Class 9AA quarterfinals. The Black Panthers host Bon Homme on Thursday. Platte-Geddes defeated the Cavaliers, 42-7, on Aug. 21.

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TEAMS: Page 5

Ryan Deal / Republic

Canistota/Freeman's Isiah Robertson carries the ball against Hanson on Oct. 16 in Alexandria.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020 • The Mitchell Republic • 5

Prep Football Playoff Preview

Platte-Geddes' Jackson Neuman (15) breaks free for a big gain during a game against Parkston on Oct. 16 in Platte.

TEAMS From Page 4

Hanson

Hanson has pieced together a respectable 6-2 record, with its two losses against Class 9AA No. 1 Viborg-Hurley and Class 9A No. 2 Canistota/Freeman. As a result, the Beavers are the No. 5 overall seed in the Class 9AA playoffs and will host a playoff game for the second straight season. Hadley Wallace paces a balanced offensive

attack. The running back has 659 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while adding a team-high 128 receiving yards. He’s also logged 33 tackles on defense. Jackson Jarding (535 rushing yards/5 TDs) also contributes in the backfield. He has 33 tackles and two interceptions on defense. Brock Tuttle (329 rushing yards/three TDs) and Gavin Doyle (231 rushing yards/six TDs) also power the rushing attack. Tuttle also had 65 tackles and five sacks.

Quarterback Kade Waldera has passed for 486 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for seven more scores. He’s logged four interceptions on defense. Defensive end Riley Ferry has a team-high eight sacks, to go along with 43 tackles. Fellow defensive end Thailan Hallman has 41.5 tackles and three interceptions. Hanson lost to Platte-Geddes (2622) in last year’s first round. The Beavers host Parkston in Alexandria on Thursday.

Parkston

Parkston went 4-0 in September to help cement a Class 9AA playoff berth. The Trojans lost to Wolsey-Wessington in the opener and Platte-Geddes in the finale. But picked up wins over Kimball/White Lake, Bon Homme, Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central Dakota Christian and Gregory to earn a playoff spot. Cole Prunty paces Parkston with 968 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Parkston

Matt Gade / Republic

was defeated by Bon and will travel to play Homme (54-0) in last Hanson on Thursday in Alexandria. year’s first round. The Trojans are the No. 7 overall seed in the TEAMS: Page 6 Class 9AA playoff field

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6 • The Mitchell Republic • Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Prep Football Playoff Preview

TEAMS Matt Gade / Republic

From Page 5

Howard

The Tigers have again thrown their hat into the Class 9A ring. Howard is the No. 1 overall seed and has pieced together an impressive 7-0 campaign. The Tigers have outscored their opponents, 337-52. The Tigers also handed fellow Cornbelt Conference power Canistota/ Freeman its lone defeat, a 16-14 triple-overtime decision on Sept. 11. Howard relies on its rushing attack, with five different running backs logging more than 300 yards on the ground. Riley Genzlinger paces the ground game with 505 yards and 13 touchdowns, while adding 145 receiving yards and two more scores. Lane Miller has produced 332 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, while adding two receiving touchdowns. Ty Beyer (329 yards/ four touchdowns), Kieffer Klinkhammer (319 yards/four touchdowns) and John Callies (312 yards/six touchdowns) also contribute out of the backfield. Beyer (58 tackles) and Callies (40 tackles) pace the defense. Quarterback Tisyn Spader has passed for 557 yards and seven touchdowns, with two going to Jaxon Kampshoff. Sam Aslesen has 120 receiving yards and

Parkston's Brayden Jervik (23) races past Platte-Geddes' Caden Foxley (83) during a game on Oct. 16 in Platte.

a touchdown reception. Kampshoff has 46 tackles and team-high three sacks. Howard fell to Gregory in last season’s Class 9A quarterfinals. The Tigers host De Smet in Thursday’s opening round. Howard defeated the Bulldogs, 39-0, on Oct. 2.

Canistota/Freeman

The defending Class

9A champions seem poised to be a serious title contender once again after a 7-1 regular season campaign. The Pride are the No. 4 overall seed in the postseason bracket, meaning they will be home for the quarterfinals if they win their first-round game against Chester Area on Thursday. Canistota/ Freeman defeated the Flyers this season, 46-0.

Tyce Ortman does a little bit of everything for Canistota/Freeman. The quarterback has passed for 486 yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for 717 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, he has 26 tackles and one interception. He also has two punt returns for scores. Running back Isiah Robertson has 548

rushing yards and seven touchdowns, to go along with 20.5 tackles and three interceptions on defense. Tight end Logan Katzer has snagged 22 catches for 177 yards and five touchdowns. On defense, the linebacker has 23.5 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. Blake Anderson has 227 rushing yards and four

touchdowns out of the backfield, while adding 19.5 tackles on defense. Collin Helma (20.5 tackles), Riley Heiberger (18.5 tackles) and Cole Papendick (18 tackles) also contribute to Canistota/Freeman’s stingy defense, which has three shutouts.

TEAMS: Page 7

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020 • The Mitchell Republic • 7

Prep Football Playoff Preview

TEAMS From Page 6

Lyman

Well-tested during the regular season, Lyman carries a 5-2 record into the Class 9A playoffs. The Raiders have suffered two losses, one to Class 9B No. 1-seeded Kadoka Area and the other to a 6-2 Philip team. The Raiders have averaged 31.7 points per game in seven contests. Colton Collins is the leading rusher for Lyman, averaging more than eight yards per carry with 860 yards and 15 touchdowns. Teagan Gourneau has thrown for 791 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for seven touchdowns. Tyson Floyd has 23 catches for 342 yards and two touchdown receptions for the Raiders. Lyman returns to the playoffs after a 47-12 loss to Gregory in the 2019 first round. This year, the Raiders are the No. 9 overall seed in the Class 9A field and were the top seeded team out of Region 3 in the class. The Raiders host Burke on Thursday in Presho. Lyman won the season opener between the two teams on Aug. 21, a 12-8 defensive battle in which the teams combined for less than 350 offensive yards.

Gregory

Always a tough out in the postseason, Gregory stands to live up to that role in the Class 9A bracket in 2020. The Gorillas (5-3) host Castlewood on Thursday in a first-round game. Gregory is the No. 11 overall seed in the field this year. The Gorillas are paced by quarterback Coy Determan, who has 1,075 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, while also standing as the team’s second-leading rusher with 276 yards and four

Ryan Deal / Republic

Lyman's Teagan Gourneau (8) pitches the ball as Kimball/White Lake's Jacob Novak (88) plays defense on Aug. 28 in Presho. rushing scores. Jordan Vosika leads Gregory in rushing with 495 yards and four touchdowns. Owen Hansen has seven touchdown catches among his 21 catches for 373 yards this season, while Rylan Peck (292 yards/four touchdowns) and Kade Stukel (287 yards/five touchdowns) are also key Gorilla targets. On defense, Trey Murray has a team-best 53 tackles, while Hansen has made 42 tackles and Zane McMillen has seven sacks. A year ago, Gregory defeated Lyman and Howard in the first round and quarterfinals, before falling 14-8 to top-seeded Britton-Hecla.

Burke

The Burke Cougars enter the Class 9A playoffs hoping to build on a key late-season victory. The Cougars were 5-1 in the months of September and October, capped by a 14-6 win

over Alcester-Hudson on Oct. 16 to close the regular season. The only blemish was a 28-22 loss to previously winless Kimball/White Lake on Oct. 9. In that sixgame span, the Cougars allowed 14.8 points per game on defense. Quarterback Ben Witt has found his stride in the last three games, throwing for four touchdowns in the month of October. Running back Taron Serr has ran for 10 touchdowns in the last four games, including a five-touchdown performance against Tripp-Delmont/

Armour/Andes Central/ Dakota Christian and four touchdowns in a win over Corsica-Stickney. Bryce Frank also had a touchdown catch in each of the last three games, as well. The Cougars played in the Class 9A quarterfinals a season ago, falling to eventual state runner-up Britton-Hecla. The No. 15 overall seed in Class 9A, Burke (5-3) plays Lyman on Thursday in Presho.

Corsica-Stickney

Corsica-Stickney’s season got back on track in the second half of

the campaign in 2020, finishing the year with three wins in their last four games. The Jaguars closed with a 4-4 record, but were the top qualifier out of Class 9B’s Region 3. They are the No. 8 overall seed in the field, but will be seeded higher if they win their first-round game due to other opening games matching highly-seeded teams. As for the Jaguars offense, Brendan Wentland threw for 706 yards during the regular season and 11 touchdowns, while rushing for 612 yards and four touch-

downs. Caden VanDrongelen has totaled 697 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Cole Feenstra has four touchdown catches and Hayden Plamp has three touchdown grabs. On defense, VanDrongelen has racked up 63 tackles. Wentland has 37.5 tackles and two interceptions on defense. The Jaguars, which was knocked out in the first round a year ago, host Avon on Thursday in Corsica.

TEAMS: Page 8

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8 • The Mitchell Republic • Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Prep Football Playoff Preview

Matt Gade / Republic

Burke's Ben Witt (5) makes a hand off during a nine-man football game against Gregory on Aug. 28 in Burke.

TEAMS From Page 6

Scotland

Stephen Johnson has rushed for 402 yards and six scores. Dawson Bietz has thrown for 431 yards and four touchdowns. In 2019, the Highlanders had a firstround victory over Hitchcock-Tulare, before bowing out in the Class 9B quarterfinals in a 50-0 loss to Wolsey-Wessington. Scotland hosts Irene-Wakonda on Thursday, which the Highlanders defeated 22-0 in the season opener on Aug. 21.

Scotland (4-3) had the second half of its season impacted by COVID-19 but maintains a threegame winning streak heading into the postseason. That includes wins over Centerville, Menno/Marion and Colome. The Highlanders have the 13th-most seed points out of the 16-team playoff field in Class 9B. Running back Turner Nicholson has rushed Avon Avon will be lookfor 654 yards and six touchdowns, while ing to summon a sec-

ond wind to its season in the Class 9B playoffs, despite entering the postseason on a five-game losing streak with a 2-7 record. Avon was the last wildcard team in the playoffs with 37.444 seed points, edging out

Estelline/Hendricks and Hitchcock-Tulare. The Pirates finished the season in a busy fashion, playing three games in the span of seven days after its game against Gayville-Volin was moved to the end of the year. They were also one of

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Prep Football Playoff Preview

i r f s t A r A o S und H D S o y f a f l p p a l l i r a i b n t gs o o f

By Mitchell Republic No. 11 Redfield (3-4) at No. 6 St. Thomas More Below are the South Dakota High School Activ- (6-1), 5:30 p.m., in Rapid City. No. 10 Sisseton (5-3) at No. 7 Woonsocket/Wessities Association’s first-round pairings for the state football playoffs for Class 11B and the nine- ington Springs/Sanborn Central (6-2), 7 p.m. No. 9 McCook Central/Montrose (4-3) at No. 8 man classes. The first round of the playoffs Stanley County (5-2), 6 p.m., in Fort Pierre. begin Thursday. Note: Beresford would replace any team unable to CLASS 11B play because of COVID-19. No. 16 Garretson (2-6) at No. 1 Winner (7-0), 6 p.m. CLASS 9AA No. 15 Lead-Deadwood (2-5) at No. 2 BridgewaRegion 1 No. 4 Clark/Willow Lake (4-4) at No. 1 Hamlin ter-Emery/Ethan (8-0), 6 p.m., in Bridgewater. No. 14 Aberdeen Roncalli (3-4) at No. 3 (8-0), 7 p.m., in Hayti. No. 3 Florence/Henry (6-3) at No. 2 Deuel (3-2), Mobridge-Pollock (7-0), in Mobridge, 6 p.m. No. 13 Chamberlain (2-5) at No. 4 Sioux Valley 7 p.m., in Clear Lake. Region 2 (7-1), 7 p.m., in Volga. No. 4 Parker (3-5) at No. 1 Viborg-Hurley (7-0), No. 12 Mount Vernon/Plankinton (3-3) at No. 5 7 p.m., in Viborg. Elk Point-Jefferson (5-3), 7 p.m., in Elk Point.

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No. 3 Arlington/Lake Preston (4-4) at No. 2 Baltic (4-3), 7 p.m., in Baltic Region 3 No. 4 Bon Homme (2-5) at No. 1 Platte-Geddes (8-0), 7p.m., in Platte. No. 3 Parkston (4-2) at No. 2 Hanson (6-2), 7 p.m., in Alexandria. Region 4 No. 4 Elkton-Lake Benton (2-6) at No. 1 Lemmon/McIntosh (8-0), 7 p.m., in Lemmon No. 3 Jones County/White River (3-5) at No. 2 Rapid City Christian (4-5), 7 p.m., in Rapid City Note: Hill City would replace any team unable to play because of COVID-19.

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Prep Football Playoff Preview

PAIRINGS From Page 9

CLASS 9A

Region 1 No. 4 North Border (3-5) at No. 1 Warner (7-0), 7 p.m. No. 3 Britton-Hecla (4-4) at No. 2 Ipswich/ Edmunds Central (6-2) Region 2 No. 4 De Smet (6-2) at No. 1 Howard (7-0), 7 p.m. No. 3 Chester Area (6-2) at No. 2 Canistota/Freeman (7-1), 7 p.m., in Freeman. Region 3 No. 4 Burke (5-3) at No. 1 Lyman (5-2), 4 p.m., in Presho. No. 3 Castlewood (4-4) at No. 2 Gregory (5-3), 6 p.m. Region 4 No. 4 Northwestern (2-5) at No. 1 Wall (7-0), 7 p.m. No. 3 Timber Lake (3-3) at No. 2 Philip (6-2), 7 p.m. Note: Sully Buttes would replace any team unable to play because of COVID-19.

CLASS 9B

Region 1 No. 4 Faulkton Area (4-3) at No. 1 Herreid/Selby Area (7-1), 7 p.m. No. 3 Langford Area (6-2) at No. 2 Wolsey-Wessington (6-1), 6 p.m., in Wolsey. Region 2 No. 4 Bison (2-6) at No. 1 Dell Rapids St. Mary (4-2), 6 p.m. No. 3 Colman-Egan (5-2) at No. 2 Alcester-Hudson (5-3), 6 p.m., in Alcester. Region 3 No. 4 Avon (2-7) at No. 1 Corsica-Stickney (4-4), 7 p.m., in Corsica. No. 3 Irene-Wakonda (2-6) at No. 2 Scotland (4-3), 7 p.m. Region 4 No. 4 Dupree (3-5) at No. 1 Kadoka Area (7-1), 7:30 p.m. No. 3 Harding County (4-3) at No. 2 Faith (6-2), 7 p.m. Note: Estelline/Hendricks would replace any team unable to play because of COVID-19.

Matt Gade / Republic

Gregory's Jordan Vosika (24) stiff arms Burke's Bryce Frank while carrying the ball during a nine-man football game on Aug. 28 in Burke.

Matt Gade / Republic

McCook Central/Montrose’s Joe Loudenburg (11) stiff arms Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan’s Bodie Burnham (22) while carrying the ball during a Class 11B game on Sept. 18 in Bridgewater.

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Matt Gade / Republic

Mount Vernon/Plankinton quarterback Reed Rus hands off to Tre Jones during a Class 11B game against Winner on Monday, Sept. 28 in Mount Vernon.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020 • The Mitchell Republic • 11

Prep Football Playoff Preview

EXPECT A BUMPIER ROAD TO THE DOME THIS YEAR COVID-19 likely will have its say on SD’s state football bracket

The road to the Dome. That’s the way MARCUS many South DakoTRAXLER Assisstant ta high school football Editor teams like to look at the playoffs each year, the pinnacle of a prep football career. There will be roadBut in 2020, not every blocks. And it’s because team is going to have of COVID-19. a smooth road to get South Dakota’s teams forged ahead with a to Vermillion.

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football season relatively close to normal this season. Not much was changed about how the games were administered or how teams approached their contests when they were able to play. But dozens of games have been called off during the regular season, and given South

Dakota’s coronavirus case count continues to quickly trend upward, this will be a playoffs unlike any other. There is a real chance that there will be a forfeit that impacts the playoff bracket and ends a team’s season, if the team cannot play. That is one of the many

consequences of playing during a pandemic. Whether one thinks South Dakota should have played football in a pandemic is now immaterial. The state’s high schools did it, and we’ve seen the results. Four classes concluded their regular seasons on Oct. 16, and one-third of the teams in those divi-

sions did not play a complete schedule of at least eight games this season. It did not go perfectly, and that was expected. And nobody should expect perfection in the playoffs either. That’s what South Dakota signed on for when it forged ahead.

DOME: Page 12

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12 • The Mitchell Republic • Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Prep Football Playoff Preview

Republic file photo

Playing in the DakotaDome this year for the South Dakota high school football championships will be a special accomplishment for the teams that make it, considering the challenges of COVID-19 impacting schools around the state.

DOME From Page 11

Surrounding states are grappling with this same issue. In Minnesota, the state’s football teams didn’t start playing until mid-October, and will play a maximum of nine games, ending the season after the section playoffs and without a state tournament or championship game. There has been a lot of hand-wringing about

not playing for a state championship in Minnesota. Yes, championships are meaningful, but it seems to indicate a lack of understanding about what the priorities of high school sports should be. (By the way, that sentiment seems to be coming from parents, not students. Per usual, there are a lot of young people who are pretty bright and understanding.) In North Dakota, one of the top-seeded boys soccer teams — West Fargo Sheyenne — was

forced to quarantine its varsity team members due to exposure to the virus, despite an undefeated season to that point. The North Dakota High School Activities Association continued the tournament, and Sheyenne used its junior-varsity team to field a roster in the state semifinals. (The team finished fourth with two losses after the quarantine.) The South Dakota High School Activities Association’s rule on postseason play amid

COVID-19, created this past summer, is clear: “any postseason contests that are unable to be played will be considered a forfeit.” If a school’s championship run has to be stopped due to cases of COVID-19, there will be complaints about what is fair. But the SDHSAA has to act within reason and conduct this championship fairly and equitably for the other, healthy teams in the tournament. High school coaches around the state likely will be

preaching to their players to be responsible and avoid going to parties or hanging in crowds. It could be the difference between playing for a championship or quarantining and wondering what could have been. There is quite a bit of confidence in the state’s school leaders and coaches to do the right thing and hold players and teams out of competition — even in the playoffs — if that’s what’s necessary with COVID-19. The health of South Dakota is at stake,

and we’ve seen a lot of coaches and administrators responsibly balance extracurricular events and public health. Provided everything works out, South Dakota will crown high school football champions in the fall and mostly on schedule. That will be an accomplishment not every state will achieve this year. But there’s no guarantee that it will be a comfortable ride on the road to the DakotaDome for all playoff participants.

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