SOUTH DAKOTA – The brackets are set, and several Black Hills-area teams are gearing up for the opening round of the South Dakota high school football playoffs Thursday night.
In Class 11B, defending state champion St. Thomas More enters the postseason as the No. 2 seed after a perfect 8-0 regular season. The Cavaliers will open at home against 15th-seeded Mount Vernon/Plankinton. St. Thomas More will be looking to defend the state title it captured a year ago and appears to be one of the favorites to make another deep run.
Also in 11B, Rapid City Christian earned the seventh seed with a 6-2 record and will host Sioux Valley in the first round. The Comets closed the regular season strong and will look to take advantage of home field as they begin their playoff journey.
In Class 9AA, Lead-Deadwood punched its playoff ticket as the 10th seed despite a loss to Hill City in the regular-season finale. The Golddiggers, who finished 4-4, will travel to face seventh-seeded Great Plains Lutheran in what could be one of the more competitive opening-round matchups.
Meanwhile, Hill City slipped into the postseason as the 16th and final seed after snapping a four-game losing streak last week. The Rangers face perhaps the toughest challenge in the field, traveling to take on undefeated and top-seeded Parkston.
In Class 9A, Philip enters the playoffs as the 10th seed at 5-3 and will hit the road to face seventh-seeded Howard. Another matchup drawing attention is fourth-seeded Bennett County against 12th-seeded Lyman. Those teams met in the regular season and will immediately renew their rivalry in the playoffs.
And in Class 9B, the spotlight shines brightly on Wall, the defending Class 9A state champions who moved down to 9B this season and haven’t missed a beat. The Eagles rolled through the regular season undefeated at 8-0 and earned the top seed. Their reward is a first-round rematch with Jones County, a team Wall defeated just last week.
Also in 9B, Kadoka Area secured the 10th seed and will travel to take on seventh-seeded Oldham-Ramona/Rutland. The Kougars enter the playoffs at 3-5 but have an opportunity to pull off an upset and advance to the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Class 11AAA, 11AA and 11A teams will complete their regular seasons this Thursday before playoff brackets are finalized. Locally, one of the biggest games will be in Class 11AA, where Spearfish and Sturgis square off with playoff positioning on the line. Both teams are looking to improve their seeding heading into the postseason, making the Black Hills rivalry matchup one of the key games to watch in the final week of the regular season.
With defending champions, undefeated teams, rivalry games, and playoff rematches all on the schedule, Thursday night promises to be one of the busiest and most important nights of the South Dakota high school football season.
Class 11B Playoff Pairings (higher seed hosts)
- No. 1 Elk Point-Jefferson (8-0) vs. No. 16 Parker/Marion (1-7)
- No. 8 McCook Central/Montrose (5-3) vs. No. 9 Chamberlain (4-4)
- No. 4 Winner (7-1) vs. No. 13 Groton Area (4-4)
- No. 5 Deuel (6-2) vs. No. 12 Beresford (4-4)
- No. 2 St. Thomas More (8-0) vs. No. 15 Mount Vernon/Plankinton (2-6)
- No. 7 Rapid City Christian (6-2) vs. No. 10 Sioux Valley (4-4)
- No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake (9-0) vs. No. 14 Mobridge-Pollock (4-4)
- No. 6 Wagner (6-2) vs. No. 11 Hot Springs (4-4)
Class 9AA Playoff Pairings
- No. 1 Parkston (8-0) vs. No. 16 Hill City (2-6)
- No. 8 Bon Homme (4-4) vs. No. 9 Viborg-Hurley (4-4)
- No. 4 Britton-Hecla (7-1) vs. No. 13 Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan (2-6)
- No. 5 Waubay/Summit (7-1) vs. No. 12 Sioux Falls Lutheran (3-5)
- No. 2 Hamlin (7-1) vs. No. 15 Stanley County (2-6)
- No. 7 Great Plains Lutheran (6-2) vs. No. 10 Lead-Deadwood (4-4)
- No. 3 Platte-Geddes (7-1) vs. No. 14 Hanson (3-5)
- No. 6 Garretson (6-2) vs. No. 11 Baltic (4-4)
Class 9A Playoff Pairings
- No. 1 Timber Lake (8-0) vs. No. 16 Elkton-Lake Benton (3-5)
- No. 8 Kimball/White Lake (5-3) vs. No. 9 Faulkton Area (5-3)
- No. 4 Sully Buttes (7-1) vs. No. 13 Corsica-Stickney (5-3)
- No. 5 Bennett County (7-1) vs. No. 12 Lyman (4-4)
- No. 2 Freeman (8-0) vs. No. 15 Scotland/Menno (4-4)
- No. 7 Howard (6-2) vs. No. 10 Philip (5-3)
- No. 3 Castlewood (8-0) vs. No. 14 Ipswich (4-4)
- No. 6 Centerville (6-2) vs. No. 11 De Smet (4-4)
Class 9B Playoff Pairings
- No. 1 Wall (8-0) vs. No. 16 Jones County (2-6)
- No. 8 Herreid/Selby Area (4-4) vs. No. 9 Deubrook Area (4-4)
- No. 4 Avon (6-2) vs. No. 13 Iroquois/Lake Preston (3-5)
- No. 5 Hitchcock-Tulare (7-1) vs. No. 12 Wolsey-Wessington (3-5)
- No. 2 St. Mary’s (8-0) vs. No. 15 Irene-Wakonda (3-5)
- No. 7 Oldham-Ramona-Rutland (6-2) vs. No. 10 Kadoka Area (3-5)
- No. 3 Warner (8-0) vs. No. 14 Northwestern (3-5)
- No. 6 Colman-Egan (6-2) vs. No. 11 Gettysburg (4-4)
