(Photo credit: SDPB Sports/Josh Jurgens)

First things first: Coverage of the 2026 state championship football games is brought to you by Lloyd Properties. Find your new home today by calling 605-334-RENT.

Simplified: They may come from small towns, but South Dakota's 9-man high school football teams made some big plays on Thursday to kick off day one of the state football championships. Here's all the action you may have missed recapped for ya (because you know we love to simplify things here).

Class 9B: Wall defeats Dell Rapids St. Mary's

Wall wins it all for Class 9B football
Two undefeated teams. Two reigning champs. One winner. Catch all the action of the Dell Rapids St. Marys v. Wall championship match-up with live updates here.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedTom A. Savage

Class 9A: Freeman flies away with it

Freeman trounces Bennett County to win Class 9A championship
Up next from the DakotaDome in Vermillion, it's a 9A championship between unbeaten Freeman (11-0) and upstart Bennett County (10-1).
Sioux Falls SimplifiedTom A. Savage

Class 9AA: Parkston pulls through

Parkston cruises past Platte-Geddes for Class 9AA win
Parkston and Platte-Geddes will round out South Dakota's 9-man football season Thursday night with the Class 9AA championship game starting at 7:30 p.m. CT. Stay tuned for live updates after each quarter.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedTom A. Savage

What happens next?

The championship games resume Friday morning at 10 a.m. CT with the Class 11B match-up between Elk-Point Jefferson and St. Thomas More.

Then at 1 p.m. CT the Class 11A teams take over with SF Christian vs. Lennox.

The night wraps up with a big one at 7:30 p.m. CT as Pierre and Watertown fight for the 11AA title.

Follow Sioux Falls Simplified for all of the action – including updates each quarter on Facebook, Instagram and sfsimplified.com.

Special thanks to Lloyd Properties!