First things first, this newsletter is brought to you by CorTrust Bank.

A quick note: Thanks for your patience this week! Apologies for being a day late – blame Megan, not Tom. :)

Simplified: In the last week of regular season 11-man football, Jefferson held on to its perfect record. Meanwhile, despite losing in an upset, Tea Area players set some school records for passing. Here's where it all stands headed into the playoffs.

Cavs undefeated

Sioux Falls Jefferson left little doubt about their top-ranked status after dismantling SF Washington on Thursday in the regular-season finale for both schools at Howard Wood Field. The Cavs registered their fifth straight game of 40-plus points in an impressive 51-7 victory to finish up the regular season with a 9-0 record. 

The Cavs led 41-0 at halftime and cruised to the win. Cason Mediger threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Tyson Tycz, Jase Unzen and Isaiah Blakburn. Devonte Wilson added 83 yards rushing on six carries and a score. Quentin Hudelson also had a rushing touchdown for Jefferson.

For the Warriors, 2-7, Kaden Carroll scored Washington’s only touchdown, which broke a 51-0 Jefferson shutout at the time. Jordan Patterson finished with 23 yards rushing to lead the Warriors on the ground, while Caden Sporrer threw for 64 yards on 7-of-10 passing.

What about other local teams?

Patriots prevail: No. 2 SF Lincoln 42, No. 4 Harrisburg 21

Lincoln’s Brody Schafer was back in form again on Thursday at Howard Wood Field. The senior quarterback threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as the Patriots concluded the regular season on a six-game winning streak at 7-2 overall.

Harrisburg actually led 7-0 in the first quarter before the Patriots poured it on. Schafer finished 20-for-28 for 276 yards passing and added 67 yards on the ground. Two of his touchdown strikes went to Jace Weber, who finished with seven catches for 114 yards. Ike Weiss got Lincoln’s other receiving touchdown. 

Harrisburg's Asher Hauert runs the field on Thursday, Oct. 22 against Sioux Falls Lincoln. Photo credit: Bekah Norberg

For the Tigers, 5-4, David Doe rushed for 188 yards and a score on 19 carries. Quarterback Jonah Young also scored once on the ground and was 9-for-29 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions. Martin Ornelas caught the one touchdown pass.

Lynx stay strong: No. 3 Brandon Valley 29, SF Roosevelt 6

Starting quarterback Will VanLeur was sidelined Thursday for the Lynx, but sophomore signal-caller Tate Carda filled in and went 11-for-18 for 187 yards and a touchdown, a 68-yard strike to Jack Blomgren in the first quarter. Blomgren finished with seven catches for 165 yards.

Running back Ryder Mueller has also been limited with a left ankle sprain, but the senior still rushed for 165 yards and 20 carries for Brandon Valley, 7-2.

Weslee Werkmeister scored the only touchdown for Roosevelt, 4-5, when he capped a long run in the fourth quarter to break Brandon Valley’s shutout.

Punchin' above their weight: Class 11AA No. 4 Watertown, Class 11AAA No. 5 O’Gorman 14

In a bit of an upset in the regular-season finale, Watertown punched above their weight and pulled a 15-14 win over 11AAA ranked O’Gorman. O’Gorman, 5-4, led late but a Kaden Himmerich-to-Hunter Peterson two-point conversion with just over a minute to play was the difference. 

O’Gorman had a chance to win in the final seconds, but a 29-yard field goal attempt was no good as time expired.

Tea Area upset in finale

Class 11AA second-ranked Tea Area lost 35-18 to No. 3 Yankton on Thursday. The loss drops the Titans to 6-3 overall where they’ve lost two straight entering the playoffs. 

Despite the loss, there were some school records set for Tea Area. Grifin Wiebenga was on the receiving end of a school record 265 yards. His eight receptions also ties for the second most in a single game for the Titans. Quarterback Devyn Rhodes threw for 303 yards, the second-highest single-game passing total in school history. Tea Area’s 334 yards passing also sets a single-game record for the Titans.

Scores from around the state

Class 11AAA

  • No. 1 SF Jefferson 51, SF Washington 7
  • No. 2 SF Lincoln 42, No. 4 Harrisburg 21
  • No. 3 Brandon Valley 29, SF Roosevelt 6
  • Class 11AA No. 4 Watertown 15, No. 5 O’Gorman 14
  • RC Central 34, RC Stevens 7

Class 11AA

  • No. 1 Pierre 85, Douglas 7
  • No. 3 Yankton 35, No. 2 Tea Area 18
  • No. 4 Watertown 15, Class 11AAA No. 5 O’Gorman 14
  • No. 5 Sturgis 41, Spearfish 20
  • Huron 35, Mitchell 28
  • Aberdeen Central 28, Brookings 14

Class 11A

  • No. 1 SF Christian 42, Tri-Valley 6
  • No. 5 Dell Rapids 13, No. 2 West Central 7
  • No. 3 Lennox 46, Madison 0
  • No. 4 Canton 49, Milbank 20
  • Dakota Valley 41, Vermillion 8
  • Belle Fourche 54, Custer 12

Class 11B - First round of playoffs

  • No. 1 Elk Point Jefferson 35, Parker-Marion 0
  • No. 2 St. Thomas More 32, Mt. Vernon-Plankinton 16
  • No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake 34, Mobridge-Pollock 24
  • No. 4 Winner 20, Groton Area 0
  • No. 5 Deuel 37, Beresford 0
  • Wagner 12, Hot Springs 7
  • Sioux Valley 41, RC Christian 37
  • McCook Central-Montrose 41, Chamberlain 14

Class 9AA - First round of playoffs

  • No. 1 Parkston 50, Hill City 0
  • No. 2 Platte-Geddes 34, Hanson 20
  • No. 3 Hamlin 52, Stanley County 0
  • No. 4 Britton-Hecla 34, Bridgewater-Emery-Ethan 14
  • No. 5 Garretson 13, Baltic 0
  • Great Plains Lutheran 22, Lead-Deadwood 7
  • Sioux Falls Lutheran 34, Waubay-Summit 16
  • Bon Homme 36, Viborg-Hurley 6

Class 9A - First round of playoffs

  • No. 1 Freeman 56, Scotland-Menno 0
  • No. 2 Castlewood 51, Ipswich 0
  • No. 3 Timber Lake 48, Elkton-Lake Benton 0
  • No. 4 Sully Buttes 18, Corsica-Stickney 14
  • No. 5 Centerville 36, De Smet 12
  • Howard 36, Philip 0
  • Kimball-White Lake 32, Faulkton Area 12
  • Bennett County 47, Lyman 27

Class 9B - First round of playoffs

  • No. 1 Dell Rapids St. Mary 60, Irene-Wakonda 8
  • No. 2 Wall 50, Jones County 0
  • No. 3 Warner 52, Northwestern 16
  • No. 4 Avon 53, Iroquois-Lake Preston 0
  • No. 5 Hitchcock-Tulare 40, Wolsey-Wessington 0
  • Kadoka Area 70, Oldham-Ramona-Rutland 36
  • Herreid-Selby Area 56, Deubrook Area 28
  • Colman-Egan 26, Gettysburg 6

All Nations

  • Mahpiya Luta 64, Little Wound 14
  • Lakota Tech 52, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte-Tiospaye Topa 18
  • Walthill 64, Marty 14
  • Tiospa Zina 40, Lower Brule 34

Final SD Prep Media Football Poll for the season

The media football poll ranks the top-five teams in each class, record, total points and previous ranking. First-place votes are listed in parentheses. 

Class 11AAA

  1. Jefferson (20) 9-0 100
  2. Lincoln 7-2 80 2
  3. Brandon Valley 7-2 60 3
  4. Harrisburg 5-4 40 4
  5. O’Gorman 5-4 20 5

Class 11AA

  1. Pierre (20) 9-0 100 1
  2. Yankton 7-2 78 3
  3. Watertown 6-3 53 4
  4. Tea Area 7-2 47 2
  5. Sturgis 6-3 22 5

Class 11A

  1. SF Christian (20) 9-0 100 1
  2. Lennox 7-2 73 3
  3. West Central 7-2 48 2
  4. Canton 7-2 44 4
  5. Dell Rapids 7-2 35 5

Special thanks to CorTrust Bank!

Since 1930, CorTrust Bank has served the financial needs of individuals and business across 37 locations. What began as a small bank supporting local farming families in Artesian, S.D., has grown into a fourth-generation, family-owned community bank offering a full array of financial products and services. Be sure to check-out their new Sioux Falls location at 1315 S Minnesota Avenue - their friendly team is ready to serve you!

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