First things first: This newsletter is brought to you by Hook & Ladder Kitchen and Bar.

  • Hook & Ladder is bringing bold flavors, refreshing drinks, and a firehouse-inspired atmosphere come together to create a dining experience like no other. Stop in their location off West 12th Street near Tea/Ellis Road, and check out their menu online.

Simplified: South Dakota's top high school football teams are vying for the championship this week. It's time to leave it all on the field, and Sioux Falls Simplified will be providing real-time updates after every quarter of every game starting at 10 a.m. Thursday. Follow along at sfsimplified.com or on Facebook or Instagram.

But first, let's get a look at the teams:

High-flying offenses highlight 11AAA title game

The scoreboard operator at the DakotaDome in Vermillion better have his pencil sharpened on Saturday night when Sioux Falls Jefferson and Sioux Falls Lincoln kickoff at 7:30 p.m. 

The Patriots and Cavaliers are a pair of high-flying offenses that are sure to leave a mark on the DakotaDome turf when the dust settles late Saturday night.

Jefferson enters the game unbeaten at 11-0 and returns to the dome for the first time since 2022 when they won it, 48-21 over Harrisburg.

Lincoln is at the dome this for their fourth straight 11AAA championship game appearance, having won the title in 2023 and 2024. They lost last year’s title game to Brandon Valley.

Add it up, and there’s some pedigree headed to the dome on Saturday night, and some scoring.

Both Jefferson and Lincoln have been scoring at a rapid pace this season. The Cavs are averaging 48.6 points per game, tops in Class 11AAA. Not surprisingly, Lincoln is second at 41.6 per game.

Battle of the quarterbacks

The Cavaliers have been riding the arm of quarterback Cason Mediger. The senior signal-caller has thrown for nearly 2,700 yards with 33 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Jase Unzen has been on the receiving end of 68 of those passes for 895 yards and 12 touchdown receptions.

Lincoln counters at quarterback with arguably one of the best to play the position in South Dakota history. Like Mediger, senior Brody Schafer has been magical with the ball under center this season. Schafer has thrown for just over 2,500 yards with 29 touchdowns and two interceptions. His favorite targets are Everett Starks and Jace Weber. That duo has combined for 976 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns.

Add it up, and the defensive backs for both Jefferson and Lincoln will have their hands full on Saturday. The two quarterbacks have combined to throw 5,194 yards and 62 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

No doubt there will be some different looks and changes in schematics throughout the night between head coaches Jared Fredenburg (Lincoln) and Eric Struck (Jefferson).

So Sioux Falls Simplified asked both just one question heading into Saturday’s championship game:

What’s it going to take to beat them?

Jared Fredenburg, SF Lincoln

“We gotta get lucky. We gotta get a couple of tipped passes. We gotta get some turnovers. We just have to play a super clean, efficient game. We just can’t make any of our own self-inflicted mistakes.”

Eric Struck, SF Jefferson

“Easier said than done. You gotta find a way to contain (quarterback) Brody (Schafer) and try to limit his off-platform scrambling type stuff as much as possible. If it’s a true run play, you gotta be able to tackle him right away and not give him extra yards. At the same time, to beat them, you can’t beat yourself. You can’t turn the ball over and we can’t have any blown assignments or miscommunication in the secondary.”

A couple of nuggets of interest:

  • Lincoln’s 34-27 loss last year to Brandon Valley was a first for the Patriots. Lincoln was 5-0 in championship game appearances with titles in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2023, 2024. Last year’s loss to the Lynx was Lincoln’s first in a championship game in five tries.
  • Jefferson’s one-and-only appearance at the dome in 2022 capped a perfect season for the Cavaliers, something they’re trying to replicate this year. The Cavs’ title in 2022 was also the school’s first championship in any sport.

The schedule

Stay with Sioux Falls Simplified throughout the weekend for quarterly updates for all seven games. Games can be viewed on South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s YouTube page, which can be found at SDPB.org. A link to the games can also be found at SFSimplified.com.

Thursday, Nov. 12

  • Class 9B: Wall vs. Dell Rapids St. Mary’s - 10 a.m.
  • Class 9A: Freeman vs. Bennett County - 1 p.m.
  • Class 9AA: Parkston vs. Platte-Geddes - 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 13

  • Class 11B: Elk Point-Jefferson vs. St. Thomas More - 10 a.m.
  • Class 11A: SF Christian vs. Lennox - 1 p.m.
  • Class 11AA: Pierre vs. Watertown - 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 14

  • Class 11AAA: SF Jefferson vs. SF Lincoln - 7:30 p.m.

Stats, simplified: Each match-up at-a-glance

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Special thanks to Hook & Ladder!

Hook & Ladder's menu features a wide range of flavorful, house-made dishes, thoughtfully prepared to satisfy every craving. Find them near Family Park and Fire Station 10 at 323 S Whitewood Cir., or call ahead at (605) 271-0643. Check out their full menu here.