50 storylines, 50 days until 2026 South Dakota high school football season starts

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Jul. 2—The arrival of July means a new athletic year has begun for high school sports, and the march to a new football season in South Dakota is well underway.

Thursday, July 2, signified the 50-day countdown to the 2026 high school football season in South Dakota, which will kick off on Friday, Aug. 21.

Here are 50 storylines, facts and questions to consider ahead of the new high school football campaign around the state.

1. After an undefeated season and a state championship for Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy in 2025, the Freeman football team is on its own for 2026. Marion formed a co-op with Parker, and the Freeman Academy school has closed, meaning the Flyers will have their own team for the first time in more than a decade. They are playing in Class 9A in 2026.

2. Two of the most storied football programs in the state are joining forces, as Colome co-ops with Gregory for football this season. They have nine state championships between them, including six since 2014. The Gorillas will play in Class 9AA and open the season on Aug. 21 at Kimball/White Lake.

3. Sioux Falls Lutheran is the only football program to move up two classes in this cycle, moving to Class 9AA. The Eagles went 6-4 in 2025 after being 0-8 in their inaugural season in 2024. They will start the season at Centerville on Aug. 21.

4. For the first time since 2014, Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan is back playing nine-man football, moving into Class 9AA. The Seahawks' move back to nine-man brings back a bunch of old Cornbelt Conference foes to the schedule, including home games with Freeman, Hanson and Howard, while BEE will also play Parkston in a non-conference game. The Seahawks were 83-35 in 11 seasons in Class 11B but now move back to nine-man, where BEE won state titles in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Coach Jeff VanLeur has won six nine-man state titles going back to the Emery/Ethan program.

5. Two other teams moving from Class 11B to Class 9AA are Baltic and Lead-Deadwood. The Bulldogs had a 1-39 record in the last five seasons, and Baltic will visit Garretson in the opener on Aug. 21. Lead-Deadwood was 0-8 in 2025 and has two wins in the last three seasons. The Golddiggers host Wall on Aug. 28.

6. Sisseton also moved down from Class 11B to nine-man football but did so in order to build up its program and will forego playing in the postseason. Sisseton did not field a varsity team in 2025 and hasn't won a game since the 2023 season. Sisseton will host Webster in the season opener on Aug. 21.

7. Class 9A had the most movement of any class in a reclassification year: 11 of the 23 are new to the class this time around.

8. With the new classes, Class 9A is jammed with 20 teams that made the playoffs in 2025. That includes the top two seeds from the Class 9AA bracket last season in No. 1 Freeman and No. 2 Elkton-Lake Benton. The 2026 alignment of Class 9AA has 13 playoff teams from last year, and only 10 of those teams played in the 9AA playoffs in 2025.

9. Class 11B is down to only 20 teams for the upcoming season. There were as many as 29 teams in Class 11B four years ago in 2022.

10. One notable addition to Class 11B this season is Rapid City Christian, which moves down from Class 11A. The Comets made the eight-team playoff in 11A in 2025 and finished with a 5-5 record. Now they return to a division where they had Rapid City Christian's best season in school history in 2024, when they went 8-3 and played in the state semifinal round.

11. After dominating for the Class 9A championship in 2025, Wall has made the move down to Class 9B. The Eagles have three returning all-state players back in 2026, including quarterback Tanner Volmer, defensive lineman Ryon Bielmaier and defensive back Teelan Kjerstad. Wall, which has been 52-4 over the last five seasons, will play at Bennett County on Aug. 21 to start a new season.

12. Warner is another team to watch in moving down from Class 9A to Class 9B this season. The Monarchs return all-state picks in Alec Mikkelsen, who was picked at special teams, and defensive lineman Noah Bakeberg. Warner has been 42-3 in its last four seasons, including the undefeated state title in 2024.

13. Parker and Marion will join forces on the gridiron this season, after creating a co-op in 2024-25 for most sports and now adding football, wrestling and softball for the upcoming school year. The Pheasants play at Deuel on Aug. 21 to open the season, with the first home game on Sept. 11 against Wagner. Parker was 5-4 last season.

14. The All-Nations Conference has some realignment ahead of 2026 as well. Lakota Tech and Dupree have moved into ANC divisions, with Lakota Tech into Class 9A and Dupree joined with Takini in Class 9B. With Lakota Tech in, Lower Brule moved down to 9B, and then Walthill (Neb.) was slated to replace Omaha Nation (Neb.), bumping up the 9B division to 10 teams instead of eight.

15. Winnebago (Neb.) is the reigning Class 9A All-Nations Conference champion after topping Todd County 36-8, capping a 10-0 season. McLaughlin won it all in Class 9B 28-8 over White River for an undefeated 10-0 mark.

16. South Dakota is set to have 121 teams playing in the seven traditional classes of high school football, with 69 teams playing nine-man football. That doesn't include 18 teams playing All-Nations league games, with 16 of those teams hailing from South Dakota.

17. Sully Buttes and Faulkton Area will play each other in the first game on Aug. 21 in Faulkton. This game has been a featured Class 9B contest in recent seasons but both teams are in Class 9A now. Sully Buttes beat Faulkton for the 2024 Class 9B state title 34-14 but the Trojans knocked out Sully Buttes in the state quarterfinals in 2025 by a score of 32-22.

18. Sioux Falls Lincoln and Brandon Valley have played for the last two Class 11AAA championships, with the Lynx winning in 2025 by a score of 34-27. Will both teams be back there again in 2026?

19. Wagner and Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central were a combined 14-5 last season and were seeded in the top-six in the Class 11B playoffs. They'll play each other in the first game on Aug. 21.

20. Freeman is also in the midst of a stadium reconstruction project. The Flyers will play their first three games away from home and then will host Avon on Sept. 11.

21. Two other schools have artificial turf being installed at their football stadiums. Viborg-Hurley will open its new athletic complex on Aug. 21 in Viborg when the Cougars take on Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan. In Sturgis, historic Woodle Field is being fitted with an artificial surface, with the first game there tentatively scheduled for Friday, Sept. 4, against Rapid City Central.

22. Freeman's schedule also includes one of the few neutral-site nine-man games on the slate, as Freeman and Chester will play on Aug. 28 at Dakota State's Kern Family Stadium in Madison.

23. The Lake Region Conference Classic is scheduled for Sept. 4 at Northern State's Dacotah Bank Stadium in Aberdeen. Faulkton Area is set to face Warner, while Northwestern and Leola/Frederick Area are also on the marquee.

24. The first of five matchups between Class 11AAA teams in South Dakota and squads from Nebraska takes place on Aug. 28 when defending Class 11AAA champion Brandon Valley travels south to face Bellevue West. Sioux Falls Lincoln hosts Omaha Central on Sept. 25, Sioux Falls Jefferson hosts Westview on Oct. 2 and Harrisburg hosts Omaha North on Oct. 9, while Sioux Falls Washington travels to Millard North on Sept. 18.

25. Sioux Falls Christian and Lennox, the Class 11A teams that have faced off for the last two state championships, will play in the first week of the season on Aug. 28 in Lennox. The Orioles have won just once in the last six meetings, but that was a 14-6 victory in the 2024 state championship. Sioux Falls Christian claimed the 2025 title in a thrilling 28-24 contest at the DakotaDome.

26. A total of 11 all-state players return in Class 11A football, including Madison junior quarterback Henry Veenhof and Lennox senior receiver Drake Mikkelson. Three Orioles return from the 2025 all-state team, including linebacker Jevyn Lefers and defensive lineman Leif Karlson.

27. Sioux Falls Christian finished the season with the No. 1 scoring defense among 11-man teams in 2025, allowing 7.3 points per game. St. Thomas More allowed 7.4 points per game to narrowly come in second.

28. Wall was No. 1 in both nine-man scoring offense (54.7 points per game) and scoring defense (3.7 points allowed per game).

29. St. Thomas More and Elk Point-Jefferson played the highest-scoring Class 11B title game on record in 2025, a 48-38 game won by the Cavaliers. STM had 15 seniors on its undefeated team from last season, while EPJ graduated nine.

30. Winner will be led by new head coach Kevin Keiser in 2026. Keiser was previously an assistant for Trent Olson, who resigned after the 2025 season and coached the Warriors to state championships in 2020, 2021 and 2024.

31. Former Briar Cliff head coach Shane LaDage has taken over the Dakota Valley program. The Panthers will debut on Aug. 28 at West Central.

32. South Dakota's top two recruits in the class of 2027, according to 247 Sports, are at the tight end position. Pierre's Cooper Terwilliger, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound prospect, has committed to play at Penn State, while Lennox's Drake Mikkelsen, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, has committed to Minnesota.

33. Reigning Class 11AA state champion Pierre will play Yankton in a rematch of the state title game on Sept. 4 at Crane-Youngworth Field. Pierre won last year's championship battle 56-35. The Governors and Bucks have played twice a year for the last four seasons, with each playoff matchup coming in the Class 11AA final four or later.

34. Pierre has three returning Class 11AA all-state team selections from 2025, including Terwilliger, wide receiver Carter Schiefelbein and defensive back Sutton Sonnenschein. Spearfish brings back its all-state combo of quarterback Thomas Hughes and wide receiver Kade Vavruska in Class 11AA.

35. The Class 11AAA championship rematch will take place late in the regular season, with the Lynx traveling to Howard Wood Field for a matchup with Sioux Falls Lincoln on Oct. 16, which is the penultimate week of the Class 11AAA regular season. In addition to its title game win, Brandon Valley won the 2025 regular-season meeting by a score of 35-30.

36. The Presidents Bowl, which will take place for the 35th year in 2026 on Sept. 12 at Howard Wood Field, includes Roosevelt against Washington at 2 p.m., followed by Lincoln and Jefferson taking the field at 5 p.m. Much like Pierre and Yankton, BV and Lincoln have played twice per year for the last four seasons, with the Patriots owning five wins in that time.

37. Lincoln and Jefferson both bring back multiple Class 11AAA all-state players from 2025. The Cavaliers have defensive lineman Anthony Patton, wide receiver Jase Unzen and linebacker Beau Koerner. The Patriots are led by quarterback Brody Schafer and defensive lineman Isaac Krempges. Other notable returners include Brandon Valley tight end Austin Dowd, Harrisburg offensive lineman Easton Dekkers and O'Gorman defensive back Isaac Myer.

38. Schafer, who has committed to play college football at South Dakota State, was MaxPreps' player of the year in 2025 with more than 4,300 yards of total offense to power the Lincoln offense.

39. In other school bowl games, Harrisburg hosts its Tiger Bowl on Aug. 29 against Sioux Falls Jefferson, Brandon Valley will host O'Gorman in the Lynx' annual Pigskin Classic on Saturday, Sept. 5. Mitchell will host Douglas on Sept. 12 in the Kernel Bowl at Joe Quintal Field, and Harrisburg will play at O'Gorman in the Bob Burns Dakota Bowl on Sept. 12.

40. Dell Rapids St. Mary will be a popular choice for a potential repeat state championship in Class 9B. The Cardinals return four all-state selections from 2025, including offensive linemen Alex Lindeman and Gavin Pica, tight end Logan Bauer and defensive back Jaxon Baumberger. The Cardinals play at Deubrook Area in the opening week of the season.

41. The repeat champion in Class 9B remains ever elusive, with the 20-plus year run without back-to-back titles in the state's smallest enrollment class still going. Kimball was the last team to go back-to-back in 2003 and 2004.

42. The biggest risers in Class 11AA football last season were Huron and Sturgis, with the Scoopers getting the No. 4 seed after missing the playoffs the season before, while the Tigers were seeded No. 2 for the postseason after a 4-6 campaign in 2024. Aberdeen Central (2-7), Mitchell (1-8) and Douglas (0-9) were the non-playoff teams in 2025 looking to get in the mix this season.

43. The longest active win streak in South Dakota high school football is shared by the four undefeated champions from 2025, as SF Christian, St. Thomas More, Wall and Dell Rapids St. Mary all went 12-0 last season. By the nature of being in the same class, Wall and DRSM won't both go undefeated in 2026.

44. Of the preseason No. 1 teams in the South Dakota Prep Media football poll in 2025, three of them finished as champions: Brandon Valley, Pierre and Sioux Falls Christian. Wall was No. 2 in Class 9A by a single vote point. St. Thomas More (11B) and Dell Rapids St. Mary (9B) were ranked No. 4, and Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy (9AA) was No. 5.

45. Every team that reached the state championship game in the 2025 preseason rankings was at least in the top-five in the first poll of the season.

46. The No. 1 rusher in Class 9A football last season, Howard's Kolt Becker, returns to the backfield for the Tigers in his senior season in 2026. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Becker had 1,697 yards and 25 touchdowns out of Howard's fullback position, getting the Tigers back to Vermillion last season.

47. There are only seven Class 9AA all-state returners from the 2025 team, and two of them are from Parkston, led by running back Mason Jervik and linebacker Gage Jodozi. The Trojans have a record of 42-5 in the last four seasons, which included the 2024 Class 9AA championship.

48. Even fewer all-state team selections from 2025 return in Class 11B, with only two of the 32 players back for 2026. That includes Mobridge-Pollock running back Mack Saxon and Elk Point-Jefferson defensive back Brody VanRoekel.

49. Two points of emphasis for the 2026 season from South Dakota's high school football officials will focus on offensive holding and blocking below the waist penalties. Those were based on feedback from coaches and officials and observing video from South Dakota games. A national rule change at the high-school level also bars players from using their hands to slap an opponent's head during a play.

50. The Great Plains Conference will continue its crossover week in the final week of the regular season on Oct. 16. That includes Alcester-Hudson, Avon, Burke, Centerville, Corsica-Stickney, Gayville-Volin, Irene-Wakonda, Scotland/Menno and Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian, with Canistota filling out the 10-team slate as a non-conference participant.

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