A look at Watertown and Aberdeen area teams' playoff status before Week 9

Week 9 of the 2023 South Dakota high school football season has arrived with basically one of three scenarios remaining for all area teams.

Some teams are either tuning up, fighting to keep or hoping to move into a first-round playoff spot for next week (Class 11B and 9AA, 9A and 9B teams). Some of those 11B and nine-man teams will play their final games of the season on Friday. Area Class 11AA (Watertown and Aberdeen Central), Class 11A (Milbank) and All-Nations Conference (Tiospa Zina) teams will have another regular-season game next week.

So what can we expect from area teams:

What teams are ready to make a playoff run?

Class 9A Warner — The top-rated Monarchs hope to put the finishing touches on an 8-0 regular season and the No. 1 seed in the playoff with a home win over 0-7 Northwestern on Friday at 7 p.m. Warner. Quarterback Hunter Cramer and his senior teammates have lost in the state Class 9A championship game twice in the past three years (including last fall) and are determined to give Warner its first state title.

Class 11B Deuel — The fifth-rated Cardinals are another team looking to close out a perfect 8-0 regular season when they host 1-6 Redfield at 7 p.m. on Friday. Deuel, which lost in the second round of the state playoffs to eventual runner-up Winner last fall, are currently the No. 2 seed in the playoff standings. If that holds, Deuel wouldn't have to play No. 1 Winner before the state championship game in the DakotaDome.

Class 11B Sioux Valley — Ok, getting to the Dome won't be easy for Deuel, No. 2 ranked Sioux Valley or any of a handful of Class 11B teams. The Cossacks (6-1) are the current No. 3 seed and will host Flandreau (3-4) in their regular-season finale at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Cossacks, who lost in the first round of the state playoffs last fall, have been a very successful program in recent years but still haven't played for state championship since winning the 1988 Class 11B championship on a Hail Mary pass.

Class 9B Faulkton Area — Another team in search of its first state championship are the Trojans, who are 6-1 and ranked No. 1 in the state. They'll have a good test heading into the playoffs when they host Class 9A Leola-Frederick Area (5-2) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Faulkton Area is currently second in the Class 9B playoff rankings behind De Smet. Faulkton fell in state 9A championship games in 1981 (the first year of the state playoffs) and 1998. The Trojans were ousted in the first round of the playoffs last fall but are certainly capable of getting another shot at winning a state title this fall.

Class 9B De Smet — De Smet (6-1) is No. 2 ranked but as mentioned above has the No. 1 spot in the playoff seeding. The Bulldogs lost to eventually state champion Hitchcock-Tulare in the playoff semifinals last fall. De Smet will also have a good tune-up for the playoffs on Friday when host No. 5 Class 9AA Elkton-Lake Benton (6-1) at 7 p.m. Friday in the Dakota Valley Conference championship game.

De Smet is among a handful of schools in the state to win 11-man and 9-man titles. The Bulldogs won the initial Class 11B championship in 1981 and added Class 9A titles in 1988 and 2003. It seems about time for De Smet to make it back to the DakotaDome.

Playoff bound and can't be overlooked

Watertown and Aberdeen Central (Class 11AA) — Fourth-ranked Watertown is 5-2 and visits Spearfish (4-3) at 7 p.m. (CT) Friday. Fifth-rated Aberdeen Central is fifth-rated and visits second-rated Yankton (6-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Both teams will have another game remaining next week. If Watertown beats Spearfish and tops No. 3 Tea Area last week, the Arrows will be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Aberdeen Central could move up by beating Yankton. The two teams could also square off in the first round of the playoffs, a rematch of a regular-season matchup that Watertown won 16-14.

Last fall, both teams lost to Tea Area in the playoffs (Watertown in the first round and Aberdeen Central in the semis).

Prep Polls: Fourteen area high school football and volleyball teams ranked this week

Hamlin (Class 9AA) — The third-rated Chargers closed out a 7-1 regular season last week and also currently hold down the No. 1 spot in the playoff points behind No. 1 Parkston and No. 2 Howard.

Like year, Hamlin is in position to get a couple of home games in the playoffs, but might need some help to avoid having to travel in the semifinals. The Chargers lost at Wall in the semis last fall and Wall went on to win the state title.

Others sitting in playoff position

Class 11A — The 2-5 Bulldogs likely needs to win its final two games to reach the playoffs. They are currently 12th, with the top eight teams advancing. They visit No. 7 Chamberlain (3-4) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Class 11B — Based on current seeding, Aberdeen Roncalli (5-2), Groton Area (4-3), Webster Area (4-4) and Clark-Willow Lake (3-4) all among the top 16 teams and Sisseton (2-5) is 19th.

Roncalli plays Clark-Willow Lake in Willow Lake, Groton Area hosts Mobridge-Pollock (2-5) and Sisseton entertains Baltic (0-7) at 7 p.m. on Friday. Webster Area and Dakota Hills (0-8) have the week off.

Roncalli is currently ninth, Groton Area 13th, Webster Area 15th and Clark-Willow Lake 16th with a good chance that some positions and spots could change based on Friday's results.

Week 8 Area Football: No. 4 Arrows cruise to Eastern South Dakota Conference win over Mitchell

Class 9AA — Leola-Frederick Area is sixth, Elkton-Lake Benton ninth, Britton-Hecla (5-2) 10th and Ipswich (4-4) 13th in the current playoff standings. Great Plains Lutheran (3-4), seeking its first playoff appearance since 2011, is 3-5.

Britton-Hecla takes on fifth-rated Class 9B Herreid-Selby Area (6-2) at 6 p.m. Friday at Aberdeen's Dacotah Bank Field and Great Plains Lutheran visits Hitchcock-Tulare (4-3) at 7 p.m. in Hitchcock. Ipswich has the week off.

Florence-Henry (0-7) will close out its season Friday by hosting Freeman-Marion/Freeman Academy (5-2) at 7 p.m. in Florence.

Again playoff spots and seeding could changed based on Friday's results.

Class 9A — Four other area teams besides Warner are fighting for Class 9A playoff spots: No. 7 Deubrook Area, No. 9 Estelline-Hendricks, No. 12 Castlewood and No. 17 Waverly-South Shore.

Deubrook Area (5-2) visits Dell Rapids St. Mary (4-3) and Estelline-Hendricks (4-3) travels to Castlewood (3-4) for 7 p.m. games on Friday. Waverly-South Shore (2-6) is currently 17th in the playoff seeding (the top 16 teams qualify) and has Friday off.

Iroquois-Lake Preston (0-7) visits Oldham-Ramona-Rutland at 7 p.m. Friday in Ramona and Colman-Egan (1-6) visits Arlington (1-6), also at 7 p.m.

Class 9B — De Smet, Faulkton Area and Herreid-Selby Area, which is fifth in the playoff points, have playoff spots secured and so could Potter County, which is 11th. Arlington is 15th and Sunshine Bible Academy 19th.

Potter County hosts Sunshine Bible (1-6) at 7 p.m. in Gettysburg.

All-Nations Conference — The All-Nations Conference teams have their own playoff system and Tiospa Zina has claimed a championship and a runner-up finish the two years. The Wambdi (4-1) currently hold the No. 1 seeding spot in the ANC Class B division and host the Flandreau Indian School (1-6) at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Playoff preview and Week 9 schedule for South Dakota high school football