South Dakota high school football predictions: Lincoln-Jefferson headlines Week 4 slate
There will be plenty of high school football action across the state this weekend, with maybe the biggest game of the regular season taking place on Saturday at Howard Wood Field as Lincoln takes on Jefferson.
Both teams are 2-0 and the matchup features last year's Class 11AAA state champion, Jefferson, and the preseason championship favorite, Lincoln.
This week, we're picking nine high school football games and predicting the winners. We'll do this throughout the season but stick mostly to Sioux Falls area schools. Without further ado, here are the Argus Leader's predictions for Week 4.
No. 1 Lincoln (2-0) at No. 2 Jefferson (2-0)
This game will be the game to watch in South Dakota high school football. Lincoln has looked untouchable thus far. They've beaten Roosevelt and Rapid City Central by a combined 95-point margin. Jefferson feels like the more battle-tested team after narrowly defeating Harrisburg in their season opener and then completing a huge fourth-quarter comeback against Washington last week. Jefferson will put some pressure on the Patriots, but we predict Lincoln will come out on top.
Lincoln, 28-21
Roosevelt (0-2) at No.5 Washington (1-1)
Washington enters this week as the No.5 team in Class 11AAA and for good reason. They beat Rapid City Stevens in Week 2 and held a 17-0 lead over the Cavaliers entering the fourth quarter last week. Roosevelt is coming off a couple of difficult losses against Lincoln and O’Gorman. This should be their closest game to date, but Washington has been playing at a high level, and we expect that to continue.
Washington, 21-14
No.5 Lennox (2-0) at No.3 Canton (2-0)
Canton will be Lennox’s first barometer to see where they stand among Class 11A’s elite. After wins over Chamberlain and Vermillion, Canton is the first top five team the Orioles will face this season. Canton is a bit more battle-tested after taking down previously ranked Sioux Falls Christian in Week 2. That experience plus their overall talent should help them earn a big win over the Orioles.
Canton, 30-21
No. 2 Tea Area (2-0) at No. 3 O’Gorman (2-0)
Both of these teams are riding high after starting the season 2-0. Tea has beat Huron and Aberdeen Central, scoring in the high 20s on each occasion. O’Gorman overcame Brandon Valley in the Dakota Bowl and put on an offensive showcase last week against Roosevelt, scoring 77 points. We predict the Knights will continue to ride the momentum after a very successful offensive performance against the Rough Riders.
O’Gorman, 35-28
Rapid City Stevens (1-1) at No. 4 Harrisburg (1-1)
Harrisburg junior quarterback Sam Knuth is a dynamic two-way threat that’s coming into his own. He set the school single-game passing record last week against Brandon Valley with 436 passing yards while also being a consistent running threat. Their offensive output should be too much for the Raiders to overcome.
More: 3 takeaways from Harrisburg's thrilling 33-28 win over Brandon Valley
Harrisburg, 42-7
Sioux Falls Christian (0-2) at No. 4 Dakota Valley (2-0)
Sioux Falls Christian has had a difficult schedule through their first two weeks, and it doesn’t get any easier in Week 4. The Chargers looked like they were figuring things out against No. 2 West Central last week. They'll look to establish the run early and often through junior running back Brayden Witte. He was a large part of their offensive attack against the Trojans, and we expect the same against Dakota Valley.
Sioux Falls Christian, 14-7
Madison (0-2) at No. 2 West Central (2-0)
As expected, West Central has looked every part of the state champion runners-up to start the season. Junior quarterback Caden Alfson is coming into his own in his first year leading the offense and we expect him to continue to improve this week as the Trojans face Madison.
More: 3 takeaways from West Central's hard-fought win over Sioux Falls Christian
West Central, 49-14
Rapid City Central (0-2) at Brandon Valley (0-2)
Brandon Valley has played a difficult schedule early, but they have the talent to be a top five team in Class 11AAA. Now in a matchup against another 0-2 team, we expect the Lynx to shine.
Brandon Valley, 35-7
Alcester-Hudson (3-0) at Garretson (0-3)
Alcester-Hudson has enjoyed a terrific start to their season so far, knocking off Centerville, Corsica-Stickney and Burke by wide margins. This week they’ll be playing up against 9AA Garretson but should have enough to win their fourth straight game.
Alcester-Hudson, 35-7
Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota high school football predictions: Lincoln-Jefferson headlines Week 4 slate
