State championship games scheduled for Thursday through Saturday in the DakotaDome

VERMILLION — At least one area school, possibly two, will win a South Dakota state high school football championship this week in the DakotaDome.

Seven state championship games are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday.

The list of games included the Class 9B championship game between second-seeded Faulkton Area (10-1) and top-seeded Avon (9-2) at 10 a.m. Thursday and the Class 9A champion between top-seeded Warner (11-1) and seventh-seeded Deubrook Area (8-3) at 2 p.m. on Thursday.

Faulkton Area and Warner each ended the regular season as the No. 1-rated teams in their classes so their appearances in the DakotaDome weren't unexpected. As for Deubrook Area, the Dolphins took to their underdog role and became the lowest seeded team in any of the state's seven classes to make it to the finals.

"I knew we had the potential, but potential is a dangerous word," Deubrook Area head coach and Watertown native Nathan Lamb said. "You don't know how it's all going to come together and you have to catch some breaks in the playoffs to get to the Dome usually."

Here's a look at the three Watertown and Aberdeen area teams in the championship games.

From bad to relevant for Deubrook Area

Lamb was a dominant lineman on Watertown's 1996 state Class 11AA champions and also served as an assistant coach on an unbeaten Waverly-South Shore team that won a state Class 9B title in 2011. He later served as the head coach of the Coyotes.

About that same, Deubrook Area was enjoying a solid run of success under coach Adolph Shephardson. In 2012, the Dolphins also went unbeaten and captured the state Class 9AA title, the only one in program history.

By the end of the decade, the program fell on hard times and had experienced two winless seasons before Lamb took over the program prior to the 2021 season. The Dolphins lost their first seven games before ending the streak with a win over, who else (Waverly-South Shore).

"We had only one senior come out that first year and we played some really good teams in Class 9AA," Lamb said of the Dolphins, who moved down to 9A last fall and went 4-1 before injuries became part of a season-ending four-game losing streak. The streak included a first-round playoff loss.

Deubrook Area opened the playoffs with a win over fellow Dakota Valley Conference foe Estelline-Hendricks before upsetting second-seeded Alcester-Hudson 14-10 with the help of a last-minute goal-line stand in the quarterfinals and holding up a second-half rally by third-seeded Philip 18-14 in last week's semifinals.

"That first year, the kids just kept playing and getting after it. And they definitely know what the weight room is. They made a decision a couple of years back on what they wanted to do," Lamb said. "They've checked off one goal and now we'll see if they can get the second goal."

Gavin Landmark rushed for 187 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Dolphins' semifinal win over Philip and has been a major factor for a Dolphins that has a number of talented players including quarterback Jace Vomacka and receiver Jake Jorenby, among others.

"We got better every week. The kids have been aggressive and physical and we just keep finding ways to win," Lamb said.

More: Seven title games to be held Nov. 9-11 in the DakotaDome at Vermillion

The final step might be the hardest

Deubrook Area's ride through the playoffs has not only been unexpected, but also impressive. That's also a good word to use to describe a Warner teach led by coach Kerwin Hoellein.

The Monarchs opened the playoffs with a 57-0 (Colman-Egan) and 56-0 (Castlewood) wins and after spotting Canistota a 16-0 lead in the semifinals, Warner scored the final 37 points of the game.

"They're good, for sure and their quarterback is a stud," Lamb said. "Warner has good players. They have speed. They have toughness and some size up front. They're consistent and opportunistic and we;ll have to try to figure out how to stop that quarterback."

That quarterback is senior Hunter Cramer, a four-year starter who combined for 321 yards rushing and passing with four touchdowns in Warner's semifinal win over Canistota.

Warner is also determined. The Monarchs are still looking for their first-ever state high school football championship (at least since the playoffs were adopted in 1981) and they've finished second four times in the past 11 years (2012, 2016, 2020 and 2022).

Warner fell to Gregory 36-23 in last year's state 9A championship.

"We're just looking it as another week and another good team we get to play," Lamb said. "We know they're good. We scrimmaged against them in the summer. It's should be a lot of fun. We're looking forward to it."

Faulkton Area also seeking its first ever state title

Warner isn't the only area team looking for its first state championship. Faulkton Area is looking to put the finishing touches its own dream season by capturing a title. Faulkton played in the first Class 9A championship in 1981 and also added runner-up finishes as Faulkton Area in 1998 (9A) and 2014 (9B).

The Trojans, whose only loss this season was a 27-20 down-to-the-wire battle with Warner, have been No. 1-ranked in Class 9B for most of the season.

Coach Shayne Geditz's squad also has plenty of good players and a talented senior class spearheaded by senior quarterback Layne Cotton, who ran for three touchdowns and passed for another in the team's semifinal win over Potter County.

The Trojans have won their three playoff games by a combined 140-0 margin.

Faulkton Area meets an Avon team that used five touchdown runs from Aziah Meyer to roll past De Smet in the semifinal last week.

The Pirates are back in the DakotaDome for the first time since winning the 2013 Class 9B state title. Avon also won a 9B title in 2005 and 9A titles in 2002, 2004 and 2008 along with runner-up 9A finishes in 2003 and 2009.

More: State semifinals roundup: Watertown exits with loss to perennial Class 11AA power Pierre

Other State Championships

Thursday — Class 9AA: No. 3 Howard (10-1) vs. No. 1 Parkston (11-0), 7 p.m.

Friday — Class 11B; No. 6 Hot Springs (10-1) vs. No. 4 Elk Point-Jefferson (10-1), 10 a.m.; Class 11A: No. 2 West Central (10-1) vs. No. 1 Dell Rapids (11-0), 2 p.m.; and Class 11AA: No. 2 Yankton (10-1) vs. No. 1 Pierre (10-1), 7 p.m.

Saturday — Class 11AAA: No. 3 Sioux Falls O'Gorman (9-2) vs. No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln (11-0), 7:30 p.m.

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: Preview look at the 2023 state high school football championships