Journal staff
Class 11AA
Sturgis at Sioux Falls O'Gorman
Where: McEneaney Field
When: 7 p.m., MDT, Monday
What's at stake: The first Class 11AA semifinal berth for the Scoopers since 1995 and the latest berth in what is a seemingly annual place in the semifinals for O'Gorman.
Keys for Sturgis: The Scoopers lost to O'Gorman 48-0 on Oct. 10 and trailed 41-0 at halftime. The No. 2-ranked Knights capitalized on a Scooper fumble on Sturgis' first play of the game from scrimmage to seize momentum and never looked back. Put quite simply, Sturgis' chances of winning this game are slim and none, but if they want to pull off a miracle upset they have to take care of the football - on every single possession - and hope that they can force a few turnovers by the Knights.
Keys for Sioux Falls O'Gorman: The Knights once again have a powerful rushing attack led by running backs Mike Isaacson, Will Powell and Phil Wright and quarterback Tony Viger and will rely almost exclusively on the ground game to move the ball. If O'Gorman simply takes care of the football they should have no trouble advancing to the semis to take on the winner of the Sioux Falls Washington-Brookings game.
Class 11A
Little Wound/Crazy Horse at Winner
WHERE: Frank Leahy Field in Winner
WHEN: 5:30 p.m., MDT, Monday
WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Region 3A championship and the next step in the Class 11A playoffs.
KEYS FOR LITTLE WOUND/CRAZY HORSE: Stop Winner's multi-faceted attack. The Warriors ran roughshod over Pine Ridge 64-12 in Tuesday's first round. Braden Gardner and Eric Schueth each ran for a pair of touchdowns and Schueth caught a pass for a third TD. John Farner also returned an interception for a touchdown for Winner. If Winner gets rolling it could be a long night for the Mustangs.
KEYS FOR WINNER: The Warriors, 8-1, have outscored opponents by an average of 41 -11. The Warriors look to establish the running game early, but must not let down with a lead over Little Wound. The Mustangs have shown to be fully comeback-capable after erasing a 19-point third-quarter deficit to Todd County last Tuesday night. Junior running back Dwayne Winters scored all three TDs for Little Wound, which held on for a 20-19 win after a 25-yard field goal attempt by Todd County sailed wide.
Class 11B
Mobridge at Bennett County
Where: Martin
When: 6 p.m., MDT, Monday
What is at stake: A trip to the 11B region semifinals and making it one step closer to the dome. Both teams are coming off impressive showings in the first round of the playoffs. Third-ranked Bennett County rolled passed Stanley County 28-7 while Mobridge pitched a shutout over Red Cloud 35-0.
Keys for Mobridge: The defense must continue to play at its top level. Bennett County showed its versatility on offense, getting scores from four different players in the game. Offensively, Mobridge will look to get its running game started and continue the positive momentum it built last week.
Keys for Bennett County: The Warriors come into the game undefeated and got scores from Chase Kieffe, Austin Haynes, Joey Cano and D.J. Toczek in their first game. Like Mobridge did on Monday, Bennett County shut out Red Cloud during the regular season and will continue to spread the offensive production around the team.
Class 9AA
Gregory (6-4) at Lyman (9-0)
Where: Raider Field
WHEN: 6 p.m., MDT, Monday
What's at stake: The Region 4AA championship and the next step in the Class 9AA playoffs.
Keys for Gregory: Control the line of scrimmage, on both sides of the ball, especially on offense. Gregory needs to keep its hand on the football and keep Lyman's high-scoring offense watching from the sideline. Establishing sophomore RB Matt Brown, who set a new school record by scoring six touchdowns in an early-season win over Parker, will go a long way to accomplishing that goal.
Keys for Lyman: The Raiders enter the game firing on all cylinders. Lyman must guard against overlooking Gregory and its four losses and focus on continuing to do the things needed to keep the season alive - like taking care of the football and guarding against drive-killing penalties. If the Raiders do that and the offense, which averages more than 47 points a game, approaches their season-scoring average, it could be a long night for the Gorillas.
CLASS 9A
Sully Buttes at Philip
WHERE: Memorial Field in Philip.
WHEN: 6 p.m., MDT, Monday
WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Region 4 championship and a berth in the Class 9A football semifinals.
KEYS FOR SULLY BUTTES: Stop Philip's yardage-hungry ground game. The Scotties gobbled up 314 yards in Tuesday's 24-0 blanking of Irene-Wakonda. Karch Foley did the bulk of the damage with 128 yards on 20 trips, including two third-quarter touchdowns.
The Chargers need to use their big O-line to open holes for their own potent running attack, led by Caleb Kemink, who carried 26 times for 220 yards against New Underwood in the first round.
KEYS FOR PHILIP: Keep Sully Buttes from dominating time of possession with a punishing ground game. The Chargers can also go to the air as sophomore quarterback Hayden Handcock demonstrated with a touchdown pass against New Underwood. If Philip's solid defense isn't up to the task, it could be a long night and a short playoff run for the Scotties.
Class 9B
Dupree at Harding County
Where: Buffalo
When: 6 p.m. MDT, Monday
What's At Stake: A trip to state semifinals to be played on Saturday, Nov. 8th.
The Ranchers (8-1, 54.250) earned home field by accumulating the most power points in Region 4, while Dupree (6-3, 47.500) came in as the region's No. 2 seed. Of the eight teams remaining in the 9B title hunt, Harding County is the 6th ranked team in Power Points while Dupree is 8th rated. Thus, the winner of this game will travel east. In Tuesday's first round game, the Ranchers started slowly before taking control in the 2nd quarter on the their way to a 44-12 win over Jones County. Dupree, meanwhile, nipped Selby Area in a four overtime thriller 48-42.
Keys for Harding County: Be themselves and repeat the game plan that has been so successful for the Ranchers all season: establish the running game behind their big corps of running backs-Trent Turbiville and Jace Jenson rushed for nearly 300 yards against Jones County-and then mix in the excellent passing of sophomore QB Austin Brown who threw for two scores in the opener. Brown's passing - 900 yards on the season - has allowed this year's team to be much less one-dimensional team than teams of the past. A passing game, added to the physicality that has always been a Rancher trademark, makes this a very dangerous team. The Ranchers' size and physical style of football will pose significant problems for the smaller Tigers to keep pace.
Keys for Dupree: Come down from the emotional high of last Tuesday's game, and keep on believing. The Tigers, who lost in the regular season to Harding County, will need their best effort of the season against Harding County, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Against Selby Area, the Tigers wore down late and allowed over 300 yards rushing. A similar performance Monday night won't get it done. On the positive side, Dupree did move the ball effectively against Jones County behind the efforts of senior running backs, Colby Keegan and Cody Holmes, and the passing of QB Trey Young. If the trio can find a way to move the ball early and control some clock, the Tigers may create some doubt in the minds of the heavily favored Ranchers.
