We're all undefeated right now

by Bruce Andera (dakotadozen@ksfypigskinpreview.com)

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It’s been 285 days since Sioux Falls Lincoln was crowned class 11AA football champions, closing out the 2008 football season.

Now, it’s time to start all over again. The two-a-day practices are done, new plays have been installed in the playbooks, and new starters have been named to replace the graduated. Some schools have created new partnerships, whereas others have been dissolved.

The result? Each of the players on each of South Dakota’s 147 football teams is currently undefeated, and hoping to lay claim to one of the state’s six state football championships in about three months’ time.

It’ll be incredibly fun to watch unfold, and I’ll be on various sidelines throughout the season to help with the predictions that I make here all season.

So who will hoist the hardware in the Dakota Dome? Quite frankly I have no earthly idea, and neither does anyone else. But here’s my take on how this season should unfold, along with previews and predictions for six games this weekend.  12 weeks of South Dakota football madness starts now!

THE DAKOTA DOZEN’S OFFICIAL DOME PREDICTIONS

1. THE PREDICTION IN CLASS 11A 

It’s now time for my annual state championship predictions. These are listed in the order that they’ll be played in November.

Semifinals:

West Central over Little Wound
Belle Fourche over Harrisburg

Championship:

West Central over Belle Fourche

Harrisburg lost some fine athletes, but have the sheer numbers to simply re-load their team, but Belle Fourche will be a lot better than people think this season. They just won’t be able to best a determined West Central team that has been stewing ever since their playoff defeat in the quarterfinals last year.

2. THE PREDICTION IN CLASS 11B

Semifinals:

Aberdeen Roncalli over Tri-Valley
Winner over Bon Homme

Championship:

Winner over Aberdeen Roncalli

Tri-Valley gets blindsided by a better-than-everyone-thinks Roncalli squad. Meanwhile Winner rakes in a state title a week later.

3. THE PREDICTION IN CLASS 9A

Semifinals:

Avon over Northwestern
Sully Buttes over Estelline

Championship:

Avon over Sully Buttes

Keep an eye on region 2 (Estelline’s region) here, it’s loaded with good teams. Sully Buttes got to the semifinals last year, and have most of that same team back this year. They’ll get their dome re-match with Avon, who destroyed them in the Dakota Dome in the state semifinals last season, but Avon simply has the best team in the class this season.

4. THE PREDICTION IN CLASS 9AA 

Semifinals:

Chester over Eureka/Bowdle
Hurley/Marion over Langford/Roslyn

Championship:

Chester over Hurley/Marion

Not a lot of really great teams in this class, but the Cobras make the return trip to the Dakota Dome to face a steadily improving Chester squad.

5. THE PREDICTION IN CLASS 9B

Semifinals:

Hitchcock-Tulare over Timber Lake
Dell Rapids St. Mary over Gettysburg

Championship:

Hitchcock-Tulare over Dell Rapids St. Mary

This season is going to be a little like Colome’s 2007 season for Hitchcock-Tulare. The previous season, Iroquois manhandled the Cowboys in the state championship game, much like the Patriots were last season. The following season, Colome played with a definite purpose, and practically walked to the state championship. That’s kind of how I see this season in class 9B playing out.

6. THE PREDICTION IN CLASS 11AA 

Semifinals:

Sioux Falls Washington over Aberdeen Central
Watertown over Sioux Falls Lincoln

Championship:

Sioux Falls Washington over Watertown

Harketh! The ESD makes their valiant return to the Dakota Dome after a three-year absence. Unfortunately, The Warriors are about two heads above everyone else in talent this season

GAMES OF THE WEEK

7.  West Central (0-0) at Harrisburg (0-0) 

The second annual Tiger Bowl takes place this Saturday night in Harrisburg, and once again, these two bitter rivals will take to the gridiron hoping to get their seasons off to a good start. While the games between these two teams are usually very good to watch, West Central has absolutely owned this series over the past 5-plus seasons, the only Harrisburg win in that time being a first-round playoff win in 2006.

Both sides will have several new faces, including Harrisburg quarterback Steve Miller, who has started for the Tigers the past two seasons, but takes over the Tigers’ spread offense this year, replacing the graduated Adam McNamara. Miller is probably a better pure athlete than McNamara was, and should be able to throw the ball downfield more often, opening the line for their running game, which will be needed against an opportunistic defense like West Central’s. As stated above, the Trojans have been absolutely stewing over their playoff defeat last season, and the grinding nature of the Trojans’ offense will simply wear down the Tigers and walk out of Harrisburg with a 7-point win, the same way it’s happened every other time I’ve watched these teams play each other.

8. Hanson (0-0) at Hurley/Marion (0-0)

This battle of two state champions kicks off the season in grand style on the nine-man slate. Both sides have lost a lot of pieces from their championship teams, but Hurley/Marion has all-state running back Brad Tunge back for his senior season. He’s incredibly fast and agile, but he’ll still need another back to carry some of the load, so that defenses don’t start playing a 7-2 defense against him. Hanson, on the other hand, lost their entire mammoth line, and the better part of a backfield that rolled up 48 points per game last year.

This game will hinge on how Hanson’s youth up front works together. This early in the season, I expect the more experienced Cobras’ backs and line to take advantage of the Beavers’ line and get enough of a lead early to win their season opener by 12.

WEST RIVER GAME OF THE WEEK

9. Hot Springs (0-0) at Winner (0-0)

The Hot Springs Bison have fallen on rather hard times since appearing in the Dakota Dome at the end of the 2003 season. Though they’ve avoided losing seasons, they’ve been a pedestrian 4-4 the last three seasons, with a first round playoff loss in each season. Their first test to turning the corner this season comes in Winner, where a very good Winner team awaits. Winner hasn’t lost a whole lot since last season, and shouldn’t really have a problem winning this game at home.

STURGIS WATCH

10. Sturgis (0-0) at Brandon Valley (0-0)

Two things I’ll be looking for in this game as I attend my 5th Pigskin Classic this Saturday: Can Lynx quarterback Austin Sumner make this team go without his three-headed receiver squad from last year, and can Sturgis play with enough confidence to sell me as a contending team this season? I have no doubts that Sumner is a great player and on-field leader, but Brandon Valley’s prowess has always been excellent line play and a strong defense. This also seems to be the hallmark of this year’s Sturgis team, using running back Clint Wilson, and their four returning offensive linemen as the catalyst of their offense. I expect a fairly low-scoring game, as both defenses figure to be pretty good this season.  In the end, I think Brandon Valley will do just enough at home to win this game by five.

SET TO IMPRESS

11. Platte-Geddes/Dakota Christian (0-0) at McCook Central/Montrose (0-0) 

I’ll be heading to Salem’s version of the MCM Grand (McCook Central/Montrose – get it? It has a nice ring) this Friday, to take in what ultimately are two great unknown teams. Both have been mentioned as having pretty good teams. PGDC lost their name skill position players (Jordan Johnson, Keith Cutler, etc) from last season, but bring in explosive backs Tommy Holleman and Thad Campbell, Mike Kimball and quarterback Lee Niewenhuis, all of whom should be able to pound the ball on the ground and give defenses fits.

McCook Central made some great leaps as a team last season, going 3-5 and getting to the playoffs after a long drought. The real key to this game is how well the McCook Central and Montrose players gel together, and execute. Though I expect the Fighting Cougars to be a decent team this season, at the end of the day, the Black Panthers should be able to take this game on the road by at least a few touchdowns.

12. Sioux Falls O’Gorman (0-0) at Aberdeen Central (0-0)

No matter what the Knights lose from season to season, they always seem to have a good season, which is a testament to head coach Steve Kueter and his coaching staff. Kueter brings his team into Aberdeen, where a very good team awaits. Aberdeen quarterback Jared Hanigan gives the Golden Eagles the opportunity to win any given game using both the run and pass to attack the opposition. The key to beating the Knights, however, is on the other side of the ball, specifically quick linebackers who can shut down the running lanes that O’Gorman blows open. I’m not sure that the Aberdeen defense posseses that trait, and it will ultimately be their downfall. I’ll take the Knights to win by 15.

LAST SEASON: 99-43
LAST WEEK: 0-0
SEASON: 0-0