Thursday morning begins a three day event of all state championship football games as Class 9B and 9A will each play to kick off what should be an exciting weekend of football.
Class 9B State Championship
#1 Herreid/Selby Area vs. #2 Hitchcock-Tulare – 11:00 AM
Both teams have stayed on top of the 9B standings all year as one team will leave the Dome with an unbeaten record as the Wolverines and Patriots are both 11-0.
The closest game in the playoffs for either one of these teams was a 30 point win for Herreid/Selby Area in the quarterfinals defeating Avon 44-14. Hitchcock-Tulare played its first full game of the playoffs last Friday in the 48-0 win over De Smet. The Patriots defeated De Smet earlier in the season by 24, its closest game of the entire season. Neither team by score has been tested nor been in a close game. It may come down to the team who doesn’t get frustrated if the offense sputters.
Class 9A State Championship
#1 Warner vs. #3 Gregory – 7:00 PM
The final game of the day between features Class A powers in Warner and Gregory as the Monarchs look for an undefeated season.
The two teams combined for one loss on the season as the Gorillas only dropped a game to 9AA Parkston who will play for the championship Friday afternoon. Both teams had the running clock issued in its semifinal wins while have to stay in tough contests in the quarterfinals. Warner was a 63-20 winner over Harding County-Bison while the Gorillas beat Lyman 41-6 scoring the last 35 points unanswered. Warner is 0-3 all time in state championship games including its latest loss in 2020. The Gorillas are searching for its fifth state title last winning in 2017.
