The second season for football has arrived as opening round playoffs begin for Class 11B and all 9-man teams tonight.
What happened during the regular season won’t count for much now as each team heads into the postseason 0-0.
A few weeks ago, Groton was sitting with a 1-5 record, but now after back-to-back lopsided wins, the Tigers are not only 3-5, but heading into the postseason with some new-found confidence.
Groton coach Shaun Wanner knew this was a possibility as he watched his young players grow and mature throughout the course of the season.
“We’ve gotten so much better offensively, defensively. We’ve stayed away from injuries,” Wanner said. “With young skill kids on offense and defense, we didn’t have to move any of those kids around. We played those freshmen and sophomores. They’ve been able to just get better at their position. We didn’t have to move them to a different position because somebody got hurt.”
And when things were tough during the early part of the season, Wanner made sure the kids kept their heads up, knowing that there would likely be better days ahead.
“That’s the big thing is trying to keep the confidence level up,” Wanner said. “Our confidence has kind of gone up in the last 3 or 4 weeks. They’re a good group of kids. … We’ve had great practices even when we kind of went through the spell there a little bit when we struggled finding a way to win a game.”
All of the teams that the Tigers lost to in the regular season are still playing, and Wanner noted that his team had chances in three of those five setbacks.
“We threw away some opportunities,” said, “especially on the offensive side.”
One of those losses came to Clark-Willow Lake, which just so happens to be tonight’s first-round opponent. A pair of things had to happen last Friday for the rematch to happen, and they did. Milbank won, and Woonsocket-Wessington Springs-Sanborn Central lost, which moved Clark-Willow Lake to the third position and Groton to 14th. As a result, the Cyclones and Groton will face off tonight in Clark.
“I think our kids are kind of excited about the draw. … We’ve had a great week of practice. They know it’s going to be a tough game,” Wanner said. “Clark (is) well-seasoned. … I think they lost to Elk Point-Jefferson last year in the quarters. They’ve got a lot of those kids back.”
It was just an 8-7 difference at halftime, before the Cylcones pulled away for a 20-7 win in the first matchup between the two.
“I think after we lost to them 20-7, I think our kids felt pretty good about themselves, because we knew we played with one of the better teams in 11B,” Wanner said. “That gives us a little confidence.”
Wanner said the Tigers will need to be able run the ball on offense, and get off the field on defense.
Groton and Clark-Willow Lake are both members of the Northeast Conference, so the postseason contest will have some resemblance to a regular-season game.
At this point, after a rough to start to the season, the Tigers will try to take full advantage of being able to compete in a playoff game.
“We could have easily folded the tent up and called it a season back a month ago,” Wanner said. “I would never see that in this group.”
Other games tonight involving area teams include:
CLASS 11B
13 McCook Central-Montrose (5-3) at 4 Deuel (7-1), 7 p.m.
Deuel lost just one game this season, a setback to Clark-Willow Lake. While MCM and Deuel did not face each other this season, they did have one common foe. Both recorded wins over Webster.
MCM has a potent offense, having scored at least 35 points in four of its five wins this fall.
10 Mobridge-Pollock (6-2) at 7 Mount Vernon-Plankinton (4-4), 6 p.m.
This is a matchup of teams trending in the opposite direction.
MVP closed the season with three straight wins, one over perennial power Winner and another over previously undefeated Woonsocket-Wessington Springs-Sanborn Central.
Mobridge-Pollock started the season with sixth straight wins, before falling to playoff entrants Clark-Willow and Deuel.
CLASS 9AA
9 Kimball-White Lake (5-3) at 8 Britton-Hecla (6-2), 6 p.m.
Britton-Hecla dominated the six opponents it defeated, and lost to a pair of Class 9AA powers, Hamlin and Elkton-Lake Benton.
Kimball-White Lake lost three straight games in the middle of the season, but closed with three consecutive victories. Both teams have wins over Redfield this season.
13 Great Plains Lutheran (4-4) at 4 Hill City (7-1), 6 p.m. (MST)
Great Plains Lutheran started the season with three straight wins, before being shutout in four consecutive games. The Panthers ended the regular season with a victory.
Hill City has just one blemish on its schedule, a one-point loss to Class 9A playoff entrant Philip.
12 Scotland-Menno (4-4) at 5 Hamlin (7-1), 7 p.m.
Hamlin started the season with seven straight victories before losing to power Elkton-Lake Benton. The defending state champion Chargers have five shutouts to their credit this season.
When Scotland-Menno wins its offense has been potent (at least 44 points in each game) and when the Trappers lose their defense has struggled (giving up 50 points or more three times).
CLASS 9A
9 Dupree (6-2) at 8 Castlewood (7-1), 6 p.m.
Castlewood lost to unbeaten Warner to start the season and the Chargers have played lights out ever since. Castlewood has allowed more than eight points in a game just once in their seven straight wins.
Dupree lost two of its first three games to start the season, but the Tigers have been clicking on offense ever since, scoring at least 38 points per game in their five wins to close out the regular season.
12 Harding County (5-3) at 5 Ipswich (7-1), 6 p.m.
Ipswich’s only loss this season came to unbeaten Warner. Offense has not been an issue for the Tigers, having scored more than 50 points in four of their last five games of the regular season.
Harding County can also light up a scoreboard. The Ranchers scored 58 points or more three times this season. The team’s only losses came to Class 9AA powers Wall and Hill City (both 7-1), and Class 9A Dupree (6-2).
15 Timber Lake (3-5) at 2 Warner (8-0), 7 p.m.
Warner is battle tested heading into the postseason. The Monarchs rallied to win a pair of road games against playoff teams (Ipswich and Faulkton), and also handed Castlewood its only loss of the season.
Timber Lake lost four of its first five games to start the season, including setbacks to Ipswich and North Central, teams that Warner defeated. The Panthers had five playoff teams on their schedule this season.
CLASS 9B
13 Burke (3-5) at 4 Faulkton (5-3), 7 p.m.
Faulkton, last year’s 9B state runner-up lost to three teams with a combined record of 24-2 (Warner, Ipswich and Sully Buttes). The Trojans head into the postseason outscoring their last three opponents by a combined margin of 138-6.
Burke faced a tough schedule with five playoff teams. The Cougars lost to Sully Buttes by 55 points, while Faulkton lost to the Chargers on a touchdown in the closing seconds.
12 Hitchcock-Tulare (3-5) at 5 Sully Buttes (7-1), 6:30 p.m.
Sully Buttes, the defending 9B state champion, has lost just one game this season, a two-point setback to Herreid-Selby Area. The Chargers defeated Hitchcock-Tulare by 40 points in their third game of the season.
All of Hitchcock-Tulare’s setbacks this season came to teams currently in the playoffs. In each of the Patriots’ wins this fall they scored at least 38 points.
11 Canistota (3-5) at 6 Herreid-Selby Area (6-2), 6 p.m.
Herreid-Selby Area played five teams competing in tonight’s playoffs, going 3-2 against them, including a 22-20 win over previously unbeaten Sully Buttes. The Wolverines scored at least 38 points in five of their six wins.
Canistota has a losing record, but few teams played a tougher schedule. The Hawks faced six teams on their schedule that are playing in tonight’s playoffs.
