The final hurdle has arrived on the path to the DakotaDome in Vermillion and next week’s state football championships.

There are five teams across the region who are still in the hunt for a state title: Clark-Willow Lake in Class 11B, Britton-Hecla and Hamlin in Class 9AA, Castlewood in Class 9A, and Warner in Class 9B. Hamlin will have a home game, while the other four will face undefeated opponents on the road.

Here is a look at each of those contests that will take place Friday night.

(Warner 10-0) at Dell Rapids St. Mary (10-0)

Warner looked sharp in a 45-point win over Colman-Egan last week. The Monarchs exploded for 51 points, while giving up just six.

“Obviously, in those game situations you want to be clicking on both sides,” said Warner coach Derek Hoellein. “We had a good week of practice leading into that game and it really showed.”

Quarterback Braydon Kroll threw for a career best 241 yards and three touchdowns.

Warner will now face a DRSM team that has dominated most of its foes this fall.

“You flip on the film. They’ve got kids that are going to go to the next level and you see it right away on film. They’re big, they’re fast, they’re physical. We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Hoellein said. “We’re big and fast. I think it’s a good matchup of a lot of good football players. I think people are going to get their money’s worth.”

The Cardinals have been proficient at running the ball, but like the Monarchs, have shown they are more than capable of throwing the ball as well.

“They run the ball at such a high clip. If we can get them in some obvious passing situations,” Hoellein said. “They still got a lot of good receivers that can get open and make plays. The quarterback does a really nice job of delivering the football. We want to get him out of his comfort zone a little bit. Hopefully we can get some pressure on him and force him into some decisions.”

Extra points could be a key part of the game. Warner has a reliable kicker in Alec Mikkelsen, who kicked a field goal in addition to six PATs last week, while the Cardinals go for two-point attempts after their touchdowns.

“They’re going to go for two,” Hoellein said. “They’re not kicking the ball, they’re going for two, so those are obviously huge plays in the game. We’ve got to prepare for those.”

DRSM owns the home-field advantage in this battle, but Hoellein said he isn’t sure how much of a factor that will be in the grand scheme of things.

“Anytime you go on the road, you kind of feel like it’s you guys against the world. Our guys have really taken that to heart,” Hoellein said. “We’ve had a good week of preparation to this point. I think our kids understand the magnitude of the game. We could be playing this thing in Java. I don’t know if it really matters.”

(Britton-Hecla 9-1 at Parkston (10-0)

No playoff game had a more dramatic finish last week than Britton-Hecla’s win over Sioux Falls Lutheran on a touchdown with 26 seconds remaining.

SFL took the lead with just over two minutes remaining setting up the final drive for the Braves.

“When they scored that last touchdown, initially I was nervous,” said Britton-Hecla coach Jacob Skogstad, “but then when our kids came running off the field and I looked in their eyes, I kind of knew we were going to score.”

The Braves have featured a blend of running and passing throughout the season, and don’t plan on changing that strategy now.

“It’s been complimentary for us. Our run game has kind of set up some explosives in the passing game. … Complimentary football has really taken this team to the state semis,” Skogstad said, “and if we’re going to make it to the state championship, it’s going to have to be complimentary football again on Friday night.”

Parkston has been the top-rated team in Class 9AA all season and Skogstad said it shows on film.

“They’re the one seed for a reason,” Skogstad said. “They’ve got a really, really talented and physical offensive line and defensive line, and then you’ve got playmakers all over the place that have been here and done that.”

Skogstad said the Braves have shown to be capable run-stoppers this season and that will be a key against the Trojans.

“Our strength defensively all year has been shutting down rushing attacks,” Skogstad said, “and we’ve done it with some explosive runners. … We know that it’s a challenge, but we also know that our defense is predicated on stopping the run and they take pride in that.”

Parkston has advanced to the semifinals for the past six seasons and will try to impose its will in the contest.

While both sides have talented skill position players, Skogstad figures the game will be determined in the trenches.

“Games like this are won up front,” said Skogstad, noting that the Braves have gotten more physical on the line the past couple of seasons. “I think we have a group up front now that can compete with these type of teams, and give us a shot to go win the game in the fourth quarter.”

(Clark-Willow Lake 11-0 at St. Thomas More 10-0)

This is a rematch of last year’s semifinal at the same location, won by St. Thomas More.

Clark-Willow Lake is battle tested, having won four one-score games, including three of them by two points. The Cyclones have found a way to pull out each one of them.

“That’s kind of been our motto all year,” said CWL coach Dave Severson. “We’ve always just found a way. They’re a determined group.”

That group features athletes who have thrived in multiple sports including basketball, wrestling, track and field, and baseball.

Severson said he encourages his players to participate in other sports.

“It just makes them a better well-rounded athlete,” Severson said.

The Cyclones will be facing a potent STM squad that can put up points in big numbers.

“They can definitely move the ball. They can score points,” Severson said. “They’ve got a quarterback that’s second to none. He’s good. On film, he can sling the ball.”

Severson said the key will be to “make them drive on us to score and not give up a big play.”

While both teams lost plenty of players to graduation from last year’s squads, Severson said there are still plenty on the squad who recall that contest a year ago.

“The boys remember last year. … They’ve already brought that to my attention of what last year felt like,” Severson said. “They’re ready for it.”

While it will take a big effort to win this road battle, Severson knows his team can’t play a perfect game, but hopes it can respond to adversity when it comes.

“We’re going to make mistakes,” Severson said, “so we have to be able to hit that reset button, live to play another play.”

(Castlewood 10-0 at Freeman 10-0)

This is the Class 9A matchup that many people have been waiting for since the season started. The two teams have been rated at the top of the polls all fall.

“They’re the number one offense in the state and we’re the number two offense. We’re the number one defense, they’re the number two defense,” said Castlewood coach Nick Ernst. “It’s just going to go down to who wants to put their will out there.”

Castlewood is led by do-it-all senior Kamden Keszler, who accounted for seven touchdowns in a quarterfinal win last week. He is a threat to run as well as throw.

“All the other coaches always tell me, you don’t see kids that are 6-2, 6-3, 215 pounds that can run that fast at this level,” Ernst said.

Ernst said after watching Freeman on film, there aren’t many areas of weakness.

“They’re loaded everywhere. … They’re a good team,” Ernst said. “There’s a reason why they won back-to-back 9AA state championships and they look the part.”

Ernst said his team will need to play error-free football, making sure to value the ball and staying away from penalties.

“We can’t make the mistakes. We’re going to have go ahead and put pressure on the quarterback,” Ernst said. “We’re just going to have to play as team and focus, and anything they give us we have to take it.”

The contest will be a rematch of last year’s Class B State Championship basketball game won by Freeman.

“Hopefully, we can pay it back to them this year in football. … Our kids have been talking about this game since the preseason,” Ernst said.

While there are many intriguing semifinal matchups on Friday, this one will definitely draw the attention of many.

“I think it’s just going to be a good game,” Ernst said, “and I hope it lives up to the billing.”

(Platte-Geddes 9-1 at Hamlin 9-1)

Hamlin lost its first game of the season and has played lights out after that. The Chargers have scored 50 points or more in six games so far this season.

“We’ve got some good athletes out there, and the kids have come a long way since the beginning of the year,” said Hamlin coach Jeff Sheehan. “It’s taken us a little bit more time to develop to where we are today.”

Hamlin features a potent one-two punch in Boden Stevenson and Jonathan Leonardi.

“They’re a good one-two combination and then your throw in the passing game a little bit,” Sheehan said. “We can do a lot of different things and it’s nothing we have to do the same every time to be successful.”

Last week Hamlin racked up major yardage on the ground in a quarterfinal win over Garretson.

“Our offensive line did great job opening up lanes,” Sheehan said, “and Boden and Jonny did a really good job of hitting seams and getting a lot of big chunk yards throughout the whole game.”

Hamlin will be taking on a solid Platte-Geddes team that is bigger up front and features its own potent playmaker in Landon Keiser.

“He’s a good football player,” Sheehan said. “He’s taken them to another level. They give him the ball a lot.”

Sheehan expects the Black Panthers to run the ball in this matchup.

“They run the ball 70 percent of the time, and they throw the ball 30 percent,” Sheehan said. “We know going in that we have to do a good job of stopping the run.”

Sheehan said the Chargers will need to take care of the ball and once again, rise up to the challenge of being the smaller team on the field like it has been most times this season.

“Our kids took that as a challenge (against Garretson). They moved some bigger kids around, which was nice,” Sheehan said. “It was good to see that our kids can do that. We need to do that again, because they’re going to be bigger than us.”