Dakota-Dozen-2010

Is this week 3 or week 7?

It’s only the third week of this football season, but in a very South Dakota-like September weather pattern, the recent weather has made it feel like about the seventh week normally does, with cold rains and mid-day temperatures barely reaching 70.

Across the state this week, there’s a decent chance for rain and storms throughout the day, which will likely affect many games this week, and namely the Prairie Bowl in Sioux Falls, which will feature a pair of nine-man games on Friday afternoon. Though if it doesn’t rain, it’ll be pretty much perfect football weather.

Here’s hoping for the latter. We move then, to this week’s set of twelve:

GAMES OF THE WEEK

1. Chester (2-0) vs. Howard (2-0)

I was at this game in Chester last year, and while Howard won that game quite handily, the venue shifts to Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls for the second of three games in this year’s Prairie Bowl.

Howard’s team makeup is much different than it was last season. Derek Genzlinger has taken the role of the go-to running back, as he showed last week piling up four touchdowns in the Tigers’ game against Marion. Chester will be a more difficult test for Howard than their opening two games were, though. The Flyers bring back most of their team from last season, and their spread offense is run by quarterback Drew Kreurzfeldt, who didn’t need to do a whole lot beyond handing the ball to his brother Dylan, who rolled up 248 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. If Howard can control the line of scrimmage as they did in last season’s game, they’ll certainly tack a third win to their record in this game. However, I believe that Chester’s extra year of experience will reign supreme, and the Flyers will win a good game by 12.

2. Sioux Falls Roosevelt (2-0) vs. Sioux Falls Washington (2-0)

One can’t usually ask for more than a game between the number one and number two ranked teams in the state. This game will be the nightcap of the President’s Bowl on Saturday. The Washington Warriors so far have won both their games without much problem, and have been able to let off the gas pedal so to speak in the fourth quarter of both games. While head coach Brian Hermanson’s offense continues to evolve, the many looks they’ll show will certainly give the quick Riders defense problems.

Roosevelt earned the respect of many teams across the state with their victory over Sioux Falls O’Gorman in last week’s Dakota Bowl. A couple of things bother me here, though: As far as the line is spread apart, will they be able to contain the much bigger and faster Warrior defensive front? It seemed they were having problems at times keeping O’Gorman’s defense at bay during last week’s game. Also, the Roosevelt defense seemed to have trouble stopping the power running game. That could mean trouble this week, as Brandon Mohr is incredibly hard to bring down when he gets going, as Sioux Falls Lincoln found out last week. This should be a good game to be sure, but in the end, I think Washington will be too much for the Riders to handle, and should win the game by 14.

MORE BOWLING MADNESS

3. Sioux Falls O’Gorman (1-1) vs. Sioux Falls Lincoln (1-1)

Could this be the year the Patriots finally hand the Knights a loss? It could if everything falls right in the opening game of this year’s President’s Bowl. I’ve seen most of the Knights’ first two games this season, and while they are very fast on offensively and have a deadly one-two punch in their running game with Kelby Tague and Sam Steffl. It still seems to me their defense is lacking a little of the speed they usually have, and as Roosevelt proved last week, a good passing game can succeed against this defense.

Lincoln has one of the better quarterbacks in the state in Alex Schultz. The problem is going to be the Patriots’ offensive line, as the Knights will surely bring the blitz often against this young offensive line. The other problem is that running back Jon Halvorson went down early in last week’s game, essentially turning their offense one-dimensional. The Patriots will need to be able to play a more balanced offense to win this game. Unfortunately O’Gorman is well known for being able to exploit each of those weaknesses, and should be able to win this game decisively, though not in total-blowout fashion.

4. Dell Rapids (1-0) vs. Tri-Valley (1-1)

This game will close the Prairie Bowl on Friday, and this game has been known to produce some memorable games, like last year’s overtime thriller, that ended when Tri-Valley thwarted a two-point conversion attempt by Harrisburg. I expect the same from this game. Dell Rapids outlasted a very feisty Canton team last week, while Tri-Valley opened up their offense, and quarterback Jace Eckstaine went 11-for-19 against Harrisburg’s defense, including three touchdown passes to Darren Page. If Tri-Valley is able to do that to the Quarrier defense, they should be able to win in a similar fashion. I believe this game will be very defensive in nature, and Dell Rapids will end up prevailing in a close game on their more experienced running game.

THE PHEASANT BELT REDEMPTION

5. Mobridge-Pollock (1-1) at Winner (2-0)

Honestly, it was a misunderstanding.

When I wrote the class 11B preview, I made reference to the south central portion of the state as the Pheasant Belt, having seen the term enough times to think it was the common name for that area of the state. I was quickly proven wrong by a blogger known only as Sod Buzzard. That may be his term, but It is a cool name for that part of the state.

As for the game itself, Mobridge may be one of the best-kept secrets in class 11B. Dexter Netterville and Bailley Friesz combine to form one of the best passing attacks in the class, and one that’s sure to give the Warriors a few problems, but the team is battling sickness. Three linemen have been out sick over the past week. Winner needed overtime to outlast Stanley County, a team that wasn’t on many people’s radars as being a contender. Head coach Dan Aaker will certainly have a lot of the problems they faced last week fixed, and be able to come out on top in this game by 13.

REDEMPTION GAMES IN ALTERNATIVE FORMS

6. Milbank (0-2) at Aberdeen Roncalli (1-1)

Is it OK to say we missed ever so slightly on Milbank’s preseason ranking? Sisseton as well as West Central have so far handled the Bulldogs, though they did have the Trojans game tied into the third quarter. This week, they get their third very difficult opponent when they head to Aberdeen to face the Roncalli Cavaliers. Redfield/Doland stunned Roncalli in their first game, and while they beat Groton last week, it wasn’t in exactly an impressive victory. Both teams are looking to make a statement in this game, but Milbank could really use this win to keep from going 0-3 to start their title defense. I think both Sisseton and West Central exposed the Milbank defense, and Roncalli will no doubt take advantage of this fact. This game should be closer than the others, but I’m taking the Cavaliers to win by 7.

7. Mt. Vernon (0-2) at Tripp-Delmont/Armour (0-1)

Mt. Vernon’s lack of experience has certainly showed up in their first two games this season. Though the Mustangs gave Wessington Springs/Woonsocket a challenge, they proved no match for Chester last week. This week, they face a Tripp-Delmont/Armour team that also stumbled out of the gate, getting plastered by Andes Central last week. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, this is an unfortunate draw early in the season, and the Nighthawks’ spread will be a little too much for the young Mustangs defense to handle. I’m taking Tripp-Delmont/Armour by 14.

WEST RIVER GAME OF THE WEEK

8. Rapid City Stevens (2-0) at Sturgis (2-0)

Class 11AA west river supremacy is at stake in this game, but the major question surrounding this game is the status of Sturgis running back Clint Wilson’s ankle. Wilson injured the ankle in the second half of their win over Rapid City Central during last week’s Rushmore Bowl. It seems as if it was a sprain, but it is still uncertain if he will be able to play in this game. If not, that could mean major problems for the Scoopers’ offense. This game will serve as a major proving ground for the Raiders as well. Many have thought this to possibly be one of the top teams in class 11AA this season, but so far their wins have been over Brookings and Spearfish. Not exactly the toughest of competition. A win here would certainly validate Stevens as a team to be reckoned with, though not as much as a win over one of the top Sioux Falls teams would. The same could easily go for Sturgis as well. Whether Wilson plays or not, I believe this Stevens team is better than we’ve seen in the past, and the Raiders will come out of this game with their third win, boosting their confidence for the Sioux Falls teams coming on their schedule.

OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST

9. Eureka/Bowdle (1-0) at Gettysburg (1-0)

Both of these teams got their seasons off to a good start by putting away games against their overmatched opponents. Eureka/Bowdle’s defense should prove a good challenge for the Battlers, though. Last week the Patriots’ defense allowed only 20 yards on 14 carries. I don’t care who you’re playing, that is an impressive mark. Still, this game is in Gettysburg, and coach Vern Smith always has his team ready to go. I believe the Battlers, who have a pretty good defense themselves, will be able to top that of the Patriots with a 10-point win.

10. Dakota Valley (1-0) at Canton (1-1)

Dakota Valley got their season off with a bang, using running back Zach Sexton to run over Beresford 25-14. Sexton ran for three touchdowns in their opening night win. This week they take on Canton in their home opener. Canton has commanded the respect of the Big Sioux Conference in their first two games, allowing only 32 points in the two games, and will prove to be a great challenge to the Panthers. This game will depend on how well the Panthers are able to defend the C-Hawks’ power running game. I think that while Dakota Valley has a very good team, Canton is just slightly better this season, and will be able to take their second win this season, taking down Dakota Valley by four.

11. Hitchcock-Tulare (2-0) at Warner (2-0)

As far as preseason picks go, we may have actually underrated this Hitchcock-Tulare team. They may have lost their best two players, but the Patriots have done nothing but pick up exactly where they left off last season, overpowering their first two opponents by a combined 78-6 score, while Warner won two much closer games against the same type of competition. That doesn’t bode well for the Monarchs. I believe that the Patriots will continue their rampage of the northern reaches of the state and notch the third win of their season in their belts with a big win over Warner.

12. Yankton (1-1) at Watertown (2-0)

We close this week’s dozen with a game between two ESD rivals. This conference has been the most difficult to figure out in the early going. Watertown got a good win last week over a talented Pierre team and now hosts the Yankton Bucks, who are still trying to reclaim the glory they had about ten years ago. They’ve had some trouble with that, only scoring nine points against a subpar Rapid City Central team, and dropping a close game to a rebuilding Brandon Valley squad. Both teams are sporting good defenses, but as long as the Bucks keep having trouble moving the ball against the mid-range teams of the state, they’ll have even more trouble against one of the better teams like Watertown. The Arrows should win by at least 10, though they’ll probably have their own issues moving the football in this game.

LAST WEEK: 9-3

SEASON: 10-8

DAKOTA DOZEN ARCHIVE:

Sept. 16 - Week 4