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Semifinal Saturday

I was 19-5 this past week in my playoff picks. I got O'Gorman over Watertown, though it was close.

I missed Lincoln over Stevens, Mobridge over Redfield, Canton over Hot Springs (my bonehead pick of the week), Sully Buttes over Corsica/Stickney, and Flandreau over Tri-Valley.

As for the games I was at, I thought Washington looked the best...but that's expected. I stuck around for the first half, but left to edit the highlights for 6:00 p.m. I didn't miss much after that point.

My second game was Philip at Chester. I've taken heat for my "man-crush" on Chester early this season, and that’s slowly gone away after a couple of losses. That said, you can't argue with what the Flyers have been able to do in the playoffs. Beating Howard in the opening round and dismantling Philip in the second round should provide reason for optimism up there. Reason for pessimism? Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan is next.

After a few quick highlights at Chester, I drove to Dell Rapids for the Quarriers/Tea game. It was 6-0 in favor of Dells in the first quarter (when I got there); it was 28-6 at the half, still in favor of Dell Rapids. Dells had a tougher first round opponent (Milbank) than second round opponent but to their credit, they got the job done without any doubt.

As for this Saturday's semifinals, here are my thoughts...

The game that really sticks out is Hanson vs. Avon. These are the two teams everyone expects to be contending in 9A. I think the Beavers are more talented and are likely to win, but it should be close.

I also like the Dell Rapids St. Mary vs. Hitchcock-Tulare matchup, which is the only game that features two unbeatens. Again, it should be close and I think DRSM takes the game. You never know, though, with these games that have recent playoff history.

Both games in 11B intrigue me, with Flandreau squaring off with Roncalli and Winner and Mobridge set to do battle. The winner of the Winner/Mobridge game might be in great position to win state (I know, I know...we're in the semis, they're ALL in great position). I just see one of those two teams beating whoever wins in the upper half of the bracket.

Dell Rapids vs. West Central has a familiar ring to it and I think the Quarriers are able to get the win. It'll be close and like many of this week's games, I wouldn't be shocked to see it go the other way. I just think West Central's run is bound to come to an end after two big wins on the road.

In 11AA, the big game to me is Roosevelt and O'Gorman. It was at the Dakota Bowl that the Riders first opened some eyes with a defensive 12-9 win over O'G. I'm not a huge fan of Roosevelt's offense, but their defense has been very good. I still haven't completely made up my mind on this game yet, but by the time I get to the bottom of this blog, I'll make a pick.

In the other 11AA game, Washington is going to embarrass Lincoln...whether or not the final score indicates it or not.

Picks:

11AA
Washington over Lincoln
O'Gorman over Roosevelt

11A
Dell Rapids over West Central
Harrisburg over Canton

11B
Roncalli over Flandreau
Winner over Mobridge

9AA
BEE over Chester
Viborg/Hurley over Leola/Frederick

9A
Harding Co. over Sully Buttes
Hanson over Avon

9B
Canistota over Gettysburg (unless DJ and Tyler Fischer suit up for the Battlers)
Dell Rapids St. Mary over Hitchcock-Tulare

Just a heads up that on Friday, I'll be in Marshall for a triple-header at SMSU featuring some of the best HS football teams in Southwest Minnesota. We'll have the highlights at 10:00.

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports
Twitter: @JimNelsonKSFY

Quarterfinal Monday

My thoughts…

Lincoln at Stevens – can the Pats beat the Raiders twice? I don’t think so.

O’Gorman at Watertown – I’ve never been sold on Watertown and, to a fault, I’ve been oversold on O’G. I’ll take the Knights.

West Central at St. Thomas More – I think the Trojans are going to be a major factor in the playoffs, but this is a tough game. The toughest part will be the travel, but on the field, I think West Central gets it done.

I really like the matchups in 11B. All eight teams have, at one point or another, been in our top five rankings. My “upset” pick is Redfield/Doland over Mobridge. Given the way this class has gone, I could see anything happening on Monday.

Nothing really jumps out at me in 9AA, though the Viborg/Hurley vs. Deubrook game could be interesting.

After Hanson and Avon lost in the middle of the year, our 9A rankings took a hit. I relentlessly voted for Corsica/Stickney as the top team, while Sully Buttes kept appearing at the top of the poll. Those two teams eventually lost on the same night, vaulting Hanson and Avon back to the top two spots, respectively. Hanson and Avon should roll on Monday, but I’m very intrigued by the Corsica/Stickney vs. Sully Buttes game. I’m picking Corsica/Stickney.

In 9B, I think the one game that sticks out as a pretty good game is Gettysburg (where the battle wasn’t) and Colome. It could go either way but I’m going with Gettysburg.

Game by game picks:

11AA –
Washington over Pierre
Stevens over Lincoln
Roosevelt over Yankton
O’Gorman over Watertown

11A –
Dells over Tea
West Central over STM
Harrisburg over Little wound
Hot Springs over Canton

11B –
Tri Valley over Flandreau
Roncalli over Wagner
Winner over Bon Homme
Redfield/Doland over Mobridge

9AA –
BEE over WL/Plank
Chester over Philip
Leola/Frederick over Herreid/Selby
Viborg/Hurley over Deubrook

9A –
Harding Co. over Andes Central
Corscia/Stickney over Sully buttes
Hanson over Tri-State
Avon over Wilmot

9B –
Canistota over Langford
Gettysburg over Colome
DRSM over Faulkton
H-T over Timber Lake

I’m very excited about our coverage, as I feel we’ve got another strong lineup of games to showcase. In addition to highlights from around 15 games, we’ll have all the scores from around the state as well as northwest Iowa.

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports
Twitter: @JimNelsonKSFY

One and done

A look back at the opening round of the playoffs...

The only real surprise in 11AA was obviously Yankton beating Brandon Valley, though it’s certainly not a huge shock. Yankton entered the season with high aspirations and definitely had a solid enough team.

Brandon tied for the best record in the ESD but that never makes a team unbeatable.

Major kudos to Andrew Hummel, who booted a couple field goals in the game (including the game winner from 30) on a terrible night for anything really. The ball barely cleared the upright, but it did. Kickin’ ain’t easy.

I wasn’t surprised that West Central beat Sisseton but the final score floored me. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, but still...that’s a thumping. The weather was not ideal for Sisseton, who I’m assuming was unable to run its offense as they have most of the season. West Central’s offense is effective whether its 100 degrees or ten below. Throughout the season, as the Trojans lost a few games, I wondered if this would be the year where they had some struggles during the regular season and simply walked all over everyone come playoff time. I was at the 2009 version of this playoff matchup, standing on the West Central sidelines and it was not a happy place. I get the feeling they’ve been holding onto that feeling ever since.

I still consider the Trojans to be a contender in their class.

Tea got an “upset” win at Pine Ridge. We shouldn’t be shocked. After beating Wagner a few weeks ago, the Titans had some confidence. The strength of schedule, or lack thereof, shined through for Pine Ridge on Tuesday.

I was at the first half of the Washington/Huron game and it pretty much went the way everyone expected. Devonte Clay had a nice half…including a touchdown of 32 yards that got Washington on the board, and another long TD run that was called back on a penalty that occurred at the end of the play. He finished with 166 yards.

After that game, I went to Dell Rapids where I stuck around for about a quarter of the DRSM/Warner game, in which the Cardinals wound up winning 52-0. Colby Bunkers scored three times in the time I was there. This is the only team (DRSM) I see giving Canistota a fight.

From St. Mary, I went to Public where I wasn’t too surprised to see a blank scoreboard two minutes into the second quarter of the Dell Rapids/Milbank game.

Cole Langer was his usual self on the ground, breaking free with a 60+ yard TD run in the 2nd. Early in the third quarter, Milbank QB Nick Mears had an awesome rush of about 65 yards, all the way down to about the 20 or 15 of Dell Rapids. He eventually finished the drive with a TD pass to Tanner Folk, which itself was a well executed play where Folk was wide open in the corner. Milbank had a lot of momentum after that score but the Quarriers responded immediately with TD from Langer and that pretty much shifted the momentum and the game into Dells’ favor.

There are some interesteing matchups in the quarterfinals this Monday. Later this week, I'll post my thoughts and expectations.

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports
Twitter: @JimNelsonKSFY

Quick thoughts

I couldn't have been more wrong on the O'Gorman/Washington game. Final score was 35-7. I thought O'G would give them a game until the 4th, but it was 35-0 at halftime. Ouch.

Lincoln certainly did play Roosevelt close, which I didn't think would happen.

I had a feeling Brandon might get past Watertown. Watertown hasn't beaten its low-level competition by the margin a 2nd ranked team should. Pierre (who beat Aberdeen), Watertown and Brandon all finish at 6-1, tied atop the ESD.

I was at the first half of the Harrisburg/Dell Rapids game...I really wish I could've stayed longer. It was 7-6 Harrisburg at the break, but Dells opened it up a bit in the second half. (Still haven't seen a final as of 11:00 p.m.).

I was at the Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan -vs- Marion game this afternoon and the Seahawks looked good. Very good. Not much of a surprise, but good for BEE for being able to go full throttle in a game they should've won easily.

I'll try to get more of a "full reaction" a bit later on.

Watch for the Playoff Preview at KSFY.com some time on Friday.

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports

The Final Week

I’ve been a terrible blogger lately, but I had to squeeze something in before a busy day of football.

This is turning out to be a great week, mainly in 11-man football…and 11AA in particular.

All five of our ranked teams in 11AA will be featured on Friday Night Lights tonight.

Perhaps the biggest game, in terms of rivalry and tradition, is Washington at O’Gorman. Washington hasn’t really been tested this year but I expect the Knights to give them their best game yet. I’ve always thought that O’Gorman would have the best shot to beat Washington because of how they match up. I still think Washington wins it, but it will be a competitive game until at least half way through the fourth.

In terms of ranking and competition, the best game might be in Harrisburg as the second ranked Tigers host the top-ranked Dell Rapids Quarriers in 11A.

Back in 11AA, third ranked Roosevelt and fifth ranked Lincoln will play at the Wood…I don’t envision Lincoln playing the Riders very close.

Down the road in Brandon, the 5-1 Lynx will welcome second ranked Watertown. The ESD conference championship is still up for grabs, with Watertown at 6-0, and Brandon Valley and Pierre both at 5-1. Pierre is at Aberdeen, so they should be able to finish 6-1. If Brandon can beat Watertown, and I think it’s possible, those three would all finish 6-1. (See, I can do math!)

Like I said, it’s more of an 11-man type of night…but right now we’re scheduled to feature four teams in our top five rankings from the nine-man ranks.

I’ll try to get something up here on Friday, reacting to Thursday’s games and looking ahead to the playoffs. Thor and I will be shooting our playoff preview sometime on Friday…which should be at KSFY.com shortly after.

In the meantime, I’d like to share a couple of links.

First, a short story we did with Washington OL Derek Farniok, on his way to Oklahoma next year: Click Here to watch the story.

Secondly, a story I wish I never had to do. Derek Klinkner of SMSU was severely injured in a farming accident near his home in Artesian this summer. I played with Derek for two years at SMSU…and to see him unable to walk, much less play football is tough. He played his high school ball at Sanborn Central and vows to one day walk again. Click Here to watch the story.

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports
Twitter: @JimNelsonKSFY

Another Wild Week

More changes are on the way in terms of the KSFY/KWSN rankings, thanks to an eventful week of high school football.

In 11AA, 4th ranked Stevens was beaten by Lincoln. Will O’Gorman, who won, slide above Stevens despite the Raiders beating the Knights earlier in the year? I think so. Not everyone is always in favor of placing teams above one in which that particular team lost to. I am voting O’Gorman over Stevens because I think they’re a better team.

In 11A, three of the top five teams were beaten, including top-ranked Sisseton, who fell to Roncalli. Dell Rapids is a lock to move into the top spot after their win Friday night. West Central lost to a good Jackson County Central (MN) team and may or may not stay in the top five. The same could be said for Canton.

In 11B, every ranked team won its game, but so did the teams receiving votes. Roncalli scored an impressive win over Sisseton, so the Cavs certainly have a legit argument to get back into the top five. Redfield/Doland stayed hot, so they too will be discussed.

Not much to talk about in 9AA except for Chester’s blowout loss at the hands of Canistota, whom I’ll discuss in a minute.

In 9A, the top two teams went down, as Sully Buttes fell to Gettysburg and Corsica/Stickney lost to Avon. I would imagine Hanson and Avon slide back into familiar territory atop the rankings.

9B went according to plan and Canistota showed why it may be the best team in the class, if not all of nine-man football. They manhandled a pretty good Chester team and have pretty much dominated everyone they’ve played. As for top-ranked St. Mary, they continue to roll with a banged up roster. At some point, someone may catch up to the Cardinals. I don’t think anyone will compete with Canistota, they way they’ve been playing lately.

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports
Twitter: @JimNelsonKSFY

Sneak Peak at Friday Night Lights

Here we are, preparing for yet another week of high school football.

If you’re only planning one outing this weekend, go see Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. I saw it Thursday and I highly recommend it.

If you’re planning on MORE THAN ONE outing this weekend, why not get started with one of the following high school football games?

These are just a few of the games we’ll be at for Friday Night Lights, which of course airs weekly at 10:10 or so on KSFY.

Hard to pick a game of the night, but I think its 9A #4 Avon at 9A #2 Corsica/Stickney. I’m huge on Corsica/Stickney because they’ve completely dominated everyone they’ve played, including an Andes Central team that some people thought had a lot of potential. Then there’s Avon. While they’ve lost once this season, you’d be foolish not to think they won’t be in the thick of things come playoff time. This should be a fun game and I won’t be surprised with either team winning. If I had to pick, though, I’d say Corsica/Stickney wins a close one.

Elsewhere in the nine-man game, 9AA #3 Chester will host 9B #2 Canistota, which should be a nice contest. I’ve seen the Flyers play a few times this year and I’m very high on them. Their only loss came to Howard, who still figures to factor in down the stretch. Canistota is unbeaten and has a lot to play for. I’m not so sure they wouldn’t beat the top-ranked team in their class, given the injury bug has bitten DRSM, but it’s a moot point this week.

Continuing with the smaller schools – and it’s become apparent that this week is all about the nine-man game – 9AA #2 Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan is playing its first afternoon game of the season when the Seahawks welcome White Lake/Plankinton to Ethan. The Hawks picked up a nice win against Howard last week and WL/P beat Mt. Vernon. BEE is clearly coming off a better win, but both should have a little momentum. That said, it’s tough to imagine the Hawks losing this one.

In the 11-man game, it’s probably going to be somewhat of a tame evening. I like the Sturgis at Roosevelt matchup. I don’t see Roosevelt, ranked #3 in our rankings, losing this game, but I certainly envision a good battle. Sturgis is not a bad team and Roosevelt seems to play everyone close. They beat a decent Brandon Valley team by five points and without recovering an onside kick, may have lost. However, the Roosevelt defense has been pretty reliable this season, in fact it’s the primary reason they’re 4-1.

The last game I want to touch on is perhaps the Minnesota game of the week, at least for the portion we cover. Edgerton/Ellsworth, ranked #4 in Minnesota’s 9-man class, travels the short distance to Hills-Beaver Creek, who dropped out of the top ten after a loss to #2 Nicollet. I think the AP got in wrong there, as Nicollet only beat HBC by ONE POINT! The Patriots have outscored opponents 176 to 69 this season. There are better margins of victory out there, but that’s pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, HBC has their work cut out. Edgerton/Ellsworth has scored less than 60 points just twice. They dropped 40 once and 54 the other. Expect highlights.

Again, that’s just a small sampling of what’s ahead later tonight on KSFY. Keep in mind; you can follow me on twitter: @JimNelsonKSFY

I try to provide as many updates as possible while making my rounds each Friday night. Plus, you’ll get some unwanted life coaching tips throughout the week.

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports

These Kids Can Play

Earlier this week I said I'd blog about some of the high school football players who have really impressed me thus far in 2010.

These are all based on guys I’ve watched in person this season, which means there are some talented kids left out. I could comment on the guys I’ve seen on video, but that wouldn’t be fair on my part because you don’t get the feel for how important they are without understanding a particular moment in the game. Additionally, I have to base this on guys I’ve seen make plays over and over again. One play doesn’t make a great player.

Kelby Tague, RB, O’Gorman – He’s the perfect guy for O’Gorman’s grind-it-out offense. In what is typically a slow, methodical march down the field, the Knights open it up with Tague’s ability to burst down the field. He’s made some spectacular plays this season and is capable of doing it on each carry.

Tim Weber, RB, West Central – He benefits from being in a system that is running back friendly, in terms of opportunities. That said, he’s made the most of his opportunities and has proven to be very a tough runner with the ability to create separation in the open. One game I was at, he scored five or six times.

Brandon Mohr, FB/LB, Washington – This probably doesn’t need much explaining, but he’s fun to watch. In a spread offense, its tough to garner much recognition as a FB, but it’s a very integral piece of the puzzle. As teams focus on the outside, Mohr can go full-throttle between the tackles. Defensively, he’s committed to the cause and is clearly gives his all on nearly every play. SDSU will enjoy his presence.

Chris Cook, LB, Roosevelt – This kid can bring the wood. If you can’t make the play, make someone pay. Fortunately for Roosevelt, he’s does both. Good linebacker with the right instincts for the job.

Matt Hermanson, DB, Washington – Like Cook at Roosevelt, he has the instincts needed to play defense the way it’s meant to be played; 100 mph all the time, but remaining tactful in the process. Matt does a nice job of finding the ball against both the run and the pass.

Dylan Kreutzfeldt, RB/KR/PR, Chester Area – Dylan carries a lot of the load in the Chester attack, whether it’s rushing the ball, catching it or returning punts and kicks. He seems to always find the holes (and that Flyer OL creates them nicely). What impresses me the most is his ability to hit the next level with authority. He’s another one of those guys that creates separation in the open. Every time he’s back to return a kick or punt, I think he’s going to score.

Drew Kreutzfeldt, QB, Chester Area – Dylan’s twin brother Drew, the QB, can often rely on Dylan. But if Drew had to carry the team as a duel-threat quarterback, he could. He spreads the ball around and if things aren’t open, he has more than enough talent to tuck the ball and score. If either of these two were taller, area colleges might not have a shot at them.

Alex Schultz, QB, Lincoln – Good arm, good football IQ. Having a guy like Trey Naasz to throw to helps, but Schultz can make some impressive throws that very few high school quarterbacks can.

Trust me, as a former offensive lineman, I know I'm missing some of the big boys. It takes a lot more to evaluate lineman than skill players...I wish I had the time to watch the OL/DL battles more often!

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports

Another Week in the Books

As always, we got a few surprises this week. Perhaps the biggest was Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan losing to Hanson. Not that Hanson isn't a good squad, but BEE was moving along very nicely this season. That's a big win for the Beavers who suffered a bit of a setback a few weeks ago. I think BEE will be able to rebound just fine, they're a very well coached team. The win definitely helps Hanson more than the loss hurts the Seahawks.

And Exciting Year in 9AA
With Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan losing, it opened the door for Viborg/Hurley to step up and take over the top spot in 9AA. Well...V/H lost to a good Avon squad. Herreid/Selby was ranked third and could be on the move to number one this week. I'm a big fan of 9AA right now. It might be the one class where the top five teams are almost interchangable. I really like Chester and when they get Drew Kreutzfeldt back to full strength (still dealing with a bit of an injury), they could be the team to beat. He and brother Dylan are very tough to stop. That being said, I was at Chester this week and the Flyers didn't look quite as sharp against Parker right away. It wound up being a blowout, but the Flyers put the ball on the ground and appeared to labor a bit more early on than they have in weeks past.

Thoughts on the Big Schools
In the 11-man ranks, Rapid City Stevens has been one of the interesting stories this year. We knew they'd be good, but weren't sure how good. After beating O'Gorman, they finally got their respect. Then, they played a very good game at Roosevelt (but lost) this week. It'll be very interesting to see how this class plays out the rest of the year. I don't see Washington losing, but the next four to seven teams in the class should all feel good about possibly making a run.

If I were a betting man (and I am not), I think I would take O'Gorman in a rematch with Stevens AND Roosevelt. Roosevelt is a team that isn't going to score a bunch of points, but they won't allow a ton either. I like that the Riders can and do win games because of their defense.

Brandon on a Roll
I almost did a double take when I saw Brandon Valley's 4-1 record - not that I don't think they're capable - but nobody's talking about them. They haven't beaten anyone of significance quite yet and without Austin Sumner, they're certainly not as good as last year. That said, you can't scoff at 4-1. We'll see what happens after they play Roosevelt, Pierre and Watertown in three of the next four weeks.

This is the best time of year, folks. It's a lot of fun to see which teams emerge and which teams dwindle into obscurity.

I'll check in later this week with a short piece about which players have impressed me the most this season.

Jim Nelson
KSFY Sports