2023 South Dakota High School Football

[JacksFan80]

Since SDSportstalk is non-existent these days, I feel like we could use some HS football discussion.

Any thoughts about how this season is looking, what teams to watch or what specific players to watch?

Also any news about whether they will reduce the number of classes eventually? With how bad 9B is this season I feel like it has to happen soon.

[salemjack]

They need to get down to 2 9-man classes badly.

[Prairiehaas]

I played 9-man, decades ago of course. For those schools a few good athletes is what makes for a good season. That doesn't happen every year for any of the small schools. Otherwise it is the joy of playing. Traveling across the state to another very small town, when your team has a losing record, be 50'd in a first round playoff game is not a reward. One 9-man class is plenty.

[jakejc795]

Multiple reports that SF Roosevelt coach Kim Nelson is headed to an undisclsed college gig.

Sounds like details are being ironed out, so the destination isn't being reported yet.

[salemjack]

My guess is USF.

[jakejc795]

My guess is USF.

I wondered about them or Augie.

[tbcruiser]

... or Dakota State (bigger things to come there)?

[JacksFan80]

... or Dakota State (bigger things to come there)?

Considering the investments they've been making into athletics recently, I would imagine they are looking for better results on the field.

[JacksFan80]

Also of note, the SDHSAA has voted for changing the 9-Man playoffs to 12 teams for each class, now moves to the activities directors to be voted upon again. Supposedly they have a rule that if there are 64 or less teams competing in 9-Man it will automatically move to 2 classes. Currently sitting at 61 teams, so naturally instead of following their own rules they kick the can down the road again and want to keep the 3 class system. The SDHSAA is an utter joke, and anyone who supports this system is a joke as well. The fact that South Dakota has the same number of football classes as Minnesota despite having well under half the teams is pathetic, if you include the 2 tribal leagues we actually have more then Minnesota.

https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/spo...visory-meeting

[trueblue]

Just to be clear, it wasn't the SDHSAA that voted for the 12 team playoff proposal, but the football advisory committee which is made up of a couple coaches, administrators and a hs fb official. That proposal will now go to the athletic directors to be voted on at the spring AD conference and then would have to be approved by the SDHSAA Board of Directors after that. I am not saying it shouldn't go back to two classes of 9-man, but other factors in play are going to affect the number of 9-man schools- namely the new policy of your enrollment number being reduced by a % based on your % of free and reduced lunch students. There could be additional teams coming down to 9-man from the 11-man ranks.

[Prairiehaas]

The 12 team playoff in 9-man is a good start.

Reducing the classes from 7 to 5, or even 4, should be considered. The 34 schools in 11AAA & 11AA could be combined into two groups one of 10 larger schools the other of 24 smaller schools. Eight of the upper schools would make playoffs and 16 of the lower. Next season the 2 upper level teams that did not make playoffs would drop down to lower. The 2 teams that played in lower championship would move up.

Nine-man should be reduced to two or even one class as there is really little difference in play between 9B and 9AA.

[JacksFan80]

The 12 team playoff in 9-man is a good start.

Reducing the classes from 7 to 5, or even 4, should be considered. The 34 schools in 11AAA & 11AA could be combined into two groups one of 10 larger schools the other of 24 smaller schools. Eight of the upper schools would make playoffs and 16 of the lower. Next season the 2 upper level teams that did not make playoffs would drop down to lower. The 2 teams that played in lower championship would move up.

Nine-man should be reduced to two or even one class as there is really little difference in play between 9B and 9AA.

North Dakota has the right system in my opinion. Four classes, three are 11-Man, and one 9-Man. They also move schools up based on how good they are. I am not sure the exact formula but each team gets so many "success points" or something like that during a 4 year period depending on how good they do, and if it goes above a certain threshold they get moved up. That is why Fargo Shanley plays AA despite not being as large as the other AA schools.

I could see the case for two 9-Man classes as there is a genuine difference between the large 9AA schools like Hamlin and Parkston compared to some 9B schools. But no more than five classes overall.

[Prairiehaas]

I am not familiar with the ND system. Moving teams up and down based upon performance seems to me the right way to set up a high school FB playoff class system. I have a brother in CO and they also move teams up and down based on performance.

There may be a case for 2 9-man classes. Hamlin is 11-man. But, the 9AA championship between Parkston & Howard had teams in the top 10 of 9AA ADM. On the other hand the 9A and 9B championships featured four teams, Warner, Deubrook, Avon, Faulkton, with an ADM range of 38 to 28 students.

[jakejc795]

North Dakota has the right system in my opinion. Four classes, three are 11-Man, and one 9-Man. They also move schools up based on how good they are. I am not sure the exact formula but each team gets so many "success points" or something like that during a 4 year period depending on how good they do, and if it goes above a certain threshold they get moved up. That is why Fargo Shanley plays AA despite not being as large as the other AA schools.

I could see the case for two 9-Man classes as there is a genuine difference between the large 9AA schools like Hamlin and Parkston compared to some 9B schools. But no more than five classes overall.

How about MT's?

I'm leery of anything originating from Ungulate Hinterlands

[JacksFan80]

I am not familiar with the ND system. Moving teams up and down based upon performance seems to me the right way to set up a high school FB playoff class system. I have a brother in CO and they also move teams up and down based on performance.

There may be a case for 2 9-man classes. Hamlin is 11-man. But, the 9AA championship between Parkston & Howard had teams in the top 10 of 9AA ADM. On the other hand the 9A and 9B championships featured four teams, Warner, Deubrook, Avon, Faulkton, with an ADM range of 38 to 28 students.

Hamlin is 9AA due to a large percentage of students who don’t compete in sports due to religious reasons. They would be right on the border between 11A/11B if this wasn’t the case. Im very familiar with the situation due to being from the Watertown area.

Besides them and the few other Class A schools playing 9AA, there is very little difference between 9-Man schools.