The stretch run in the quest to the DakotaDome has arrived.
The Class 11A quarterfinals get underway Thursday night, with eight teams looking to advance to next week’s semifinal round.
Here’s a quick glance at the schedule:
(8) Rapid City Christian at (1) Sioux Falls Christian, 7 p.m.(7) Milbank at (2) Dell Rapids, 7 p.m.(6) Tri-Valley at (3) Lennox, 6 p.m.(5) West Central at (4) Madison, 7 p.m.
The top-seeded Chargers are the lone undefeated team in this year’s field and are vying to erase the heartbreak they endured in last year’s loss to Lennox in the state final.
There’s no denying that SFC is the favorite. But which teams will rise to the occasion and pose the biggest threat to the Chargers’ supremacy at the top?
Here’s a look at how all eight teams have performed going into Thursday’s quarterfinal action.
No. 5 West Central (6-3) at No. 4 Madison (7-2)
The Trojans will head north to take on the Bulldogs in an 11A quarterfinal on Thursday night.
Senior quarterback Carter Gross leads the charge for West Central’s offense. He has thrown for 1,266 yards on 70-of-108 passing (64.8%) with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions, and on the ground, he’s racked up 620 yards and five TDs on 115 rushes.
Senior tailback Hayden Whiting has carved out 400 yards and five scores on 76 carries for the Trojans, while running back Braylon Robbins has amassed 67 totes for 375 yards and five touchdowns.
In the receiving game, Boche Knight has been West Central’s leading target. The 5-foot-7 junior has 24 catches for 400 yards and five TDs. Meanwhile, senior tight end Kolte Garry has also been featured heavily, churning out 300 yards and five TDs on 22 receptions.
Wide receiver Hayden Heier has 14 grabs for 250 yards and four TDs for a Trojans squad that ranks fourth in 11A in scoring offense, averaging 28.3 points per game. Tight end Tanner Wagner has also been in the mix, generating 250 yards and two scores on nine catches.
West Central is giving up an average of 16.2 ppg, which is tied with Madison for fourth best in 11A.
The Bulldogs, who rank third in their class in scoring offense (28.7 ppg), are coming off back-to-back wins ahead of the start of the postseason.
Henry Veenhof has been Madison’s most efficient performer on offense. The 6-4 sophomore QB has completed 107 of 187 passes (57.2%) for 1,762 yards with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Senior WR Shane Veenhof leads the Bulldogs in receptions (39), receiving yards (662) and receiving TDs (14), while WR Myles Schneider has contributed 315 yards and five TDs on 14 catches. Wideouts Ethan Sims (303 yards) and Nolan Nielsen (248 yards) each have two TDs for Madison.
In the offensive backfield, RB Caleb Hodges leads the way with 521 yards and six scores on 102 rushes.
Senior LB Caleb Pettersen paces the Bulldogs’ defense with 64 tackles (7 1/2 for loss) to go along with three sacks and a fumble recovery. Hodges has also provided valuable playing time at linebacker, amassing 57 tackles (7 1/2 for loss), three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
West Central and Madison did not play during the regular season. The last time the two teams met was in last year’s 11A quarterfinal round when the Trojans came away with a 14-6 victory in Hartford.
No. 6 Tri-Valley (6-3) at No. 3 Lennox (7-2)
The Mustangs hope to be much more competitive in their rematch with the Orioles, but they’ll have to do it on the road this time around.
Lennox is riding a five-game winning streak, which includes a 41-0 road victory over Tri-Valley two weeks ago in Colton.
With 34.4 ppg scored and 12.6 ppg allowed, Lennox ranks second in 11A in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
Junior Drake Mikkelsen has been a leading playmaker for the Orioles offensively. The 6-5, 205-pound wideout has 45 receptions for 724 yards and 14 touchdowns, while WR Tate Gerdes has 557 yards and a pair of TDs on 37 catches. Wide receiver Brennen Juffer has scored four times, hauling in 29 catches for 368 yards.
Lennox has two players who have contributed at QB this season in senior Jhaimann Huntington and sophomore Cayden Huls. Huntington has completed 64 of 107 passes (59.8%) for 1,187 yards with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions, while Huls has 933 yards, 11 TDs and five interceptions on 86-of-140 passing (61.4%).
Leading the rushing attack is senior Ramsey Williams, who has racked up 714 yards and 10 scores on 134 rushes.
Junior LB Jevyn Lefers paces the Orioles’ defense with 70 tackles, including nine for loss, while Williams has 54 stops (seven for loss) and three sacks. Junior defensive lineman Leif Karlson has 40 tackles, including 22 for loss, and a pair of forced fumbles, and Gerdes leads the defense with three interceptions to go along with 28 tackles.
On the other hand, Tri-Valley begins the postseason after coming away with a 33-23 triumph last week at Canton in the regular season finale.
The Mustangs are led by coach Dan Snethen, who has been at the helm of the program since 2021.
Tri-Valley has 10 seniors on its 2025 roster, including team captains Brody Dybvig, Landyn Reiser, Ty Oyen and Lawson Lodmel.
The Mustangs are tied for sixth in 11A in scoring offense (25.2 ppg). They stand alone at sixth in their class in scoring defense (18.2 ppg allowed).
No. 7 Milbank (6-3) at No. 2 Dell Rapids (6-3)
The Quarriers aim to replicate their performance from earlier in the season when they square off with the visiting Bulldogs.
In the fourth week of the regular season, Dell Rapids had no trouble taking care of Milbank, 36-7.
Senior RB Ryan Stubbe has churned out 687 yards on 150 rushes, tallying 10 TDs for a run-heavy Quarriers team that generates an average of 229.7 rushing yards per contest.
Senior QB Drake Eastman has added 321 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, while Kenny Swanson, a senior fullback, has 285 yards and five scores on 53 carries.
Eastman has thrown for 425 yards on 23-of-63 passing (36.5%). He has five TDs and four interceptions through the air. Wideout Karson Paye has been Eastman’s top target. Paye has 202 yards and four touchdowns on 11 receptions.
Swanson leads Dell Rapids defensively with 56 tackles, including four for loss, while junior LB Jace Brende has amassed 54 stops (eight for loss), three sacks, one pick and one forced fumble. Paye leads the defense with three interceptions, and senior Carson Maeschen paces the Quarriers’ defensive line with 41 tackles, including eight for loss.
Dell Rapids is tied for sixth in 11A in scoring offense (25.2 ppg) and is seventh in scoring defense (19.9 ppg allowed).
Milbank boasts the third best scoring defense in 11A, allowing 14.8 ppg. However, the Bulldogs rank eighth in their class in scoring offense (23.0 ppg).
Senior quarterback Braylen Bowsher has 943 yards on 58-of-125 passing (46.4%) with eight TDs and seven interceptions.
Junior WR Sam Rick has been Bowsher’s top target, hauling in 34 catches for 595 yards and four touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Bennett Hunt has been the Bulldogs’ top rusher. The sophomore has carried the ball 56 times for 262 yards and three TDs. Bowsher has added 260 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
Hunt leads the defense with 53 tackles (six for loss), while senior LB Layten Osowski has racked up 34 tackles, including seven for loss, three sacks and one fumble recovery. Carter Gloe, a senior defensive lineman, has 33 stops, including a team-leading 12 for loss.
No. 8 RC Christian (5-4) at No. 1 SF Christian (9-0)
The Chargers will look to keep their perfect season alive when they host the Comets at Bob Young Field.
SFC defeated RCC 48-21 in its home opener in September. Sioux Falls Christian ranks first in its class in both scoring offense (40.8 ppg) and scoring defense (7.1 ppg allowed).
Sophomore Cooper Strande has been the Chargers’ leader under center. He has 1,004 yards and 14 touchdowns on 80-of-121 passing (66.1%) while also rushing the ball 42 times for 263 yards and two TDs.
Senior RBs Jensen Pixler and Tate Connell lead Sioux Falls Christian on the ground. Pixler has 490 yards and 11 touchdowns on 89 rushes, while Connell has chipped in 286 yards and 10 touchdowns on 63 carries.
With 487 yards and six scores on 22 receptions, junior Brant Wassenaar is the Chargers’ top receiver. WR Jude Prins has added 311 yards and two TDs, and TE Nicholas Popkes has contributed 15 catches for 253 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, freshman LB Lincoln Olseth leads the Chargers with 64 tackles (6 1/2 for loss) to go along with two interceptions and one sack.
From the free safety position, Connell has stuffed the stat sheet with 23 tackles and four interceptions, including a pick-six, while Pixler has amassed 50 tackles (seven for loss) at the LB spot.
Defensive end Dawson Unruh has been a factor for the Chargers in the trenches. He has 47 tackles (14 1/2 for loss), 5 1/2 sacks, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
As a team, SFC has 12 takeaways on the season, including eight interceptions.
For Rapid City Christian, junior quarterback Peyton Glenn leads the offense with 1,197 yards on 108-of-197 passing (54.8%) with 13 TDs and eight interceptions.
Sully Kieffer, a junior wide receiver, is the Comets’ leading target in the pass game. Kieffer has 40 grabs for 573 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, Lars Kieffer has added 245 receiving yards and three scores.
Glenn has been the team’s top option on the ground, running for 342 yards and a pair of scores, while running back Reed Lindberg has produced 220 yards and four touchdowns on 56 rushes.
Lindberg also leads RCC’s defense with 52 tackles, including 13 for loss, to go along with an interception, and senior defensive back Reagan Koskan has 50 tackles (eight for loss), two forced fumbles, a pick and a fumble recovery.
The Comets rank fifth in their class in scoring offense with 26.1 ppg. They are ninth in 11A in scoring defense (22.3 ppg allowed).