South Dakota
Area unbeatens Bucks, Phoenix and Avon fighting for top seeds in football playoffs
One weeks remains in the South Dakota high school regular season for Class 11B and the three nine-man divisions, with final postseason positioning on the line across the region come Friday night.
From undefeated squads aiming to secure top seeds and home-field advantage to teams looking to make a late push into the 16-team playoff fields, the area has programs facing many different circumstances this week.
Here’s a look at where every Mitchell-area team stands ahead of this week’s regular-season finales.
Battling for a spot at the top of the crowded standings is unbeaten Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central (7-0). The Bucks are one of three undefeated teams remaining in the class, not to mention three more one-loss squads. WWSSC is currently tied with one-loss Clark/Willow Lake for No. 3, while the other two unbeatens, Elk Point-Jefferson and St. Thomas More, are tied for first.
The last step toward the postseason isn’t an easy one for the Bucks, who host a Mount Vernon/Plankinton squad on Friday that has played several top teams close and is gaining momentum behind a two-game win streak.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Not far behind, Wagner (5-2) enters the final week of the regular season at No. 5 in the standings. The Red Raiders are the top two-loss team due to a strength of schedule that ranks in the top eight of the class. With an idle date last week to regroup from losses to WWSSC and EPJ, Wagner looks to get back on track before the playoffs by hosting one-win Miller/Highmore-Harrold on Friday.
Having faced the most difficult schedule in the class with an opponent win percentage of .678, Mount Vernon/Plankinton (3-4) stands at No. 10. The Titans could still have a shot at a top-eight seed and a home game by pairing an upset win over WWSSC with losses by a couple of teams directly in front of them, such as No. 9 Parker, No. 8 Mobridge-Pollock and No. 7 Sioux Valley.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Right behind MVP is a trio of area teams with eight games already in the books. Chamberlain (4-4) and Winner (4-4) are tied at No. 11 in the standings, and both accepted the challenge of playing a ninth regular-season game. That happens to be one contest, as the Cubs visit the Warriors on Friday. McCook Central/Montrose (5-3) is currently in line for the 13-seed but awaits its final positioning.
With work to do in its final game in order to qualify for the postseason, Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan (2-5) is tied with Beresford at No. 17, currently on the outside looking in at the 16-team field. Needing a win, the Seahawks host Parker on Friday. If BEE and Beresford remain tied for a playoff spot after Friday, the Watchdogs have the tiebreaker due to their 21-20 head-to-head win on Sept. 12.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Standing tall atop the class is Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy (7-0). Despite playing the most difficult schedule in the class, with an opponent win percentage of .614, the Phoenix have won by an average of more than 34 points per game. With a cushion of more than 2.5 seed points over Hamlin and Parkston, which are tied at No. 2, FMFA appears to be locked into home-field advantage throughout its playoff run regardless of its final outcome. The Phoenix host Class 9B power Avon in the Great Plains Conference title game on Friday.
Since running into FMFA on opening night, Parkston (6-1) has rattled off six-straight wins and could possibly earn a top-two seed of its own with a win and a Hamlin loss this week. The Trojans host Gregory in the regular-season finale on Friday.
Bon Homme (6-2) moved up to No. 5, with its two losses coming against FMFA and Parkston. The Cavaliers have already played their eight regular-season games and are idle this week.
Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic
Kimball/White Lake (4-3) has recovered from a three-game mid-season skid to put itself at No. 8 in position for a first-round home game. Three teams — Viborg-Hurley, Gregory and Scotland/Menno — are within one seed point of the Wildkats entering this week. KWL plays winless Wolsey-Wessington in Huron on Friday.
Gregory (4-3) and Scotland/Menno (4-3) are tied at No. 10, and Hanson (3-4) is right behind at No. 12. Between the trio, the highest seeding could come down to whether those teams can pick up a road win this week. On Friday, Gregory heads to Parkston, Scotland/Menno is at Alcester-Hudson and Hanson visits Canistota.
Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian (1-6) picked up its first win of the season last week, but at No. 20, will need another this week in order to make the postseason. The Nighthawks hit the road to play Class 9A Gayville-Volin on Friday.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Defending state champion Howard (6-1) figures to be right back in contention for a deep postseason run, though the Tigers enter the final week at No. 6 in the standings. The Tigers’ one loss came in the season opener to the team immediately ahead of them, Alcester-Hudson. In the top four slots are unbeatens Wall and Warner, followed by one-loss squads Philip and Ipswich. Howard hosts Class 9AA Viborg-Hurley on Friday.
Platte-Geddes (6-2) is right behind Howard at No. 7, slipping slightly after a 6-0 start. However, both losses game to top-five Class 9AA teams in Parkston and Bon Homme. The Black Panthers have a ninth regular-season game on the schedule, helping fill out the Great Plains Conference crossover with a home date against Corsica-Stickney on Friday.
Lurking outside of the top eight, Lyman (4-3) has played the sixth-most difficult schedule in the class and rests at No. 10. In the tussle for positioning, the Raiders are trying to fend off Harding County/Bison, Centerville and Estelline/Hendricks, who are within one-half point of Lyman entering the week. The Raiders host Wall, the No. 1 team in the class, on Friday.
Mitchell Republic file photo
One of two undefeated squads in the class left standing, Avon (7-0) and Dell Rapids St. Mary have distanced themselves from the field. No. 1 DRSM has a lead of just under one-half point on the No. 2 Pirates, who are more than three points clear of No. 3 Faulkton Area. As such, Avon has all but secured a top-two seed in the playoffs, regardless of the outcome in the regular-season finale. The Pirates visit Class 9AA No. 1 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy on Friday.
Right on the tipping point between staying at home and going on the road in the first round, Corsica-Stickney (5-2) is tied at No. 8 with Iroquois/Lake Preston. The Jaguars are on the road at Class 9A Platte-Geddes on Friday.
Comfortably in the playoff field but angling to move up by getting to .500, Canistota (3-4) checks in at No. 11, and Burke (3-4) is tied at No. 12 with Arlington. The Hawks play host to Class 9AA Hanson, while the Cougars visit Centerville on Friday.
One of five winless teams in the class, Colome (0-7) is at the bottom of the standings. The Cowboys visit also winless Irene-Wakonda on Friday.
Dierks covers prep and collegiate athletics across the Mitchell Republic’s coverage region area. His focus areas include: Mitchell High School football and boys basketball; area high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and track and field; and South Dakota State football. He is also at the forefront of the Mitchell Republic’s podcasting efforts. Dierks is a Mitchell native who graduated from South Dakota State University with his bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2020. He joined the Mitchell Republic sports staff in August 2021. He can be reached at ldierks@mitchellrepublic.com and found on Twitter at @LDierksy.
PIERRE — A bill from South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley to criminalize the creation or sharing of deepfakes was amended this week to more clearly define what constitutes nudity before it reaches Gov. Larry Rhoden’s desk.
The amendment, added on the floor of the House of Representatives, came in response to concerns about unintended consequences.
Senate Bill 41 creates a class of felony crime for the creation or distribution of images digitally altered to depict a person in a state of nudity or involved in a sexually explicit act, commonly referred to as deepfakes.
In testimony in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday in Pierre, Jackley pointed to the case of Mark Rathbun, a former Division of Motor Vehicles employee who is accused of taking images of women and girls from state databases and creating sexual images.“This is real, and it’s something that we unfortunately are seeing happen in our state,” Jackley said.
The judiciary committee voted 8-3 to send the bill to the House floor but not before a discussion on its potential to criminalize political memes.
The bill’s definition of nudity originally encompassed a partial state of nudity. Fort Pierre Republican Rep. Will Mortenson asked Jackley if that would include a fabricated topless photo. Jackley said yes. Then Mortenson asked if a fabricated image of Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker without a shirt, if shared by President Donald Trump on social media, would put the president in line for felony charges.
Jackley said a Pritzker image wouldn’t qualify because Pritzker is male, but Mortenson pushed back.
He noted that partially nude fabrications would be a felony if done with the intent to “self-gratify or alarm, annoy, embarrass, harass, invade the privacy of, threaten, or cause emotional, financial, physical, psychological, or reputational harm to that individual.”
Nothing in the bill specified that a person in a digitally fabricated topless image must be female.
“We just said that half-nude is a state of nudity, and so now he’s shirtless, and the point of this is to embarrass this guy,” Mortenson said of his topless Pritzker meme scenario.
Mortenson voted against the bill in committee but brought an amendment Tuesday to define nudity as inclusive of male or female genitalia, buttocks or the female nipple.
The amendment passed, but it did not address every concern about the bill.
Democratic Rep. Kadyn Wittman of Sioux Falls asked Jackley during the bill’s committee hearing why he didn’t use it to enhance penalties for people who film others in states of undress or participating in sexual activity against their will.
That behavior is a felony if it involves the recording of a minor, or if it happens repeatedly. The new penalties for deepfakes would be added to the same chapter of South Dakota law.
“Why is the first time hidden recording a misdemeanor generally, but a digitally fabricated image would automatically be a classified felony,” said Wittman.
Jackley said he feels that the creation of digitally manipulated sexual images, even if they aren’t shared, signals “significant criminal intent.” He told South Dakota Searchlight after the committee meeting that he’s open to addressing that issue, but that SB 41’s primary purpose was to target deepfakes.
On the House floor, Wittman was one of two representatives to say the bill’s felony penalties could be unnecessarily harsh in instances where young people make “a stupid decision” and create a deepfake.
“I feel like, in a lot of situations, this bill covers behavior that could be covered by a lower level of offense,” Wittman said.
Supporters countered that the creation of fake nudes can do real psychological damage to real people, and that the state needs to clearly signal that doing so is a serious crime.
“It’s only fun and games until it happens to you,” said Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, R-St. Onge.
The bill passed the House 60-6. It now moves to the state Senate, which passed the bill 32-0 on Jan. 16. The Senate would need to approve the amended version of the bill before it could be delivered to Gov. Larry Rhoden to sign or veto.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing
07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 3 drawing
09-10-13-25-54, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Nebraska volleyball will play South Dakota State in a regular-season match in Brookings, S.D. The Huskers will face the Jackrabbits on September 2 at First Bank & Trust Arena.
Nebraska finished 2025 with a 33-1 overall record and was ranked No. 3 in the final AVCA poll of the season. South Dakota State was 23-5 and was the Summit League regular-season champions.
These two programs have faced each other before. They played a spring exhibition match in May 2025. The Huskers were victorious by a 4-0 sweep (25-18, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19).
Harper Murray led the Huskers in kills with 12, while also earning seven digs, five blocks and two aces. Andi Jackson delivered a double-double on the day, finishing with 11 kills and 10 blocks.
Nebraska is scheduled to play two exhibition games this spring. The Huskers will face Iowa State in Sioux Falls, S.D. on April 11 and Creighton in Omaha on April 17.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire (https://twitter.com/CornhuskersWire) on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebook (https://www.facebook.com/CornhuskersWire) to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.
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