South Dakota
S.D. High School Activities Association releases the state’s 2024 football schedules
PIERRE — South Dakota’s 2024 high school football schedules have been released by the South Dakota High School Activities Association.
Official dates and times have not been finalized but each team knows who it will face, what week and whether it’s at home or away.
Class 11B and nine-man (9AA, 9A and 9B) can begin play in Week 0 (Thursday through Friday, Aug. 22-24) and conclude their regular season by Oct. 18. Playoffs are set for Oct. 24, Oct. 31 and Nov. 8.
Class 11AAA, AA and AA can begin play on Week 1 (Aug. 29-31) and conclude their regular season on Oct. 25. Playoffs are set for Oct. 31 and No. 8.
State championships in all classes are slated for Nov. 14-16 in the DakotaDome at Vermillion.
Here are the schedules for each of the Watertown and Aberdeen area schools. Links to the complete 11-man and nine-man schedules are posted online at www.thepublicopinion.com.
Most games will be scheduled on Fridays, but Thursdays and Saturdays are options. Here is the schedule key: Week 0 (Aug. 22-24), Week 1 (Aug. 29-31), Week 2 (Sept. 5-7), Week 3 (Sept. 12-14), Week 4 (Sept. 19-21), Week 5 (Sept. 26-28), Week 6 (Oct. 3-5), Week 7 (Oct. 10-12), Week 8 (Oct. 17-19) and Week 9 (Oct. 24).
Class 11AA
Aberdeen Central — Week 1 (Pierre), Week 2 (at Tea Area), Week 3 (Sioux Falls Lincoln), Week 4 (Spearfish), Week 5 (at Sturgis), Week 6 (Mitchell), Week 7 (Huron), Week 8 (at Brookings) and Week 9 (at Watertown).
Watertown — Week 1 (at Sioux Falls Jefferson), Week 2 (Spearfish), Week 3 (at Sturgis), Week 4 (Pierre), Week 5 (at Douglas), Week 6 (at Yankton), Week 7 (Tea Area), Week 8 (at Mitchell) and Week 9 (Aberdeen Central).
Class 11A
Milbank — Week 1 (Lakota Tech), Week 2 (at Tri-Valley), Week 3 (Groton Area), Week 4 (Dell Rapids), Week 5 (at Vermillion), Week 6 (Sisseton), Week 7 (at Aberdeen Roncalli), Week 8 (West Central) and Week 9 (at Madison).
2024 11-Man Football Schedules: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24549785-2024-11-man-schedule-final?responsive=1&title=1
Class 11B
Aberdeen Roncalli — Week 0 (at Clark-Willow Lake), Week 1 (Bye), Week 2 (Deuel), Week 3 (Mobridge-Pollock), Week 4 (at Miller/Highmore-Harrold), Week 5 (Webster Area), Week 6 (at Groton Area), Week 7 (Milbank) and Week 8 (at Sisseton).
Clark-Willow Lake — Week 0 (Aberdeen Roncalli), Week 1 (Bye), Week 2 (at Sisseton), Week 3 (Sioux Valley), Week 4 (at Parker), Week 5 (Groton Area), Week 6 (Deuel), Week 7 (at Mobridge-Pollock) and Week 8 (at Webster Area).
Deuel — Week 0 (Flandreau), Week 1 (Sisseton), Week 2 (at Aberdeen Roncalli), Week 3 (Winner), Week 4 (Bye), Week 5 (at Groton Area), Week 6 (at Clark-Willow Lake), Week 7 (at Webster Area) and Week 8 (Mobridge-Pollock).
Groton Area — Week 1 (Mobridge-Pollock), Week 2 (at Webster Area), Week 3 (at Milbank), Week 4 (Deuel), Week 5 (at Clark-Willow Lake), Week 6 (Aberdeen Roncalli), Week 7 (at Sisseton) and Week 8 (Baltic).
Mobridge-Pollock — Week 0 (Lead-Deadwood), Week 1 (at Groton Area), Week 2 (at Miller/Highmore-Harrold), Week 3 (at Aberdeen Roncalli), Week 5 (Bye), Week 6 (Belle Fourche), Week 7 (Webster Area), Week 8 (Clark-Willow Lake) and Week 9 (at Deuel).
Sioux Valley — Week 0 (St. Thomas More), Week 1 (Bye), Week 2 (Baltic), Week 3 (at Clark-Willow Lake), Week 4 (Sisseton), Week 5 (at Deuel), Week 6 (at Flandreau), Week 7 (at Beresford) and Week 8 (Elk Point-Jefferson).
Sisseton — Week 0 (Webster Area), Week 1 (at Deuel), Week 2 (Clark-Willow Lake), Week 3 (at Flandreau), Week 4 (at Sioux Valley), Week 5 (Bye); Week 6 (at Milbank), Week 7 (Groton Area) and Week 8 (Aberdeen Roncalli).
Webster Area — Week 0 (at Sisseton), Week 1 (McCook Central-Montrose), Week 2 (Groton Area), Week 3 (Woonsocket-Wessington Springs-Sanborn Central), Week 4 (Bye), Week 5 (at Aberdeen Roncalli), Week 6 (at Mobridge-Pollock), Week 7 (Deuel) and Week 8 (Clark-Willow Lake).
2024 Class 9AA Football Schedules: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24550322-2024-class-9aa-schedule?responsive=1&title=1
Class 9AA
Britton-Hecla — Week 0 (at Hamlin), Week 1 (Leola-Frederick Area), Week 2 (at Redfield), Week 3 (Florence-Henry), Week 4 (Bye), Week 5 (at Great Plains Lutheran), Week 6 (Waubay-Summit), Week 7 (at Wilmot) and Week 8 (Waverly-South Shore).
De Smet — Week 0 (at Kimball-White Lake), Week 1 (Garretson), Week 2 (at Hanson), Week 3 (Elkton-Lake Benton), Week 4 (Bye), Week 5 (at Florence-Henry), Week 6 (Hamlin), Week 7 (Great Plains Lutheran) and Week 8 (at Estelline-Hendricks).
Elkton-Lake Benton — Week 0 (Waubay-Summit), Week 1 (at Viborg-Hurley), Week 2 (Freeman-Marion/Freeman Academy), Week 3 (at De Smet), Week 4 (Great Plains Lutheran), Week 5 (Bye), Week 6 (at Garretson), Week 7 (at Deubrook Area) and Week 8 (Hamlin).
Florence-Henry — Week 1 (Waverly-South Shore), Week 2 (Great Plains Lutheran), Week 3 (at Britton-Hecla), Week 4 (at Hamlin), Week 5 (De Smet), Week 6 (at Wilmot), Week 7 (at Redfield) and Week 8 (Waubay-Summit).
Great Plains Lutheran — Week 0 (Waverly-South Shore), Week 1 (at Waubay-Summit), Week 2 (at Florence-Henry), Week 3 (Hamlin), Week 4 (at Elkton-Lake Benton), Week 5 (Britton-Hecla), Week 6 (Bye), Week 7 (at De Smet) and Week 8 (Wilmot).
Hamlin — Week 0 (Britton-Hecla), Week 1 (Hanson), Week 2 (at Waubay-Summit), Week 3 (at Great Plains Lutheran), Week 4 (Florence-Henry), Week 5 (Redfield), Week 6 (at De Smet), Week 7 (Bye), Week 8 (at Elkton-Lake Benton).
Leola-Frederick Area — Week 0 (Redfield), Week 1 (at Britton-Hecla), Week 2 (Stanley County), Week 3 (at North Central), Week 4 (Faulkton Area), Week 5 (Bye), Week 6 (Northwestern), Week 7 (at Ipswich) and Week 8 (at Warner).
Redfield — Week 0 (at Leola-Frederick Area), Week 1 (Kimball-White Lake), Week 2 (Britton-Hecla), Week 3 (Stanley County), Week 4 (at Waubay-Summit), Week 5 (at Hamlin), Week 6 (at Warner), Week 7 (Florence-Henry) and Week 8 (Bye).
Waubay-Summit — Week 0 (at Elkton-Lake Benton), Week 1 (Great Plains Lutheran), Week 2 (Hamlin), Week 3 (at Waverly-South Shore), Week 4 (Redfield), Week 5 (Wilmot), Week 6 (at Britton-Hecla), Week 7 (Bye) and Week 8 (at Florence-Henry).
Class 9A
Castlewood — Week 0 (Warner), Week 1 (at Chester), Week 2 (at Wolsey-Wessington), Week 3 (Bye), Week 4 (Wilmot), Week 5 (Oldham-Ramona-Rutland), Week 6 (at Waverly-South Shore), Week 7 (Estelline-Hendricks) and Week 8 (at Deubrook Area).
Deubrook Area — Week 0 (at Centerville), Week 1 (Wolsey-Wessington), Week 2 (at Howard), Week 3 (Bye), Week 4 (at Chester), Week 5 (Waverly-South Shore), Week 6 (at Estelline-Hendricks), Week 7 (at Elkton-Lake Benton) and Week 8 (Castlewood).
Estelline-Hendricks — Week 0 (at Wolsey-Wessington), Week 1 (Howard), Week 2 (Chester), Week 3 (Bye), Week 4 (at Waverly-South Shore), Week 5 (at Colman-Egan), Week 6 (Deubrook Area), Week 7 (at Castlewood) and Week 8 (De Smet).
2024 Class 9A Football Schedules: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24550321-2024-class-9a-schedule?responsive=1&title=1
Ipswich — Week 0 (Timber Lake), Week 1 (at Faulkton Area), Week 2 (at Warner), Week 3 (Northwestern), Week 4 (Bye), Week 5 (at Herreid-Selby Area), Week 6 (at Hitchcock-Tulare), Week 7 (Leola-Frederick Area) and Week 8 (North Central).
North Central — Week 0 (Lemmon-McIntosh), Week 1 (Dupree), Week 2 (at Timber Lake), Week 3 (Leola-Frederick Area), Week 4 (at Northwestern), Week 5 (Bye), Week 6 (at Faulkton Area), Week 7 (Warner) and Week 8 (at Ipswich).
Potter County — Week 0 (Harding County-Bison), Week 1 (Warner), Week 2 (at Lemmon-McIntosh), Week 3 (at Dupree), Week 4 (Sully Buttes), Week 5 (Bye), Week 6 (at Herreid-Selby Area), Week 7 (Timber Lake) and Week 8 (at Stanley County).
Warner — Week 0 (at Castlewood), Week 1 (at Potter County), Week 2 (Ipswich), Week 3 (Faulkton Area), Week 4 (Bye), Week 5 (at Northwestern), Week 6 (Redfield), Week 7 (at North Central) and Week 8 (Leola-Federick Area).
Waverly-South Shore — Week 0 (at Great Plains Lutheran), Week 1 (at Florence-Henry), Week 2 (Wilmot), Week 3 (Waubay-Summit), Week 4 (Estelline-Hendricks), Week 5 (at Deubrook Area), Week 6 (Castlewood), Week 7 (Bye) and Week 8 (at Britton-Hecla).
Class 9B
Arlington — Week 0 (at Sunshine Bible Academy), Week 1 (at Wilmot), Week 2 (Dell Rapids St. Mary), Week 3 (at Sioux Falls Lutheran), Week 4 (Oldham-Ramona-Rutland), Week 5 (Bye), Week 6 (Iroquois-Lake Prerston), Week 7 (at Colman-Egan) and Week 8 (Hitchcock-Tulare).
Faulkton Area — Week 1 (Ipswich), Week 2 (Herreid-Selby Area), Week 3 (at Warner), Week 4 (at Leola-Frederick Area), Week 5 (at Sully Buttes), Week 6 (North Central), Week 7 (at Hitchcock-Tulare) and Week 8 (Northwestern).
Herreid-Selby Area — Week 0 (Faith), Week 1 (Northwestern), Week 2 (at Faulkton Area), Week 3 (at Lemmon-McIntosh), Week 4 (at Timber Lake), Week 5 (Ipswich), Week 6 (Potter County), Week 7 (at Sully Buttes) and Week 8 (Bye).
Hitchcock-Tulare — Week 0 (Corsica-Stickney), Week 1 (at Iroquois-Lake Preston), Week 2 (at Northwestern), Week 3 (at Sully Buttes), Week 4 (Bye), Week 5 (Sunshine Bible Academy), Week 6 (Ipswich), Week 7 (Faulkton Area) and Week 8 (at Arlington).
Iroquois-Lake Preston — Week 0 (at Wilmot), Week 1 (Hitchcock-Tulare), Week 2 (at Canistota), Week 3 (Bye), Week 4 (Sunshine Bible Academy), Week 5 (Dell Rapids St. Mary), Week 6 (at Arlington), Week 7 (at Oldham-Ramona-Rutland) and Week 8 (Colman-Egan).
2024 Class 9B Football Schedules: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24550320-2024-class-9b-schedule?responsive=1&title=1
Northwestern — Week 0 (Sully Buttes), Week 1 (at Herreid-Selby Area), Week 2 (Hitchcock-Tulare), Week 3 (at Ipswich), Week 4 (North Central), Week 5 (Warner), Week 6 (at Leola-Frederick Area), Week 7 (Bye) and Week 8 (at Faulkton Area).
Oldham-Ramona-Rutland — Week 0 (at Dell Rapids St. Mary), Week 1 (Sunshine Bible Academy), Week 2 (Sioux Falls Lutheran), Week 3 (at Irene-Wakonda), Week 4 (at Arlington), Week 5 (at Castlewood), Week 6 (Colman-Egan), Week 7 (Iroquois-Lake Preston) and Week 8 (Bye).
Sunshine Bible Academy — Week 0 (Arlington), Week 1 (at Oldham-Ramona-Rutland), Week 2 (at Colome), Week 3 (Burke), Week 4 (at Iroquois-Lake Preston), Week 5 (at Hitchcock-Tulare), Week 6 (Corsica-Stickney), Week 7 (Bye) and Week 8 (Sully Buttes).
Wilmot — Week 0 (Iroquois-Lake Preston), Week 1 (Arlington), Week 2 (at Waverly-South Shore), Week 3 (Bye), Week 4 (at Castlewood), Week 5 (at Waubay-Summit), Week 6 (Florence-Henry), Week 7 (Britton-Hecla) and Week 8 (at Great Plains Lutheran)
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
(SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT) – Democrats are running for 46 of South Dakota’s 105 legislative seats — leaving 56% of seats without a Democratic candidate.
That doesn’t bode well for the party ahead of November, said Michael Card, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Dakota.
“It doesn’t put them in a position to actually put forward their ideological policy preferences and have much of a success at getting those enacted,” Card said.
In the state Senate alone, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 22 seats, which is nearly two-thirds of the chamber. In the House, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 38 seats, which is 54% of the chamber.
There is only one Democratic legislative primary in the state: a state Senate race in District 26, which includes the Rosebud Reservation.
There are no statewide Democratic primaries, after announced candidates for governor and U.S. House dropped out or failed to gather enough petition signatures to make the ballot, leaving one Democrat in each of those races.
Statewide candidates will have less name recognition than Republican candidates ahead of the general election, since they didn’t have primaries, Card said. In the Legislature, Card said Democrats “are guaranteeing they won’t get a majority.”
In contrast, Republicans have primary races for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Five legislative districts do not have Republican primaries, but do have Republican candidates. There is a Republican candidate running for every legislative seat, except for one House seat in District 27, which includes the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Card said there are several factors leading to poor candidate turnout among Democrats, including a self-fulfilling cycle of failure.
“A lack of winning makes fewer people willing to take a chance on running for office,” Card said. “Why run if I think I’m going to lose?”
Democrats haven’t held a statewide office since 2015, and they haven’t held a majority of either legislative chamber since 1994.
Joe Zweifel, deputy executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said the organization worked “really, really hard” to convince Democrats to run for office.
“But you can’t force people to run for office,” said Zweifel, of Sioux Falls, who’s running for a legislative seat himself in District 12.
He’s heard the open seats called a “failure.” But he disagrees, choosing to focus on the Democrats who did step forward.
“We’re running quality, good candidates in those races,” Zweifel said.
The South Dakota Democratic Party hopes to build on legislative successes, such as a new law from Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, that commits state funding to cover the family portion of reduced-price school meals.
“That specifically is a return on investment for our donors, and it shows that Democrats are doing good things for the people of South Dakota,” Zweifel said.
Wittman’s success helped inspire Democratic District 13 House of Representatives candidate Ali Rae Horsted, of Sioux Falls, to take a second run at the Legislature. Horsted ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against Sen. Sue Peterson in 2024, garnering 42% of the vote.
Horsted plans to build on that success and the name recognition she already has in the district. She hopes she’ll have “better odds” in this election, since there are two House seats for every district.
Horsted said it would better serve South Dakota if the state had a more balanced Legislature. While the latest Legislature was 92% Republican, 52% of voters in South Dakota are Republican. South Dakota has the lowest percentage of Democrats, 7.6%, in the Legislature nationwide.
“I think it’s important that people have options on the ballot,” Horsted said, “and people are able to vote for candidates that represent their values and their vision for the future of South Dakota.”
Makenzie Huber is a lifelong South Dakotan who regularly reports on the intersection of politics and policy with health, education, social services and Indigenous affairs. Her work with South Dakota Searchlight earned her the title of South Dakota’s Outstanding Young Journalist in 2024, and she was a 2024 finalist for the national Livingston Awards.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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From East River to West River, South Dakota communities share a common goal: creating places where people of all ages can live, work and thrive. AARP’s Domains of Livability provide a framework to help communities do just that. Through the AARP Community Challenge grant program—designed to spark quick, impactful local projects—South Dakota communities are turning big ideas into visible, people-centered improvements.
Read the South Dakota Community Challenge Grant Report, which showcases grant-funded projects across the state designed to build more livable communities.
What Are AARP’s Domains of Livability?
AARP’s approach to livable communities is rooted in eight interconnected domains that together support quality of life at every age:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings – Safe, accessible parks, streets and public buildings
- Transportation – Affordable, accessible options for getting around
- Housing – A range of choices that support independence
- Social Participation – Opportunities to connect, learn and have fun
- Respect and Social Inclusion – Communities that value people of all backgrounds and ages
- Civic Participation and Employment – Meaningful ways to engage and contribute
- Communication and Information – Clear, accessible ways to stay informed
- Community Support and Health Services – Access to services that support well-being
These domains work best when addressed together—something South Dakota communities are embracing.
Turning Vision into Action with Community Challenge Grants
AARP Community Challenge grants fund short-term, “quick-action” projects that can ignite long-term change. Across South Dakota, these grants have helped communities pilot ideas, build momentum and demonstrate what’s possible when residents put people first.
Here’s how local projects are bringing the Domains of Livability to life:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings: Communities have used grants to enhance parks, create pop-up public spaces, add benches and shade and install wayfinding signs. These improvements invite people to linger, gather, and enjoy shared spaces—supporting both physical activity and social connection.
- Transportation: Small, thoughtful transportation projects can make a big difference. Community Challenge grants have supported safer crossings, improved walkability and bikeability around key destinations and the planning or installation of transit amenities like shelters and seating—especially important for older adults and people with mobility challenges.
- Housing and Community Support: Some projects focus on helping residents age in place by improving access to information about home modification resources or by testing neighborhood-level solutions that connect people to services. These efforts strengthen independence and peace of mind.
- Social Participation and Inclusion: Murals, community events and creative placemaking projects funded by AARP grants have sparked community pride and social connection. By involving residents in design and implementation, these projects foster respect, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging across generations.
- Communication, Civic Participation and Opportunity: From hosting community conversations to creating new tools for sharing local information, South Dakota communities are using grants to engage residents in shaping their future. These efforts elevate local voices and encourage ongoing civic participation.
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