Thank you for reading another edition of our 2023 power rankings!
It was a super exciting week with some standouts in the Hanson Classic and we have a huge week ahead of us!
I’m still working on a chart that helps to show where Rank+ in each class relates to average, above-average, etc. across the state, but if you are new and would like a primer, I put links to articles from us at the bottom that you can jump to here. I also rounded the Rank+ to whole numbers. It’s just a little cleaner to read.
Thanks, and happy reading.
#1 SFC Chargers (9-0)
Rank+: 177
Best Win: #3 Dell Rapids (65-53
Wins: Lennox, West Central, EP-J, O’Gorman, Thunder Basin (WY), Unity Christian (IA), Dell Rapids, Watertown, Madison
Last Week:
- Fri vs. Madison (W 68-64)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs. #7 Tea Area
- Thu @ #2 Dakota Valley
- Sat @ Madison vs #6 Hamlin
It was 1-game week for the Chargers, but man was that game a wild one. Madison was coming off a huge win over Dell Rapids from the night before, and brought that energy into their game against SFC.
However, despite being down by 11 at halftime, the Chargers showed toughness and battled back to a 4 point win, helped in part by some ridiculous shooting from Britton Mulder:
Though it’s not a top 10 victory right now, last week’s win for SFC was a great win.
Looking ahead, no one in the state has a bigger week than SFC. If they can make it out against a gauntlet of a schedule, there will be no question they are the #1 team in the state.
#2 Dakota Valley Panthers (10-0)
Rank+: 174
Best Win: #4 Sioux Valley (82-57)
Wins: Tea Area, Beresford, Minneapolis North (MN), Chamberlain, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (IA), LeMars (IA), West Central, Hartington Cedar Catholic (NE), Tri-Valley, Sioux Valley
Last Week:
- Fri vs. Tri-Valley (W 73-52)
- Sat vs. Sioux Valley (W 82-57)
Weekly Schedule:
- Thu vs #1 SFC
- Sat @ Madison vs #8 C/WL
Rarely am I surprised by the level of play a team has in any one game. Even more rarely is that a top team playing even better than they have before.
Dakota Valley, however, had one of those games against Sioux Valley.
There was a lot of dimensions to the Panthers’ game that we saw this weekend. Let’s start with Isaac Bruns. The senior was incredibly impressive on his way to 26 points with his shot making ability. Here’s a great example of how much space he created on 3 dribbles off a rebound:
Very rarely do you see a player at the high school level that has enough moves in his bag to score in any situation, but Bruns showed that against SV.
Randy Rosenquist also had an incredible game at the point guard position, showcasing his ability to get downhill quickly, which opens up space for himself and his teammates:
I also want to take a quick note to comment on Jaxson Wingert’s defensive play this weekend. While it may not get the recognition that Bruns and Rosenquist got offensively, Wingert and co. held Alec Squires to just 8 points in the win.
In fact, the entire Panthers team put together a complete effort on both ends of the court. I was already very high on DV’s ability, but they took it to a new level this weekend. They’ve won 37 games in a row for a reason, and I’m excited to see them play in another marquee matchup with SFC this Thursday.
#3 Dell Rapids Quarriers (7-2)
Rank+: 173
Best Win: #6 Hamlin (W 64-52)
Wins: West Central, Hamlin, Canton, Baltic, Milbank, Parker, EP-J
Last Week:
- Mon vs. Parker (W 90-34)
- Thu @ Madison (L 62-61)
- Sat vs. EP-J (W 77-40)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs. E-LB
- Thu @ Vermillion
- Sat @ Madison vs. Roncalli
It was a tough loss against Madison, but I don’t think anything is slowing down for the Quarriers; as they turned around and took care of business against EP-J.
Elite teams can turn losses into great learning experiences, and Dells looks to do that over the next couple of weeks.
#4 Sioux Valley Cossacks (11-1)
Rank+: 165
Best Win: #1B De Smet (67-58)
Wins: C/WL, Beresford, Baltic, De Smet, Garretson, Baltic, Beresford, Hamlin, MC/M, Chester Area, Deubrook Area
Last Week:
- Tue @ Chester Area (W 85-40)
- Thu @ Deubrook Area (W 100-47)
- Sat vs. Dakota Valley (L 82-57)
Weekly Schedule:
- Thu @ Flandreau
- Sat @ Pentagon vs. STM
The Cossacks showcased some incredibly offensive ability last week, but took their first loss of the year against Dakota Valley.
They are in the same boat as Dells; a loss can turn into a great opportunity to grow as team. They still showed some positives in the loss, including 24 points from Oliver Vincent, but what I was most impressed with was how they didn’t waste time.
Most teams would just pack it up in the 4th quarter, but Coach Vincent was running presses and utilized the time to the best of their abilities. I respect teams that never give up and the Cossacks showed some real mental toughness by playing hard until the end.
#5 Lennox Orioles (8-1)
Rank+: 160
Best Win: Madison (66-32)
Wins: Milbank, Canton, Madison, Waconia (MN), MV/P, Vermillion, Chamberlain, Platte-Geddes
Last Week:
- Tue @ Chamberlain (W 92-44)
- Fri @ Platte-Geddes (W 76-44)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon vs. West Central
- Tue @ Brookings
- Thu @ Parkston
- Sat @ Madison vs. Deuel
The Orioles have quietly kept themselves near the top of the rankings, and took home two dominant road victories this week.
Lennox is averaging the 4th most points in this class, and have put up 70+ in each of their last 3 games. They don’t have any marquee matchups this week, but don’t sleep on the Orioles.
#6 Hamlin Chargers (7-2)
Rank+: 157
Best Win: #1B De Smet (57-55)
Wins: Groton Area, Howard, Tiospa Zina, Webster Area, De Smet, Redfield, MV/P
Last Week:
- Tue vs. #1B De Smet (W 57-55)
- Thu vs. Redfield (W 59-21)
- Sat vs. MV/P (W 73-48)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ Roncalli
- Thu vs. Sisseton
- Sat @ Madison vs #1 SFC
In my opinion 3 teams really stood out in Class A this week: Madison, Dakota Valley and Hamlin.
All three of these teams put together really competitive weeks, and the Chargers made the biggest jump in the rankings of any team. First, a huge win against De Smet set the tone for the rest of the week, which ended in an absolutely dominant win against MV/P in the Hanson Classic.
So keep your eye on the Chargers, as there might not be a hotter team in the state than Hamlin as they get ready for a big matchup versus #1 Sioux Falls Christian.
#7 Tea Area Titans (7-2)
Rank+: 154
Best Win: Madison (65-40)
Wins: Marshall (MN), Vermillion, Madison, Crofton (NE), Canton, Aberdeen, Watertown
Last Week:
- Tue @ Watertown (45-44)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ #1 SFC
- Thu @ Tri-Valley
- Sat @ Madison vs. Parkston
We didn’t get to see much of the Titans last week, with just 1 game at Watertown.
This week though, Tea has a big matchup against undefeated SFC. It’s the start of a tough few weeks for the Titans, with De Smet and Dell Rapids on the horizon.
#8 C/WL Cyclones (8-3)
Rank+: 149
Best Win: #9 Groton Area (51-43)
Wins: Milbank, Florence/Henry, Wessington Springs, Groton Area, Webster Area, Deuel, Roncalli, Canistota
Last Week:
- Thu vs. Roncalli (W 66-33)
- Sat vs. #8B Canistota (W 47-41)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon @ GPL
- Fri vs. Redfield
- Sat @ Madison vs. #2 Dakota Valley
The Cyclones are finding their stride at the right time, taking home two more great wins against Roncalli and Canistota.
And although they have quietly put together a great season, C/WL will get a chance to make some noise against Dakota Valley this weekend.
#9 Groton Area Tigers (5-2)
Rank+: 147
Best Win: Milbank (64-36)
Wins: Warner, SFL, Sisseton, Tiospa Zina, Milbank
Last Week:
- Thu @ Milbank (W 64-36)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon vs. Northwestern
- Thu @ Webster Area
- Sat @ Madison vs. EP-J
Another team with a quiet week, the Tigers have two great games this week with Northwestern and EP-J.
#10 RC Christian Comets (11-0)
Rank+: 145
Best Win: #2B Lower Brule (W 73-66)
Wins: Douglas, Crow Creek, Red Cloud, Lower Brule, White River, Dickinson Trinity (ND), Shiloh Christian (ND), Sturgis, Alliance (NE), Newcastle (WY), Lakota Tech
Last Week:
- Fri @ Lakota Tech (W 58-55)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue vs. Custer
- Fri @ STM
With just one game on the schedule last week, the Comets dropped in the rankings as other teams got big wins and some previous opponents struggled. This isn’t any fault of RCC, just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
On the positive, they have a very fun matchup this Friday against St. Thomas More. A best of the west matchup, there is a great chance these two teams come into the matchup with a combined record of 24-1.
Additional Reading:
