#1 Viborg-Hurley Cougars (14-2)
Rank+: 170
Best Win: #3 Centerville (52-41)
Wins: Freeman, Irene-Wakonda, EP-J, Wall, Hanson, Dakota Valley, Alcester-Hudson, Gayville-Volin, Wolsey-Wessington, Avon, Baltic, Centerville, Canistota, Bridgewater-Emery
Last Week:
- Tue vs. Canistota (W 61-48)
- Thu @ Bridgewater-Emery (W 56-27)
- Sat vs. #1A Wagner (L 63-41)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ Parker
- Fri @ Corn Palace vs. #1A Hamlin
I attend the Wagner vs V-H game this past weekend, and although it didn’t end in the Cougars’ favor, they still put up a very impressive performance.
The game was very close for 3 quarters and the Cougars were knocking down big shots all night long and battled hard with one of best team in the state, any class.
V-H has the athleticism to compete in any game, and their perimeter play is fantastic. This is a dangerous team, and they’ll have another opportunity against a high-caliber team in Hamlin this Friday.
#2 Ethan Rustlers (12-2)
Rank+: 158
Best Win: #7 Howard (61-54)
Wins: FA/M, Scotland, Wessington Springs, MV/P, Bridgewater-Emery, Menno Corsica-Stickney, Canistota, Mitchell Christian, Howard, SC/W, K/WL
Last Week:
- Tue @ SC/W (W 64-27)
- Fri @ K/WL (W 61-28)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon @ JVC
- Fri @ Avon
Ethan put together another great week with two dominant victories. Tonight will be another good matchup for the Rustlers, who are now on a 7-game win streak.
#3 Centerville Tornadoes (12-3)
Rank+: 152
Best Win: #10A Hanson (51-42)
Wins: Hanson, Canistota, FA/M, Gayville-Volin, Burke, Scotland, Irene-Wakonda, Freeman, Avon, T-D/A
Last Week:
- Tue vs. Alcester-Hudson (W 50-36)
- Thu vs. Marty (W 65-33)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ Canton
- Thu @ Menno
- Sat @ Corsica-Stickney vs. TBD
The Tornadoes bounce back from a loss to Viborg-Hurley, cruising to a pair of victories. They’ll have a great opportunity to now go get three more wins before a final game against St. Mary. They’ve pretty much sealed a top 2 seed in Region 4, so these next 2 weeks will be about preparing for the playoffs.
#4 Howard Tigers (14-3)
Rank+: 147.3
Best Win: #10A Hanson (W 58-55)
Wins: Arlington, Freeman, Colman-Egan, Lyman, SC/W, Menno, Canistota, MV/P, Hanson, Chester Area, O-R/R, Irene-Wakonda
Last Week:
- Mon vs. O-R/R (W 58-36)
- Tue @ Irene-Wakonda (W 60-41)
Weekly Schedule:
- Fri @ Corn Palace vs. #9 Jones County
Howard bounced up in the rankings this week after a pair of solid wins. They are still battling with Ethan and St. Mary’s for a host spot in Region 3, so a win over Jones County would be huge.
#5 Arlington Cardinals (13-4)
Rank+: 147.1
Best Win: #3 Centerville (59-55)
Wins: O-R/R, Castlewood, De Smet, Madison, I/LP, Deuel, Centerville, Colman-Egan, C-G-B (MN), Estelline/Hendricks, Tri-Valley, Deubrook Area, GPL
Last Week:
- Fri vs. Deubrook Area (W 58-35)
- Sat vs. GPL (W 47-35)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon @ #8 St. Mary
- Thu @ JVC
Another team that sits on the outside of hosting, Arlington has some must win games ahead. That includes tonight’s matchup against St. Mary, which could arguably be the best matchup of the week in Class B.
#6 Castlewood Warriors (11-5)
Rank+: 146
Best Win: Flandreau (38-31)
Wins: Deubrook Area, Flandreau, Deuel, C/WL, GPL, O-R/R, Pipestone (MN), Colman-Egan, I/LP
Last Week:
- Mon @ De Smet (W 53-44)
- Tue vs. Waubay-Summit (W 63-31)
- Thu @ #2A Hamlin (L 57-23)
Weekly Schedule:
- Tue @ Florence/Henry
- Fri vs. E-LB
Castlewood picked up two great wins before battling it out against one of the top teams in Class A. Even in the loss, that’s a great experience for the Warriors.
Now though, the focusing is on winning every game from here on out, as many spots in Region 2 are still up for the taking over the next two weeks.
#7 Wolsey-Wessington Warbirds (14-2)
Rank+: 145
Best Win: Miller (52-49)
Wins: Wessington Springs (x2), Faulkton Area, Kadoka Area, Miller, JVC, Estelline/Hendricks, SBA (x2), SC/W (x2), Highmore-Harrold, K/WL, De Smet
Last Week:
- Tue @ K/WL (W 57-48)
- Thu @ De Smet (W 59-54)
- Sat @ SC/W (W 58-36)
Weekly Schedule:
- Fri vs. I/LP
- Sat @ Warner vs. #9 Jones County
The Warbirds completed a crucial sweep over the weekend, giving them the top spot in Region 2.
That spot isn’t sealed, though, as Castlewood and Arlington both have a chance to take the top spot. The Warbirds have a tough schedule ahead, though, so they are in the driver’s seat if they an extend their 5-game win streak.
#8 St. Mary Cardinals (14-2)
Rank+: 143
Best Win: #6 Castlewood (52-50)
Wins: Howard, Colman-Egan, W-SS, Estelline/Hendricks, Chester Area, E-LB, O-R/R, Castlewood, Madison, Garretson, Alcester-Hudson, H-BC (MN), I/LP, Mitchell Christian
Last Week:
- Tue vs. H-BC MN (W 69-46)
- Thu vs. I/LP (W 86-46)
- Sat vs. Mitchell Christian (W 82-12)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon @ #5 Arlington
- Tue vs. Baltic
- Fri @ Corn Palace vs. #10 Wall
The Cardinals had one of the most dominant weeks in Class B. Though they fell a little in the rankings, #5-10 is very close, and I expect some more moving around before the week’s end.
Either way, St. Mary has a tough week to focus on, including a big game tonight against Arlington. Getting the win tonight or Friday against Wall will be critical to getting a host spot in Regions; especially because St. Mary has not lost at home in nearly a year.
#9 Jones County Coyotes (11-2)
Rank+: 142
Best Win: Kadoka Area (63-38)
Wins: K/WL, Highmore-Harrold, Stanley County, Burke, Colman-Egan, Bison, Colome, Kadoka Area, New Underwood, L/FA
Last Week:
- Tue vs. Sully Buttes (L 47-44)
- Thu @ New Underwood (W 42-21)
- Sat vs. L/FA (W 49-28)
Weekly Schedule:
- Mon vs. Kadoka Area
- Tue vs. Philip
- Fri @ Corn Palace vs. #4 Howard
- Sat @ Warner vs. #7 W-W
The Coyotes bounced back from a tough loss against Sully Buttes with two dominant victories to finish out the week. They now have the busiest schedule of any team in the class, and this weekend is going to be a challenge that hopefully prepares Jones County for a deep playoff run.
#10 Wall Eagles (12-5)
Rank+: 139
Best Win: #8 Jones County (48-45)
Wins: Edgemont, Todd County, Little Wound, Newell, Jones County, Bennett County, Chamberlain, Lead-Deadwood, Philip, New Underwood
Last Week:
- Thu vs. White River (W 59-38)
- Fri @ Kadoka Area (W 65-43)
Weekly Schedule:
- Fri @ Corn Palace vs. #8 St. Mary
Wall and Jones County are fighting for spots in the Top 10, but they are also battling for the Top 10 in Region 7.
All three of their remaining opponents will be tough, but none will be a bigger challenge than St. Mary this Friday.
