TK decided to make a Top 10, regardless of Class or the Media Poll. It has our biggest hot takes to date, so be sure to give it a read through.
1- St. Thomas More 7-0
Within all the teams listed in this ranking, no team has had a tougher opponent’s win/loss than STM…and maybe no one has performed better. The undefeated Cavaliers have rolled through opponents in three states and just took down Media Class AA #1 Washington by 5. STM has yet to play a team with a losing record and has won by 40, 28, 27, 23, 20 and 10 in addition to their win over Washington. And in these rankings, west river’s best is THE best in South Dakota.
Tough games:
Jan 15 @ #5 West Central
Feb 05 @ #7 Winner
2- Harrisburg 7-0
Just win. The Tigers hold the best record in Class AA, but have yet to play a team with a winning record. Roosevelt (3-3) is better than their record states, as they have faced O’Gorman and the Tigers, but still…Harrisburg has a few big games coming up, and these next few weeks will really show us a better picture of the top teams in the state
Tough games:
Jan 11 vs #6 Washington
Jan 19 vs #3 Brandon Valley
Feb 9 @ #4 O’Gorman
3- Brandon Valley 4-1
The Lynx had a great victory 10 points victory over O’Gorman, but took a loss on Jan. 02 to Mitchell by 5. Without the loss to the Kernels, Brandon Valley has a really argument at #1. I still think they are legit, and they have a tough week coming up that should test them.
Tough games:
Jan 16 @ Roosevelt
Jan 19 @ #2 Harrisburg
4- O’Gorman 4-1
Arguably the most talented team in the state, the Lady Knights hold only one loss to the Brandon Valley Lynx. But like most teams in the top of the rankings, they really haven’t faced a difficult schedule, or at least, faced a number of teams that are top-of-the-state caliber.
Tough games:
Jan 14 vs #6 Washington
Jan 22-23: Trip to Rapid City. Will face Central and then Stevens
5- West Central 6-1
The Trojans might be the most dangerous team in the state of South Dakota. Their only loss comes to White River by 2 at a neutral site, but they have taken down Winner, Mt.Vernon/Plankinton, and defeated Tea Area by 15. Look out for West Central to take Class A.
Tough games:
Jan 12 vs Dakota Valley
Jan 15 vs #1 St.Thomas More
6- Washington 4-1
Washington was the hardest team for me to rank. At one point, the media has them ranked #1 in the class. At another point, Harrisburg’s four wins come against opponents with a combined record 4-20. And then they lost to STM by 5. I can’t justify putting them at #1 or any higher than #6 with a schedule like that. But now they face Harrisburg, O’Gorman, and Roosevelt in an 8-day span, and how they perform will definitely give us a better idea of the rankings.
Tough games:
Jan 11 @ #2 Harrisburg
Jan 14 @ #4 O’Gorman
Jan 19 vs Roosevelt
7- Winner 7-1
The Warriors have been dominate for so long, you almost just expect them to be in this ranking. They lost their only game against a team with a record that is above .500%, but I still think Winner is legit. Big couple games ahead, including a Feb 5 opponent in STM and Feb 9 trip to White River.
Tough games:
Jan 14 @ #8 Corsica-Stickeny
Jan 29 vs Mount Vernon/Plankinton
8- Corsica-Stickney 6-0
I think Corisca-Stickney is the best Class B team in the state. Again, their schedule haas been relatively weak, but they still carry over an excellence from last year. They have a big game against Winner on Jan 14, but keep an eye on the score from today’s game against Wagner.
Tough games:
Jan 14 vs #7 Winner
9- White River 5-0
Has a great win for the resume against West Central, and will play a fairly easy schedule for the rest of the month. If the Tigers beat Winner on Feb 09, they will shoot up in these rankings.
Tough games:
Feb 09 vs #7 Winner
10- Hamlin 4-1
I think the Chargers are a lot better than people realize. They had a tough road loss to Castlewood by 2, but beat Tea Area by 12, and a 5-1 Florence-Henry by 17.
Tough games:
Jan 12 @ Sioux Valley
Jan 26 @ Aberdeen Roncalli
Receiving votes by class:
AA
Aberdeen Central
A
Sioux Falls Christian
Aberdeen Roncalli
B
Castlewood
Viborg-Hurley
