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First impressions can be deceiving. After a week of football I'll point out a few first impressions that might not be an accurate representation of what will happen throughout the season:

First impression; Canistota was challenged: Although the scoreboard said 20-16, Canistota led the entire game against Howard and commanded control most of the way. Last season the Hawks manhandled the Tigers so many were surprised to see Canistota only win by four. Two things to remember, Canistota is still very good and Howard is much better than people think. Howard has Cole Potter, Evan Donahue, Luke Loudenburg and Landon Laible in the backfield making plays.

First impression; Brandon Valley is a title contender: WhileBrandonValley did go on the road and beat aSioux Falls team, they did not play a great game. Quarterback Chase Marso kept throwing the ball through a tough O'Gorman defense and connected for almost 300 yards. But theBrandonValley running game and defense will have to improve if they are to contend for a title. Their schedule is favorable and they may go unbeaten this year, but I'll be curious to see how their running game and run defense evolves this year. That will decide if they challenge for a state title this year.

First impression; Lincoln and Roosevelt dominated in week one: While the Patriots and Riders got off to great starts, they both need to show that their quarterbacks are ready to lead. The Patriots Connor Burchill takes over the passing offense atLincoln trying to fill Alex Schultz' shoes. We'll see how the passing attack fares against a dominant Washington Warrior pass defense this week. Taryn Christion ofRoosevelt takes over as the Rider quarterback as a sophomore. There's no doubt Christion is a great athlete. He reminds me of Jake Weiss when he got some snaps as a sophomore quarterback forRoosevelt. But Christion will have his work cut out running a sophisticated offense against a stingy O'Gorman defense this Saturday at the Dakota Bowl.

First impression; Class 11A looks very good at the top: This first impression will be hard to change. We didn't get a look at defending champs Dell Rapids in an idle week, but we got to see their challengers. West Central moved the ball up and down the field on the ground against Vermillion. Tea jumped all over Bon Homme with a safety and a potent passing attack.DakotaValley beat a sound Elk Point-Jefferson squad with the Lambert twins rumbling down the field. The team I'm still not sure on isHarrisburg. They led throughout against an improvedMadison team, but didn't flex their muscle as much as I thought they'd be able to do. They have some work to do to move into my rankings past some of these up and coming challengers.