South Dakota Semifinals

Class 9A

#4 Waverly-South Shore (9-1) at #1 Canistota (10-0)

Saturday, November 7 at 7:00 pm  -  Canistota, SD

What You need to know

Waverly-South Shore

The Coyotes  know they have their hands full with Canistota’s defense, but they’ll try to make some big plays in the passing game through quarterback Bailey Comes. He’s got a big target in Jacob Boettcher who has been the best receiver on the team this year. Carson Britzman is main rusher but quarterback Comes will also break off some big gains on the ground.

Canistota

The last two seasons Canistota has gone 13-7 which isn’t bad but it’s off the pace that won them three straight titles from 2010-2012. This year has more of the feel that those championship teams possessed. They’ve given up just 5.7 points per game and have outscored opponents 102-13 so far in the playoffs. I’ve had Canistota atop my 9-man rankings for much of the year because of the completeness of their team. Shay Jolley has been great at quarterback and Jerad Nielsen may be the best back in the class. The line on both sides of the ball can’t be overlooked. Xavier Ward (6-3, 275) is the most dominant and disruptive player in 9-man football.

#3 Scotland (9-1) at #2 Sully Buttes (9-1)

Saturday, November 7 – 6:00 pm   – Onida, SD

What you need to know:

Scotland

The Highlanders are enjoying a surprising season. They may be the only ones not surprised by their success. Scotland jumped out to a 6-0 record before their first setback at Corsica/Stickney. Since then they’ve beaten a tough Colome team and won convincingly against Andes Central/Dakota Christian and Philip in the playoffs. Key players for Scotland include quarterback Tanner Iwan, running back Chase Mogck and linebacker Josh Vaith.

Sully Buttes

The Chargers hope that their balance on offense pays off with a trip to the dome; it would be their first since 1990. They’ve suffered just one loss on the year, that was an early season loss to Herreid-Selby. Early in the year their defense was a sore spot. Now head coach Mark Senftner thinks it’s a strength. The unit has really come together over the past few weeks. They gave up just 6 points to Parker last week an d 8 to Potter County the week before. Offensively the Chargers offense goes through Scott Senftner’s hands.

QB - Scott Senftner -    126 - 201  63%  for 1710 yds. 25 TDs  run for 4 TDs

RB - Brady Hill          -     164 rushes for 1030 yds. 15 TDs

WR - Cody Nelson   -      57 catches for 842 yds. 14 TDs  run for 4 TDs

Coach Senftner knows the line has played a huge role in the team’s success too.

 With the success we have had this season our offensive line has played a big part of that.  We aren't big in size, but we are a quick group that has improved throughout the season.  They do a great job reading fronts and executing our game plan.

- Mark Senftner, Sully Buttes Head Coach