Nate's SD Big Dogs of the Week: Week 4-5

We move into Week 4-5 across South Dakota and dish out our Big Dogs of the Week across the Mount Rushmore State. There were plenty to choose from this week on both sides of the river with a chunk of 2026s still uncommitted, 2028s rising their stock, and more.   [player_tooltip player_id='1575915' first='Hayden' last='Pihl'], QB, Harding County-Bison 2026 <a href="https://x.com/Hayden_Pihl8">Twitter</a>   Stat Line: 16/17 passing, 407 passing yards, six touchdowns   Talk about a quarterback that was efficent with his ball placement on muliple levels last Friday night as Hayden Phil had a day for Harding County-Bison in their win over Lemmon-McIntosh. Watching the tape, you have to give a shoutout to his receiving core as some of the vision in the open field that is displayed shows great efficency getting upfield. You can certainly tell that Hayden has developed more balanced touch in his throws from watching him last season as a quarterback that is thriving for the Ranchers offense. He shows off as an under the radar 2026 prospect that could be a great fit at the NAIA level in the Dakotas.   [player_tooltip player_id='1601551' first='Noah' last='Wald'], QB, Rapid City St. Thomas More 2028   Stat Line: 9/11 passing, 260 passing yards, four touchdowns   A 2028 quarterback that I surely have as a riser to my SD rankings out of Rapid City St. Thomas More is [player_tooltip player_id='1601551' first='Noah' last='Wald'], who sees himself as a first time Big Dog of the Week this season. You can tell mechanically where Noah has grown from his 2024 season as he has shown growth especially with his efficency going from his first to second reads in my eyes. Another area that I see growth is his arm strength on intermediate routes as Noah is surely offering more whip in his arm plus, the ball placement appears on tape to be more precise which shows why his wide receiving core can get downfield easier thus far this season. You can bet that from the getco, Rapid City St. Thomas More is a team to watch down the line in 11B.   [player_tooltip player_id='848975' first='Shane' last='Veenhof'], WR, Madison 2026 <a href="https://x.com/Shane_Veenhof">Twitter</a>   Stat Line: 114 receiving yards, three touchdowns   I always talk about "chemistry" between a quarterback and wide receiver, which I don't feel there is a deeper chemistry than catching a pass from your younger brother which South Dakota State commit [player_tooltip player_id='848975' first='Shane' last='Veenhof'] has benefitted from this year as one of the states top wide receivers in the 2026 class. Shane has continued to intrigue me with how well-versed he in around the sidelines and in high traffic areas with his excellent hands which I feel that ceiling has risen even higher in his senior season with the Madison Bulldogs. Out of his brother [player_tooltip player_id='1597644' first='Henry' last='Veenhof']'s four touchdowns in thier 34-15 win over Vermillion at the DakotaDome, three of those went to Shane as I would love to know the rate of touchdown passes these two have gathered this season. Madison has their biggest game of the regualr season on Friday as we have a battle of 1 vs. 2 as Sioux Falls Christian comes to Brian Kern Family Stadium for one of the biggest battles the state has to offer on Friday night.   Holden Wollman, QB, Bridgewater-Ethan-Emery 2026 <a href="https://x.com/holden_wollmann">Twitter</a>   Stat Line: 14/22 passing, 343 total yards (186 pass, 157 rush), five total touchdowns Defense: five tackles, three tackles for a loss   A Big Dog of the Week that is not getting talked about enough across the state this week is the performance Holden Wollman had last week from Bridgewater-Ethan-Emery. Getting to watch Holden at camps this summer, you could tell that college coaches were impressed with how athletic this kid was during drills as this was especially true at one NSIC camp I was in attendance at. You want to see a clip from last week that shows how athletic he is? Go to his second play on tape, where he flips the field after getting out of a jam of defenders and runs 30+ yards for a Seahawks touchdown. I have to say how surprised I am that Holden doesn't have his first football offer yet this deep into September as the position flexibility too is there for the taking as a prospect that is a great fit for Saturdays.   [player_tooltip player_id='1575892' first='Cole' last='Kieffer'], TE, Lyman 2028 <a href="https://x.com/Colekieffer_">Twitter</a>   Stat Line: 5 receptions, 101 receiving yards, two touchdowns   We might not have the highest quantity of tight ends in South Dakota, but the quality in these high school classes is high as Lyman 2028 tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1575892' first='Cole' last='Kieffer'] is one that had a great week last week in thier win over Bennett County. Since last Spring, Cole looks to be more fluid as a route-runner which was especially noted in his Week 4 tape and his first touchdown of the day for the Raiders. He also is utilizing his long strides smoother than we saw just 4 months ago at our spring Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. You can tell that Cole also is growing with his pass-catching in high traffic areas as he knows how to box out in a way a smaller defender to get leverage as a pass-catcher especially in red zone situations. He is one that surely showing why he's our TE1 in this SD 2028 class.   [player_tooltip player_id='848948' first='Quinton' last='Hall'], DB, Sioux Falls Washington 2026 <a href="https://x.com/Quinton_hall21">Twitter</a>   Stat Line: 13 total tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 2 pass breakups   That might be the biggest mouthful of a stat line I have typed out in recent years in the Dakotas for our Big Dogs of the Week which came from 2026 cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='848948' first='Quinton' last='Hall'] of Sioux Falls Washington. What's even better for college coaches out there? He is back to being uncommitted for next-year as a stat line like that should rise his stock to college programs. The tape starts out with a literal bang, as Quinton has surely gotten more agile playing the run downhill and appears to be in the top-tier in this 2026 class for hardest hitting defensive backs in the state. Quinton was also excellent in the Warriors return game on punts and kick returns as I feel he shows a lot of natural instincts in both areas. He's one that could be a great fit at the FCS or D2 level in the NSIC or RMAC.

We move into Week 4-5 across South Dakota and dish out our Big Dogs of the Week across the Mount Rushmore State. There were plenty to choose from this week on both sides of the river with a chunk of 2026s still uncommitted, 2028s rising their stock, and more.