Must-Watch Matchups South Dakota: Week 5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The week 5 South Dakota Must-Watch Matchups are here! The top teams in 11AA continue to run the gauntlet. The top 5 teams in 11AA will have almost all played each other after this next week. We have a good game in 11B and a 9A vs 9B undefeated matchup. Our updated 11AAA and 11AA rankings came out earlier this week as well. Check out my colleague, Nate Wahl's article on the updates <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/09/11aaa-and-11aa-south-dakota-prz-poll/?itm_source=parsely-api" data-type="link" data-id="https://prepredzone.com/2026/09/11aaa-and-11aa-south-dakota-prz-poll/?itm_source=parsely-api">here</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#1 11AA Pierre T.F. Riggs vs #2 11AA Tea Area</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is my most anticipated matchup in South Dakota 11AA this year. Both of these teams play a brand of football that is incredibly advanced for the high school level and lots of fun to watch. Hopefully this game is an exciting battle and can live up to the hype. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Pierre T.F. Riggs</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Familiar faces for Riggs in Penn State TE commit&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1027999' first='Cooper' last='Terwilliger'], QB [player_tooltip player_id='2159836' first='Jerren' last='Deal']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jerren-deal/"></a> and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1320802' first='Carter' last='Schiefelbein']. Bottom line is these guys are really good and very fun to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tea Area</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've talked about the Tea Area talent in previous weeks but I want to highlight something unique this week. The 2 QB system is absolutely electric. The backfield duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1740904' first='Devyn' last='Rhodes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1601731' first='Mitch' last='Grant'] is a lot of fun to watch. Grant is more of a utility athlete and effective anywhere he plays. This is great talent utilization from the Tea Area staff and with these guys having one more year together, I am eager to see how far they can push the two QB system. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">11B Deuel vs 11B Elk Point-Jefferson</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Plenty of talent on both sides of this matchup. Both 4-0, the Cardinals of Deuel come in off of a comfortable win against Flandreau and the Huskies come off a 42-8 win against Groton Area. This game probably decides the new #1 in 11B. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Deuel</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 9th ranked running back [player_tooltip player_id='1152877' first='Gavin' last='Kloos'] runs rampant in this offense. He has senior [player_tooltip player_id='1320882' first='Nathan' last='Fieber'] blocking for him on the OL. [player_tooltip player_id='1320865' first='Gavin' last='Maaland'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1322259' first='Axel' last='Gallardo'] show off their athleticism and make plays on both sides of the ball for the cardinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Elk Point-Jefferson</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elk Point-Jefferson has a pair of #1 ranked 2028s. [player_tooltip player_id='1601672' first='Aiden' last='Hammitt'] has been putting up big numbers running the football this year. The athlete earned the title of "Nate's Big Dog of the Week" last week for his 11 carry 111 yard 3 TD performance. [player_tooltip player_id='1601673' first='Addison' last='Peterson'] is a 6'4" 295 pounder who is an absolute force on the OL. [player_tooltip player_id='1153742' first='Caleb' last='Heuertz'] is a high motor senior leader at linebacker for them as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">9A Philip vs 9B Wall</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 9A vs 9B clash of undefeated teams! The Wall Eagles come off a 49-26 win at Lyman and the Philip Scotties shutout New Underwood last week, 19-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Wall</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1320970' first='Tanner' last='Volmer'] utilizes his legs very well and is one of the top dual threats in the state. Wall has a pair of wiry senior DBs in [player_tooltip player_id='1293122' first='Carter' last='Sundall'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1625460' first='Teelan' last='Kjerstad']. Both over 6'0" tall, their length allows them to take advantage of long arms to disrupt wide receivers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Philip</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Philip has an electric do-it-all dual threat QB of their own in Teagan Gropper. They use him in the QB run game well and he also returns punts. RB Owen Terkildsen is shifty and slippery, rarely being brought down by the first tackler and often taking the long and winding road to the endzone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fan Thoughts? </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always, let me know who I missed and what matchups in South Dakota I can look forward to in the coming weeks. I'm available at <a href="https://x.com/Rye_Storrs" data-type="link" data-id="x.com">@Rye_Storrs</a> on Twitter/X. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->