Platte-Geddes and Gregory will meet Friday with major conference and playoff implications at stake.

With a win, Platte-Geddes (6-0) can clinch a share of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Black Panthers could then win it outright next week against Parkston.

“It’s a big game,” Platte-Geddes coach Bruce Hanson said. “It’s always been a rivalry over here. It’s kind of been dominated by Gregory lately since Platte and them dropped to nine-man, but I think we are at the stage where hopefully we can make it at least competitive again and make it a rivalry again.”

It’s also a big contest for the playoffs, as both teams look to lock in home games in the first round. Platte-Geddes is one of five undefeated teams in Class 9AA and it sits fifth overall in seed points. The Black Panthers are tied with Parkston for No. 2 in Region 3.

Gregory, meanwhile, is tied eighth overall in Class 9A and No. 2 in Region 3. The Gorillas are 4-2.

“Every game is important to the seeding in the playoffs, especially with our schedule and this game will have a big influence on that for both teams,” Gregory coach John King said.

They both feature big, athletic quarterbacks in Gregory’s Coy Determan and Kelby VanDerWerff. Determan stands 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, while VanDerWerff is 6-5 and 200 pounds.

“Quarterbacks on both sides are both pretty good,” Hanson said. “They are both good pocket passers. Coy is obviously a lot better runner than Kelby is obviously, but we have running backs that can handle that for us.”

The quarterbacks also have some dynamic playmakers at their disposal. Gregory’s Kade Stukel and Owen Hansen carry a bulk of the offensive load. For Platte-Geddes, Jackson Neuman (546 rushing yards/5 TDs) and Grayson Hanson (260 rushing yards/7 TDs) pace a balanced attack.

“Platte has a lot of speed and size and making adjustments throughout the game will be important,” King said.

But coach Hanson said Platte-Geddes has the size factor on its side.

“We are probably a more physical, bigger team,” Hanson said. “They probably have the quickness edge. We’ve got the physicality edge, I would say and the experience edge. I think overall we matchup pretty well.”

The teams also have some familiarity with each other. Hanson was formerly the wrestling coach at Gregory before coaching the Platte-Geddes football team. He’ll implement some of Gregory’s base concepts into the Platte-Geddes playbook.

“A lot of stuff we kind of base off Gregory’s defense,” he said. “They have a great tradition there. We both run a 3-4, is kind of our standard and then we go into other things.”

Mitchell Republic sports reporter Ryan Deal

Who’s undefeated?

Here’s a look at the remaining undefeated teams, broken down by class:

Class 11AAA: Sioux Falls Roosevelt (5-0).

Class 11AA: Yankton (6-0) and Brookings (6-0). Note: The teams will play Oct. 22 in Brookings.

Class 11A: Tea Area (5-0).

Class 11B: Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan (6-0), Winner (6-0), Mobridge-Pollock (6-0).

Class 9AA: Hamlin (7-0), Hanson (6-0), Lemmon/McIntosh (6-0), Viborg-Hurley (6-0) and Platte-Geddes (6-0). Note: The five undefeated teams are the most in any class.

Class 9A: Wall (5-0), Howard (6-0) and Warner (6-0).

Class 9B: No undefeated teams.

Games to watch

Class 9AA No. 5 Hanson vs. Class 9AA No. 1 Viborg-Hurley, in Viborg: Class 9AA pundits will be dialed into this one. The Beavers and Cougars are both 6-0 and tied at No. 2 in the Class 9AA seed points with 44.500. Lemmon/McIntosh also has 44.500 points, while Hamlin leads the class with 44.857 points.

The Beavers are coming off a 58-24 win over Class 9B No. 5 Alcester-Hudson. The Cougars, who won last year’s Class 9AA state title, are without quarterback Chase Mason. The NCAA Division I football and baseball prospect is out with a knee injury, but Viborg-Hurley is humming along without. The Cougars have outscored their opponents by a 318-34 margin, including three shutouts. The winner will also win the Cornbelt Conference title outright.

Class 9A RV Ipswich/Edmunds Central at Class 9B No. 4 Herreid/Selby Area, in Selby: Since its season-opening loss against Langford Area, Herreid/Selby (5-1) has been on a tear. The Wolverines have gone 5-0 since the 44-18 defeat against the Lions, including a 59-28 win over Avon last week. The high-scoring Wolverines also have a 60-52 win over North Border on their résumé. A win over the Tigers would also bolster their playoff points.

Despite its 5-1 record, HSA is No. 3 in a loaded Class 9B Region 1. Wolsey-Wessington (5-1) and Langford Area (4-2) are first and second, respectively.

Meanwhile, Ipswich/Edmunds Central (5-1) is flying under the radar despite its record. The Tigers handed Class 9B No. 2 Langford Area a 14-0 defeat, while their only loss is a 25-24 decision against Class 9A No. 3 Warner.

Class 9B RV Colman-Egan at Class 9B No. 3 Dell Rapids St. Mary: This one will weigh heavily into the Class 9B Region 2 equation. Dell Rapids St. Mary (4-2) is currently tied with Alcester-Hudson for the No. 1 spot with 41.333 seed points each. Colman-Egan (3-2) is just behind both teams with 38.400 points.

The Cardinals are on a three-game winning streak, including a 55-14 win over Centerville. DRSM also has a 52-38 victory over Alcester-Hudson on Sept. 11. Colman-Egan, meanwhile, has had games taken away due to COVID. The Hawks, however, are coming off a 50-0 win against Estelline/Hendricks. Colman-Egan did drop a 64-38 decision against Alcester-Hudson on Sept. 25.

Honor roll

• Cayden Eisemann passed for 188 yards and four touchdowns in Mobridge-Pollock’s 58-3 win over Webster Area. Bryston Goehring added 60 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers had 496 total yards. Eisemann has passed for 1,451 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.

• Lemmon/McIntosh’s Cody Thompson threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 63 yards and two more scores in a 32-16 win over Harding County. Thompson has passed for 1,740 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.

• Gaven Sudbeck (169 yards/2 TDs) led Kadoka Area to a 38-36 win over Timber Lake. Trenton Hansen (317 yards/4 TDs) and Hank Kraft (206 receiving yards/2 TDs) led the Panthers.

• Chester Area’s Stratton Eppard posted 202 passing yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 214 yards on 26 carries and three more scores in a 41-26 win over Oldham-Ramona/Rutland.

• Pierre’s Maguire Raske rushed for 195 yards on 37 carries and scored two touchdowns in a 35-13 victory over Huron. Raske added six receptions for 101 yards.

• Connor Libis finished with 106 rushing yards on nine carries and scored three touchdowns in Dell Rapids St. Mary’s 55-14 win over Centerville.

• Tray Hettick threw for 181 yards and five touchdowns in Herreid/Selby Area’s 59-28 win over Avon. Trey Sayler added 103 rushing yards on eight carries and one touchdown.

• Sioux Valley’s Jaxton Schiller had 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 30-20 win over McCook Central/Montrose. For MCM, Jacobi Krouse rushed for 146 yards on 44 carries and a touchdown. This season, Krouse has 1,583 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.

• Rapid City Christian’s Sam Schlabach threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 107 yards and four more scores in a 66-12 win over Hill City.

• Vermillion’s Charlie Ward passed for 379 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-19 loss against West Central.