SDPB's coverage of the South Dakota High School Football Championships

For the seventh straight year, the Pierre Governors have won a state football championship. They defeated Yankton 35-7 on Friday night in Vermillion in front of a packed crowd at the Dakota Dome.

Dell Rapids defeated West Central 42-6 on Friday afternoon in Vermillion to repeat as state champions in 11A. This was the seventh state title for the Dell Rapids football program, all coming in the window of 2008 to 2023.

For the first time in state history, Hot Springs has won a state football championship. The Bison defeated Elk Point-Jefferson, the defending state champs in 11B, 13-7 on Friday in Vermillion to claim the title.

When O’Gorman and Lincoln meet in Vermillion on Saturday, they’ll be playing for the 11AAA title. But for Knights junior Tim Weisensee, and his family, the whole idea of playing for a state championship hits a little closer to home than most.

From runner-up a year ago, to now being crowned the state champs – Parkston can celebrate a season of redemption. The Trojans defeated Howard on Thursday night in Vermillion 12-7 in a grind it out, defensive battle, for the 9AA title.

He never won a state wrestling title in South Dakota but later became a national wrestling champ and wound up being an Olympic bronze medalist in the '88 Seoul Olympics and a silver medalist in the '92 Barcelona Olympics. Dennis Koslowski joins Craig Mattick on this edition of In Play.