High-Flying Offenses Set for 11AAA Championship Game

South Dakota’s top high school football teams are vying for the championship this week, with real-time updates starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sioux Falls Simplified reported.

High-flying offenses highlight the 11AAA title game at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Sioux Falls Jefferson and Sioux Falls Lincoln kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Jefferson enters the game unbeaten at 11-0. Sioux Falls Simplified notes that the Cavaliers and Patriots boast high-powered attacks guaranteed to make an impression on the DakotaDome turf when Saturday night winds down.

Lincoln is at the dome for their fourth straight 11AAA championship game appearance, having won the title in 2023 and 2024. They lost last year’s title game to Brandon Valley.

Both Jefferson and Lincoln have been scoring at a rapid pace this season. The Cavaliers are averaging 48.6 points per game, tops in Class 11AAA, while Lincoln is second at 41.6 per game.

The Cavaliers have been riding the arm of quarterback Cason Mediger. Through the air, the veteran play-caller has accumulated close to 2,700 yards alongside 33 touchdowns and a mere four interceptions.

Those aerial efforts include 68 receptions by Jase Unzen, which translated into 895 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Lincoln counters at quarterback with senior Brody Schafer, who has thrown for just over 2,500 yards with 29 touchdowns and two interceptions. His favorite targets are Everett Starks and Jace Weber, a duo that has combined for 976 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns.

The two quarterbacks have combined to throw 5,194 yards and 62 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Head coaches Jared Fredenburg of Lincoln and Eric Struck of Jefferson are preparing different looks and schematics for Saturday night.

“We gotta get lucky. We gotta get a couple of tipped passes. We gotta get some turnovers. We just have to play a super clean, efficient game. We just can’t make any of our own self-inflicted mistakes,” Jared Fredenburg told Sioux Falls Simplified.

“Easier said than done. You gotta find a way to contain quarterback Brody and try to limit his off-platform scrambling type stuff as much as possible,” Eric Struck told Sioux Falls Simplified.

Lincoln’s 34-27 loss last year to Brandon Valley was a first for the Patriots, who were previously 5-0 in championship game appearances with titles in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2023, and 2024. The Cavaliers earned the institution’s inaugural title across any sport during their sole 2022 appearance at the dome, which successfully finalized an undefeated season.

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Games can be viewed on South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s YouTube page, with links available at Sioux Falls Simplified. Action begins on Thursday, Nov. 12, with Class 9B featuring Wall versus Dell Rapids St. Mary’s at 10 a.m., Class 9A featuring Freeman versus Bennett County at 1 p.m., and Class 9AA featuring Parkston versus Platte-Geddes at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 13 features Class 11B with Elk Point-Jefferson versus St. Thomas More at 10 a.m., Class 11A with SF Christian versus Lennox at 1 p.m., and Class 11AA with Pierre versus Watertown at 7:30 p.m. The week concludes on Saturday, Nov. 14 with the Class 11AAA matchup between SF Jefferson and SF Lincoln at 7:30 p.m.