Here's is the opening week schedule for area high school football teams

Hut one. Hut two. Hut three. Hike the ball.

That'll be the case when many of South Dakota's Class 11B and nine-man (9AA, 9A and 9B) teams open their 2024 seasons. The rest of the state's 11-man teams (11AAA, 11AA and 11A) won't play for another week.

Remember. Every game counts. So here we go with a schedule of 23 area high school football games this week, Records are based on last year.

Friday's Games

Arlington (1-7) at Sunshine Bible Academy (1-7), 5 p.m. — Arlington won its season opener last year and will look to do it again on Friday.

St. Thomas More (4-5) at Sioux Valley (9-1), 6 p.m. — Two perennial Class 11B playoff teams meet, but more hasn't as strong the past couple of years and Sioux Valley just seems to keep getting better.

Lead-Deadwood (1-7) at Mobridge-Pollock (2-6), 6 p.m. — The host Tigers would love to get their season started witha win.

Harding County-Bison (7-2) at Potter County (5-6), 6:30 p.m. — Potter County moves up from 9B to 9A and opens against the traditionally-strong Ranchers.

Lemmon-McIntosh (3-6) at North Central (0-0), 7 p.m. — North Central hits the field for the first time in two years after not fielding a varsity team in 2023.

Flandreau (3-5) at Deuel (9-1), 7 p.m. — The host Cardinals didn't lose a regualr-season game last year and will look to keep the streak going.

Warner (12-0) at Castlewood (5-5), 7 p.m. — The Monarchs capped a perfect season last fall with a state Class 9A champion and have opened the season No. 4 in the state rankings. They'll begin their title defense against a Castlewood team that also made the playoffs last fall.

Aberdeen Roncalli (7-3) at Clark-Willow Lake (3-5), 7 p.m. — Two teams looking for more in 2024. Roncalli battled injuries last season. The Cyclones want more wins.

Avon (10-2) at Colman-Egan (2-7), 7 p.m. — Host Colman-Egan drops down from Class 9A to 9B and gets to meet the defending state 9B champions in the season opener.

Oldham-Ramona-Rutland (1-7) at Dell Rapids St. Mary (5-4), 7 p.m. — The two Dakota Valley Conference schools meet up in what is now a battle of Class 9B teams. ORR dropped down from 9A.

Waubay-Summit (0-0) at Elkton-Lake Benton (8-2), 7 p.m. — After eight seasons as part of the Dakota Hills co-op with Wilmot, Waubay-Summit is back on its own in football and has moved back down to nine-man (Class 9AA). An opening-game matchup against No. 3 Elkton-Lake Benton is a tall order.

Britton-Hecla (5-4) at Hamlin (9-2), 7 p.m. — Britton-Hecla should have a solid season but will have its hands full against a Hamlin team ranked No. 2 in Class 9AA.

Corsica-Stickney (7-3) at Hitchcock-Tulare (5-5), 7 p.m. — Two teams that lost in the state Class 9B quarterfinals will meet in the season opener at Hitchcock.

Timber Lake (4-5) at Ipswich (4-5), 7 p.m. — Ipswich has moved down from Class 9AA to 9A and will start against a team that had the same record it did in 2023.

De Smet (8-3) at Kimball-White Lake (4-6), 7 p.m. — De Smet lost to eventual champion Avon in the Class 9B semifinals last fall and now jumps up two classes to 9AA.

Redfield (1-7) at Leola-Frederick Area (5-4), 7 p.m. — Redfield went 1-7 in its final season in Class 11B. The Pheasants are now playing nine-man (Class 9AA) and open with the Titans.

Sully Buttes (3-6) at Northwestern (0-8), 7 p.m. — Northwestern is another area team that has dropped down from Class 9A to 9B this fall.

Faith (1-8) at Herreid-Selby Area (7-3), 7 p.m. — The Wolverines would seem to be the favorite in a season-opening matchup against Faith.

Webster Area (4-5) at Sisseton (3-5), 7 p.m. — The Bearcats enjoyed a nice rebound season last year and made the Class 11B playoffs. The host Redmen wouldn't mind taking a similar step.

Deubrook Area (8-4) at Canistota (4-5), 7 p.m. — The Dolphins had a tough schedule last year and survived to make it to the state Class 9A championship. This year, they'll open against a Canistota team that is ranked No. 2 in Class 9B.

Estelline-Hendricks (4-5) at Wolsey-Wessington (4-5), 7 p.m. — Both teams suffered first-round losses in the state Class 9A playoffs last fall. Wolsey-Wessington is rated No. 3 in the state's preseason poll.

Waverly-South Shore (2-6) at Great Plains Lutheran (4-5), 7 p.m. — A nice interesting season-opening Eastern Coteau Conference matchup at Watertown Stadium pits a potentially much-improved Waverly-South Shore team against a Great Plains Lutheran team that made the Class 9AA playoffs last fall. It was the Panthers' first playoff appearance since 2011.

Iroquois-Lake Preston (0-8) at Wilmot, 7 p.m. — Wilmot, like Waubay-Summit above, is no longer part of the Dakota Hills' football co-op, which began play in 2016. The Wolves are now in Class 9B and will host an Iroquois-Lake Preston team that has moved down from Class 9A and 9B this fall.

Other Games — Tri-State opens its season of North Dakota high school football by visiting Enderlin at 7 p.m. on Friday. West Central Minnesota games on Thursday include Ortonville at Park Christian, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton at Dawson-Boyd and Murray County Central at Lac qui Parle Valley, all at 7 p.m. On Friday, Border West hosts Fertile-Beltrami at 6 p.m. in Wheaton and Canby visits Martin County West at 7 p.m.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: South Dakota's high school football season kicks off on Friday