Five takeaways from the start of Friday Night Lights

For fans and parents of some teams, the surprise came from a team at the Class 9AA level.

Hill City surprised many last weekend when the Rangers defeated Stanley County by a final score of 48-6 last Friday in Fort Pierre. Stanley County was coming off a 7-2 season and was primed to be a solid team this year.

However, the Rangers were a force to be reckoned with and defeated the Buffaloes easily.

Another team looking for consistency was the Wall Eagles. The Eagles, ranked No. 2 in Class 9A, beat the Philips by a final score of 37-0 on Friday night at Wall High School. Defense wins and that is exactly what happened for the Eagles as a stellar defensive effort allowed Wall to avenge last season’s painful loss to the Scotties.

While many teams showed why they belong in the rankings, some West River teams showed what they can do when given the opportunity to move up the rankings.

With no Class 11AAA, Class 11AA or Class 11A football on the schedule just yet, smaller schools are showing what South Dakota high school football will look like in this week’s takeaways.

Wall showed no signs of slowing down with sophomore quarterback Tanner Volmer and a solid defense leading this team to a big 37-0 win over Philip.

With Volmer taking over following the graduation of Burk Blasius, the Eagles delivered and delivered in dominant fashion. Against a tough Philip team, Wall capitalized on an early fumble recovery and good field position to take the game.

The biggest takeaway is that Wall might be the best team in 9AA. Despite being ranked second behind Howard, the Eagles don’t seem to have lost a step from last year. Every aspect of the game looked great, including special teams when Jace Blasius returned a kickoff for a touchdown and converted 3 of 4 extra points.

The defense was one of the strong points of the night, as Wall brought his physical strength to bear on a solid Philip team. Despite only scoring two touchdowns in the first half, the defense never gave the Scotties a break and that momentum carried over into the second half.

Wall will be tested again this weekend, with a matchup against Harding County/Bison at 5 p.m. Friday in Buffalo. However, if Wall’s defense and Volmer’s performance continue to shine, these Eagles will surely have very high expectations.

The Rangers are used to having a tough time starting the year. After a 3-5 season last season, expectations for this program weren’t high.

But the Rangers didn’t just shock Stanley County fans at Ole Williamson Field, they absolutely beat them. Now, with a win over a team that received votes in the preseason media poll, it looks like Hill City could be dangerous for the rest of the year.

Hill City’s game against Lemmon/McIntosh will be a big test, as the Cowboys are coming off a dominant win. With those two teams vying for the title, the Rangers will have to prove once again why they deserve to be among the best in 9AA.

It was no surprise that the Winner Warriors swept their Week 0 game. What is surprising is that they faced the reigning Class 11B state champion in Hot Springs. Despite not having Nebraska commit Shawn Hammerbeck for this game, the Warriors defeated the Bison with a 36-0 victory.

While the Warriors don’t have many questions after solidifying the No. 1 spot at 11B, the Bison will need to figure out what’s next if they want to compete this year.

Hot Springs will have a chance to bounce back against the Miller/Higmore-Harrold Rustlers on Friday at Woodward Field. The Rustlers went 2-6 last year, and a Hot Springs win should keep playoff hopes high.

For Winner, the Warriors just need to channel their inner Charlie Sheen and keep winning. Winner’s next opponent, the Wagner Red Raiders, will be tough, despite their 34-8 blowout loss to Chamberlain last Friday.

Wagner went 6-3 last season, with one of those losses coming to Winner. The Warriors will look to extend their winning streak against the Red Raiders.

The Cougars had the lead in their season opener against area rival the Colome Cowboys. After losing to Colome last year, Burke was looking for a win.

Fortunately for the Cougars, the Cowboys were no match for them as Burke pulled out a huge 61-12 win.

Burke is coming off a 2-7 season, in which he struggled to score despite some impressive defensive efforts. Now, the offense and defense are improving and are showing a dominant performance.

While it wasn’t enough to top their 77-22 win over Irene-Wakonda last season, it’s still a great sign of progress for a team looking to compete against strong West River opponents.

Harding County/Bison was an unstoppable force against the Potter County Battlers last Friday. A 50-8 thrashing was not only enough to silence the Potter County home crowd, but it cemented the Ranchers as one of West River’s top contenders for Class 9A.

The Ranchers had a solid run last year, going 7-2 and making the Class 9A playoffs. Despite losing in the first round, Harding County/Bison hasn’t lost a step from last season.

The team hasn’t played in a state title game since 2010, but it will be hard to stop a team that can beat quality opponents like this Rancher team just did.

This Friday, the Ranchers will host the second-ranked Wall Eagles in a game with huge implications.