A season of South Dakota football

I wrote about 14 high school football games this fall for the Argus Leader newspaper in Sioux Falls and it was a lot of fun. There's a certain excitement about the high school version of the sport that is exciting and that's on display in every small town on Fridays. Some games were close, most were not. The average margin of victory was almost 20 points and only three of the games were a one score game at the final gun. Such is the case in South Dakota for high school football.

The rundown of my visits:

Aug. 30: @West Central 49, Dakota Valley 6
Sept. 6: Avon 34, Gregory 14 (FCA SoDak Bowl - Sioux Falls)
Sept. 6: @Madison 39, Dell Rapids 12
Sept. 13: @Dell Rapids 15, Tea Area 0
Sept. 20: @Brandon Valley 16, Brookings 7
Sept. 27: Sioux Falls Lincoln 28, @Brookings 7
Oct. 4: Harrisburg 16, @Brookings 7
Oct. 11: @West Central 35, Dell Rapids 7
Oct. 18: @Harrisburg 26, Yankton 18
Oct. 29: @Howard 22, Hanson 16 (Class 9A 1st Round)
Oct. 31: @Harrisburg 27, Huron 20 (OT - Class 11AA Quarterfinals)
Nov. 4: @Howard 56, New Underwood 6 (Class 9A Quarterfinals)
Nov. 8: @Watertown 32, Yankton 14 (Class 11AA Semifinals)
Nov. 9: Potter County 22, @Howard 8 (Class 9A Semifinals)

The home team in those 13 games: 10-3. Two of those losses coming from mediocre Brookings and the end of the season shocker in Howard, where Potter County quarterback Chayce Hall foreshadowed his eight passing touchdown performance in the Class 9A championship game, with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score to lead the Battlers to an upset win.

Season opener in Hartford.

You'll notice I did two games Sept. 6 and that was probably as much as you could ask for. There were big plays all over with Avon defeating Gregory in a 1 p.m. game and then I motored up to Madison, where the Bulldogs hosted three-time defending champion Dell Rapids at 7 p.m. Everyone wanted to know if Madison was for real and the hosts had no problem making their case in a 39-12 win. As we all found out, the Bulldogs put together a valiant season, only to be upended by West Central for the title.

Avon at Bob Young Field in Sioux Falls.

Best game: I would go with Harrisburg defeating Huron in the playoffs in overtime, 27-20. That was two teams that wanted to win badly and it had a little bit of everything. Big Huron comeback and the seemingly go-ahead score late in the game. Great storyline in a senior linebacker blocking the ensuing extra point to keep the game tied and the home Tigers held on for the win in OT.

The Brookings High School Band

Most successful team in my presence: Harrisburg, who went 3-0. After defeating Huron in the playoffs, I told coach Brandon White that little tidbit and he asked if I was coming to Pierre when they played the No. 1 Governors. Couldn't make it, coach. (West Central went 2-0 in regular season games I was at and I was on hand for their 28-21 win over Madison for the state title.)

Most dominant player, single game: Brandon Kocmich, Avon. A lot of good contestants but I'll take the big running back for the Pirates. Against Gregory, he had 234 yards rushing on 16 carries and three touchdowns, including a 76 yard scoring scamper that opened the scoring. With the game still tight, Kocmich hit Cody Namminga for a 64-yard touchdown pass, Avon's only pass completion of the day. Against the No. 1 team in Class 9AA at the time, that was about as good as one could ask.

Homecoming at Brandon Valley

Best ticket takers: I visited Howard, S.D., three times in 12 days and it got a little . The ladies charging admission out of the back of the minivan knew who I was before I could even open my mouth to say that I was with the Argus Leader before Howard's final playoff game. They said "Yeah, we know who you are." Whoa, eerie. (Still awesome though.) (Also, if you believe a running gag created by Travis Kriens on the Sports Lounge radio show to which I contribute, I brought head shots of myself to Howard, signed them for $10 and donated the proceeds to a local charity.)

Warmups for the Dell Rapids Quarriers

Nickname breakdown: Arrows, Battlers, Beavers, Bobcats, Bulldogs, Bucks, Gorillas, Lynx, Panthers, Patriots, Pirates, Quarriers, Tigers (4), Titans, Trojans.

I like all of those non-conventional names and while I'm partial to Beavers (because ... well, beavers are cool), I would say Battlers and Quarriers are the most original.

Toughest mascot: The Gregory Gorilla. The cheerleader who was in the suit had to be dying inside a black fur costume on a 85-degree day on the turf at Bob Young Field in Sioux Falls. Brutal.

Best place to play: Tiger Stadium in Harrisburg. Sparkling facility only a few years old with a setup that plenty of small colleges would love to have with a nice scoreboard and artificial turf. Combine that with great staff and it's first class all the way.

Best position on the field: Running back. So many good ones this season. In addition to Kocmich, Luke Loudenburg for Howard was a terrific 9-man "fullback," as he was listed in the program. Rush Milne (Madison) and  Cole Tirrel (West Central) were difference makers for their 11A title runs. Shay Bratland ran wild for Watertown and Jonathan Kabambi had big games each time I covered Harrisburg. And while I only covered the Patriots once, Caden Quintanilla for Sioux Falls Lincoln ripped apart the Brookings defense for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

Best quirk: Brookings and its seven points. I covered the Bobcats for three straight games and in each contest Brookings scored just seven points. In the three contests against Brandon Valley, SF Lincoln and Harrisburg, the Cats hung around with some solid defense but their offense was sporadic all year.

Pitching mound and goalpost in Watertown

Most embarrassing moment: I actually have two in Howard. On my first trip to the city of about 850 people, I brought an umbrella in preparation for a misty night because not sure of what sort of press box setup they would have. After finding a spot inside, I forgot about the umbrella. In fact, I forgot that I left it there. It turned out I would be back just six days later, so I was able to get it back. That night, after Howard pounded New Underwood, I headed down to the field to interview the key players and coaches. When I came back to the press box, my computer and bag were locked inside. After some searching in the pitch black night, I found a janitor who thankfully unlocked the door and let me get my items -- and the umbrella -- out of the press box.

Quote of the year: I interviewed West Central coach Kent Mueller after the Trojans' 35-7 win over Dell Rapids Oct. 11. I asked the enigmatic coach about his offense and finding another gear in the second quarter and he said "Well, you've been covering West Central football long enough to know that's just who we are." That was the second time I'd ever seen Class 11A powerhouse but I'll took it as a compliment.

In all, I saw four of the state's seven champions during the year (Avon, Potter County, West Central and Sioux Falls Lincoln) and two more that made it to the Dome (Madison, Watertown). Congrats to them and let's do it again soon.