By Bob Bakken
MaxPreps.com
Football: Activities Committee Makes Mercy Rule Proposal
A committee of the South Dakota High School Activities Association is making a proposal to revise the "Mercy Rule" in Class 11-AA football. The same committee also recommends a seeding provision for all classes of South Dakota football, similar to what was used in 11-AA this fall.
The football advisory committee of the SDHSAA proposes a "running clock" for Class 11-AA teams in the second half of games where one team leads another by 40 points or more. Currently in other classes, the "running clock" begins when one team leads by 35 points or more, and if the leading team has a 50-point difference in the second half, the contest ends. The 11-AA proposal does not have an early termination point.
Class 11-AA were seeded one-through-16 this year for the first time, with the 17th school left out of the playoffs. The new proposal would use a similar system for the other classes of football, with 11-A and 11-B schools seeded as it's now done in Class 11-AA. The nine-man schools would be seeded after the first round of the region playoffs.
The advisory committee is also proposing that 11-AA be reduced to the largest 16 teams in the state, with the 17th school, Box Elder-Douglas, being sent to 11-A. Douglas plays several smaller class schools on its schedule already, and the belief in several quarters is that AA schools should play in the same classification.
The committee's proposals will be considered by the Association's athletic directors in March. The SDHSAA's Board of Directors would have final approval scheduled for its meeting in April of 2008.
Volleyball: State Champions Crowned
Rapid City Stevens pulled the biggest surprise from the state volleyball tournament in Sioux Falls, beating the top-three seeded teams on its way to the AA state title.
Stevens' biggest surprise came last, with a five-set championship win over top-ranked and previously undefeated Pierre Riggs. The Raiders defeated third-ranked Sioux Falls Lincoln in the quarterfinals, and then disposed of second-ranked Sioux Falls Washington in the semifinals. Stevens finished the season with a 29-11 record, but the last one against Pierre came after Riggs had taken a 2-0 lead in the championship match.
Class A winner Sioux Falls Christian claimed its title after a three-set sweep of defending titlist Milbank in the finals. The Chargers finished the campaign with a 32-3 record.
Warner won the Class B title in just its second state tournament appearance, winning the championship with a three-set win over top-ranked Arlington in the finals. Arlington (33-2) had gone into the state tournament with just one loss on its record for the second straight year, but came up short in the finals after taking third in last year's tournament. Warner's Monarchs (32-3) came into the tournament fresh off its Region 1-B championship win over four-time defending titlist Northwestern.
