The high school football season in South Dakota came to a close over the weekend with championship games in seven classifications held at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Brandon Valley not only took home the trophy in Class 11AAA, but the Lynx finished the season with the No. 1 ranking in the final state MaxPreps Top 25.
After opening the 2020 campaign with a loss to Roosevelt (Sioux Falls), Brandon Valley beat Harrisburg 35-14 in Saturday's final to notch its ninth consecutive win.
Tate Johnson ran 27 times for 225 yards and two touchdowns while
Joe Kolbeck carried 11 times for 143 yards and two more touchdowns as the Lynx ran way with things in the second half – outscoring Harrisburg 21-0 over the final two quarters.
Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior running back, finished the season with 1,956 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Brandon Valley is no stranger to championship football. In addition to winning the 2018 title, the Lynx also won four state championships in the 1980s and two in the 1990s. Head coach Chad Garrow has led the program to a .500 record or better in every season since he took over in 2005.
Unbeaten Class 11B champion Winner finished No. 2 in the rankings. The Warriors outscored opponents 442-76 on the season but got a tough test from Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan on Friday in an 18-14 championship game victory.
2020 SDHSAA STATE CHAMPIONS
Class 11AAA – Brandon Valley (Brandon)Class 11AA – Riggs (Pierre)Class 11A – TeaClass 11B – WinnerClass 9AA – Platte/Geddes (Platte)Class 9A – CanistotaClass 9B – Wolsey-Wessington (Wolsey)FINAL SOUTH DAKOTA MAXPREPS TOP 25
