RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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There's no change at the top in each of the seven classes in the latest South Dakota Prep Media Football Poll released on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.
The Class 11AAA, 11AA and 11A teams remain unchanged from the preseason poll because their seasons won't start until later this week.
Elk Point-Jefferson (Class 11B), Parkston (Class 9AA), Freeman (Class 9A) and Dell Rapids St. Mary (Class 9B) remain No. 1 in the other classes after winning their opening games last week.
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: Three defending state champions among top-rated football teams in poll
High School Football
The South Dakota Prep Media Football Poll for the week of Aug. 24 is listed below, ranking the top-five teams in each class, record, total points and previous ranking. First-place votes are listed in parentheses. The polls for Class 11AAA-11A remain unchanged from the preseason rankings.
CLASS 11AAA
SF Lincoln (16) 95
Brandon Valley (3) 69
SF Jefferson (1) 67
Harrisburg 42
O’Gorman 23
Receiving votes: SF Washington 4.
CLASS 11AA
Pierre (19) 97
Huron 62
Yankton 59
Tea Area 37
Sturgis (1) 24
Receiving votes: Watertown 12 and Spearfish 9.
CLASS 11A
SF Christian (20) 100
Lennox 72
Dell Rapids 60
West Central 38
Madison 19
Receiving votes: Dakota Valley 9, Canton 1 and Tri-Valley 1.
CLASS 11B
Elk Point-Jefferson (10) 1-0 83 1
St. Thomas More (8) 1-0 82 2
Winner (1) 1-0 41 3
Deuel 1-0 39 4
Sioux Valley 1-0 23 5
Receiving votes: Clark-Willow Lake 17.
CLASS 9AA
Parkston (19) 1-0 99 1
Bon Homme 1-0 73 3
Platte-Geddes 1-0 54 4
Viborg-Hurley 1-0 27 RV
Hamlin 0-1 16 2
Receiving votes: Britton-Hecla 13, Hanson 4 and Garretson 3.
CLASS 9A
Freeman (14) 1-0 84 1
Howard (4) 1-0 76 2
Castlewood (1) 1-0 46 5
Elkton-Lake Benton 1-0 41 3
Kimball-White Lake 1-0 30 4
Receiving votes: Lyman 4, Alcester-Hudson 3 and Philip 1.
CLASS 9B
Dell Rapids St. Mary (14) 1-0 89 1
Wall (5) 1-0 75 2
Warner 1-0 60 3
Avon 1-0 40 4
Colman-Egan 1-0 16 5
Receiving votes: Herreid-Selby Area 5.
WEEK 1 PREP FOOTBALL: No. 5 Class 9A Castlewood knocks off No. 2 Class 9AA Hamlin in opener
Volleyball
Four-time defending state Class AA champion Harrisburg and three-time defending state Class B champion Chester each hold down No. 1 rankings in the South Dakota Prep Media preseason poll.
Dell Rapids, which lost in the state championship to Dakota Valley after winning in 2024, is the No. 1-rated team in Class A.
High School Volleyball
Here is the South Dakota Media preseason volleyball poll, released on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. Teams are listed with first place votes in parenthesis, final 2025 records, points and final 2025 poll ranking.
CLASS AA
1. Harrisburg (6) 35-2 30 1
2. O'Gorman 26-5 21 2
3. Brandon Valley 27-4 20 3
4. SF Lincoln 21-6 8 4
5. SF Washington 18-9 7 5
Receiving Votes: Watertown (22-11) 3; and SF Jefferson (13-14) 1.
CLASS A
1. Dell Rapids (3) 29-7 26 2
2. SF Christian (1) 27-11 24 3
3. Dakota Valley (2) 34-3 22 1
4. Clark-Willow Lake 27-2 8 4
5. St. Thomas More 30-11 7 NR
Receiving Votes: Hamlin (22-6) 2; and Wagner (24-10) 1.
CLASS B
1. Chester Area (4) 33-1 28 1
2. Warner (2) 33-7 26 3
3. Northwestern 37-3 14 2
4. Bennett County 37-7 13 RV
5. Parkston 31-8 4 RV
Receiving Votes: Colman-Egan (22-7) 3; Gayville-Volin (32-5) 1; and Harding County (28-6) 1.
Soccer
The four No. 1-rated teams held their ground in the latest South Dakota High School Soccer Coaches Association high school poll.
Sioux Falls Lincoln (boys) and Harrisburg (girls) continue to lead the Class AA divisions with James Valley Christian's boys and Sioux Falls Christian's girls still on top in Class AA.
Watertown, Aberdeen Central and Sioux Falls Jefferson each moved into a tie for No. 2 in Class AA boys. Yankton moved up to No. 2 in Class AA girls.
High School Soccer
Here is the South Dakota High School Soccer Coaches Association poll for Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. The SDHSSCA poll is released bi-weekly throughout the season.
CLASS AA BOYS
1. Sioux Falls Lincoln
2. Aberdeen Central
2. Sioux Falls Jefferson
2. Watertown (All 3 teams tied for second)
5. SF Washington
Receiving Votes: Spearfish, RC Stevens, SF Roosevelt, O'Gorman, Harrisburg and Tea Area.
CLASS AA GIRLS
1. Harrisburg
2. Yankton
3. RC Stevens
4. Pierre
5. O'Gorman
Receiving Votes: Aberdeen Central, Brookings, Spearfish, Watertown, Mitchell and SF Jefferson.
CLASS A BOYS
1. James Valley Christian
2. Vermillion
3. St. Thomas More-Rapid City Christian
4. Freeman-Marion/Parker/Viborg-Hurley
5. Groton Area
Receiving Votes: Hot Springs, Belle Fourche, West Central, Dakota Valley and Custer.
CLASS A GIRLS
1. SF Christian
2. Dakota Valley
3. St. Thomas More
4. West Central
5. Groton Area
Receiving Votes: Garretson and Belle Fourche.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Latest South Dakota polls released on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026
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