Brian calls the championships

Well, a fun season of high school football comes to an end this weekend, and as wild as things have been at times, my second straight round of playoff picks only missing one game may be an indication that the cream has definitely risen to the top in all 6 classes. I picked all home teams last Saturday, and unfortunately, Lyman was the only one to break the mold, but although certain goals were not met by area teams, let not lose sight on all the fine accomplishments we've been able to see this season. And with that, let's get the season over with and move on to the winter season. Here are the championship picks in the order of the games as they will be played.

11A - Finally, St. Thomas More goes to the Dome as the clear favorite, and I do not see them disappointing. Finally, a West River champion. STM 37, Milbank 16

11B - Could we possibly have two West River champions in one today? Well, maybe Saturday's semifinal results give the edge to 2-time defending champion Tri-Valley, and if I were to lay a 20 down in Vegas, I'd probably take Tri-Valley, but since I've been picking Winner all season long, I will continue believing in them. WINNER 21, Tri-Valley 20

9A - A clash of perennial 9-man powers. Avon beat Hanson 30-0 in Week 2, but this game will not resemble that one at all. Still, Avon should have enough fire power to stay a couple of steps ahead. AVON 34, Hanson 24

9AA - Not saying they were overlooked, but in the event that Emery/Ethan just might have been, I don't think Howard will be doing the same. E/E's only loss was 34-22 in Week 5 to Howard, and I think this game will be similar, but maybe a little higher-scoring. Howard has scored 197 points in 3 playoff games. HOWARD 46, Emery/Ethan 30

9B - 9B was pretty weak this year, but clearly the two best teams are the ones still alive. I've expected Hitchcock-Tulare to be back in the Dome since playing well, but coming up short to Hanson in last year's title tilt. DRSM's only loss came to Estelline, who went unbeaten through the regular season. HITCHCOCK-TULARE 30, Dell Rapids St. Mary 22

11AA - The matchup many (outside of Sioux Falls) expected, and maybe had hoped for all season long. The hope obviously being that an ESD school can bring down the Evil Empire, so to speak. If Aberdeen's defense can control the game and Jared Hannigan gives us all an unforgettable performance, then we'll definitely be talking around the water coolers on Monday morning a little longer than usual. But still, do you ever feel like SF football is like the Yankees? You might say you either love 'em or you hate 'em, but in another sense, you respect their ability as superior. But boy, you just get so sick and tired of the monotony all the while. :o) I'd like to think it ends Saturday night, but holy crap, is Washington good!!! SF WASHINGTON 35, Aberdeen Central 17.

Congrats to all who made it this far. Personally, I'm looking forward to State Volleyball Tournaments next weekend, which we'll talk about next week. Later.....
- Radiooo