Rod's Late Tuesday Sports Blog

YANKTON, S.D. - The Pierre Governor football team saw their season come to an end last night as they dropped a 27-13 verdict to Yankton in the opening round of the Class 11AA football playoffs. The Governors scored first when Jared Nielan scored on a 2 yard run to cap an 18 play 83 yard drive that took over 8 minutes. But Yankton's Connor Fitzsimmons scored the first of his four touchdowns in the final minute of the first half to tie the game at 6 at the break. Yankton then came out and scored 21 unanswered points to build a 27-6 lead before Alex Gray scored on a 1 yard run in the closing minute for the Governors second touchdown. Pierre ends their season with a 3 and 7 record. Yankton advances to the second round of the playoffs and a matchup against Sioux Falls O'Gorman on Monday.


PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota High School Activities Association is considering adding a top-tier 11-man football class that would include the state's largest schools. Class 11AAA would feature nine 11AA schools that have more than 650 students enrolled in grades 9 through 11: Sioux Falls Washington, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Rapid City Central, Sioux FallsLincoln, Rapid City Stevens, Aberdeen Central, Watertown, Brandon Valley, and Yankton. Wayne Carney, the association's executive director, said the class split proposal came out of discussions held by current 11AA schools. Hearings will be scheduled, and the association's board plans to formally propose the new class at its Nov. 2 meeting with adoption possible on Jan. 12. Class 11AA for football would then feature schools with between 275 and 650 students enrolled in grades 9 through 11, and 11A would include schools with between 150 and 275 students enrolled in those grades. Alignments would go into effect for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years if adopted.