Aug. 17—FREEMAN, S.D. — Coming off a state championship as the Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy co-op in 2025, the standalone Freeman football program garnered the preseason No. 1 ranking for Class 9A in the South Dakota Prep Media poll issued Monday.
The 2026 preseason poll for all seven classes of South Dakota high school football was released on Monday, Aug. 17, with the first games on Friday, Aug. 21.
Freeman is joined by Pierre (Class 11AA), Sioux Falls Christian (Class 11A) and Dell Rapids St. Mary (Class 9B) as defending state champions picked as preseason No. 1s.
Last year's state runners-up Sioux Falls Lincoln in Class 11AAA and Elk Point-Jefferson in Class 11B were are tabbed for the top spot in their respective classes. Parkston in Class 9AA was the lone non-finalist to open with a No. 1 ranking; however, both Class 9AA finalists from last season are now in Class 9A after the divisions were re-classified in the offseason.
The former Phoenix are represented in two teams: Freeman has its own team this season, which will play as the Flyers, while Marion players are with Parker in a new co-op.
* Sioux Falls Christian is the lone unanimous preseason No. 1, collecting all 20 available first-place votes. Pierre and Parkston were close behind with 19 top votes each in Class 11AA and Class 9AA, respectively.
* The closest call for a preseason No. 1 ranking came in Class 9B, where Dell Rapids St. Mary nabbed 11 first-place votes and 89 vote points to the nine top votes and 87 points of Wall. Both are defending state champions, with DRSM winning in Class 9B last season, while Wall triumphed in Class 9A before being reclassified.
* Class 11B and Class 9A split the top votes four ways. EPJ grabbed 13 top votes in Class 11B, followed by defending champion St. Thomas More with four, Winner with two and Deuel with one. Freeman received 14 first-place votes in Class 9A, while Howard got four and Elkton-Lake Benton and Castlewood got one apiece.
* Class 9A had 12 total teams receive votes toward the poll, the most of any class. Class 11AAA and Class 9B each only had six teams get consideration.
The preseason South Dakota Prep Media football polls released Aug. 17 are listed below, ranking the top five teams in each class, record and total points. First-place votes received are indicated in parentheses.
Class 11AAA
1. Sioux Falls Lincoln (16) 95; 2. Brandon Valley (3) 69; 3. Sioux Falls Jefferson (1) 67; 4. Harrisburg 42; 5. O'Gorman 23.
Others receiving votes: Sioux Falls Washington 4.
Class 11AA
1. Pierre (19) 97; 2. Huron 62; 3. Yankton 59; 4. Tea Area 37; 5. Sturgis (1) 24.
Others receiving votes: Watertown 12, Spearfish 9.
Class 11A
1. Sioux Falls Christian (20) 100; 2. Lennox 72; 3. Dell Rapids 60; 4. West Central 38; 5. Madison 19.
Others receiving votes: Dakota Valley 9, Canton 1, Tri-Valley 1.
Class 11B
1. Elk Point-Jefferson (13) 87; 2. St. Thomas More (4) 79; 3. Winner (2) 48; 4. Deuel (1) 37; 5. Sioux Valley 24.
Others receiving votes: Clark/Willow Lake 15, Mobridge-Pollock 5, Rapid City Christian 3, McCook Central/Montrose 1, Hot Springs 1.
Class 9AA
1. Parkston (19) 99; 2. Hamlin (1) 74; 3. Bon Homme 47; 4. Platte-Geddes 28; 5. Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan 15.
Others receiving votes: Viborg-Hurley 10, Hanson 8, Hill City 8, Britton-Hecla 7, Garretson 2, Sioux Falls Lutheran 2.
Class 9A
1. Freeman (14) 84; 2. Howard (4) 75; 3. Elkton-Lake Benton (1) 45; 4. Kimball/White Lake 28; 5. Castlewood (1) 25.
Others receiving votes: Faulkton Area 14, Alcester-Hudson 13, Lyman 7, Philip 5, Harding County/Bison 2, Ipswich 1, Sully Buttes 1.
Class 9B
1. Dell Rapids St. Mary (11) 89; 2. Wall (9) 87; 3. Warner 54; 4. Avon 41; 5. Colman-Egan 23.
Others receiving votes: Herreid/Selby Area 6.