SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- The South Dakota high school football season gets underway this week, with class 11B and 9-man teams hitting the gridiron on Friday. However, there will be 29 teams playing in different classes this year. The Faulkton Area Trojans will play in class 9A this year after playing in 9B last year. Head coach Shayne Geditz says the change was not a surprise. "Our school size is growing. We have a great school and great staff, so we're excited about it," Geditz said. Geditz doesn't expect his team to have to make many adjustments.
Driving to Harrisburg High School, urged to leave early "I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between the levels, maybe a little more depth in the playoffs. But there's been a lot of years the 9B champion possibly could have won in 9AA or at least been in the mix," Geditz said. South Dakota High School Activities Association executive director Dan Swartos says the total number of boys in grades 9 through 11 is one of the factors considered when classifying football teams. "They're broken out into classes within that. The cutoff between 9-man and 11-man is 56. Then, the 9-man schools, which is divided equally into three by number of teams, and the 11-man ranks, there's number cutoffs. Our top, I think, it's top eight plus O'Gorman for 11AAA, and then it works its way down from there," Swartos said. Another factor that plays into deciding football classes is high school students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. "It's a multiplier that can reduce your enrollment by up to 30%, so if 100% of your students qualified for free and reduced lunch, it would be a 30% reduction in your enrollment. If 50% of your students, it'd be a 15% reduction," Swartos said. This year, there are 52 11-man teams, which is 12 fewer than 5 years ago. On the other hand, 69 9-man squads will play between classes 9B, 9A, and 9AA. That's up 7 teams from five years ago. This year alone, four teams have moved down from 11-man to 9-man. "Part of that would be the free and reduced enrollment count. Part of it is just declining enrollment in some of those schools that are on the edge," Swartos said. But regardless of what class his team is in, Geditz is ready for Friday Night Lights. "Friday nights are a lot of fun, and our community is excited," Geditz said. Between the two All-Nations classes, there are a total of 18 teams. That's the largest number it has had since 2022. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.