Class 11AAA Semifinal Round Highlighted by Storylines, Rematches

Rewind to one year ago and the story seems very familiar when it comes to the semifinal round of the Class 11AAA playoffs. Now the stakes are even higher.

The 2017 Class 11AAA playoffs continue on Friday night with a couple of familiar match-ups. Washington will host O'Gorman at 4:00, and Roosevelt hosts Brandon Valley at 7:30. The semifinals were the exact same in regards to teams and time just one year ago.

Washington went on to beat O'Gorman 24-14 in a game that was closer than the score indicated. Brandon Valley posted a 28-6 lead on Roosevelt in the first half of last year's game, and managed to hang on to a 49-46 win as the Rough Riders charged back in the second half.

One year later and the situation heading into the games is almost identical.

(4) O'Gorman vs. (1) Washington - Friday, November 3, 4:00

Washington, so far, has done exactly the same thing they did one year ago. The Warriors posted a 9-0 regular season record and were essentially tested twice during the season. One of those teams that pushed them towards the end was the O'Gorman Knights. The Knights finished at 6-3 during the regular season (same as 2016).

O'Gorman had two opportunities inside the red zone against Washington earlier this season that would have potentially given them the win if they would have converted. A couple of turnovers was the key difference in the 28-17 game that was played back in Week 3. The Knights have the skill position players to match up with Washington, however, to dethrone the power house, the emphasis is directly on taking care of the football.

One of the hidden storylines to the game on Friday night is the current win streak of Washington. The Warriors have won 32 consecutive games. The record for the longest winning streak in Class 11AAA/11AA South Dakota for high school football? That is held by O'Gorman as they won 38 in a row from 2004-2006.

(3) Brandon Valley vs. (2) Roosevelt - Friday, November 3, 7:30

Brandon Valley enters Howard Wood Field this week with a little bit of redemption on their mind. As mentioned before, the Lynx managed to hang on to a flurry of points scored by Roosevelt in last year's semifinal game to go to the DakotaDome. The Rough Riders had a chance late, but fell just short.

Back in week 5 the storyline was almost flipped. Roosevelt held on to a lead throughout the majority of the contest at Howard Wood Field. In the 4th quarter, Brandon Valley managed to get the game within three points. The Lynx got the football back and drove the ball inside of the red zone. Brandon Valley fumbled the football on the 11-yard line, and the Rough Riders scooped it up and took it the opposite way for a touchdown to seal the 21-11 victory.

What will give this time between Brandon Valley and Roosevelt? We'll find out in the next chapter of this great series on Friday night.

Even better, if history is any indication we'll be in for a wild and fun night of high school football on Friday between both games.

Join us for coverage of both games on ESPN 99.1 starting at 4:00.