Aug. 19—South Dakota high school football season is here.
With every new year comes a fresh set of storylines, but with a realignment cycle taking place this past offseason, there’s even more to break down in terms of programs moving to new settings.
In 2026, there are changes across all four classes of football — Class 11B and the three 9-man divisions — that are set to kick off the season on Friday night. A total of 28 programs have a new classification compared to a year ago, from those that were revving up for 11-man games at this time last year and are now playing 9-man to multiple reigning state 9-man champions vying for a different class title.
In this 2026 debut video edition of the South Dakota Gridiron Report, we take a closer look at this movement by picking out a few programs in new classes that are in positions to make the biggest impact on the season ahead.