SELBY – The pads figure to be cracking and the yards hard to come by in the Class 9A football championship set for 1 this afternoon at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

When Howard and Herreid-Selby Area square off, it will pit two undefeated teams which put an emphasis on a physical brand of football.

“This week big plays are going to be five yards. Both teams are going to feel really good if they can move the ball consistently four or five yards at a time,” said Herreid-Selby Area coach Clayton Randall. “It’s going to be a battle of wills and strength on strength.”

The Wolverines (12-0) are coming off a come-from-behind victory over De Smet. HSA recovered a key on-side kick and also recovered a fumble deep inside its own territory late in the game.

“We had a lot of plays go our way. When you’re playing an equal team, sometimes you have to get lucky,” Randall said. “We did create some of that fortune ourselves, but the ball did bounce our way a couple of times.”

HSA will face a potent Howard squad. The Tigers (11-0) also had to rally for a semifinal victory over Wall.

Randall knows what to expect this afternoon. He said Howard coach Pat Ruml always has his players ready to go.

“If you’ve ever seen Howard you know what to expect,” Randall said. “Regardless of size, his kids know what their job is. They get off the ball and they’re physical, and he’s got another group doing it this year.”

When Randall looks at the Tigers, he sees many of the same components of his own team. That’s what make this matchup so intriguing.

“There’s athletes on both sides. Both teams have scored consistently and moved the ball the entire year,” Randall said. “Whichever team can impose their will on the offensive and defensive lines definitely has enough players behind them to win the game.”

The Wolverines were runner-up two years ago and lost in the semifinals last season. Following the championship in 2019, the HSA players made a commitment to get bigger and stronger.

“We weren’t physically at the level of the top tier teams in that class. We had a bunch of kids that committed themselves in the weight room,” Randall said. “Physically we’re at the top level of what Class 9A football looks like. We still have to go out and execute, but we’re not going to be physically outmanned like we were two years ago.”

That means something will have to give when push comes to shove in the trenches this afternoon.

“We talked about them having wrestlers and usually wrestlers make good football players because they’re aggressive,” Randall said. “We don’t have a wrestling program, but we do have a weight room and our kids know what it looks like. Our kids are physically ready to play at this level.”

Randall believes the weight room paved the way to the Dome and now hopes it leads to a coveted state title.

“The weight room won us the game last Friday, there’s no doubt about it,” Randall said. “Our ability to pound the football in the second half, and not only score two touchdowns, but convert a couple of fourth downs, that stuff happens in the weight room.”