The Lake Region Conference is back at it again.

After Warner and Faulkton both played in state championship football games a year ago, the LRC has four teams competing in quarterfinal playoff contests tonight.

Faulkton, Ipswich, Leola-Frederick, and Warner all secured opening round victories last week.

We’re pretty proud of our conference. We’ve had a lot success over the years,” said Faulkton coach Shayne Geditz. ” We’ve got guys that play good football up here and we’re pretty proud of that.”

There’s a lot to be said of the LRC, which annually produces some of the top squads in the state.

“I think it says a lot, and it’s not just a fluke this year,” said Leola-Frederick coach Jeff Kosters, who pointed out that he was the State Cross Country meet last weekend where three LRC teams finished in the top four of the Class B girls’ team points.

“I think we have a lot to be thankful for, proud of, and hang our hat on,” Kosters said.

Among the games on tap for tonight featuring LRC squads have Leola-Frederick at Parkston in Class 9AA, Warner hosting Philip, and Ipswich at Howard in Class 9A, and Faulkton hosting Colman-Egan in Class 9B.

Leola-Frederick (7-2) pulled out an overtime win over Kimball-White Lake last week.

“We live to play another day and our reward is a big trip to number one Parkston again, who whupped us two years ago down there and ended our season,” Kosters said. “I’m hoping this year goes different than two years ago.”

The Titans started the season with six straight wins before losing back-to-back games. Included in the middle was a three-week stretch of no games because of a bye and a forfeit.

“This year was so unique on so many different levels,” Kosters said. “I feel like we’ve had two different separate seasons.”

The Parkston matchup will be interesting in that both teams run nearly identical offenses.

“They’re similar to us in that they run a double tight double wing just like we do. … There will be some familiarity on our defensive side of the ball seeing them,” Kosters said, “because they run a lot of the similar stuff that we do.”

Kosters knows that his squad will be an underdog against unbeaten Parkston, but the Titans are prepared for the challenge.

“We’re not just going down there hoping to give them a game,” Kosters said. “We want to be competitive and we want to show people on a bigger stage that we’re not just some Podunk school from up north that doesn’t play anybody, that can’t compete with anybody.”

Like Leola-Frederick, Faulkton also lost back-to-back games during the season. The Trojans appear to be hitting their stride at the right time of the year.

“We have played good football as of late. Our kids have gotten better,” Geditz said. “We’ve got some new kids into some new roles. We’ve grown and matured. We’ve developed some depth over this time a little bit and got some kids who have stepped up. We’re coming together as a team.”

The Trojans (7-2) take on a dangerous 5-4 Colman-Egan squad, which has outscored its last four opponents by a total of 214-26.

“They’re a good football team. They started out with a tough schedule. … They’re really athletic. They’re long and they can run,” Geditz said. “They’re a good 9B football team and we’re going to have our hands full.”

Geditz said the key to the contest will lie on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football.

“We kind of hang our hat on our guys up front,” Geditz said, “and if they do a good job for us, we’re going to be able to do some things and that will be a positive for us on both sides. If we can do that and execute our game plans, then we’ll be in the ball game and see what happens in the end.”

Unbeaten Warner, the defending 9A state champion, will look to take another step on the road back to the state final when it hosts Philip. The Monarchs, who have won 21 games in a row and 32 of their last 33 contests dating back to 2022, have allowed more than six points in a game just one time this season, despite playing a schedule with a handful of teams that made it to the playoffs.

The Scotties, 5-4 on the season, have produced 141 points in their last three games.

Meanwhile, Ipswich will take on undefeated Howard in a battle of Tigers. Howard has been the top-rated 9A team the entire season.

The orange and black of Ipswich (7-2) has had it going in high gear lately, racking up 282 points in their last six games for an average of 47 points per game.

Ipswich and Howard shared two common foes, each picking up decisive wins over Timber Lake and Estelline-Hendricks.

Here is a glance at other quarterfinal games tonight involving area teams:

Class 11B

Clark-Willow Lake (7-2) at Elk Point-Jefferson (7-2)

Outside of one game this season, Clark-Willow Lake has been rock solid defensively. The Cyclones have allowed more than two touchdowns in a game just twice so far this fall.

EPJ’s only losses this year came against the top two teams in 11B: Winner and Sioux Valley.

CWL and EPJ did have a common opponent this season: both lost to Sioux Valley, the Cyclones losing 56-36 and EPJ falling 17-14.

Mobridge-Pollock (7-2) at Sioux Valley (9-0)

Mobridge-Pollock is one of the hottest teams in 11B, having won its last five games. The Tigers are coming off a road win over McCook Central-Montrose and have not lost a contest since Sept. 13.

The unbeaten Cossacks have been a machine on offense this fall, scoring at least 42 points in six of their nine victories.

The teams share a couple of common opponents: Mobridge-Pollock and Sioux Valley both defeated Clark-Willow and Deuel, the Cossacks defeating Deuel twice, including last week in the playoffs 47-26. The Tigers defeated Deuel 19-13 in the final week of the regular season.

Class 9AA

Viborg-Hurley (7-2) at Hamlin (9-0)

It’s hard to say what’s been most impressive for Hamlin this fall, the Chargers’ offense, which has scored at least 40 points in every game (an average of 54 per game), or their defense, which has recorded five shutouts.

Viborg-Hurley has already faced seven teams that qualified for the playoffs and lost to a pair of teams with a combined record of 17-1.

The two teams share a common foe: Viborg-Hurley lost to Elkton-Benton 40-24, while Hamlin defeated ELB 40-35.

Class 9A

Castlewood (6-3) at Wall (9-0)

Something will have to give in this matchup as Wall puts it perfect record on the line against Castlewood, which has won six straight games after losing three straight to start the season.

The Warriors, fresh off a road win against Alcester-Hudson, have surrendered just 27 points in their six victories. Meanwhile, Wall has been an offensive juggernaut. The Eagles have scored at least 37 points in every game and are averaging 51 points per contest.

Dupree (6-3) at Wolsey-Wessington (8-1)

Dupree pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the opening round of the playoffs last week, earning a road win at once-beaten Harding County-Bison, a team the Tigers lost to by 12 points just three weeks earlier.

Wolsey-Wessington continues to abuse opponents on the ground and through the air. In a playoff win last week, the Warbirds racked up more than 400 yards from scrimmage, 240 passing and 218 rushing.

Both teams own a convincing win over Lemmon-McIntosh on the season.

Class 9B

Sully Buttes (8-1) at Corsica-Stickney (7-2)

The offense of Sully Buttes continues to rack up points and yards in impressive fashion. The Chargers, who opened the playoffs last week with a 54-0 victory, have scored at least 46 points in all eight of their wins, and are averaging 52.5 points in those victories.

Corsica-Stickney has been solid after losing back-to-back games early in the season. The Jaguars, like Sully Buttes, can put up points in bunches.

The two teams played three common opponents, each scoring decisive wins over Hitchcock-Tulare, Herreid-Selby Area, and Sunshine Bible.