Football Preview: Bulldogs Face West Central in Opening Playoff Battle

The Milbank Area Bulldogs are excited to face off with the West Central Trojans in the first round of Class 11A high school football playoffs tonight. The teams will battle for a win in Hartford beginning at 7 p.m.

“We are excited to have reached our goal of making the playoffs,” stated Milbank Area head football coach Jeremy Tostenson. “But we need to focus on playing our best football.”

West Central has an 8-1 regular season record with its only loss handed to them by Madison. “They are very well coached and play extremely aggressive,” said Tostenson. “We need to do what we do and focus on winning each play.”

The game plan for the Bulldogs remains similar to each game they have encountered this season. “Defensively we need to win the first down battle and not give up any big plays. We need to be disciplined in our reads and fits,” noted Tostenson. “Offensively, we need to be physical running the football and executing our offense.”

Other first round games in Class 11A include No. 8 Tea Area at No. 1 Madison; No. 4 Sioux Falls Christian at No. 5 Belle Fourche, and No. 7 Lennox at No. 2 St. Thomas More. The winners of each game will advance to the semi-final round slated for Friday, November 6, or Saturday, November 7.