Mitchell Takes Unbeaten ESD Mark to No. 3 Watertown on Friday Night

Mitchell (3-2, 2-0 ESD) looks to stay unbeaten in conference play Friday at 7 p.m. at No. 3 Watertown's new Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex.

Mitchell High School's football team puts its unbeaten Eastern South Dakota Conference record on the line Friday, traveling to Watertown for a 7 p.m. game at the Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex. The Kernels and Arrows will meet at the venue for the first time; the facility opened in 2025 across from Watertown High School, ending the era of games at Watertown Stadium.

The Kernels are 3-2 overall and 2-0 in ESD play, while the Arrows sit at 3-2 overall and 2-2 in the conference. Watertown holds the No. 3 spot in this week's Class 11AA South Dakota Prep Media poll, which lists Pierre first, Tea Area second, Watertown third, Yankton fourth and Spearfish fifth. Mitchell received no votes.

Friday's game is the 45th between the programs in the playoff era, which dates to 1981. Watertown leads the series 30-14 and has won four in a row, including a 46-18 decision at Joe Quintal Field last season. Mitchell's most recent win in the rivalry came on the road, 27-13 on Oct. 15, 2021.

The teams arrive from opposite results last week. Mitchell fell behind early in a 34-20 homecoming loss to Class 11A No. 3 West Central. Watertown spoiled Yankton's homecoming with a 42-14 road win, taking a 35-0 lead into halftime.

Depth marks Mitchell's ground attack, with five Kernels at 150 or more rushing yards this season. Samari Wright paces the group with 349 yards and five touchdowns, and Mason Kempf has added 183 yards and four scores after running for 42 yards on five carries against Watertown a year ago. Junior quarterback Brady Hoesing threw all three of his touchdown passes last week in the third quarter during a comeback bid and now has 659 passing yards and eight touchdowns this season.

Junior running back Lawson LeBrun needed only two receptions to reach 100 receiving yards last week and has 376 yards from scrimmage this season, topping Mitchell with 195 receiving yards and three touchdowns on six catches. Junior linebacker Bailor Kristensen made a season-high 10 tackles against West Central, including one for a loss on a key fourth-down stop, and leads the defense with 28 total tackles.

Watertown's passing game controlled the win at Yankton, where junior quarterback Kaeden Himmerich threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns and Kutler Swenson caught eight passes for 118 yards and three scores. Senior Hunter Peterson, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound all-state tight end/fullback/H-back last season, and Lincoln Schutt, a 6-foot, 200-pound running back/linebacker who earned honorable mention all-state honors a year ago, are also back. In last season's matchup, Schutt rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries, while Peterson produced 29 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on three touches.

At home, Watertown is 1-2 against ranked opposition this season. The Arrows beat No. 5 Spearfish 26-20 in Week 1, then lost 28-21 to No. 2 Tea Area and 55-14 to No. 1 Pierre. Outside of winless Aberdeen Central and Brookings, Watertown has faced the toughest schedule in Class 11AA, with opponents combining for a .556 win percentage.

The rest of the Class 11AA slate this week sends Huron to Pierre, Sturgis to Aberdeen Central, Brookings to Tea Area and Yankton to Spearfish, with Belle Fourche of Class 11A visiting Douglas. Both teams play again Oct. 9: Mitchell travels to Tea Area, and Watertown visits Aberdeen Central.