MITCHELL – The Mitchell High School football team’s season opener is just over a week away.

The Kernels will kick off their new season on Friday, August 30th, at home under the lights of Joe Quintal Field against Douglas, the first of nine consecutive game weekends for MHS.

Last season, Mitchell didn’t face an opponent with a sub-.500 record until eight games. In the first five weeks, the Kernels had away trips to Yankton, Sturgis and Sioux Falls Jefferson, as well as a home game against Pierre.

This year’s schedule, however, is “more manageable,” according to head coach Pat Larson, who said the program’s main goal in year two under his leadership must be to return to the Class 11AA playoffs. Mitchell, whose 10-year playoff streak was snapped, missed the 2022 and 2023 postseasons, posting 2-7 records in each.

Notably, Mitchell will not play Eastern South Dakota Conference opponent Pierre, the seven-time defending Class 11AA champion. The other Class 11AA team not on the Kernels’ schedule is Sturgis.

Here is a game-by-game overview of the Kernels’ 2024 regular season schedule:

Friday, August 30, 7 p.m., Joe Quintal Field

The Kernels will open a new season at home in 2024 for the third time in four years. However, Mitchell hasn’t played against the Patriots since 2020, when Mitchell went to Box Elder and emerged with a 55-28 victory. Since the start of 2021, Douglas has won one game, defeating Class 11A Belle Fourche in the 2023 season opener.

Friday, September 6, 7 p.m., at Dykhouse Stadium

Mitchell finished last season with a 28-0 victory over the Bobcats at Joe Quintal Field, ending a four-game losing streak in the series. Brookings fielded an unusually young team during its 1-8 2023 season, with only six seniors on the roster. Notable returnees for the Bobcats this season include 6-foot-4 tight end Bergan Tetzlaff, who earned honorable mention on the All-State team, and two-way playmaker Will Conrad.

7 p.m. Saturday, September 14, at Joe Quintal Field

Mitchell earned its first win of the 2023 season by defeating the fifth-ranked Spartans 35-28 on homecoming at Joe Quintal Field. Although Spearfish only had seven seniors from last year’s team that made the playoffs for the second consecutive year, four of them were all-state players. The Kernels have won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two schools, with Spearfish winning at home in 2022.

Friday, September 20, 7 p.m., at Watertown Stadium

When the two teams met last season, the Arrows came out on top, winning 42-7 at home. Overall, Watertown is coming off a 7-4 season that included a semifinal appearance as the No. 4 seed. Of Watertown’s seven all-state picks from last season, three return: fullback/tight end Spencer Wientjes, defensive lineman Micah Hach and defensive back Jeremiah Schulte. Although Watertown has won two straight games in the series, Mitchell is 5-4 against the Arrows since 2013.

6 p.m., Friday, September 27, at Tea Area HS Stadium

This year’s meeting will be the second between the two schools since Tea Area moved up to Class 11AA and the first with the Titans as a member of the Eastern South Dakota Conference. Tea Area previously won 47-14 at Joe Quintal Field in 2021. Like Watertown, Tea Area was 7-4 and a Class 11AA semifinalist last year, but that broke a streak of three consecutive seasons in which they made it to the DakotaDome dating back to the program’s final season in Class 11A.

Friday, October 4, 7 p.m., at Joe Quintal Field

Since the Golden Eagles returned to Class 11AA in 2021, they have held the upper hand against Mitchell, winning all three meetings. Last season, Aberdeen Central earned a 21-6 victory at the Kernel Bowl thanks to two defensive touchdowns. At 4-6 a year ago, Aberdeen Central was the No. 5 seed in the Class AA postseason. This season, the Golden Eagles return an all-state player: Cordel Rychlik, a veteran receiver/defensive back.

Friday, October 11, 7 p.m., Joe Quintal Field

For the second time in four years, the Kernels will face the Lynx, a perennial power in Class 11AAA, in their home finale. Brandon Valley begins the year as the third-ranked team in the state’s largest enrollment class and boasts a highly sought-after junior offensive lineman in Hudson Parliament. The Kernels have gone 5-8 overall in games against Class 11AAA competition, with six straight losses dating back to 2017.

Friday, October 18, 7 p.m., at Tiger Stadium

After back-to-back wins by Mitchell in the series in 2021 and 2022, Huron bounced back last fall with a 19-14 victory on home soil. In the last 10 meetings, Mitchell holds a 6-4 edge over its northern rivals. Huron was 4-6 last season and finished 7th in the Class 11AA postseason despite having all three players named to the All-State team.

7 p.m., Thursday, October 24, at Crane-Youngworth Field

Mitchell’s regular season ends with another road game, this time at Yankton, the defending Class 11AA runner-up. The Bucks picked up their fifth straight series win with a 42-0 finale in the 2023 season opener. Overall, Yankton finished 10-2 last season, with both losses coming against Pierre. The Bucks have produced six all-state players from the runner-up squad, but two players return in running back/linebacker Matthew Sheldon and receiver/defensive back Carson Ness.

The Class 11AA quarterfinals will be Thursday, October 31, with the semifinals on Friday, November 8. The Class 11AA championship game is scheduled for Friday, November 15 at 7 p.m. at the DakotaDome.

Dierks covers prep and high school sports throughout the Mitchell Republic’s broadcast area. His focus areas include: Mitchell High School football and boys basketball, area high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and track and field, and South Dakota State football. He is also at the forefront of the Mitchell Republic’s podcasting efforts. Dierks is a Mitchell native and graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2020. He joined the Mitchell Republic sports team in August 2021. Reach him at [email protected] and on Twitter at @LDierksy.