Sep. 3If you're a frequent reader of the South Dakota Gridiron Report (first of all, thank you), you know we're always keeping an eye on the postseason and the pursuit of a state championship.Every game matters to the teams and players but the pursuit of the playoffs and state title games make the season fun, as well.Now, it's only two weeks into the season for the smallest schools, but we're already taking a look at how teams are lining up. And in that light, we're debuting something we're calling the South Dakota Gridiron Report Pound-for-Pound Title Outlook. That's where we consider how would we rank the teams across classes in their pursuit for a state championshipOur outlook doesn't just consider which team is the best, but also what kind of competition is lined up so far in the class and what teams are in the way? So a team at top of a class where they're a clear No. 1 title threat is going to rank better than a class that might be considered more wide open with a number of title contenders. The only parameter was we created two separate lists: one for 11-man teams and another for nine-man.Consider this a "just for fun" exercise but one that was good for looking at the top teams in a new light.Top 10 threats for a 11-man state title right now:1. Pierre (11AA)2. SF Christian (11A)3. SF Jefferson (11AAA)4. Brandon Valley (11AAA)5. St. Thomas More (11B)6. Elk Point-Jefferson (11B)7. Yankton (11AA)8. O'Gorman (11AAA)9. Lincoln (11AAA)10. Lennox (11A)Outlook: O'Gorman has played its way on this list thanks to a nice victory over Sioux Falls Lincoln, a team that was most people's preseason No. 1 in Class 11AAA. That was the opinion of the Gridiron Report, as well, but Chace Hermanson and the Knights beat the Patriots at their own game, winning a shootout and vaulting themselves into the state championship conversation. At least that's the very early view after one week, and much more will be learned this week with O'Gorman at Brandon Valley on Saturday. Jefferson and Brandon Valley seem like close competitors so far in Class 11AAA, so they get bunched together, and Jefferson brings back a solid core from last season to start this campaign. It's also far too early but bump Lincoln off this list, giving 11AAA four teams on this early top-10.Class 11AA has the largest favorite of any class with Pierre expected to be the team to beat in its division. Considering the Governors have a loaded and veteran-laden roster, powered by 26 seniors, and experienced leadership with coach Steve Steele, Pierre looks quite strong this season. The No. 2 team in Class 11AA is probably Yankton and the Bucks and Govs will be on the gridiron on Friday night, so we'll see what the gap looks like with the head-to-head matchup.We saw last week in Class 11A what the top of the division looks like when Sioux Falls Christian and Lennox got on the field in Week 1, and the Chargers topped the Orioles much like they did in the Dome last season for the title. Time will tell if another 11A team moves into contender status. The same can be said for Class 11B, where St. Thomas More and Elk Point-Jefferson lead the contenders in the division but neither is an overwhelming favorite over the other at this point.Top 10 threats for a nine-man state title right now:1. Parkston (9AA)2. Dell Rapids St. Mary (9B)3. Freeman (9A)4. Wall (9B)5. Castlewood (9A)6. Howard (9A)7. Bon Homme (9AA)8. Platte-Geddes (9AA)9. Warner (9B)10. Sully Buttes (9A)Outlook: In the nine-man ranks, Parkston combines both the experience of playing in the Dome and has risen above the other contenders in Class 9AA so far in order to put themselves in the lead position. Certainly, Dell Rapids St. Mary, Freeman and Wall are full of state championship game experience, but they also find themselves in divisions where there's already a long list of challengers lining up. How exactly to split those teams up this early in the season isn't clear, so we didn't.Castlewood is probably the group of fastest risers so far after strong wins over Hamlin and Howard, victories that will get any South Dakota high school football follower's attention any year. Howard has the track record that would indicate it's not prudent to write them off this early in the season.Warner and Sully Buttes are stalwart programs that have started the season nicely with 2-0 records, particularly the Chargers' win over Kimball/White Lake to earn a spot on this list.Lynx go to Omaha metro for a win: In the first game between South Dakota and Nebraska schools in a renewed series for Class 11AAA teams, Brandon Valley earned a hard-fought win over Bellevue West, 10-7. By all measures, it seemed to be a matchup between two evenly matched teams and the Lynx earned a victory that may prove valuable later in the season.Tea Area tops visiting Tigers: In the first of what will likely be many proving ground games in Class 11AA, Tea Area knocked off Huron 35-32 on Friday. Both teams are ones that have question marks but are expected to be in the top half of the division this year. Tea Area rushed for 305 yards and Huron threw for 319 yards, giving a good preview of what might be ahead for both teams this season. Huron rallied from a 21-point deficit but never quite overcame the Titans, who picked up a key early season victory.Quarriers dig out a close victory: Dell Rapids and Madison has been a fruitful Class 11A rivalry over the years and Dell Rapids eked out a 15-14 win over the Bulldogs in the season opener. That included a comeback from 14-0 down for Dell Rapids and a game-winning two-point run by Jace Brende with 3 minutes left. Time will tell how these teams build up throughout the season but expect this win to age well.Have these games on your radar this week.Pierre at Yankton: As mentioned above, these are the top-two ranked teams in the South Dakota Prep Media poll, and it's a rematch of last season's Class 11AA title game. Pierre went nuts for 56 points in that victory, and Yankton will need to find a way to slow down Jerran Deal and Porter Hunsley and the Govs at home to have a chance to earn the win.Estelline/Hendricks at Castlewood: Two teams that not many people have been thinking about in nine-man football in recent years but the Warriors have two strong victories in the opening weeks of the season with a road win at Hamlin and a home victory over Howard. Now they return home to host a Redhawks team that is also 2-0. Estelline/Hendricks has finished each of the last four seasons at 4-5 on the year, but here's a chance to make a statement early in the year.Freeman at Howard: Freeman plays its third consecutive away game to start the season when they visit Howard on Friday night, and the Flyers have been blistering so far on both sides of the ball, scoring in all three phases in their win last week over Chester and convincingly defeating Alcester-Hudson in the opening game. Howard comes off the tough loss at Castlewood and get everyone's attention back with a strong performance at home against Freeman. The Tigers have a good track record of bouncing back from tough early season losses, and they'll try to replicate that again.