BROOKINGS — Fourteen months ago, the Brookings Bobcats took on the Watertown Arrows to open the 2023 season. The game had the hype of any season opener but also an extra weight for a team that was loaded with 28 sophomores playing in their first varsity game.

The weight grew heavier when Juven Hudson returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and the Arrows jumped out to a 33-0 lead at halftime. But the Bobcats held Watertown off the scoreboard in the second half and gave head coach Brady Clark a prediction after the game.

“I’m just excited to see where these boys can go as a team because I know we’re better than what we saw tonight,” Clark said. “We saw a little bit of what we could be and I’m excited to see where that goes.”

Fast forward to 7 p.m. Friday in Watertown, and it will mark the first meeting between the Bobcats and Arrows since that August night. That team was adjusting to varsity football is now one win away from a trip to the DakotaDome and a chance to compete for a state championship and bringing a group of Bobcats a full circle moment in the middle of a rivalry.

“We have grown exponentially,” Clark said ahead of Friday’s game. “Just the understanding of what we’re trying to do as a program, how our coaches coach … everybody does things a little differently, but it’s all in the way of love and understanding that the little details matter just over the course from that game last year up until this point.”

Clark says the biggest area of growth he’s seen from his team is how they’ve taken ownership of their accountability and leadership. It was apparent during the summer when the Bobcats practiced well after the sun went down during a camp in the Black Hills in June and has continued as the Bobcats went 7-2 during the regular season and advanced to the semifinals with a 23-13 win over Tea Area last week.

“We say that in our program that good teams and good coaches lead great, elite-level teams,” Clark explained. “The teams that are making it to this point in the season, the players have led them there. And when you can coach and I don’t have to worry about the little things here and there because your players are taking care if it, that’s huge. The boys have finally noticed that it’s working but at the end of the day, they’ve worked so hard and I’m so proud of them.”

Their reward for that work is a long-awaited rematch with Watertown, who did not face the Bobcats during the regular season. Clark said his team was surprised the two schools didn’t meet because of the rivalry and the proximity between Watertown and Brookings but his team also decided that if the schedule wasn’t going to give it to them, they would have to earn this matchup.

“We were surprised and kind of upset, actually,” Clark chuckled. “We weren’t sure why a team in our class that’s 45 minutes away, who is arguably our biggest rival wasn’t in our regular season schedule. But I guess we just took that and said let’s figure out a way to put ourselves in position to make sure we play them and it all aligned for this Friday.”

It leads to a showdown with an Arrows team that is looking to avenge its loss to Pierre in last year’s 11AA semifinals. Hudson is currently a freshman at Morningside University but the Arrows have plenty of talent including linebacker/fullback Spencer Wientjes and lineman Micah Hach, who is committed to South Dakota State in both football and wrestling.

With Wientjes and Hach leading the way, Watertown has posted an 8-2 record this season. They’ve been especially dominant against Class 11AA teams, averaging 34.6 points per game on offense and allowing just 11.7 points with three shutouts on defense.

“We see a big physical team,” Clark said. “They’re well-coached and there’s a reason that they’re playing on Friday as well. We just feel that if we can do our jobs and stay disciplined, we can put ourselves in a good position.”

It’s a game where the Bobcats are excited to take the field but also have been able to rein it in so they can take care of business on Friday night. It’s a group that has matured exponentially since their last visit to Watertown and looking to close down Arrow Stadium, which is hosting its final game before moving into a new stadium next season, with a Brookings victory and a ticket to Vermillion.

“I can’t speak for everybody but I think for our boys, it would just mean the world to win this game,” Clark said. “Our confidence level is high and we know we’re a good football team, but to win this one with the emotions that are going to be behind this game … there’s a lot of reasons to go watch this football game on Friday night.”