BROOKINGS — With two games to go, the Brookings Bobcats are coming down the stretch in a wide-open playoff race. The Class 11AA standings as close as they’ve ever been and the Bobcats are looking to build momentum in their final two games with the first coming with a trip to Douglas on Friday night.

“This season’s been unique,” head coach Brady Clark said in the parity within the class this season. “It’s really like any year where it’s not going to come down to rankings but who is playing the best football coming into and throughout the playoffs.”

The parity can be summed up in the past two weeks for Brookings. Two weeks ago, the Bobcats scored a win at home against Tea Area and was ranked the No. 1 team in the state. Last week, the Bobcats lost at home to Yankton, which sent them to fourth in the rankings and fourth in the Class AA standings.

Entering Friday’s game, Yankton (5-2), Watertown (5-2), Spearfish (6-1) and Brookings (5-2) all have a chance of taking home the No. 1 seed. Tea Area (4-3) has a chance at securing a home playoff game while Aberdeen Central (3-4), Huron (3-4) and Pierre (3-4) are jockeying for position at the bottom of the class.

“It could be a lot of things,” Clark said of the reason why teams have been so evenly matched this year. “It’s hard to pinpoint but it’s been a fun class. The kids are just exciting to play football and it’s hard to pinpoint anything because each year is different.”

To break up the cluster, someone will have to stand out. The Bobcats process to do that began earlier this week as they picked up the pieces from their 24-7 loss to the Bucks.

While the loss was disappointing, Clark believes the factors, such as four turnovers, were under their control.

“Basically it comes down to the fact a lot of the mistakes we made are things that we can fix,” Clark said. “That’s the biggest thing. We’re just working on fundamentals this week and all of the things we can fix from that game has been our main focus. It’s been a little breath of fresh air so to speak.”

If the tape study wasn’t enough to clear the room a trip to the west side of the state could help. Clark called the trip to Douglas a good chance for his team to bond together on a trip that begins in Brookings in the morning, leads to lunch and a hike in Chamberlain in the afternoon and a 7 p.m. central time kickoff against the Patriots in Douglas.

While the Bobcats will spend the majority of the day traveling, Clark believes it’s a fun experience for his team and the coaching staff.

“I think they’re a big team-building thing for us,” Clark said of the upcoming trip. “...We try to make the positive out of everything there and I think our guys do a good job of doing that.”

When the Bobcats prepare for kickoff in Douglas, they’ll see the task at hand. The Patriots have had a tough season and haven’t scored since a Sept. 20 loss to Tea Area but Clark believes the Patriots will be ready to bring the effort and try to win their first game of the year on Friday night.

“When you have a tough season, you’re willing to do anything to a certain point to get a win and to be successful,” Clark said. “Those are the things that we’re going to look to see out of Douglas on Friday night.”

Whoever the opponent, the Bobcats know that they need to take care of business over the final two weeks. With a matchup with Huron on tap for next week, the biggest concern has been focusing on their job while also knowing there’s a chance for improvement that could help them stand out in a crowded playoff picture.

“We just need to shore some things up,” Clark said. “We’re really hitting on the fundamentals and the core of who we are and what we do well these next two weeks. It’s a good opportunity to do that but maybe also add a few wrinkles here and there that can help us along the way.”