BROOKINGS — The Brookings Bobcats reached a significant milestone in their season when they were named the No. 1 team in the Class 11AA media rankings this week. But just like every week during their 5-1 start, the Bobcats have remained focused on each opponent, including Friday’s matchup against Yankton.

“They’ve been excited about it but this group understands that if we lose focus, that [ranking] can be gone,” Brookings head coach Brady Clark said. “We look at ratings and rankings but we also know at the end of the day it doesn’t matter outside of who we are playing on Friday. We need to come prepared and be ready to give it our best effort.”

Friday’s opponent could be labeled as the Bobcats’ biggest game of the season. The Bucks enter this week in a log jam with Watertown and Tea Area with a 4-2 record but were the only team out of that trio to receive a first-place vote in the rankings.

The Bucks’ talent is a big reason for their success. Standout wide receiver/safety Carson Ness and halfback/linebacker Matthew Sheldon were named to the Argus Leader’s Elite 45 Preseason list at the beginning of the year and represent the type of versatile athletes that Yankton uses to run a fast-paced offense that has averaged 35.1 points per game this season.

“They’re just athletic. They make plays happen and they ad-lib very well,” Clark said of Ness and Sheldon. “They’re aggressive on defense and offense and they’re just a fast-paced football team. Getting our guys ready for a fast-paced team can be difficult but our guys have done a good job and our coaches have done a good job this week of getting guys locked in to as best of a look as we’ll see, especially on the defensive side with their fast-paced offense. That tempo is hard to match in practice, but I feel like our guys have done a good job doing that.”

Clark also mentioned Yankton’s size as a potential concern, but noted that the Bobcats have been the smaller team in the majority of their games this season. To make up for that, Brookings has used a gritty effort on both sides of the ball, which has slowed opposing teams down while also creating opportunities for themselves.

“They’ve got athletes across the board and they’ve got a lot of size but I think we’ve been the undersized team in every game we’ve been in this year,” Clark said. “But our guys just give great effort and our coaches do a great job in preaching effort. Yankton is a very good football team and well coached and I expect a really good game.”

It’s a challenge the Bobcats are willing to accept, coming off a 29-22 win over Tea Area last week. While the Titans made things interesting late in that game, Clark commended the Bobcats for coming out loose and hopes to duplicate that on Friday.

“It was fun to see them just go out and play,” Clark said. “They felt loose and just had fun doing it. I know they had a little scare at the end but they ended up finishing the game and I thought the coaches did a great job with playcalling and keeping guys engaged and locked in.”

Staying engaged will be key as the Bobcats come down the stretch and Brookings continues to be locked in at the opponent in front of them as opposed to what’s ahead of them. But as the top team in the state, there could be a lot riding on the line when the Bucks and the Bobcats kick off at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium at 7 p.m. on Friday, a win would be huge as Brookings enters its final three games.

“We’re just focused on Friday night,” Clark said. “At the end of the day, a win would mean a great deal. But as far as everything goes, I think it’s important that we just focus on the 1-0 and who is ahead of us.”