State champion Phoenix tabbed as top nine-man football team nationally by MaxPreps

Jan. 6—FREEMAN, S.D. — Adding yet another accolade to an undefeated state championship season, Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy was tabbed as the top nine-man football team in the country for 2025 by MaxPreps.com.

Announced Monday, the national prep sports database's computer ratings gave the Phoenix a score of 74.4, cementing them as the runaway top nine-man team. South Dakota had the top three teams in the rankings, with FMFA ahead of No. 2 Wall (64.4), the Class 9A champions, and No. 3 Elkton-Lake Benton (62.4), which the Phoenix defeated twice en route to a title.

FMFA finished the season with a perfect 12-0 record while navigating the most difficult schedule in all of nine-man football based on opponent winning percentage. Along their path, the Phoenix earned wins over Class 9AA No. 2, No. 3, No. 5, No. 6 and No. 9, Class 9A No. 3 and Class 9B No. 2, as seeded for the postseason. FMFA won its contests by an average score of 48-10 and did not play a game decided by fewer than 14 points. In the Class 9AA title game, the Phoenix defeated ELB 46-22.

After the season, FMFA had five players — seniors Riley Tschetter, Luke Peters and Tate Sorensen, junior Hunter Nankivel and sophomore Easton Tschetter — named to the Class 9AA all-state football team, as selected by the South Dakota Football Coaches Association. Riley Tschetter was also chosen as the 2025 Mitchell Republic football player of the year.

With Marion joining an all-sport partnership with Parker, the 2025 football season marked the final season of the Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy program.

Overall, South Dakota had 13 squads in the nine-man top 25, with the top three joined by No. 6 Dell Rapids St. Mary, No. 9 Parkston, No. 11 Hamlin, No. 14 Howard, No. 16 Alcester-Hudson, No. 17 Avon, No. 20 Hanson, No. 22 Bon Homme, No. 23 Philip and No. 24 Viborg-Hurley.

All 25 recognized teams were from South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Georgia or Oregon.