Dec. 8—MITCHELL — With the 2025-26 high school basketball tipping off across South Dakota this week, the inaugural set of South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for the new campaign has been unveiled.Of note, this season’s rankings for both boys and girls will include a top five from Class AA, with the top-10 teams ranked in Class A and Class B.Five of the six defending state champions from last season open with No. 1 rankings, including all three girls’ title winners from a year ago. The preseason favorite in three of the six classes received at least 15 of 18 available first-place votes, while the remaining three all got at least 10 top votes.Here are the preseason polls and a breakdown of the initial rankings.The preseason South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for the week of Dec. 8, 2025, are listed below. First-place votes are indicated in parentheses and teams are ranked by total points received.1. Sioux Falls Lincoln (11) 78; 2. Brandon Valley (6) 58; 3. Huron 43; 4. Mitchell 38; 5. O’Gorman (1) 15.Others receiving votes: Sioux Falls Jefferson 13, Harrisburg 12, Sioux Falls Washington 6, Sioux Falls Roosevelt 3, Spearfish 2, Tea Area 2.Looking up at Lincoln: The only preseason No. 1 that’s not a defending state champion is Sioux Falls Lincoln among the Class AA boys. As the No. 1 seed last season, Lincoln was upended in the state semifinals and took third place at the state tournament. The Patriots return three all-state players from last season in first-teamers Sam DeGroot and Sam Ericsson, both seniors, and junior second-teamer Brody Schafer. Defending champion Brandon Valley checks in at No. 2, with runner-up Mitchell at No. 4, as Huron is in between at No. 3. Rounding out the rankings and even receiving one first-place vote is No. 5 O’Gorman.1. Sioux Falls Christian (16) 176; 2. Lennox 135; 3. West Central (2) 127; 4. Clark/Willow Lake 103; 5. Hamlin 86; 6. Pine Ridge 68; 7. St. Thomas More 62; 8. Groton Area 46; 9. Rapid City Christian 40; 10. Dakota Valley 37.Others receiving votes: Dell Rapids 29, Vermillion 21, Winner 17, Madison 16, Baltic 12, Flandreau 5, Hill City 4, Mobridge-Pollock 4, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 1, Mahpiya Luta 1.Chasing the Chargers: Garnering 16 of 18 first-place votes, Sioux Falls Christian opens as a sizeable favorite to repeat as champions in the Class A boys ranks. No. 3 West Central grabbed the other two top votes, but Lennox slotted in at No. 2. Hamlin, the 2023-24 champions and 2024-25 runners up, is No. 5, and Clark/Willow Lake is No. 4. At No. 6, Pine Ridge is the highest-ranked squad that didn’t qualify for the state tournament last season, with No. 7 St. Thomas More and No. 10 Dakota Valley not far behind.1. Castlewood (10) 149; 2. Wessington Springs (2) 124; 3. Dell Rapids St. Mary (4) 110; 4. Wall (1) 109; 5. Viborg-Hurley (1) 108; 6. Freeman 98; 7. Lyman 54; 8. Aberdeen Christian 50; 9. De Smet 37; 10. Parkston 35.Others receiving votes: Sully Buttes 31, Bridgewater-Emery 25, Howard 17, Leola/Frederick Area 14, Gregory 9, Wolsey-Wessington 7, Lemmon 6, Estelline/Hendricks 5, Deubrook Area 2.Castlewood in a crowd: While Castlewood nabbed 10 first-place votes to start at No. 1, each member of the Class B boys top five received at least one, giving the class the largest collection of top vote-getters. No. 2 Wessington Springs snagged two first-place votes, while No. 3 Dell Rapids St. Mary collected four. No. 4 Wall and No. 5 Viborg-Hurley each got one top vote. The top eight in the preseason poll were all state tournament participants last season, with De Smet and Parkston rounding out the top 10.1. O’Gorman (16) 88; 2. Brandon Valley (2) 72; 3. Sioux Falls Washington 45; 4. Sioux Falls Jefferson 26; 5. Rapid City Stevens 17.Others receiving votes: Mitchell 16, Spearfish 3, Aberdeen Central 2, Rapid City Central 1.Usual suspects: For the second year in a row, the Class AA girls top five is comprised of the same five programs, with the only difference being Sioux Falls Jefferson and Rapid City Stevens swapping spots at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. O’Gorman received 16 first-place votes, tied for the most of any preseason No. 1 with SFC in the Class A boys rankings. No. 2 Brandon Valley got the other two top votes, and Sioux Falls Washington is No. 3. Among the others receiving votes, Mitchell was one vote behind Stevens for the No. 5 spot.1. Sioux Falls Christian (11) 173; 2. Mahpiya Luta (7) 160; 3. Hamlin 120; 4. Dakota Valley 119; 5. Sioux Valley 94; 6. Wagner 88; 7. Vermillion 62; 8. Mobridge-Pollock 52; 9. Lennox 39; 10. Flandreau 29.Others receiving votes: West Central 19, Aberdeen Roncalli 11, Clark/Willow Lake 6, St. Thomas More 4, Groton Area 4, Mount Vernon/Plankinton 3, Miller 2, Canton 2, Lakota Tech 2, Pine Ridge 1.Where they left off: Defending champion Sioux Falls Christian and runner-up Mahpiya Luta were the lone programs to receive first-place votes in the Class A girls poll, splitting them 11 to 7 to land at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Meanwhile, semifinalists Hamlin and Dakota Valley are No. 3 and 4, as the top six and seven of the top eight were state tournament qualifiers from last season. Mount Vernon/Plankinton was the lone tournament team not in the preseason top 10, though the Titans received three votes. No. 7 Vermillion, No. 9 Lennox and No. 10 Flandreau were the non-tournament teams to be featured in the preseason poll.1. Bennett County (15) 176; 2. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 131; 3. Centerville (3) 108; 4. Lyman 106; 5. Parkston 96; 6. Harding County 75; 7. Ethan 72; 8. Deubrook Area 39; 9. Colman-Egan 37; T-10. Dell Rapids St. Mary 31; T-10. Freeman 31.Others receiving votes: Corsica-Stickney 23, Arlington 21, Lemmon 11, De Smet 11, Kadoka Area 6, Waubay-Summit 6, Gayville-Volin 5, Warner 2, Northwestern 1, Chester 1, Avon 1.Warriors start atop the rankings: After battling their way to a state title as the No. 5 seed last season, Bennett County opens at No. 1 in the Class B girls rankings. The Warriors collected 15 first-place votes and have a 45-point gap between themselves and No. 2 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, the largest cushion in any class. Bennett County returns second-team all-state sisters Reagan O’Neill, a sophomore, and Peyson O’Neill, a freshman, to lead another charge. No. 3 Centerville nabbed the remaining three top votes, as No. 4 and No. 5 Parkston rounded out the top five. Dell Rapids St. Mary and Freeman tied for the No. 10 spot, the lone tie in any class this week. In total, 22 teams received votes toward the preseason poll, the most of any class.