The regular season usually culminates with some interesting match-ups among its final week of games. This year is no different, as several teams vying for valuable playoff positioning or conference championships bump heads tonight.

Two games - Harding County at Lemmon-McIntosh and Newell at Edgemont - could have an impact on region standings in the 9-man ranks.

Harding County (4-3) jumped to No. 1 in Region 4 of the Class 9B ranks even though the Ranchers were idle last week. Edgemont's 38-6 loss at Kadoka allowed Harding County to leapfrog the Moguls for the No. 1 spot in the region.

The Ranchers face Lemmon-McIntosh for sole possession of second place in the Little Moreau Conference. Both teams are 2-1 in league play and a game back of a Timber Lake-Isabel squad that plays at Faith. Harding County has won four straight games, while Lemmon-McIntosh has won five of six. The Cowboys are tied with Lyman for the top spot in Region 4 of Class 9AA.

Newell (5-2) needs a victory to sew up the fourth spot in Class 9AA Region 4. A win would also help the Irrigators get back on track after suffering two losses in three games over the second half of the regular season.

White River (4-3) is right on the heels of Newell in Class 9AA Region 4. The Tigers host Wall (3-4) in a big Western Conference match-up tonight. Neither Newell nor White River can afford to falter in their season finale.

Edgemont (5-2), smarting some after losing to Kadoka last Friday, can still gain the No. 1 seed in its region with a win and a Harding County loss. The Moguls are a lock for no less than No. 2 in the Region 4, which would give Edgemont a home playoff game.

Colome and Scotland bump heads in a face-off of two ranked teams from the Great Plains Conference. The Highlanders (6-1, 3-1 GPC) are No. 2 in 9A and the Cowboys (6-1, 3-1 GPC) sit fourth in 9B.

In the Southeastern South Dakota Conference, Wagner (5-2, 1-1 SESD) and Platte-Geddes-Dakota Christian (5-2, 2-1 SESD) play. The Red Raiders, who are No. 5 in this week's Class 11B poll, hope to jump past the Black Panthers for the top spot in the conference and put a tough loss to No. 2 Dakota Valley behind them.

Platte-Geddes-Dakota Christian, which suffered close losses to Howard and Bon Homme early in the year, can solidify its standings as one of the better 11B teams with a win over the ranked Red Raiders.

Red Cloud and Todd County face off for top honors in the All Nations Conference tonight. The Crusaders (6-1, 5-0 ANC) received votes in this week's 11B sports writers' poll and could move into the top five with a win and a Wagner loss.

If Little Wound-Crazy Horse could upset Bennett County, the winner of the Red Cloud-Todd County game would tie the Warriors for the West River Conference title.

A handful of other games are worth mention.

Sundance, which was surprised by Class 3A Moorcroft 22-21 last Friday, closes its regular season Friday at Burns. The Bulldogs (5-2) got some help in Wyoming's Class 2A East when rival Lusk (5-2) lost to Southeast 21-7.

Kadoka (6-1) closes at home against Dupree (0-7).

Gregory (5-2) can win its sixth straight game if the Gorillas can knock off White Lake-Plankinton (2-5) in their closer.

Four 0-7 teams play each other this week. New Underwood plays at Jones County in Western Conference play, and St. Francis is at Crow Creek for a non-conference match-up.

The South Dakota Sportswriters Association will issue its final football rankings for the 2007 season on Saturday. The football playoffs begin Tuesday for South Dakota teams.