The state of South Dakota college football remains very strong.

Both FCS programs are consistently ranked and in playoff contention most seasons, while the in-state DII programs continue to rise along with their NAIA counterparts.

The DII regular season is now more than halfway over, as teams prep for the stretch run of the campaign with playoff dreams in sight.

A trio of South Dakota college athletes lead the nation in a few categories thus far this season, accentuating the impact they've had on the gridiron.

Here's a link to the official NCAA DII Stats site.

For the 4-2 Augustana Vikings, Quarterback Gunnar Hensley currently leads all DII signal callers with 2,195 passing yards over six games. Hensley is more than 200 yards clear of the competition at this stage of the season.

On the receiving end of Hensley's success, DJ Page of Augie ranks 3rd in the nation in receptions per game, while Tight End Klayton Sattler ranks 2nd in receiving touchdowns with 8.

On the ground, Hank Kraft is the class of DII football for the Northern State Wolves. The Senior has 1,053 rushing yards, the only runner to clear the 1,000-yard threshold thus far this season. Both Dawson Dunbar (SD Mines) and Breylon Blount (Augie) are also in the top 10.

Lastly, on the defensive side, NSU Wolves Linebacker Jake Adams leads all defenders with 44 solo tackles thus far this season. UMary's Cameron Brusven ranks 5th with 37 solo stops.

It's an impressive start for the trio of in-state standouts.

Augie is 4-2 and takes on Concordia St.Paul on the road on Saturday, while Northern State (5-1) also travels to take on the Duluth Bulldogs.

Source: NCAA College Football DII current individual Stats | NCAA.com