10 teams that have turned their programs around
TURN AROUND TEAMS +
CCHA BRINGS PARITY TO THE ICE
BERGSTROM BACK FOR SDSU
Warwick leads Cougars to top
Bergstrom
the team
EDITOR
MARCUS TRAXLER mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
SARA LEITHEISER
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
CHRIS JOHNSON
JAMIE HOYEM
CONTRIBUTERS
MATT ZIMMER
ADAM THURY
TRENT SINGER
BLAKE DURHAM
LANDON DIERKS
NATHAN SWAFFAR
JUSTIN WICKERSHAM
meet the contributors
MARCUS TRAXLER
Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics.
MATT ZIMMER
Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting.
LANDON DIERKS
Dierks covers prep and collegiate athletics across the Mitchell Republic’s coverage region area. He is a Mitchell native who graduated from South Dakota State University with his bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2020. Dierks joined the Mitchell Republic sports staff in August 2021.
BLAKE DURHAM
Blake Durham is a Sports Reporter for the Mitchell Republic, having joined the newspaper in October of 2023. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in December of 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Durham can be found covering a variety of prep and collegiate sports in the area.
TRENT SINGER
An Iowa native who grew up in the south, Singer is a 2012 graduate of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he received his bachelor of arts degree in photography with a minor in journalism. Singer was most previously the editor of high school sports at Just Women's Sports and, before that, was a sports reporter and editor at the Southeast Missourian and the Kentucky New Era, respectively.
the cover
Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Brody Schafer (23) attacks the basket against Mitchell during a high school boys basketball on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls.
Dierks / Mitchell Republic
Landon
TURNAROUND 10 TEAMS
IN SD HOOPS THIS SEASON
Take note of these teams putting together strong basketball seasons
BY LANDON DIERKS Mitchell Republic
MITCHELL — As the 2024-25 South Dakota high school basketball regular season winds down, it’s clear that several programs have upped their game from a season ago.
But among them are a select few overachievers.
Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Brody Schafer (23) attacks the basket against Mitchell during a high school boys basketball on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls.
LANDON DIERKS /
In this week’s Full Court Press, we take a look at five notable turnaround seasons from both boys and girls basketball this season. This is a spotlight on teams that have made significant improvements in the win column or made a leap toward the top of the standings this season. In some cases, it’s a mix of both.
(Note: All records referenced in this story were taken from the SDHSAA database on Monday, Feb. 10.)
BOYS
CLASS AA
SIOUX FALLS LINCOLN
With a 10-game win streak to open this season, the Patriots matched their win total from a year ago before dropping a single game. Now 13-1, Lincoln is No. 1 in the seed-point standings and clearly among the favorites to win a Class AA state championship. Bringing in former Patriot standout Luke Hannemann as coach to pair with an infusion of blossoming talents, including juniors Sam Ericsson and Sam DeGroot alongside sophomores Brody Schafer and Deondre Painter, has been a winning recipe for Lincoln. To date, the Patriots boast the top offense and defense in the class
by points scored and allowed per game, proof that they can win games on either end of the floor.
CLASS A BRITTON-HECLA
Though not among the heavyweights in Class A, that hasn’t prevented the Braves from correcting course in a move from Class B. In its new setting, Britton-Hecla is 9-7, up from a 4-17 finish last season. That five-win improvement is currently the largest among Class A squads. There’s potential for the Braves to continue their rise beyond this season, too, with four juniors and four sophomores set to carry on after the graduation of a pair of seniors. Though fourth in the Region 1A seed-point standings, it’s worth noting that Britton-Hecla is one of just two teams in the region with a winning record to date.
HILL CITY
Paralleling their breakout season on the gridiron from last fall, the Rangers have been among the most improved teams on the hardwood, as well. At 12-4, Hill City is the No. 10 team in the Class A standings, up from a 9-12 record that landed the team well outside the Class A top-30 a season ago. Few teams across any class can match the veteran presence on the Rangers roster, flush with eight seniors and four juniors. Hill City is still trying to break up the established Region 8A trio to Rapid City Christian, St. Thomas More and Custer, but they’ve been able to punch above their weight in single-digit losses to Class AA Spearfish and Sturgis.
CLASS B
ESTELLINE/HENDRICKS
Taking advantage of a move from Class A due to realignment, the Redhawks own a 14-2 record and a top-15 position in Class B this season to date. That’s in contrast to an 11-10 campaign that barely cracked the Class A top40 last season. Aiding the transition, Estelline/Hendricks has seven upperclassmen, including five seniors to lean on. But the toughest break for Estelline/Hendricks was being placed in a difficult region alongside the likes of fellow state tournament hopefuls Castlewood, Wessington Springs, Wolsey-Wessington and De Smet. The Redhawks are currently fourth in that crowd looking to make a move prior to the postseason to avoid a potential collision with Castlewood, which leads the race as the No. 1 team in the Class B standings.
LYMAN
Already with six more wins than last season, the Raiders are currently tied with Irene-Wakonda for the largest improvement in Class B this season. Lyman has transformed from a 5-16 team that landed outside the top 50 in the class last season to an 11-4 outfit in contention for a top-20 finish. The emergence of senior Aksel Ehlers, one of three upperclassmen on the roster, has certainly been a driving force for the Raiders, as had a budding sophomore class of eight. A newcomer to Region 5B, Lyman is currently third behind Gregory and Lower Brule in the standings, with Marty, Andes Central/Dakota Christian and Corsica-Stickney hot on the Raiders’ heels.
GIRLS
CLASS AA
SIOUX FALLS WASHINGTON
One of the perennial powers in Class AA took a brief step back last season, going from a 21-3 state championship
season in 2022-23 to a 9-12 mark in 2023-24, bowing out of the postseason with a 21-point loss in the SoDak 16 at the No. 10 seed. But the status quo has been swiftly restored by coach Jamie Parish and company, who are out to a 12-1 start and have established themselves as one of the favorites to take down a third state title in five seasons come March. The Warriors are a supremely talented bunch, headlined by 6-foot senior forward Grace Peterson, an Augustana women’s basketball commit.
CLASS A
DAKOTA VALLEY
Though a 14-win team last season, the Panthers didn’t even get out of their regional tournament quarterfinals in a jam-packed Region 4A. With the addition of Sioux Falls Christian, Region 4A is even better this season, but so is Dakota Valley. Freshmen Ella Otten, Aubree Worden and Katie Betsworth all contribute like upperclassmen, while senior Cameryn Sommervold adds a steady veteran presence to the mix. The Panthers already have two more wins than they finished with last season. More importantly, Dakota Valley is a seed-point darling, quietly owning pole position for the No. 1 seed in Class A.
PINE RIDGE
In a league of their own compared to all other Class A programs, the Thorpes have already improved by seven wins over their 2023-24 total, going from a bottom-10 mark of 3-15 last year to a 10-5 start to this season. With a postseason push, they could add even more to the single-year swing. Pine Ridge has looked to a young roster to help kick-start its major resurgence, with only one senior and three juniors making up the team’s core. Region 7A is challenging this season, with the Thorpes behind Mahpiya Luta, the last remaining undefeated Class A team, and nearby Lakota Tech in the standings and Winner not far behind in fourth. However, Pine Ridge has positioned itself well to make a run at a SoDak 16 berth.
CLASS B
BENNETT COUNTY
Trading Class A for Class B in the most recent round of realignment paired with a significant youth movement has positioned the Warriors as one of the biggest risers in the entire state. Bennett County is currently tied with Tiospa Zina and Waverly-South Shore for the biggest turnaround of all Class B squads, already improving by five wins over their total from last season. A year ago in Class A, the Warriors were 9-10 and 44th out of 65 teams in the seed-point standings. This year, the Warriors are out to a 14-2 start and are fifth of 78 teams in Class B. That with a roster that has three seniors and one junior alongside 11 underclassmen, including four players still in middle school.
DELL RAPIDS ST. MARY
Though not far outside of the postseason picture last season, the Cardinals are firmly entrenched near the top of Class B this season. St. Mary has improved from an 11-10 mark and top-24 position in the standings to a 14-4 start and a place in the Class B top eight. The Cardinals are a veteran squad, with five seniors and four juniors anchoring the roster. A path to the statewide postseason is far from clear for St. Mary, a member of the always-competitive Region 3B. As it stands, the second-place Cardinals are in a heated race with Colman-Egan and Ethan at the top of the region standings, as less than one-quarter of a point separates the first-place Hawks from the third-place Rustlers.
Sioux Falls Washington’s Layla Berte drives to the basket against Sioux Falls Lincoln on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, at Washington High School in Sioux Falls. TRENT SINGER / SIOUX FALLS LIVE
Dakota Valley’s Ella Otten (23) brings the ball up the floor at Groton Area’s Kennedy Hansen (5) gives chase on defense during a Hanson Classic high school girls basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Corn Palace.
ADAM THURY / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
CCHA PARITY: NO TEAM IS SAFE
Minnesota State leads but expect chaos to reign by the end of the CCHA playoffs in pursuit of NCAA bid
BY TRENT SINGER
MANKATO, Minn. — Well, well, well, if it isn’t our old friend, Parity.
Remember Parity? A year ago, Parity showed up early in the CCHA season and never left, and by the time the regular season had ended, a logjam in the conference standings was left in its wake, with only five league points separating the second-place and seventh-place teams.
This season, it appears as if Parity has returned to the league, and the circumstances are familiar. This time around, though, no team is safe.
At the top, Minnesota State has made its case as the best team in the conference, and although the Mavericks haven’t entirely secured the MacNaughton Cup, their stranglehold on the top spot in the standings received a massive boost over the weekend when they swept second-place Augustana in a two-game set in Mankato.
Before we get to the rest of the conference, let’s talk about the Mavs because what they’re doing is pretty impressive.
Prior to the start of the 2023-24 season, no one really knew what to make of Minnesota State, which was in its first year under the direction of a new coach in Luke Strand. His predecessor, Mike Hastings, had left in March 2023 to accept the head coaching job at the University of Wisconsin, and in doing so, he took a slew of the Mavs’ top point-getters with him.
Ferris State huddles in front of the Augustana student section moments before the start of their game on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024 at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls. Matt Zimmer / Sioux Falls Live
In total, MSU lost its nine best point-getters from the year before. That group of players accounted for 71% of the team’s total points, so Strand was practically starting from scratch when he took over the program.
The loyalty of forward Sam Morton was a cornerstone piece for Strand in his first season at the helm. Last season, Morton racked up 35 points, including a league-leading 24 goals, and was named CCHA Player of the Year before signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Calgary Flames.
But given the high turnover on the roster, the expectations for MSU weren’t high heading into last season. The Mavs were picked to finish fourth and sixth in the CCHA media and coaches’ polls, respectively.
They ultimately finished fourth in the standings, but with an 18-15-4 overall record, the Mavericks were one of only three teams in the conference to have a winning record when it was all said and done. Their plus-15 goal differential was tops in the CCHA, and they made it as far as the semifinals of the CCHA playoffs, where they fell to eventual Mason Cup champion Michigan Tech in a 4-3 defeat in Houghton, Michigan.
A year later, though, Minnesota State has emerged as the top team in the conference, and at this point, it looks like the Mavs might be running away with the MacNaughton Cup.
MSU currently leads the conference in both goals scored per game (2.8) and goals allowed per game (1.6). With a 20-8-2 overall mark and
a 15-5-2 record in CCHA play, the Mavericks are one of just six teams in the country to have hit the 20-win mark. They sit comfortably atop the standings with a .697 points percentage and an impressive goal differential of plus-35.
And Strand’s fingerprints are all over this team, starting with star goaltender Alex Tracy, who ranks first in the nation in goals-against average (1.53) and fourth in save percentage (.941).
Tracy, who manned the pipes for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers in 2022 when Strand guided the organization to a Clark Cup championship, is the bedrock of what MSU does defensively, but on the other end, the Mavs have found the perfect replacement for Morton with the addition of Rhett Pitlick, who arrived on campus just before the start of the season after transferring from the University of Minnesota.
The announcement of Pitlick’s transfer in September came with plenty of renewed expectations for MSU, and so far, he has lived up to those expectations, logging 32 points on 12 goals and 20 assists. The senior left wing is as skilled of a player this conference has, and his performance on the Mavs’ top line has undoubtedly elevated the rest of the team’s forwards.
Right now, Minnesota State is the team to beat, and the rest of the conference is well aware, which brings us to the rest of the field.
Augustana (16-9-3) and Michigan Tech (15-112) will square off this weekend in Sioux Falls, and both of those teams still have an outside
“It’s going to be a dogfight right to the finish.”
GARRETT RABOIN,
AUGUSTANA COACH
chance at tracking down the MacNaughton Cup. Of course, they’ll both need to take care of business themselves and get a little help from the Mavs along the way, but nevertheless, it’s an opportunity.
The Vikings currently reside in second place in the standings with a .619 points percentage, while MTU has a .583 points percentage in fourth place with six conference games to play. Bowling Green (15-10-4) is in third place (.591), but with only four league games remaining, they won’t be able to catch up to MSU.
Despite getting swept over the weekend for just the second time this season, Augustana is still guaranteed to have a winning record this season, a remarkable storyline in and of itself for the second-year program.
“I think our guys grew through the series, at least that’s the hope. I think our guys should hold their heads high,” Vikings coach Garrett Raboin said following his team’s 2-1 loss on Saturday, a game in which AU was undermanned due to a creeping illness in the locker room but still managed to outplay MSU for the majority of the contest. “They did everything they could. They just couldn’t buy one on a really good goalie, and we’ll give ourselves a chance most nights if we play like that.
“But we’ve got to take care of ourselves. We’ve got to give our guys some rest. We’ve got to let this bug run through us. It was just our turn. It seems like most teams have had it at some point. It’s not an excuse, but we’re onto the next one already.”
Minnesota State goalie Alex Tracy stands in front of the net during a break in action against Augustana on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, Minn.
TRENT SINGER / SIOUX FALLS LIVE
This season, the CCHA is proving to be much more top-heavy than a year ago, with the top four teams each boasting a winning record.
However, the bottom half of the league proves that there will be no easy outs in potential firstround matchups for the CCHA playoffs, consisting of a bevy of teams that each offer their own challenges.
St. Thomas (12-13-5), which currently sits in fifth place, was a preseason favorite heading into the season, and while the first half of the 2024-25 campaign didn’t fall the Tommies’ way, they have gone 8-3-1 since the start of the new year.
In sixth place, Lake Superior State (10-16-2) has seen an inverse trajectory, going 2-7-1 since the start of the new year, but the Lakers aren’t an easy matchup for any team and, for the most part, have remained competitive throughout their second-half stretch.
Meanwhile, Ferris State (10-16-2) has won four of its last five, including a 2-0 shutout of Minnesota State on Jan. 24. The farewell tour for longtime Bulldogs coach Bob Daniels, who announced his retirement last month, is officially on, and it appears to have galvanized a group of FSU players who want to send their coach off with one more lasting memory in his 33rd and final year at the helm.
And has Bemidji State (11-15-4) found something? The reigning MacNaughton Cup champions had gone 1-6-1 in the second half of the season until last weekend’s two-game sweep of Michigan Tech on Winter Carnival weekend in Houghton. Finally, the Beavers found some much-needed offense against the Huskies, combining for 11 goals to guarantee a spot in the CCHA playoffs, and with four CCHA games left in the regular season, they’ve got a chance to get something going before the postseason arrives in March.
There’s still a lot to shake out in the standings over the next three weeks, but it’s going to be interesting.
Our old friend, Parity, is back in the CCHA, and with only one bid on the line, the Mason Cup Playoffs will be chocked full of must-see games.
Augustana’s Simon Falk skates with the puck while being defended by Minnesota State’s Jordan Power on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, Minn. STEPHANIE SINGER / FOR SIOUX FALLS LIVE
“It’s going to be a heck of a playoffs,” Raboin said. “No one’s going to draw anyone and be like, ‘Oh great, we’ve got these guys.’
“It’s going to be a dogfight right to the finish. It’s great, and this is just how it’s worked out where Mankato’s made an argument that they’re the top team in the league. … You want to live in big games in February and in March because there will be a day when you hope to compete late into March, and they’re all big games. You have to be comfortable in that moment.”
CCHA STANDINGS
Team, Points %, Games played
◆ Minnesota State, .697, 22
◆ Augustana, .619, 14
◆ Bowling Green, .591, 22
◆ Michigan Tech, .583, 20
◆ St. Thomas, .485, 22
◆ Lake Superior State, .467, 20
◆ Ferris State, .450, 20
◆ Bemidji State, .439, 22
◆ Northern Michigan, .212, 22 League standings in 2024-25 are based on points percentage. Augustana will play 16 CCHA games this season as part of its partial schedule, while the other eight teams in the conference will play 26 league games.
Minnesota State coach Luke Strand takes in action against St. Thomas on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, Minn. TRENT SINGER / SIOUX FALLS LIVE
athletes FEB 13 of theweek
Every week, standout performances from South Dakota high school athletes capture the spotlight. Whether dominating the wrestling mat, lighting up the scoreboard on the hardwood, or deliver-
BY NATHAN SWAFFAR | MITCHELL REPUBLIC
ing clutch moments in tournament play, these athletes made a statement. From undefeated records to game-changing plays, here are this week’s top performers making waves in their respective sports.
ALEXIS BRYANT: MCCOOK CENTRAL/MONTROSE WRESTLING
Bryant has dominated this season and added yet another title victory this past Friday. Bryant dominated in the 114-pound division at the Yankton Invitational, winning her first three matches via pinfall, a major decision and a 7-0 decision in her semifinal bout. In the 114-pound championship match against Watertown’s Brooklynn Randall, she picked up her second pinfall victory of the night to claim the title, improving to 33-3. Her victory was her sixth individual title this season.
TATE MILLER: HOWARD BOYS WRESTLING
Miller has long been one of the Tigers’ top performers on the mat, and he added another accomplishment this past weekend. Miller claimed the 150-pound individual title at the Big East/Lake County Conference wrestling meet. Miller rolled his way through the competition, all the way to the championship match where he secured a 15-3 major decision over Mount Vernon/Plankinton/Corsica-Stickney’s Paxton Nedved to take home the title. The victory marked Miller’s fourth individual title this season as he improved to 32-4.
Lyman’s Mak Scott (21) attacks the lane as Parkston’s Mya Thuringer defends during a Hanson Classic high school girls basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Corn Palace. ADAM THURY / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
GRANT WILKINSON: DE SMET BOYS BASKETBALL
Wilkinson made history last week for the De Smet boys basketball team. In the Bulldogs’ 75-64 victory over Elkton-Lake Benton last Thursday, Feb. 6, the junior center broke the program’s single-game scoring record with 46 points. As if that wasn’t enough, he added on 18 rebounds to give him a doubledouble in the victory. As of Feb. 10, De Smet sits at 8-7 on the season with games against Iroquois/ Lake Preston, Flandreau and Wolsey-Wessington this week.
MAK SCOTT: LYMAN GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Lyman girls basketball team has been one of the best squads in Class B this season, thanks in large part to Mak Scott, who had two big performances this past week. On Feb. 6, she scored a team-high 24 points and nabbed nine rebounds in the Raiders’ 65-31 victory over Highmore-Harrold. Then a few days later on Feb. 8 in a 63-33 victory over West Central at the Action Club Classic, she led the team again with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting with five rebounds. With the victories, Lyman improved to 13-2.
handles the ball against Lennox during a Hoop City Classic boys basketball game on Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, at the Corn Palace. LANDON DIERKS / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
MARVIN RICHARD III, PINE RIDGE BOYS BASKETBALL
The standout junior guard exploded for 62 points on Feb. 8 in a 97-56 win over Lakota Tech, setting a new South Dakota record among Class A boys basketball players. Richard was 23-for-36 from the field in the game and also hit 5-of-14 3-pointers and was 11-for-13 for free throws. Richard is now averaging 35.2 points per game this season and has scored more than 40 points six times. He also had 57 points in December in a win over St. Francis Indian.
Richard and the Thorpes take on Class A No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian on Saturday at the Dakota Wesleyan University Classic. The Thorpes are also riding a six-game win streak with an 11-7 overall record.
Pine Ridge’s Marvin Richard III (1)
De Smet’s Grant Wilkinson rises up for a shot attempt in the first half of a boys high school basketball game against St. Thomas More during the Hanson Classic on Jan. 19, 2024 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. JACOB NIELSON / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
MCM’s Alexis Bryant attempts to turn Chamberlain’s Aine Graesser onto her back in a 120-pound semifinal match at the MCM Girls Invitational in Salem on Friday, Jan. 3, 2024. NATHAN SWAFFAR / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Howard’s Tate Miller sizes up Canton’s Ashton Keller during the 132-pound championship match at the Region 2B wrestling tournament on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 in Salem. MARCUS TRAXLER / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
VIBORG-HURLEY BOYS WARWICK GUIDES TO TOP OF CLASS B
New coach has Cougars ranked No. 1 in poll, seed points
BY BLAKE DURHAM
Mitchell Republic
HURLEY, S.D. — It’s been two decades since Shane Warwick led a high school basketball program. He hasn’t skipped a beat since coming back.
Warwick has guided the Viborg-Hurley boys basketball team to a 13-1 record in his first season at the helm. In addition, the Cougars also hold the Class B No. 1 ranking in the South Dakota Prep Media poll and jointly lead the seed points entering the final month of the regular season.
Inheriting a group that made its Class B state tournament return last year, Warwick jumped at the opportunity when the position opened up.
“They were looking for somebody,” Warwick said. “It was an opportunity that came up and it’s been fun up to this point. I’ve really enjoyed working with the group and being able to give back to the kids.”
While Warwick’s been away from high school basketball, he’s not out of practice. A native of Castlewood, Warwick was a two-time all-conference player at Northern State University and has over 15 years of coaching experience at both the prep and collegiate levels.
For 10 years, he’s led Warwick Workouts, a basketball camp based out in Sioux Falls, working with all age groups from the youth levels all the way up to professional basketball players all over the world. Coupled with leading AAU summer basketball programs, Warwick will coach at least 100 games each year.
He became the Cougars head coach back in June, with the players immediately taking notice of his vast knowledge of the game and his specialization in developing advanced offensive skills when fall camp commenced.
Viborg-Hurley boys basketball coach Shane Warwick watches his team on the floor during a Class B high school basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Corn Palace. BLAKE DURHAM / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
“IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT CAME UP AND IT’S BEEN FUN UP TO THIS POINT. I’VE REALLY
ENJOYED WORKING WITH THE GROUP AND BEING ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO THE KIDS.”
— SHANE WARWICK
“It’s great having him as a coach,” senior forward Nick Hanson said about Warwick. “He’s a basketball genius. We have so many plays that almost every single one of them works. If one play doesn’t work, it will the next time we run it.”
Hanson, a Class B all-state first team player a year ago who’s averaged 20.3 points over his last three games, leads an experienced group that includes fellow senior Owen Niederbaumer and a trio of juniors in Nolan Kolthoff, Brady Schroedermeier and Jake Austin.
Braydyn Morrison has provided valuable minutes off the bench along with Brenner Gerdes and Rafe Goettertz. Opting to not look at the team as “starters” and “bench” players, Warwick points to the depth of the Cougars as the key for them each game.
“We feel we have eight guys that can all start and some have at different times,” Warwick said. “Those eight guys play every night and we need contributions from them every night. They’ve done a great job this season.”
With only five games remaining in the regular season, beginning with a contest against Freeman Academy/Marion on Friday, Feb. 7, ViborgHurley has worked to establish control of the game through winning the battles under the glass while being more protective of the basketball when on offense.
“We have a lot of room for growth,” Warwick said. “It’s hard to win big basketball games when you’re turning the basketball over. That’s something we have to clean up and that’s kind of been the fun part in watching this team progress and move forward.”
Viborg-Hurley sits atop the Region 4B standings in position to return to the state tournament. Wanting to rebound from a first-round loss to White River at the state tournament a year ago, Hanson knows the team to rise to the occasion will have the best chance to make noise in Aberdeen in March.
“My goal ever since I’ve made it to high school is winning it all and wanting the team to win it all,” Hanson said. “Whoever plays a better game and whoever steps up into that spot will likely do it.”
Viborg-Hurley boys basketball coach Shane Warwick watches his team on the floor during a Class B high school basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at the Corn Palace. BLAKE DURHAM / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Viborg-Hurley’s Brady Schroedermeier goes up for a layup against Castlewood’s Kamden Keszler (0) during the 43rd Hanson Boys Classic on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Corn Palace. BLAKE DURHAM / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Bergstrom returns to Jackrabbit football to run defense Bergstrom returns to Jackrabbit football to run defense
Jackrabbits new DC ready to lead after three years as head coach at Winona State
BY MATT ZIMMER
Sioux Falls Live
BROOKINGS — Brian Bergstrom is back.
After three years as the head coach of Division II Winona State (where he went 18-15 with one playoff appearance), Bergstrom has returned to South Dakota State to serve as the Jackrabbits’ defensive coordinator under new coach Dan Jackson.
Prior to Winona State, Bergstrom spent five years on John Stiegelmeier’s staff, hired as safeties coach in 2017 and having co-defensive coordinator added to his duties in 2019. He split that role with Jimmy Rogers for three
seasons, leaving just before the Jacks won their two FCS national championships.
During his time in Brookings, Bergstrom, 45, worked closely with Jackson, who was then SDSU’s cornerbacks coach, and the chance to rejoin his friend with the Jacks and take a run at another national championship was one he ultimately couldn’t turn down.
Here’s what Bergstrom had to say to Sioux Falls Live’s Matt Zimmer about taking the job, helping Jackson keep the Jackrabbit culture in place and what the defense might look like after two dominant seasons under Rogers.
MZ: What made you decide to come back?
BB: It really wasn’t on our radar. I mean, we could’ve been at Winona for a long time. We really enjoyed the community and school and team and everybody there. We loved it there, but (SDSU) just became too hard to say no to, because of the opportunity. Both for now, the future, and our family. We lived in South Dakota for 10 years (Bergstrom also spent five years as an Augustana assistant) and lived in Brookings for five years, so that made it easier to pick up and come back. It was an awesome experience being a head coach, and if I’m ever a head coach again I know I’ll be a better one from that experience. But I also know I’m going to be a better assistant coach at South Dakota State because I’ve been a head coach. I’ll serve Dan better because I know what he’s going through.
MZ: How did things go in Winona? What did you get out of it that makes you a different coach than you were three years ago?
BB: In a lot of ways it was what I anticipated. You feel a lot of weight on your shoulders as a head coach. That comes with the territory. I enjoyed it and I enjoyed having a relationship with the whole team. But what I probably missed the most was having that tighter connection with a smaller group that you have as a position coach. You can’t possibly know 120 guys as well as you can know the safeties or the linebackers or whatever. I’ll do a better job now of managing the defensive staff because I’ve been in charge of a whole staff. Coach Jackson can be in the room whenever he wants to be, obviously, but he should feel comfortable that our defense is gonna be prepared to be our very best.
MZ: I wondered with you and (offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness), if there was a bit of a sense of almost responsibility to the program in coming back. You guys had a huge role in building the program to where it is, and if you don’t come back it could drop off. Did that play into returning?
BB: No question. Everywhere I’ve worked there’s a special place from there that’s a part of me now, but I don’t know if any is as strong as South Dakota State. I felt a ton of joy when South Dakota State won those two national championships and a ton of gratitude that I got to be a part of building it, and yeah, I care about this place. I care about Coach Stig, I care about the old staff, and they did a great job of continuing to build it. Ultimately I care about the SDSU Jackrabbit football team, what it is and has been and what it will be. My two biggest mentors are (Augustana coach Jerry Olszewski) and Coach Stig and I’d do anything for those guys. If I can play a small part in keeping this program on the trajectory it’s been on that would be a great way to honor Stig.
MZ: I remember when Stig made you and Jimmy co-coordinators not liking the move. I felt like he should pick one of you to run the defense. But you and Jimmy were both adamant that you made each other better, largely because of your different personalities. Was it the same for you and will that experience help as you now take over the SDSU defense by yourself?
BB: Yeah, I agree. I felt it at the time and I do even more now. I just saw how he made me better and I think I made him better, and we kept getting better as a defense in our time together. We took a lot of pieces that were there and we put it together. It worked because we were different and it worked because we didn’t care who got credit, we just wanted to be the best we could be for Coach Stig. I think that made us both more prepared to be head coaches, too. When you work with people you’re not just working with them, you’re learning from them. So I’m really grateful for Coach Rogers and the relationship we had.
MZ: Obviously the bar is pretty high. The defense was arguably the best of all-time in 2023 and it wasn’t much worse this past year. How do you handle those kind of expectations?
BB: It’s a lot like when I became the head coach at Winona State. I was replacing Tom Sawyer, a guy who was like the Stig of their program, a legend. And people kept telling me, ‘we didn’t hire you to be Tom Sawyer, we hired you to be Coach Bergy’. I’m taking that with me here. I got hired to be the best defensive coordinator I can be and that’s what I plan to do. I was here as we kind of planted the seeds for those great defenses that won championships, so I know the recipe. There’s enough pressure surrounding all of college athletics and especially football, but I pride myself on
having higher standards for myself than anyone else could have. We’re just gonna promise to be our best every day.
MZ: What kind of conversations have you and Dan had about how you want this to look? Because you both have lots of experience with the defense that’s been here, but I’m assuming Dan encountered plenty of new ideas and schemes at NIU and Idaho, and that you probably tried some new things at Winona.
BB: I think it’ll be a natural evolution of the defense people have seen. I mean, going back to when Jimmy and I became the coordinators, we sat down for a meeting, and Dan was there, where we just kind of designed the defense we would run. I mean, nobody invents a defense, so you take ideas and things you’ve liked and try to put something together. So it’s still going to be the same kind of base defense. Dan ran a similar defense at Idaho, I ran a similar defense at Winona. They’ve all morphed a little bit based on the personnel we had at those places and what we were good at, but at its core it’s gonna feel the same. It’ll feel similar to the fans and I think to the players, too. They should have a lot of comfort in that I know what they were doing and a lot of the concepts and terms will be the same.
MZ: How about meeting the other new coaches and working with them — how has that gone?
BB: Really good. When I got here that’s the first thing we had to do, was hire a new staff. So I got to be a part of that and the pretty cool thing is that after we narrowed it all down and interviewed everyone, our first choice said yes at every position. We were able to get them in here fast and we’re off to a great start in building relationships and getting on the same page as a staff.
MZ: Obviously there’s been a lot of roster turnover, guys going and guys coming. What do you know about the roster and what excited you about the defensive personnel?
BB: That process is ongoing. Watching a lot of film, seeing them in the weight room. I’ve been really impressed with the hunger and the chip on the shoulder that you see in the guys that chose to stay. They’re motivated. We’ll probably take a few more transfers after the spring, because there are still pieces we could use, but there’s a lot of talent already. But even when there isn’t a coaching change, every year you’re going ‘how are we gonna replace this guy or that guy’. And every year good teams find a way to do it, and this program has found a way to do it over and over again. These next few weeks should be exciting, because we spent so much time recruiting when we got here, now we have a chance to get to know the guys better and continue to learn what their strengths are and start putting the picture together.
Brian Bergstrom returned to South Dakota State to serve as defensive coordinator. DAVE EGGEN/ SDSU ATHLETICS
CONSTANT CONSTANT CONSTANT CONSTANT COMPETITION
ZIEBART SISTERS’
SIBLING RIVALRY SPURS BIG-TIME RESULTS FOR PARKSTON
BY NATHAN SWAFFAR Mitchell Republic
PARKSTON, S.D. — Basketball, volleyball, track and field are three sports where Parkston’s Lauren and Berkley Ziebart excel.
But, as is the case with many sibling rivalries, neither can agree on who is truly the better athlete.
“Definitely me,” Berkley, the sophomore, said immediately.
“It’s probably me,” Lauren, the senior, said right after.
Both conceded that it may be better to judge their athletic abilities on a sport-tosport basis. Regardless, the two are finding success on the hardwood and have helped cement Parkston girls basketball as one of the top squads in Class B. And it’s all boiled down to the constant competition and drive to make each other better.
Head coach Cole Knippling said the sisters’ constant competitiveness makes them both better, and they want to be better than everyone else on the court whenever the two are in the game.
“As you get to know them, the thing that you start to learn that goes with that is they’re very, very competitive,” Knippling said. “They are quicker than quick, they can guard anybody, they can run the break and do a lot of fun learning things on a basketball court. And they’re competitive enough to make it all happen.”
Despite being the less experienced of the two, Berkley has emerged as Parkston’s top-scoring option. Through 15 games, she averaged a teamhigh 15.1 points per game, shot almost 53% on her two-point attempts and almost 45% overall from the field. She’s also been efficient at the free-throw line, with an 80% mark from the stripe.
“She’s been trying to build that killer mentality as a scorer, which I feel like this year she’s turned it on,” Knippling said. “She is just always looking to attack, and we need that so bad.”
Meanwhile, Lauren has been more of the Trojans’ facilitator as their point guard. She’s only averaged 7.7 points per game, but she leads the team in assists (56) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.93). Lauren has also been out on the floor more than anyone, with a team-high 415 minutes played through those first 15 games. No other player had over 400.
“She’s really solid mentally, always getting us in our [sets] and just takes care of the ball. I think that’s been such a key part,” Knippling said. “I always tell her that if she gave me a game
“Berkley gets me in a way that my other teammates really can’t because we spend pretty much every moment together.”
LAUREN ZIEBART
where she had five rebounds, five steals and five assists, that’s the ultimate point guard line.”
On the other side of the ball, both have been instrumental in one of the top defenses in Class B. Berkley leads the team with 46 deflections and 45 steals. Meanwhile, Lauren is third on the team with 31 steals.
Playing alongside each other for years has also created a chemistry unlike anything else the Trojans have. They both understand what the other needs to get on a roll to affect the game.
“Berkley gets me in a way that my other teammates really can’t because we spend pretty much every moment together,” Lauren said. “If one of us is having a bad game, we’ll be coming down the court, ‘I’ll drive and you float to the corner. I’ll kick it out and you shoot the 3.’ We know what the other person needs at that moment.”
The duo is playing at incredibly high levels, and again, this can mostly be credited to each of them holding the other accountable. There is always a sense of rivalry between them as each tries to outperform the other, regardless of which sport they are playing.
But it’s never been about just surpassing the other in the moment. For both, it’s always about being constructive and reaching the potential both know they can achieve.
“We’ve always just found a way to make each other better,” Lauren said. “And at the end of the day, I guess what’s special is that we’re playing together, and that’s all that really matters.”
“Even when one of us is down, we can usually tell and so the other person really just knows what to say to them,” Berkley said. “Just bring them back up, encourage them and get them
going on the right track. … We’re definitely very privileged for this. We get to go against each other a lot, so we kind of just get on each other out on the court, and it’s just special.”
Knippling confirmed that even though they harp at one another and try to best the other constantly, it’s always for each other’s benefit.
“I don’t think I’ve ever really seen much for negative interactions on the court,” Knippling said. “They probably give each other the silent treatment from time to time. But really, it’s just that they’re not afraid to let each other know when they need to step up.”
With their constant drive fueling their performances on the court, they’ve primed Parkston to make a deep postseason run. As of Feb. 7, the Trojans are 14-2 and ranked second in Class B in the preps media poll, only behind undefeated Centerville.
The Trojans still have to finish out the regular season strong, especially in their final two games against third-ranked Ethan and Mount Vernon/Plankinton. Then comes the postseason and a chance at a state title. Even if the Trojans were to fall short, Berkley still has two additional seasons to make a run. But this is the last ride for Lauren and her final chance to claim state glory.
She wants to make the most of it, but what means even more to her is that she gets to do it alongside her sister. And an appearance at the state tournament would make it even sweeter.
“It is such an amazing feeling now to just have this amount of success, especially with my sister,” Lauren said. “ To be able to be the best of the best, and to be a state tournament team with my sister would just be the greatest feeling in the world.”
Parkston’s Lauren Ziebart (5) guards Lyman’s Bree Smart (1) closely during a Hanson Classic high school girls basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Corn Palace. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
Parkston’s Berkley Ziebart (14) drives with the basketball around Lyman’s Brooke Palmer during a Hanson Classic high school girls basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, at the Corn Palace. ADAM THURY / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
FOR KERNEL GYMNASTICS BATES: RAISING THE BAR
NOW MHS UNEVEN BARS RECORD HOLDER, KERNEL SENIOR AIMS FOR MORE SUCCESS AT SOUTH DAKOTA CLASS AA STATE MEET
BY MARCUS TRAXLER
Mitchell Republic
MITCHELL — When the chalk is on the grips and the routine is ready to go, Bentley Bates owns the uneven bars.
The Mitchell High School senior has become a South Dakota high school gymnastics legend on the bars, seeking to win a second state individual title this weekend at the Class AA meet in Watertown and also power the Kernels to a third consecutive state team championship.
With the season winding down, Bates has been at the top of her game. She scored 9.925 in Sioux Falls on Feb. 8, a Mitchell High School event record on bars.
In 11 competitions this season, Bates has won all 11 times on bars. Her last two performances — a 9.875 at the ESD meet on Feb. 1 and the 9.925 at the last-chance meet on Feb. 8 — are the two best performances of her career.
“I’m just trusting my training. I know what I’ve been working for now for a while and we found it all paid off,” Bates said of claiming the new MHS best mark.
The record, MHS coach Audra Rew said, came on a routine Bates had never really fully executed before. Bates was warming up and did a couple of skills and then could not get up
to do another turn after casting — which is the forward and backward movement that gets a gymnast’s hips off of the bars while keeping the arms straight. It was no big deal for Bates, and both coach and ath lete knew she could execute moments later when the routine counted.
“She’s like, ‘Eh, it’s fine,’” Rew recalled. “She knows she’s capable of doing it when it matters. For her, warm-ups are to kind of shake things off, and just be ready to go. The other kids all try to do warm-ups being perfect, because if they aren’t perfect in warm-ups, they have doubts in their head when it comes time to compete. Bentley never has a doubt.”
She broke the 9.900 MHS bars record held by Amelia (Rew) Endres from 2009, who is a current assistant coach for the Kernels and Audra’s daughter. Neither one was surprised it was Bates who made history for Mitchell.
“Bentley’s been good since she was little, and bars was always her thing,” Rew said. “I knew if anybody was going to break it, Bentley had a good chance. I’ve always kind of had that in the back of my head coaching her.”
Rew said that with rule and scoring changes, if Bates and Endres were on the same team, Bates would have held the record a long time ago.
Mitchell’s Bentley Bates lands following her uneven bars routine during a gymnastics quadrangular on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Mitchell. ADAM THURY / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Mitchell’s Bentley Bates performs her
routine during a high school gymnastics meet on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 at the MEGA Gymnastics Center in Mitchell.
“She just does beautiful gymnastics,” Endres said. “It’s wonderful to watch her and she’s so impressive. Every move she makes has a purpose.”
“Amelia has always told me that I deserve to break it and that my routine is much better than hers,” Bates said. “We’ve been giving each other crap about it for a while and it was fun to see it finally play out.”
The road to this success has not been without pain or fear. Bates had a hip injury last season that made her experience numbness in her leg when she landed. That’s particularly a problem on the four-inch wide balance beam, which is another one of Bates’ top events.
“That’s probably the most dangerous event,” Rew said. “She’s had to deal with so many injuries and it’s hard mentally to fight through that. You have to trust your training, that your body has done it so many times, you can go on autopilot and just do it.”
Bates is no slouch on the other events. She has the state’s second-best all-around score this season at 38.225, an honor she shares with teammate Olivia Prunty, and 0.025 points behind Harrisburg’s Katelyn Maeschen, another state event title contender. Bates also has the state’s third-best beam score this season at 9.750 and fifth-best on floor (9.775).
Bates said uneven bars and balance beam have been events suited to her because she has good upper body strength, whereas floor and vault involve more power and speed.
“With bars and beam, they’re events that not everybody is good at and strong at. Since I was a little kid, bars has always been my strongest event, and it’s the one I could do the most unique skills on,” Bates said.
The uneven bars event is exactly as it sounds, involving gymnasts swinging between two bars. Generally, the high bar is around 8 feet off the ground and the lower bar is around 5 1/2 feet, with the distance between the two bars being about 6 feet apart, although that can be adjusted depending on the routine and the gymnast involved.
The key to Bates’ routine is that she does a front swing with her hands in a reverse grip, a skill that few are doing at the high school level. Bates said she started doing all of her routines in a forward motion go-
ing into high school and has found it to be most comfortable.
“A lot of my skills I do are unique and not skills you see everyone else do. It started just as a way to get off the bar. It’s a little bit harder but I found that it worked for me,” Bates said.
“She swings around the bar with her hands flipped backwards,” Rew said. “It’s a front motion but it’s much harder. It’s a higher level of difficulty. … Everything she does is just to perfection. It’s flawless.”
She’s had flipped hands for a few years, plus a harder move in her routine that plays off it, but Rew said Bates doesn’t use that in high school routines because there’s not enough of a benefit in terms of scoring.
“I’d rather her set records than show off a fancy skill she does,” Rew said. “But that just tells you, she has so many other skills she can put in a bar routine.”
Bates won the Class AA individual state championship on uneven bars with a score of 9.766 in 2024 in Pierre. Endres was the last repeat Kernel state champion in an individual event, winning in 2008 and 2009 on vault.
In gymnastics, the ultimate prize is the perfect 10.0 score. Two Kernels have ever done it, with Endres in 2008 on floor and Brooke Cersosimo on beam in 2007. No uneven bars gymnast has ever scored a 9.900 or better in a state individual competition; that record is held by Cersosimo in 2006 at 9.883.
Is it attainable? Of course, Rew said, although she believes Bates has already had routines this season worthy of a 10. There’s also three judges at the state meet, rather than one or two like there might be during the regular season, meaning that’s one more judge to impress. The average of those three judges’ scores makes up the final mark.
Planning to let the scores take care of themselves, Bates said her mission is a simple one for this weekend at the state competition.
“We’re going out there and leaving it all on the mat,” she said. “We’ve trained for this our whole life. We know what we’re doing. We know what we’re capable of.”
Mitchell’s Bentley Bates competes on the uneven bars during the Jill McCormick gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, at the Corn Palace. ADAM THURY / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
uneven bars
MARCUS TRAXLER / MITCHELL REPUBLIC