#08 /// JAN. 9, 2025
New Dan at the top
SDSU turns to former linebacker, assistant for new head coach
+SOUTH DAKOTA NATIVES SHOW WELL DURING BOWL SEASON
CHARGERS BEGIN TITLE CHASE AGAIN IN CLASS A
COMETS START WELL IN BOYS HOOPS
the team
EDITOR
MARCUS TRAXLER mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
SARA LEITHEISER
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.
Dan Jackson is the 22nd head coach in South Dakota State football history. SDSU athletics
SFC on for Game
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
Sioux Falls Christian’s Griffen Goodbary rises up for a dunk during a high school basketball game during the Hoop City Classic on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, at the Corn Palace.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Cole Snyder attempts a 3-pointer during the Hoop City Classic high school basketball event on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024 at the Corn Palace.
Sioux Falls Christian coach Mike Schouten directs his team during the Hoop City Classic high school basketball event on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024 at the Corn Palace.
PHOTOS BY MARCUS TRAXLER & ADAM THURY / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Every game is a statement in SFC’s title pursuit
BY LANDON DIERKS
Mitchell Republic
SIOUX FALLS — Sioux Falls Christian boys basketball has a point to prove.
Though just four seasons removed from the program’s last state championship in 2020-21, back-to-back near-misses in the state title game have left the Chargers in search of validation.
Armed with an exceptionally talented roster that didn’t lose a single varsity player to graduation after last season, the veteran Chargers have one uncompromising final goal as they look to finish the mission: It’s championship or bust.
“We’ve got something to prove every game,” said star senior Griffen Goodbary. “We’re focusing on getting better every day, every game. But we’re obviously always looking toward that final game and trying to get better for that game.”
That motivation has been on display for Class A’s No. 1-ranked Chargers, who stood up to a series of early tests and passed with flying colors. Just from its first four games, SFC owns wins over Class A No. 5 Lennox, Class AA O’Gorman and Coronado, a top team from Nevada. The latter pair were 20-point blowouts.
More challenges are on the way this week with a road game at currently unbeaten West Central and a rematch of the 2024 state title game against No. 2 Hamlin. Later this month, SFC completes the ranked gauntlet with games against No. 4 Rapid City Christian and at No. 3 Dakota Valley.
But in order to get to this point, the Chargers had to learn a couple of lessons the hard way, coming up just shy of winning the Class A state championship two seasons in a row. In 2023, SFC gave unbeaten Dakota Valley all it could handle but fell 54-48. Last year, SFC entered as the undefeated favorite but was undone by Hamlin in overtime 53-50.
“They’ve learned not to take anything for granted, that nothing’s a given, that you’ve got to work for it,” said SFC head coach Mike Schouten. “They’re dialed in. They practice hard, and they’re very determined to reach the goal that they’ve set. It wasn’t hard at all for me to motivate them. It’s not going to be easy. Hamlin is still very good, and there are several other good teams in the state. But their mindset is improving on last year.”
“It still hurts a little bit, always thinking about it, but it kind of fuels us,” Goodbary added. “This year, I think we’re a lot more focused, determined and just prepared. Our goal is obviously to go win it this year.”
A championship-or-bust mission leaves little room for error. However, Schouten believes the high standard it’s had a galvanizing effect on the Chargers.
“I think playing that way — knowing that if they don’t bring the intensity that we could get beat — can bring out the best in a team and in players,” Schouten said. “They’re determined not to have that happen. Obviously, it’s one game at a time, but with that end game in mind. It’s kind of been there the whole time.”
GOT IT GOOD-BARY
Of course, when in pursuit of a state championship, talent is paramount. SFC isn’t short in that department.
While the 2023-24 Chargers had no seniors, this year’s crew has five, including Britton Mulder, Cole Snyder, Jude vanDonkersgoed and Bennett Wassenaar. Mulder has multiple college offers to continue his basketball career from NAIA schools around the region, while Snyder is a Dordt University football commit. Wassenaar is a standout on the powerhouse SFC track team. Alongside them are several emerging talents, such as junior Cooper Goodbary and sophomore Brant Wassenaar.
It’s far from a one-man show, but the group is undoubtedly headlined by its fifth senior, Griffen Goodbary. A 6-foot-11 forward, Goodbary earned first-team all-state honors last season after averaging 20.2 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game as a junior.
“He can do it all,” Schouten said of Goodbary. “It's something you just enjoy while you have it.”
Goodbary signed in November to play college basketball at South Dakota State University starting in 2025. The reigning South Dakota Gatorade boys basketball player of the year, Goodbary is in the running to win the honor again this season.
Given his blend of skill and size, Schouten lauds Goodbary as a potential “once-in-a-lifetime” player to come through the SFC program.
With that talent comes a considerable level of expectation, both from outside sources and internally. But, according to Goodbary, he thrives most in moments of high stress.
“I kind of like pressure. I think it helps me,” Goodbary said. “But I also trust my teammates. Whatever kind of defense (the opponent) brings or whatever they try to do, I trust my teammates and want to get them the ball, too.”
“He’s handled pressure really well. He stays real even-keeled, and it seems like he enjoys that pressure because it forces him to kind of raise his level of play,” added Schouten. “Of course, he gets so much attention, but what I've enjoyed is that he's such a good team player. He doesn't have to score 20 or 25 (points). He just wants to win.”
Sioux Falls Christian’s Griffen Goodbary attempts to shoot the ball in the midst of the Coronado (Nev.) defense during the Hoop City Classic high school basketball event on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024 at the Corn Palace. MARCUS TRAXLER / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Full circle:
Jackson Takes the Helm at SDSU
BROOKINGS — A few short years ago, the South Dakota State coaching staff was teeming with candidates to one day replace program patriarch John Stiegelmeier.
But as the Jackrabbits rose to FCS prominence and won consecutive national championships in 2022 and 2023, the rest of the college football world took notice.
Eric Eidsness and Dan Jackson took jobs at Northern Illinois. Jason Eck was named head coach of Idaho. Brian Bergstrom became head coach of Winona State, Rob Erickson at Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Northwestern scooped up young offensive coordinator Zach Lujan and defensive line coach Christian Smith.
Jimmy Rogers proved to be the right successor for Stiegelmeier, winning a national championship in his rookie season of 2023 and going 27-3 across two years, but when he somewhat surprisingly resigned shortly after Christmas to become the head coach of Washington State, it left the Jacks suddenly short of obvious candidates to serve as their next coach.
Rogers planned to take his entire staff with him to Wazzu, but none of those assistants stood out as immediate successors.
Would athletic director Justin Sell look to go outside the program, something that hasn’t been done in ages? After all, the rise of this program — regular sellouts at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, a dozen alums in the NFL, regular appearances on national TV, 13 consecutive playoff appearances — made this a job that would be coveted across the country.
MATT ZIMMER SIOUX FALLS LIVE
But to anyone who’s followed the Jackrabbit program throughout the Division I era, there was one person who seemed like the obvious choice, and that was Dan Jackson.
He played for the Jacks — a linebacker during the transition from Division II to Division I.
He started his coaching career as an SDSU grad assistant, then worked his way up to position coach, special teams and recruiting coordinator and eventually assistant head coach under Stiegelmeier.
Then Jackson got FBS experience, first at NIU and then in the SEC at Vanderbilt. From there he got his first chance to be defensive coordinator, under Eck at Idaho, and was set to join that staff at New Mexico before Sell came calling.
Jackson was gone just long enough (leaving after the 2019 season) that there are no players left from his tenure, but those who did play for him, many of whom were instrumental in setting the stage for SDSU’s national championship contention, could not be more thrilled that he’s the new man in charge.
“It’s a dream come true for him and honestly for a lot of guys who played for him,” said Cade Johnson, a wide receiver who starred for the Jacks from 2016-2019 and later spent two years with the Seattle Seahawks. “There were a lot of us who always kind of wanted to see him in that role. He’s going to do amazing things and keep that culture alive.”
Adds Jordan Brown, who came to SDSU as a wide receiver and left as an NFL cornerback under Jackson’s tutelage: “To me, he’s the perfect hire. It’s a fullcircle moment for him and if you know Dan, you know Brookings has always been his home. He bleeds blue and yellow.”
Did the Jacks have to hire someone with those colors coursing through their veins? Probably not. If rumors are to be believed, the school could’ve had its pick of several already-successful FCS head coaches. And with the infrastructure in place, there’s little doubt that plenty of people out there would be capable of keeping the Rabbits near the top of the FCS hierarchy, whether they had ties to South Dakota or not.
But why not keep the culture in place? Why not pick an apple off the Stiegelmeier tree when it’s been so fruitful, not just for SDSU but for other schools that have poached this program?
“You’re talking about a guy that knows South Dakota State football,” Stiegelmeier said. “He’s not gonna have to come in and have to learn as much as a new guy would. I think that’s a huge positive. Our athletic director understands that this program runs from the inside, and Dan has seen it from the inside and been a big part of it on the inside. I’m a big believer in two prerequisites — high character and great work ethic and Dan’s got those things to the max.”
Jackson was made a full-time member of the staff in 2014, coaching the cornerbacks. His salary was less than $30,000. He made an immediate impact on the position, with Jimmie Forsythe and Je Ryan Butler establishing themselves as effective starting cornerbacks as the Jacks became a perennial playoff team, but Jackson didn’t waste time showing he had head coach potential.
While some position coaches stay largely in the echo chamber of their own guys and their own responsibilities, Jackson often went above and beyond.
“He was always a guy who could connect with anyone in the locker room,” Johnson said. “I mean, I was a wide receiver and he was the cornerbacks coach, so he’d be coaching up guys to go against me in practice and the minute practice was over I could sit in his office for however long and just talk to him about my family or just things that didn’t involve football. That’s what always stood out to me with Coach Jackson, was that he connected with the person, not the player. Whether you were the starter or the fifth string he treated you the same and I think that’s going to carry him a long way.”
“If Nebraska offers a guy I’m gonna battle ‘em tooth and nail, but at the end of the day, good for them,” Jackson said. “If what we’re doing creates more opportunities for kids in my home state then I’m happy for those guys, and if the offer doesn’t come, obviously we’ve made SDSU a pretty attractive alternative.”
Stiegelmeier picked up on that, too. He said Jackson’s willingness and ability to contribute ideas, opinions and philosophies was always there, and as he moved up the coaching chain it became more and more apparent he could someday occupy Stiegelmeier’s office.
“Whatever business you’re in, having care for everybody, interest in them, is a big part of being a good leader,” Stiegelmeier said. “It’s like the CEO who knows the intern is having a baby — that’s the kind of guy Dan is, and yeah, that’s really good for a head coach candidate but it’s also just the sign of a good person, and Dan is a good person.”
But while cultivating relationships was a key part of Jackson’s growth as a coach, his recruiting acumen was regarded as his calling card. Jackson was responsible for several big recruiting wins at SDSU, making his home state of Nebraska a point of emphasis. The Big Ten’s Nebraska Cornhuskers relied heavily on walkons for years, and Jackson made inroads by aggressively pursuing high school players in Nebraska who grew up wanting to play for Big Red but weren’t at the forefront of the Huskers’ recruiting efforts.
Josh Manchigiah, a high school teammate of Johnson’s who became a starting safety for SDSU, described Jackson’s recruiting style as “relentless”.
Of recruiting Nebraska, Jackson told me in 2018: “My recruiting pitch will always be the scholarship. But the opportunity to play and compete and win is a big part of it. Nebraska is taking their roster to over 100 players — how can you look a kid in the face and tell him you have a shot? When you travel 70 guys to road games, how many guys are sitting at home when you’re on the road? If those kids still want to do that just because they want to wear the letter jacket, that’s fine, but then they’re not our kind of guy.”
And what happens when Nebraska catches on, I asked him then.
For now, though, Nebraska will have to wait, as the new coach is already occupied with recruiting his own players. Several have followed Rogers to Washington State, among them running backs Angel Johnson, Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees, defensive backs Colby Humphrey, Cale Reeder and Matt Durrance, linebacker Caleb Francl and defensive tackle Max Baloun. Others are still in the transfer portal.
Jackson was announced as the new coach over a week ago and has yet to make a public appearance. His introductory press conference is set for Friday, and the media has already been alerted it’ll be quick. The dude’s busy.
And so far, he’s already done some good work.
Among the Jackrabbits who have recommitted to SDSU are quarterback Chase Mason, receivers Grahm Goering, Lofton O’Groske, Jack Smith and Landon Dulaney, tight end David Alpers, offensive linemen Quinten Christensen, William Paepke and Sam Hagen, linebackers Joe Ollman, Chase Van Tol and Bryce Johnson, defensive linemen Aaron Wolfcale-Holsten, Logan Green, Reis Kirschenman and Dawson Ripperda and defensive backs Dontay Johnson, Noah Thompson, Abe Hoskins and Aydan Dautermann.
SDSU fans have been on edge ever since Rogers left town, but a fear of the program’s imminent demise seems unfounded.
“Coach Jackson’s built for this era of college football,” said Brown, who was drafted by the Bengals in 2019. “There’s nobody out there that recruits like he does. His energy and passion for the game of football is through the roof. I know he’s already locked in, working around the clock to build his staff and players to be a part of what the standard and expectation at SDSU has been set to for awhile now. The mission hasn’t changed. Jackrabbit Nation is in good hands.”
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) talks with wide receiver Cade Johnson (88) following training camp practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on July 28, 2023 in Renton, Washington.
JOE NICHOLSON / USA TODAY SPORTS
FLYING HIGH:
Freeman’s climb to the top
BY LANDON DIERKS
Mitchell Republic
FREEMAN, S.D. — Optimism is growing, and quickly, surrounding the Freeman boys basketball program.
Armed with a roster of rising talent that plays a style emphasizing speed, length and selflessness, the Flyers are out to prove they belong in the upper echelon of Class B in 2025.
“We’ve worked hard for a number of years now, and everybody seems to be bought in and invested in what we’ve done in the process,” said coach Lance Friesen. “It’s starting to come to fruition a little sooner than some maybe thought, but we’re a skilled team.”
Last season, the Flyers were 14-8 and one basket from the Class B SoDak 16, falling by one point in the Region 4B semifinals. Even now, they’re just three years removed from winning two total games across three seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22, including a winless 2020-21 season.
“That (region tournament loss) hurt us all,” said junior guard/forward Tate Sorensen. “That’s a big part of why we are where we are now. It’s fueled the fire for us.”
Freeman has already put the class on notice. The Flyers opened the season by toppling preseason No. 2 Viborg-Hurley and also claimed a 14-point win over perennial tournament team White River at the Hoop City Classic. In the South Dakota Prep Media poll from Dec. 23, Freeman slotted in as part of a three-way tie at No. 5 in Class B.
After losing just two seniors to graduation, Freeman benefits from a roster that’s largely intact from a season ago. Early on, the Flyers are reaping the rewards of continuity, as Sorensen, David Walter, Chris Aasen and Luke Peters are all averaging at least 10 points per game. Sorensen, a junior and second-team all-Cornbelt Conference performer last season, averages a double-double at 15 points and 10
rebounds, while Walter, a standout freshman, puts up 16 points and seven rebounds per game. Senior Sawyer Wipf helps anchor the starting lineup, while the Flyers bring several budding underclassmen off the bench.
A guard-heavy rotation allows them to play a fast-paced style that yielded 64 points per game so far, a top-10 mark in Class B. Though the Flyers’ roster may lack a traditional big man, the length of Sorensen, Walter and sophomore Oliver Waltner — all at 6-foot-2 or taller — gives them options in the frontcourt against bigger opposition.
“We’ve got too many good players for any one guy to just go out there and try to be the man,” Friesen said. “We need a team effort and everyone to buy in, and if we do that, it should be a fun style.”
According to both Friesen and Sorensen, the Flyers’ biggest area of growth from a year ago is in their maturity, both physically and mentally. This time around, Freeman is tougher, better equipped to handle top opposition and has a better handle on how to close out wins in close games.
Though a Freeman boys basketball team hasn’t qualified for a state tournament since 1999, those are the clear ambitions of this year’s Flyers.
“If I’m being honest, it’s to make it to state,” Sorensen said of the Flyers’ goals. “That’s a long way from now ... but that was our goal last year, too. We know it’s possible, but it has to be a team effort. It has to be a ‘we over me’ attitude.”
Freeman’s Chris Aasen (4) shoots a 3-point jump shot against White River during a Hoop City Classic boys basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at the Corn Palace. LANDON DIERKS / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
LEFT: Freeman’s Tate Sorensen (42) rises for a shot near the rim between two White River defenders during a Hoop City Classic boys basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at the Corn Palace.
BELOW: Freeman’s David Walter (35) powers up for a shot between two White River defenders during a Hoop City Classic boys basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at the Corn Palace. PHOTOS BY LANDON DIERKS / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
From Nebraska to Ohio State,
SD STARS SHINE
during bowl season
BY MARCUS TRAXLER
Here’s a look at what former South Dakota high school standout athletes are doing at colleges around the country:
BRONX, N.Y. — Chamberlain High School graduate Nash Hutmacher capped his Nebraska football career in winning fashion as the Cornhuskers won 20-15 over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28 at Yankee Stadium.
Hutmacher played his 49th game and made his 27th career start in the win over the Eagles. He did not figure into the game’s final stats. The win capped Nebraska’s first winning season since 2016 at 7-6 and secured the Huskers’ first bowl win since 2015.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Hutmacher started all 13 games for the season at nose tackle in the Huskers’ 3-3-5 defense. He finished his career for Nebraska with 79 total tackles, 6 1/2 sacks and 12 1/2 tackles for loss in his fifth-year senior season.
Hutmacher was one of nine game captains for the Huskers in the game alongside his fellow seniors. Hutmacher was also honored in December as an academic all-Big Ten selection for the fourth time, as one of 71 players honored on the Huskers for having a grade-point average of 3.0 or better.
Hutmacher will represent the Cornhuskers at least one more time as he works towards potentially being drafted in the NFL Draft in April. He has accepted an invite to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, which will be played Jan. 30 in Arlington, Texas.
Ohio State Buckeyes assistant coach Chip Kelly, center, and quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (3) look on before the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game against the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. KIRBY LEE / USA TODAY SPORTS
Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule and players, including Oacoma, S.D. native Nash Hutmacher (0) celebrate after winning the Pinstripe Bowl game against the Boston College Eagles on Dec. 28, 2024 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y. VINCENT CARCHIETTA / USA TODAY SPORTS
LEFT: Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, a native of Pierre, S.D., arrives on the field prior to their first round College Football Playoff game against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 at Ohio
Arizona State Sun Devils offensive lineman Emmit Bohle (70), a native of Selby, S.D., is pictured prior to the Territorial Cup game against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. MARK J. REBILAS / USA TODAY SPORTS
KIENHOLZ PART OF BUCKEYES' RIDE TO CFP SEMIFINAL
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz is South Dakota’s only player on the roster of the four remaining teams in the College Football Playoff semifinals, with the Buckeyes playing in the Jan. 10 Cotton Bowl Classic semifinal game against Texas in Arlington, Texas.
Kienholz, a backup quarterback for the Buckeyes from Pierre, took the final snaps in OSU’s 42-17 CFP first-round win over Tennessee on Dec. 21. It is one of two games he’s played in this season, also taking the field on Sept. 7 against Western Michigan. He has not thrown a pass in the 2024 season.
It’s the second-straight trip to the Cotton Bowl for Kienholz and the Buckeyes, as Kienholz ended up replacing injured starter Devin Brown in the 2023 game against Missouri and finished 6-for-17 passing for 86 yards in a loss. That game made him the first player from South Dakota to play in a game for the Buckeyes.
Kienholz’s role at OSU has been the source of plenty of speculation that he might transfer. He told Eleven Warriors’ Garrick Hodge (himself a former Mitchell Republic sports writer) that he hasn’t decided on what he’ll dobut he loves Ohio State and would love to stay.
He and any other potential Ohio State transfers will have a five-day window once the Buckeyes’ season ends to decide whether to enter the transfer portal.
“I haven’t thought too much about it because I’m so locked in on this season and this team,” Kienholztold Eleven Warriors at Rose Bowl media day. “But the goal is to either start or be a backup at the position so I’m ready to go. It’s going to be a long season again, so there could always be something that happens and I have to step up. Beyond that, just playing and getting that field
knowledge, too. That’ll help me move forward with what I want to do.”
The Buckeyes won 41-21 over Oregon at the Rose Bowl, improving to 12-2 ahead of the Cotton Bowl game against 13-2 Texas, with the winner meeting Penn State or Notre Dame on Jan. 20 in Atlanta in the national championship game.
BOHLE, SUN DEVILS MAKE RUN TO BIG 12 TITLE, CFP
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State right tackle and Selby native Emmit Bohle was part of Arizona State’s run to the Big 12 championship and reaching the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Bohle, a 6-foot-7, 320-pound offensive tackle, was the reserve player at both left tackle and right tackle for Sun Devils in ASU’s 39-31 double-overtime loss to Texas at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Bohle spent three years at Arizona State after four seasons at Northern State, playing in 28 career games, including 14 during the 2024 season. The Sun Devils broke through to win the program’s first conference championship since 1996 by winning the Big 12 title game 45-19 over Iowa State on Dec. 7. Arizona State finished 11-3 in 2024, flipping around from a 3-9 season in 2023.
Bohle, who converted from tight end to offensive tackle out of high school and added 60 pounds to play the position, received a seventh year of eligibility after going down in September 2023 with a broken leg. According to Arizona State, Bohle was one of about 35 players in FBS football this season who played their seventh year of college football in 2024.
Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) and offensive lineman Emmit Bohle (70) and wide receiver Melquan Stovall (5) celebrate after Leavitt scored a touchdown against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first half of the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 7, 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. JEROME MIRON / USA TODAY SPORTS
Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
ADAM CAIRNS / USA TODAY SPORTS
RIGHT:
athletes
09 of theweek
JAN
BY NATHAN SWAFFAR | MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Kranz, Brooks, Lenz, Siemsen
shine in South Dakota Prep action
With winter sports back in full swing following Christmas, basketball and wrestling dominate the current South Dakota prep landscape. Here were four athletes who stood out entering the new year.
BEN BROOKS: MADISON BOYS BASKETBALL
Brooks has been one of Madison’s top performers through the opening legs of the season and he was instrumental in two Bulldog victories last week. He tallied 13 points and five assists in a Jan. 3 win over Belle Fourche, but his marquee performance came the next day against Worthington (Minn.) in the Amer- ica’s Hometown Classic tournament. He scored 35 of the Bulldogs’ 64 points in the victory and added another seven rounds and three assists to help them to a 3-2 record.
FRANKIE
KRANZ:
MITCHELL GIRLS WRESTLING
The Kernel standout added to what has already been a very successful season for her last week. Kranz battled her way to the 114-pound individual title at the MCM Girls Invitational last Friday in Salem, the only individual title from Mitchell at the competition. She cruised to the title match after her first match, quarterfinal and semifinal matches didn’t last any longer than 1:35 as she picked up firstperiod pinfalls in all three victories. She eventually defeated Canton’s Nayeli Ortega 5-1 in the title match and improved to 12-1 on the season.
Mitchell’s Frankie Kranz tries to grab Wessington Springs/Woonsocket/ Wolsey-Wessington’s Bailey Yost in a 114-pound semifinal match at the MCM Girls Invitational in Salem on Friday, Jan. 3, 2024. NATHAN SWAFFAR / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
LUCAS LENZ: KIMBALL/WHITE LAKE/PLATTE-GEDDES BOYS WRESTLING
Lenz has been one of the primary standouts on a very strong Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes boys wrestling team and he showed why last week. Lenz took home the 165-pound individual title for KWLPG at the MCM Boys Invitation-
al last Friday in Salem. He picked up three wins, two coming via pinfall including his title-winning victory over Redfield’s Collin Dean and his first-place effort helped the Wildkats to a second-place finish in the team standings. Lenz also improved to 15-0 and the event victory was his fourth individual title already this season.
ADDIE SIEMSEN: MITCHELL GIRLS BASKETBALL
Siemsen’s season so far has been a huge reason why the Kernels have had multiple notable early-season victories.
This past week she added two big performances for Mitchell. She started in the Kernels’ Dec. 30 53-48 victory over Sisseton in the Hoop City Classic where she finished the day with 16 points and eight rebounds. She topped that with a 23-point, three-steal performance against Harrisburg, albeit on the other side of a miraculous 19-point comeback from the Tigers. The Kernels are 4-2 and play at Yankton on Friday, Jan. 10.
Kimball/White Lake/PlatteGeddes’ Lucas Lenz (top) tries to keep Parkston’s Gage Reichert down during a 165-pound match in the teams’ dual on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Platte. BLAKE DURHAM / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Mitchell’s Addie Siemsen (center) fights past a pair of Harrisburg defenders toward the rim during a Class AA high school girls basketball game on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, at the Corn Palace. BLAKE DURHAM / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
around the state TOP storylines
BY MARCUS TRAXLER | MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Here’s a look at some of the top local sports storylines taking shape around South Dakota:
WEST
RC CHRISTIAN BOYS BASKETBALL OFF TO STRONG START: After finishing with a 21-5 record last year, the Rapid City Christian boys basketball team had high expectations entering this season. So far, the Comets have lived up to those expectations.
Rapid City Christian has started the season with a 7-0 record. The Comets opened the season with
a convincing victory over Douglas before winning four straight and capturing the title at the Lakota Nation Invitational.
On Jan. 3 and 4, Rapid City Christian traveled to North Dakota and defeated both Shiloh Christian and Dickinson Trinity.
The Comets are averaging 75 points per game this season while allowing just 44 points per contest. Head coach Kyle Courtney said this year’s success is due to a total team effort.
“We have a nice veteran group back who’ve played together for a long time,” Courtney told NewsCenter1. “One of the things we’ve been preaching is to be unselfish. That’s hard to do. We have a lot of guys that can score. But I think that one of the things that we’re going to have to do to play against some of the best teams in our class is to really share the basketball and be unselfish on offense.”
Courtney is quick to point out that the Comets have some tough games coming up later this month.
Rapid City Christian will battle St. Thomas More on Jan. 14 at the King Center at South Dakota Mines. Then the Comets will face top-ranked Sioux Falls Christian on Jan. 18 and the Custer on Jan. 28.
SOUTHEAST
JEFFERSON’S WELLS LEADS SD GRAPPLERS IN WINS: Sioux Falls Jefferson wrestler Aidan Wells is the state’s leader in wins on the mat this season, according to TrackWrestling. Wells, a senior for the Cavaliers, has a record of 29-1 this season at 144 pounds. That includes an event title at the Floyd Farrand Invitational on Dec. 31 at Sioux Falls Lincoln, defeating Dakota Valley’s Jackson Boonstra by 4-1 decision in the final.
Wells is ranked No. 2 at 144 pounds in the DakotaGrappler rankings, only behind Madison junior Caleb Hodges. Wells was third last season at 126 pounds at the Class A state tournament with a 42-10 record.
Wells has taken only one loss on the season, falling to Custer’s Riley Scott at the Rapid City Invitational in the quarterfinals, only to see Wells avenge the loss later in the tournament in the third-place match by fall. He has 18 pins for the season for Jefferson.
HAWKS’ LANDIS LEADS STATE’S
SCORERS: Colman-Egan’s Brynlee Landis is the state’s leading scorer for girls basketball, with 22 points per game to her name through nine games.
Landis is shooting 59% from the field and is making 45% of her 3-pointers. She has scored in double figures in every game this season, led by a 37-point game against Arlington on Dec. 13, which the Hawks won 55-43.
Colman-Egan has started the season 7-2, already making progress against the 14 wins the Hawks’ racked up in 2023-24 when they made the SoDak 16 statequalifying round before losing to Wall.
Rapid City Christian’s Julius Frog attempts a 3-pointer in a game against Pine Ridge in the Lakota Nation Invitational Championship on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 at Summit Arena in Rapid City.
TYLER MATHIESON/ NEWSCENTER1
Sioux Falls Jefferson’s Aidan Wells, top, wrestles in the 2024 South Dakota state high school wrestling tournament at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls. South Dakota Public Broadcasting photo