HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON TIP-OFF
HOOPS TO WATCH
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.
South Dakota State linebacker Adam Bock (32) shouts in celebration with teammates Graham Spalding (back left) and Bo Donald (back right) in the final moments of the Jackrabbits’ FCS semifinal win over Montana State on Dec. 17, 2022, at Dykhouse Stadium, in Brookings.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
EMERGING FORCES
in South Dakota hoops
BY LANDON DIERKS | MITCHELL REPUBLIC
For the inaugural Full Court Press of the 2024-25 season, the Mitchell Republic sports staff took a shot at identifying some teams that could make their mark come postseason time.
For this exercise, one team from each of the six classes of South Dakota high school basketball was chosen. To qualify for the list, the program could not have made a state tournament in 2023-24.
Here’s our analysis of teams poised to take the next step this season.
CLASS AA GIRLS: SIOUX FALLS WASHINGTON
Off a 21-3 Class AA state title-winning season in 2022-23, the Warriors experienced a rare down campaign, going 9-12 and missing out on just their second state tournament since 2008 a year ago.
Tabbed No. 3 in the preseason South Dakota Prep Media poll, Washington is expected to bounce back in a big way behind a roster flush with future collegiate talent.
Grace Peterson, a 6-foot senior forward and Augustana commit, was an all-state selection last season as the lone first-team member from a team that didn’t make the state tournament. Fellow senior Claire Woods, a 5-foot-7 guard, is committed to Division III Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota. A third Warrior senior, Tierney Schramm, is an Augustana softball commit.
Dana Harpe and Rylan Kennett, both 5-foot-10 junior forwards, are also set to play college hoops, with Kennett already committed to NAIA Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, while Harpe has received offers from the University of Sioux Falls, Nebraska-Kearney and Dakota State.
With such a talented roster at hand for coach Jamie Parish, the Warriors could well make a run at a third state title in five seasons.
CLASS A GIRLS: HAMLIN
Another program just one full season removed from a state championship, Hamlin shares a few other similarities with the Warriors above.
Though the Chargers were 14-8 a season ago, they were cut down before the SoDak 16 for just the second time in the eight-year history of the state qualification round. Even still, Hamlin is tied with Wagner in the preseason media poll.
Headlining Hamlin’s returners is Addison Neuendorf, a 5-foot-6 guard who was named first-team all-state as a sophomore. But the Chargers’ backcourt is set to be even better this season with the addition of senior Addie Steffensen, a 5-foot-8 guard who was a first-team all-state honoree in Class B with Arlington last season.
Senior Jo Steffensen and sophomore Issie Steffensen also join the Chargers’ roster after helping guide Arlington to the Class B state title game last year. The Steffensens’ addition to Hamlin athletics was already felt this fall, as the Chargers went 25-3 and took fourth place at the Class A state volleyball tournament.
Tim Koisti has coached Hamlin to a top-four postseason seed in six of the past eight seasons, and the Chargers are set to add to that total with a big push this season.
CLASS B GIRLS: PARKSTON
Timing might be just right for the Trojans, as a reassignment to Class B coincides with a cycle that saw just one varsity player graduate.
Looking for which teams might be poised to step toward tourney contention
Last season, Parkston compiled a 16-6 record but still came up one game short of the SoDak 16 in a loaded Region 5A that produced two state tournament teams and five all-state picks. As such, the Trojans likely won’t be sneaking up on anyone in their new surroundings, especially given that they’re ranked No. 4 in the preseason media poll.
With a roster anchored by seniors Lauren Ziebart and Mya Thuringer alongside emerging sophomores Keeara Oakley and Berkley Ziebart, the Trojans aren’t short on talent.
Parkston hasn’t been to a girls basketball state tournament since 2012, but this group of Trojans under the direction of coach Cole Knippling could challenge and even break that streak.
CLASS AA BOYS: O’GORMAN
After missing out on the state tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in a decade, it feels like it’s time for O’Gorman to reassert itself.
The Knights were 10-11 last season, up from 7-14 the year prior, falling in the SoDak 16 round, and while they graduated five seniors, there’s plenty to build off of as a new campaign starts.
Austin Terveen, a 6-foot-2 guard, scored 14 points per game last season, while 6-foot-4 forward Nyun Dut was just shy of 10 points per contest. Both are seniors for this year’s Knights squad.
A Derek Robey-coached team never feels too far removed from the picture in Class AA, and it wouldn’t be a surprise he has yet another team in the hunt this season. O’Gorman is ranked No. 5 in the preseason media poll.
CLASS A BOYS: LENNOX
After capturing the school’s first state football title in four decades, perhaps some of that gridiron magic will carry over to the hardwood for the Orioles.
Last year, Lennox went 14-8, bowing out just before the SoDak 16. The Orioles also graduated six seniors, including Braxton Musser, who’s now at Dakota Wesleyan, and second-team all-state performer Porter Ihnen, who moved on to the University of South Dakota.
But this season’s roster has its own solid collection of talent, highlighted by several members of the state championship football squad, including all-state picks Boston Katzer, Tate Gerdes, Drake Mikkelsen, Jevyn Lefers and Talen Eich. Size and length also jump off the Orioles roster, as they have six players listed at 6-foot-3 or taller.
Lennox, which hasn’t been to a boys basketball state tournament since 2019 and has qualified just twice since 2010, is not ranked in the preseason media poll, but it’s the top vote-getter outside the top five.
CLASS B BOYS: DELL RAPIDS ST. MARY
Very nearly not eligible for this list, the Cardinals weren’t far off from a state tournament bid last season. At 18-5, DRSM was a top-eight seed in the SoDak 16, but that’s where the campaign ended.
From that squad, standouts like Lucas Flemmer and Nic Gaspar graduated, but the Cardinals aren’t lacking in the talent department.
Trevon Beckman, a second-team all-state guard, headlines the returners, alongside athletic 6-foot5 forward Maverick LeBrun, a South Dakota State football commit. Elsewhere, juniors Lincoln LeBrun and Trimmier Hanson are both coming off all-state honors for the Cardinals in football.
DRSM, which is ranked No. 4 in the preseason media poll, went to the state tournament in 2021, but that’s the program’s lone trip since 2005.
Dakota Valley’s Aubree Worden, center, and Parkston’s Lauren Ziebart battle for a rebound during a girls basketball game at the Parkston Classic on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 at the Parkston Armory. Also pictured is Parkston’s Lexi Schoenfelder, at right. Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic
LEFT: Hamlin’s Addison Neuendorf (3) handles the ball in the open court as Howard’s Jayden Jaynes (23) gives chase during a DWU Classic girls basketball game on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, at the Corn Palace. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
ABOVE: From left, Dell Rapids St. Mary’s Trevon Beckman attempts a layup while Gregory’s Cruz Klundt defends during a Class B SoDak 16 boys basketball game on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at the Corn Palace. Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
ABOVE: Sioux Falls Washington’s Dana Harpe drives to the basket past Sioux Falls Roosevelt’s Aubreigh McCall on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Roosevelt High School.
BY NATHAN SWAFFAR MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Heartgrit and
Two straight games, two straight fourth-quarter comebacks for South Dakota football.
Just two weeks after a thrilling comeback against North Dakota State, USD needed some more second-half magic to knock off Tarleton State in the second round of the FCS playoffs. At times during both games, it all but appeared that USD could be dead in the water.
In the North Dakota State matchup on Nov. 23, it was a 20-play, 99-yard drive from the Bison that took nearly 11 minutes off the clock and extended their lead to 11 with only 4:10 left to play. Despite that, the Coyotes scored 12 points in the final four minutes to claim victory 29-28. Then this past Saturday, USD tied the game up at 21 a piece in the third quarter before
propel USD to late-game victory
Tarleton State scored a go-ahead touchdown and forced a Coyote three and out shortly after.
Things could have gotten out of hand from there had the Texans scored and gone up by two possessions, but the Coyotes were undeterred again. Three second-half interceptions — including one on the drive where Tarleton State could have gone in front by multiple scores — spearheaded USD to an eventual 11-point victory behind 21 fourth-quarter points.
USD seems to be making a habit out of these comebacks. Although teams would probably rather have the game in hand by the time the fourth quarter rolls around, head coach Bob Nielson said the last two games have shown a lot from this group.
“I think it shows that we’re a team that’s going to play with confidence no matter what the situation is,” Nielson said. “You play really good teams, which we have the last two weeks for sure with North Dakota State in the last game of the regular season. And now that you’re in the playoffs, you’re going play a really good team every week. You’re going to find yourself in situations that are not ideal and so you have to be able to respond to those. I thought that was one thing that our team did on Saturday is we responded at multiple times throughout the course of the game and those are those responses were critical to us winning.”
" We’re a team that plays with confidence, no matter the situation "
BOB NIELSON, USD HEAD COACH
Even though the last two games for USD have made national headlines regarding the team’s resiliency, it’s certainly not the first time this season that the Coyotes have displayed their game-winning DNA.
USD could point as far back as the Wisconsin game. The Coyotes had chances in the second half to tie or even take the lead. They still lost, but to hang with a Big Ten team is nothing to sneeze at. Then there were the games against Youngstown State and UND in which USD fell behind by 14 points and both times USD went on to win on the road at opponents where the Coyotes had historically struggled.
Not to mention, the narrow defeat to South Dakota State can be put right up there as well. The Coyotes were almost dead in the water in the fourth quarter before flipping the script when Dennis Shorter forced a fumble that Mi’Quise
Grace returned for the game-tying touchdown.
Like the Wisconsin game, USD went on to lose in overtime, but it again showed the team’s ability to fight back in a less-than-ideal situation.
So what’s been one of the keys? Nielson said it’s been about the tight-knit chemistry the entire team has developed.
“Guys believe in each other and we’ve got a team that’s close in that regard,” Nielson said. “Saturday’s game was a really good example of the first half. The offense responded when we needed to respond to their touchdown drives. In the second half, when we stalled out on that opening possession, the defense responds by generating a turnover and did that one other time in the half as well. When guys trust each other, believe in each other, I think sometimes they make those kinds of situations happen. And then we were able to capitalize on them.”
USD’s team-wide trust and prior experience in close games will be important, especially with more challenges on the horizon. The next test is against fifth-seeded UC Davis on Saturday in the quarterfinals. Although those late-game comebacks have tested the Coyotes, Nielson said they will be helpful if they find themselves behind late in a game again.
“I think the more unique situations you play in and the more your guys experience those kinds of situations, the better and more resilient your football team becomes,” Nielson said. “We’ve had multiple games this year where we’ve had to respond to less than ideal situations and our team has demonstrated a great deal of maturity in that regard and as we move forward, hopefully, it’s prepared us to be even better.”
South Dakota’s Jack Martens gets a touchdown as he’s brought down in the end zone by North Dakota State’s Enock Sibomana on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota. Alyssa Goelzer/ The Forum
deep bench, GOALS big
SDSU’s talent-packed roster eyes postseason glory
BY MATT ZIMMER
Expectations are sky-high for the South Dakota State women this year, what with them returning nearly all of the production from last year’s undefeated-in-the-Summit-League squad, getting a handful of key players back from injury and adding a uniquely prepared class of freshmen to the group.
And early returns are good. With wins over Eastern Washington and Montana in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge, the Jackrabbits improved to 7-2. The two losses were to Duke and Georgia Tech, both ranked in the most recent top-25.. They have two wins over ranked teams (Oregon, Creighton) and two wins over Big Ten teams (Oregon, Wisconsin).
The Jacks had little difficulty slicing through the Summit League last year despite barely being able to fill out a full roster due to the all the injuries, so now that they’re healthy and overflowing with talent and experience it’s hard to imagine anyone in their conference challenging them seriously.
Still, that doesn’t mean everything will come easy or that there won’t be challenges this season. Last year the challenge was keeping everyone rested and healthy and finding ways to get production from a shorthanded bench.
This year it’s the opposite. How do you find minutes for everyone? Who starts? Who’s first off the bench? What’s the rotation look like and how set in stone will those roles be once established? Superteams have imploded on themselves before when there are too many cooks in the kitchen, and head coach Aaron Johnston acknowledged before the season that was a concern he’d be on top of.
With Wednesday’s win over the Eagles in the Big Sky-Summit League challenge, the Jacks are officially one month into the season, so it feels like a good time to ask: How are those things going? Are the Jacks about where they hoped to be? Is this the rotation? Does everyone know their role?
It’s still early with conference play another month away, but it looks like the picture is getting clearer.
“I feel good about our record but I don’t know that we’ve quite hit our stride yet,” Johnston said. “Honestly I just think there’s some things we have to be better with. I think our defense needs to be better. We’re not rebounding the way we’re capable of. Offensively at times we get a little bit stuck. But some of that is figuring everything out. How we’re going to use people and rotations and everything, so it’s still early in the year and we’ve got a lot of learning to do.”
The Jacks used the same starting five for their first five games — Paige Meyer, Madison Mathiowetz, Haleigh Timmer, Kallie Theisen and reigning Summit League player of the year Brooklyn Meyer at center. Then Johnston moved Mesa Byom into the starting lineup in place of Theisen for the last three.
SIOUX FALLS LIVE
Brooklyn Meyer is doing what she does, averaging 16.3 points and 6.6 rebounds prior to Wednesday’s 12-point effort, while Timmer (13.0 points), Paige Meyer (10.5 points, 5.2 assists), Byom (7.5 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Mathiowetz (6.4 points) have been steady. Freshman Katie Vasecka is off to a strong start, averaging 8.0 points and making more than half her shots, while Emilee Fox has seen significant minutes as a freshman as well. Theisen will continue her grunt work off the bench, while Madysen Vlastuin, who had five points and five rebounds against Eastern Washington, is another veteran contributor to the rotation.
That’s where things stand right now.
“We’re all settling into our roles and how we can contribute and make each other better,” said Timmer, who led the Jacks with 15 points and six rebounds in the win over EWU. “I think as we just play together more that will come along, and honestly it’s just really freeing to know that there are so many weapons and we can all make plays and use each other’s gifts. We’re a work in progress but it’s good to have so many options.”
Timmer’s talking about in games, but the depth obviously pays dividends in practice, too. Last year’s injury situation made it hard just to scrimmage 5-on-5. Now the Jacks have two strong units pushing each other during the week, and those workouts are probably more competitive than many of SDSU’s Summit League games will be.
LEFT: Haleigh Timmer led SDSU with 15 points in their win over Eastern Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. Dave Bordewyk / S.D. NewsMedia Association. RIGHT: SDSU’s Ellie Colbeck drives toward the basket during the Jacks’ win over Eastern Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 at First Bank and Trust Arena. BOTTOM RIGHT: SDSU’s Katie Vasecka makes a move to the basket in the Jacks’ win over Eastern Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 at First Bank & Trust Arena. Dave Bordewyk / S.D. NewsMedia Association
Reagan Rus
leads with
heart and hustle
Titans’ star athlete caps her career as a leader, record-holder, and inspiration
BY BLAKE DURHAM MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Reagan Rus is always ready to compete.
Those who’ve known Rus since she was a little kid gracing the halls of Mount Vernon Public School saw the potential competitor she would become as a muti-sport standout for Mount Vernon/Plankinton’s sports teams.
Numerous school records, all-state recognition and state championships. All the accolades came from a simple lesson at an early age.
Mount Vernon/ Plankinton’s Reagan Rus is the Mitchell Republic’s volleyball player of the year, pictured on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Mount Vernon. Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
“My mom has always taught us to try and do our best,” said Rus, now in her senior year at Mount Vernon. “Although we can put in the most effort and whatever we do to get in that extra practice, we do it so we can excel. My mom pushed me to be the best I can be for our team.”
As the cliche, “Mother knows best,” holds true here, Rus has been at the top of her game.
She’s been a state champion in track and field in the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter relay, holding the school record in the latter. In basketball, Rus was an all-state player last season for the first time and committed to Division II Northern State University to play college hoops in August.
However, Rus’ volleyball play this season went to the next level, setting the Titans’ single-season team record with 510 kills.
She also added 356 digs, 42 aces, 18 assists and 12 blocks. Averaging over 14 kills and 10 digs in 35 matches played, Rus powered the Titans back to the Class A state tournament for the first time since 2015.
Rus also added her first all-state first-team selection in volleyball for the seventh-place finishing Titans, recording double-doubles in all three tournament games, totalling 55 kills and 52 digs. She was named to the all-Southeastern South Dakota Conference team and wrapped her five-year varsity career as the Titans’ all-time leader in kills (1,477) and digs (1,130).
For displaying a high level of consistency as one of the top attackers in the region and being an integral part of MVP’s return to the Class A state tournament, Reagan Rus was selected as the 2024 Mitchell Republic volleyball player of the year.
Timing is everything
Rus’ first exposure to volleyball came during instructional camps hosted mainly at Dakota Wesleyan University, quickly picking up on the basics of the sport. By her sixth-grade year, volleyball became her fall activity.
But the jump from middle school volleyball to high school presented Rus with a new challenge and new teammates. Nervous about integrating herself with the varsity roster at the beginning of the season, she attributes the feeling to not having much confidence in herself at the time.
However, former teammate Maria Baker, who Rus credits as her influence for her own volleyball game, reached out to the then-eighth grader and helped Rus make the leap forward.
“She was always really there for me if I needed to talk to someone and if I really needed support,” Rus said.
“It was a big change for me and she helped bridge that gap. … She was (MVP’s) go-to attacker at the time, and I just always wanted to be that go-to person.”
Rus also credits Titans head coach Darcy Deinert for taking a chance on bringing her up to the varsity volleyball team when she did. However, Deinert was one of those that felt Rus had the potential to be a great player given her competitive spirit.
“She has the determination and likes to be challenged,” Deinert said. “I knew she was physically and mentally capable of getting to a higher level because of her tenacity and her fire and will to compete at a level that challenged her.”
Beginning to see valuable time on the floor at varsity as a freshman, Rus played exclusively in the front row, often getting rotated out depending on the point in a match. Always having the mindset of wanting to attack, the substitutions served as motivation to work on other skills valuable to a player.
Rus’ focus immediately went to her passing and setting of the volleyball, always getting extra reps to time up her contact of the ball and putting the ball in position for teammates to make a play. Her defense also showed improvement, due to her willingness to get to the ball where others might look to someone else.
“As a defender, you just want them to go get (the ball),” Deinert said, “And that was easy for her. She had to analyze what angle it’s coming from and to learn that this ball’s going over here or if a
girl is taller than our blocker, and it came quite quickly.”
“I hated coming out of the game,” Rus added. “I just wanted to be in there all the time so I can influence the game in whatever way possible. I worked as hard as I could when we had practice and got as many reps as I could so I didn’t have to come out.”
A positive frame of mind
Regardless of whether she’s collecting kills, draining triples or leaping over hurdles, Rus will always be found with a smile on her face.
Even as the Titans grew together on the court or in the weight room, Rus was counted on with the other seniors on the roster to keep the atmosphere light and enjoyable, while also setting the example for the mostly young roster. One aspect of Rus’ personality is undeniable: her passion for sports.
“She loves the game, whether it’s volleyball, basketball or track,” MVP girls basketball head coach Preston Kristensen said. “She embraces every moment, and as she’s gotten older, she’s taken over that leadership role and understands that she’s setting the tone and the girls feed off her.”
Rus will return to the hardwood for MVP girls basketball this year following a career season in 2023, where she averaged 16.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the Class A all-state third team. Rus enters 2024 only needing 17 more points to top 1,000 for her career.
Following the spring track and field season, Rus will be off to Northern State to join the women’s basketball team, chasing a dream of hers from when she first picked up a basketball and through the countless pickup games against former teammate and current South Dakota State player Emilee Fox and her older brother Reed, who plays football for the University of South Dakota
“I’ve been playing basketball for the last few years in the summer just trying to get my name out there,” Rus said. “I just knew I wanted to play basketball and college as it was always a dream of mine just to play in college.”
" She’s set a standard that others will follow for years to come. "
DARCY DEINERT
Mount Vernon/ Plankinton’s Reagan Rus (11) goes for a kill attempt during the Class A state volleyball quarterfinals on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at the Premier Center.
Gronowski powers Jacks past Grizzlies
SDSU QB looking once again like a Payton Award winner
BY MATT ZIMMER
SIOUX FALLS LIVE
BROOKINGS — You could say Mark Gronowski hasn’t quite been the same quarterback this year he was in leading South Dakota State to back-to-back FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023.
Plenty of people have.
And the statistics are down a tad this year.
But in Saturday’s playoff opener for the Jackrabbits in the second round against Montana, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner delivered a performance that should silence and maybe even embarrass anyone who’s been down on the senior signal-caller.
In leading SDSU to a 35-18 win over the Grizzlies that wasn’t nearly that close (it was 35-3 when Gronowski was given the rest of the day off), ‘Captain 11’ completed eight of his first nine throws, two for touchdowns, and finished 12-of-16 for 151 yards and four total touchdowns as the Jacks advanced to the quarterfinal round, where they’ll host Incarnate Word. He even caught a 21-yard pass from H-back Kevin Brenner that should’ve been ruled a touchdown (he was ruled down at the 1-yard line).
Maybe those numbers don’t jump off the page, but in person Gronowski couldn’t have been much more impressive. His passes were on time, on target and had the kind of heat on them that close observers have noticed Gronowski putting on his best throws since the summer.
“Everything was clicking,” Gronowski said. “I was seeing things well and the O-line was giving me time back there, so I was able to make those reads and Griffin was making the plays.”
That would be Griffin Wilde, the second-year wideout who spent last year behind the Janke twins and this year was thrust into the role of No. 1 on the depth chart and on opposing secondary’s scouting reports. The former Sioux Falls Jefferson standout had six catches for over 100 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone, finishing the day with seven receptions for 114 yards. For the season he now has 63 catches for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But Wilde wasn’t the only face in a new role this year. New starters on the O-line, a new offensive coordinator, no Isaiah Davis or Zach Heins — the continuity of the previous years wasn’t there back in September, so was it really that surprising that Gronowski and the offense (particularly the passing game) had some hiccups along the way?
There was a 24-3 win over Augustana in which he threw for just 141 yards on 27 attempts with two picks, and a week later he was 7-of-17 for 65 yards and an interception (though they won that game 410). Four games into the season, Gronowski had thrown five interceptions, equaling his total for all of 2023.
He’s thrown just one in the nine games since.
“It just takes time to work with a different set of people and that’s what he’s done,” said coach Jimmy Rogers. “He was really sharp today and made a ton of huge plays and threw the ball really accurately. Our O-line gave him time to throw and those wide receivers came down with the ball. I’m excited about how he’s progressed with the group of players he’s been working with.”
That goes for Wilde and running backs Amar Johnson and Angel Johnson, all three of whom had some mini-slumps midseason but are firing on all cylinders now.
If the Jacks didn’t look much like the team that went 15-0 last year without being seriously tested, they’re starting to now.
“That team last year was just better than everyone else,” said Montana coach Bobby Hauck. “But (this team) is finding ways to win. They’re finding yards.”
Hauck didn’t sound too disappointed in how his defense played. They played hard. They were in position. They just had trouble containing SDSU’s elite athletes, and slowing down a quarterback who once again looks like one of the best players in the nation.
“He’s a good quarterback,” said Grizzlies defensive back Trevin Gradney. “He spins it well, he can run. We just didn’t do a good enough job in the back end. He’s good.”
He’s good and now the games mean more than ever. It isn’t just the playoffs where it’s win or go home, for Gronowski and the other seniors, it’s win or be done as a Jackrabbit. Unless NDSU gets upset in next week’s quarterfinals, the upcoming game against Incarnate Word will be the final game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, and if you don’t think those kind of stakes are going to bring out the best in the winningest quarterback in South Dakota State history, you don’t know Mark Gronowski.
“It’s kind of like a new season when you get to the playoffs,” Gronowski said. “It’s win or go home at this point. For us seniors it could be our last game if we don’t play well. We’ll come out next week with a little more extra juice.”
" This team is finding ways to win, and it starts with Gronowski "
BOBBY HAUCK, MONTANA HEAD COACH
South Dakota State wide receiver Griffin Wilde carries the football after a reception during an NCAA FCS second-round playoff game on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 at Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings. Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic
South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski scrambles away from Montana nose tackle Pat Hayden during an NCAA FCS second-round playoff game on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 at Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings. Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic
DelGreco Ignites Augustana Offense
FROM STRUGGLES TO STARDOM, DELGRECO’S RISE POWERS AUGUSTANA FORWARD.
BY TRENT SINGER SIOUX FALLS LIVE
In his first month as a college player, Joey DelGreco was still finding his footing. The Augustana forward was getting plenty of chances as he settled into the college game, but the points had yet to come.
Sometimes, though, all it takes is one.
November arrived, and the Vikings were in the first game of their series at St. Thomas when DelGreco was robbed by Tommies goaltender Aaron Trotter on a backdoor attempt late in the third period.
The Vikings eventually went on to lose that game 4-0, but the following night, DelGreco was on a
line rush during his first shift of the game when he retrieved a pass across the crease from Simon Falk that landed right on the tape of his stick.
DelGreco buried it, and with it, there was an immense sense of relief. A tremendous weight had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders.
For as snakebitten as he had been, DelGreco was finally able to stop worrying about when the goals were going to come and, instead, focus solely on playing the game he loves.
Since then, the production hasn’t stopped.
It was the start of DelGreco’s current seven-game point streak, during which he has racked up nine points. With five goals and five assists on the season, DelGreco is tied for second among all Viking skaters with 10 points. He has a plus-3 rating on the ice and a team-leading three power-play goals for an Augustana team that finds itself with an 8-6 record through the first two months of the 2024-25 campaign.
On Wednesday, DelGreco’s torrid pace was rewarded with some distinguished recognition when he was named CCHA Rookie of the Month for November.
Augustana’s Joey DelGreco poses for a photo Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, at the Elmen Center in Sioux Falls. Peyton Bartsch / Augustana Athletics
Albeit a bit truncated, the past two months have been a coming-of-age stretch for the freshman from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, whose newfound comfortability at the college level coincides with a Vikings team that is playing a winning brand of hockey.
“I was getting chances and was executing, but I knew my game could take another step,” DelGreco said. “I think as I continued to get more and more experience playing games and realizing how hard college hockey is every single night no matter who you’re playing — and we played some good teams in those first couple of weeks — it was just about getting my feet wet and learning from some of the guys on this team that have been around and seeing how they carry themselves in the rink every single day and what they do to get better.
“Taking advice from them, I think, was such a key factor.”
Some of DelGreco’s success can simply be attributed to opportunity.
It has taken the Vikings’ coaching staff some time to get their line combinations organized and delegate minutes on special teams. Before the season started, DelGreco spent a little time on the wing but has now firmly settled into his role as a centerman.
Augustana coach Garrett Raboin says he knew DelGreco’s success was bound to come. It was just a matter of time.
“He’s just a Swiss Army knife for us,” Raboin said. “He’s been hardened through junior hockey. He has offensive talent and is able to make a different play. It took him a little while to acclimate, but not all that long.
“You’re seeing the player he is right now, and that’s what we hoped and believed he could be during the recruiting process.”
GRAND RAPIDS PIPELINE
DelGreco hails from Grand Rapids, a small town in northern Minnesota from which Raboin has created a pipeline. Growing up, DelGreco played on peewee, bantam and varsity teams with Hunter Bischoff, Garett Drotts and Easton Young.
Years later, they have all been reunited at Augustana.
“Those guys pretty much live at my house when we’re back at home,” DelGreco said. “They’ve been my best friends growing up, and it’s pretty surreal getting to play college hockey with them.”
With a population of a little more than 11,000, Grand Rapids has become a breeding ground for Raboin’s program.
The Vikings’ second-year coach has a number of friends in northern Minnesota who are involved in youth hockey, and throughout his college playing days at St. Cloud State, Raboin ran youth hockey camps in Grand Rapids.
The boys varsity team at Grand Rapids High School is currently coached by Grant Clafton,
who was a senior defenseman at SCSU when Raboin was a freshman. To this day, the two former teammates remain close friends.
“The type of kid that is raised in Grand Rapids is one that I really appreciate,” Raboin said. “I think they do things the right way there. I think they accept coaching. They might be a little later to bloom, but they play multiple sports and do it the right way. … Through the background work with some people I really trust, we felt like they could help be a part of the fabric with what we’re doing here.”
DelGreco notched 19 points as a sophomore and 25 points as a junior for the Thunderhawks, but it was his senior season in 2021-22 in which his game took its biggest step at the high school level.
With 68 points on 25 goals and 43 assists, DelGreco was the top point-getter for a Grand Rap ids team that went 20-7-1 and made it all the way to the Section 7AA championship game.
DelGreco then joined the junior hockey ranks and played two games that season with the Wichita Falls Warriors in the North American Hockey League before the organi zation relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for the 2022-23 season.
In his first full season of junior hockey, DelGreco emerged as an elite player in the NAHL.
Oklahoma finished the 2022-23 regular season with a 44-14-2 record before going a perfect 9-0 in the playoffs, including a 4-3 victory over the Austin Bruins in the final to capture the organization’s first Robertson Cup championship.
In 69 total games, DelGreco amassed 80 points on 28 goals and 52 assists, earning Most Val uable Player and Rookie of the
Year honors. He was also an All-NAHL First Team selection along with his teammate, defenseman Owen Baumgartner, who transferred to AU this offseason after playing his freshman year at Air Force.
It was an invaluable experience for DelGreco, who admits it was a little scary leaving home for the first time to play junior hockey.
“You don’t really know how it’s going to go, but the way we came together as a team that year was special,” DelGreco said. “All the guys around me in the locker room were so helpful and are a part of the success that’s been going on for me.
“Winning a championship with that team is something I’d never felt before. I’d never won really anything in hockey, but doing that with that group of guys was unbelievable.”
“He’s
a Swiss Army knife for us—he does it
all.”
– GARRETT RABOIN, AUGUSTANA COACH
“We were at the rink for so many hours a day doing so many different things that helped the skill involved with hockey,” said DelGreco, who had 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 63 games that season. “I thought that year developed me as a player in so many different ways.
“It was a great last year of juniors to get me ready for college hockey.”
BELIEF IN THE VISION
Raboin had already received commitments from Bischoff and Drotts when he arrived in person to make his pitch to DelGreco.
It was near the start of DelGreco’s breakout campaign with the Warriors in 2022-23, and eventually, it turned into a bit of a recruiting battle.
However, Raboin was the first coach who came calling, and DelGreco was both hungry for an opportunity and unintimidated by the notion of
joining a brand new program that was still more than a year away from opening its home arena.
While it certainly helped that two of his former high school teammates had already committed to the program, it was Raboin who ultimately sold DelGreco on his vision.
“I just thought everything he said and the way he carried himself was real,” DelGreco said. “He’s just an unbelievable coach, and that’s what I wanted. I wanted to go somewhere I knew the coaching staff was going to have the best interest in me. I liked what his plan was for this college in being that it was a new program, but he didn’t want to treat it like that and take years to build it. He wanted to go right away and find success right away.
“I believed in his plan and in him and this college. I thought that was going to be the best option for me at the time.”
Eventually, Young also committed, and prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, the four former Grand Rapids teammates were reunited, playing together again at the college level more than six hours away from their hometown.
“Obviously when you’re in high school, you don’t imagine playing college hockey with the guys you grew up playing with when you were 5 years old out on the outdoor rink,” DelGreco said. “It was never a part of the plan because it’s so rare. You just don’t see that out there, but now that it’s a real thing, it’s surreal. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“Those guys have helped me so much along the way and have taught me so many important lessons throughout life. That’s inside and outside of hockey. I’m so thankful for every one of those guys.”
The reality of a dream realized didn’t sink in for
Augustana’s Joey DelGreco skates the ice during practice Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls. Trent Singer / Sioux Falls Live
ABOVE: Grand Rapids forward Joey DelGreco (10) dives for the puck against Noah Martin (16) of Andover on Thursday, March 3, 2022, at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. RIGHT: Grand Rapids forward Joey DelGreco (10) scores a goal against Blaine goaltender Kasen Ranierew (1) during the first period on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. CLINT AUSTIN / DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE
DelGreco until Saturday, Oct. 5, when he stepped onto the ice at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. The Vikings were getting warmed up for their exhibition game against the Fighting Hawks, and DelGreco glanced over at a packed UND student section.
The realization finally hit him. He had arrived.
“It was just a crazy moment to think that I was playing on that ice because I had been to so many North Dakota games growing up,” DelGreco said. “It was surreal to think about how I was in that position and that I had gotten there.”
Like most freshmen, DelGreco took some time to get acclimated to the speed and skill of the college game. He recorded his only point in October on an assist in the Vikings’ second game of the season and was then held without a point for a stretch of five consecutive games.
“It’s so detail-oriented,” DelGreco said about college hockey. “You want to make the right play in every zone of the ice, and I just think I’ve been getting more and more confidence as the games have progressed during the season.”
In November, though, the floodgates opened.
DelGreco has converted on a third of his shots on goal during his last eight games and has become a fixture on the power play, centering a line that features Bischoff at right wing and Colton Friesen at left wing.
As it stands, Bischoff also has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) and is current ly riding a six-game point streak, while Friesen tallied five of his seven points in November alone.
“They see the ice so well,” DelGreco said about his linemates. “They open up space for me to make more plays, and I wouldn’t be doing this well without them.”
DelGreco’s 10 points is more than any other rookie in the CCHA, and it may just be the start of what’s to come.
While the game continues to slow itself down for DelGreco, the rest of the league has officially been put on notice.
“I knew it was going to come with Joey,” Raboin said. “I’d seen it in the North Amer ican Hockey League. You saw it in spurts in the USHL, and it’s just one plus one.
“He’s off to a great start here, and we’re certainly excited to have him.”
ABOVE: The Oklahoma Warriors celebrate after winning the NAHL’s Robertson Cup championship over the Austin Bruins on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minn. ELI SWANSON / THE RINK LIVE
RIGHT: Augustana’s Joey DelGreco talks with teammate Simon Falk during a break in action against Bemidji State on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls. TRENT SINGER / SIOUX FALLS LIVE
Oklahoma forward Joey Delgreco (10) and forward Blaise Miller (17) celebrate after Delgreco’s empty-net goal
Friday, May. 19, 2023, in a matchup against the Minnesota Wilderness at the Robertson Cup Championship in Blaine, Minn.
Eli Swanson / The Rink Live
Riley Reiff Embraces Family Life After NFL
Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Riley Reiff (71) runs on the field against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 21, 2021 in Paradise, Nevada. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA TODAY Sports) USA TODAY Sports
BY BLAKE DURHAM
MITCHELL REPUBLIC
MITCHELL — Riley Reiff has changed his routine on Sundays now that he’s back in South Dakota.
The former Parkston High School standout who later starred with the University of Iowa and Minnesota Vikings was a special guest of the Mitchell Quarterback Club on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at Bradley’s Pub and Grille, reminiscing about his playing days and what he’s been up to since taking his last snap on the field with the New England Patriots.
These days, Reiff, who turned 36 on Dec. 1, has swapped Sundays on the gridiron suiting up to be a key cog in the offensive line to outings either fishing or hunting, depending on the seasons. He’s also enjoying raising his 3-yearold son outside of Pickstown, near the Missouri River.
“It’s fun just being a dad. It’s a lot of work, but it’s awesome.”
“It’s fun just being a dad,” Reiff said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s awesome. I have to thank my parents because I didn’t realize how hard kids were to raise, and they did a great job raising me and my siblings.”
Reiff has settled back into the state following a standout career. In high school, he was twice named an all-state football player and was the South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year in 2007 as a senior. As a Hawkeye, he moved from the defensive line to the offensive line, starting 37 of 39 games played during his three years, and twice being named to the all-Big Ten Conference teams and was a 2011 collegiate All-American.
Selected 23rd overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2012 NFL Draft, Reiff spent 12 years predominately at left tackle with the Lions and Vikings, also having one-year stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears and
- RILEY REIFF
last season with the Patriots, playing in 164 games (149 starts) and taking nearly 10,000 snaps on both offense and special teams.
At 164 games played, Reiff played the third-most games of any NFL player born in South Dakota. According to pro-football-reference.com, only kicker Adam Vinatieri (365, born in Yankton) and defensive tackle John Dutton (185, born in Rapid City) have played more games in the NFL. Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, a native of Britton, is the active leader from South Dakota with 92 games played.
Regarding his 2023 season with New England, where knee injuries limited him to a lone appearance against his childhood favorite team in the now-Las Vegas Raiders, he spoke highly of former head coach Bill Belichick regarding the way he dissected a game plan and for the
level he expected out of the players.
“You’d think he’d break a game down with a complicated formula,” Reiff said. “He breaks it down in ways people understand and is the smartest coach. He’s hard to play for, too. I took every rep with the scout team and regular team.”
A product of a different era of recruiting as well as interacting with teammates and coaches, Reiff’s simple advice to those starting out in their careers was what he received during his college years.
“I would text a kid and say, ‘Hey, let’s go watch film,’ or something, and I won’t even get a text back,” Reiff said. “Be dependable and work hard. In life, you never regret working hard for something.”
Reiff still keeps tabs on his old teammates and friends from the league who are also offensive linemen and will root for players he’s encountered during his time on the sidelines and on the field. Having settled in the Wagner School District, he’ll likely don the once-rival Red Raiders colors at some point in the future to support his son.
As for a future role in football at some capacity, Reiff wouldn’t completely rule it out but admits it’d likely be at the youth or high school level due to the additional challenges and turnover at the higher levels.
“There’s too much changeover in the NFL,” Reiff said, “And then you’re moving your family and packing up. I’ve done that for 12 years, and I don’t want to do that anymore.”
In a 2017 file photo, Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Riley Reiff (71) talks with fellow offensive tackle Rashod Hill (69) on the bench during a game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.