the team
EDITOR
MARCUS TRAXLER
mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
SARA LEITHEISER
CONTRIBUTING ARTIST
CHRIS JOHNSON
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.
Clockwise from left, is Travis Theis, Carter Bell and Griffin Wilde are among the stars for SDSU and USD this season. Photos by Landon Dierks and Marcus Traxler.
DAKOTAS (and a Bobcat)
ABOVE: South Dakota State defenders Caleb Francl (9) and Graham Spalding (29) celebrate a defensive play during an NCAA FCS quarterfinal playoff football game on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 at Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
/ S.D. NEWSMEDIA ASSOCIATION
RIGHT: South Dakota running back Travis Theis carries the football during an NCAA FCS quarterfinal playoff football game on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. MARCUS TRAXLER / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Top seeds face off for a shot at the FCS title
BY MATT ZIMMER SIOUX FALLS LIVE
BROOKINGS — Jackrabbits. Coyotes. Bison. Bobcats.
The FCS Final Four is set, and there’s little doubt these are the four best teams in the country. All four squads spent the entire 2024 regular season proving as much, but it was pretty clear these four would be among the last ones standing all the way back in late July when training camps kicked off.
DAVID BORDEWYK
"
South Dakota isn’t
just a football state, it’s a great football state "
The Jackrabbits are the two-time defending champions, and while they had to retool and reload following the graduation of a huge class of star players, they’ve maintained a championship level of play and are now playing easily their best football of the season. They just destroyed a No. 6 Incarnate Word team that was teeming with talent.
Ever since their 2021 semifinal loss at Montana State the Jacks have been a playoff juggernaut, going 10-0 in the FCS tournament with all 10 wins by at least two scores and most of them one-sided blowouts. They’ve outscored those 10 foes 404-113, meaning the average score of their playoff wins has been 40-11.
The Bison are just three years removed from their last national championship and two years from their last trip to Frisco. New coach Tim Polasek has rekindled a flickering fire, leading the Bison to reclaim the Dakota Marker and earn home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They routed an underrated Mercer team in the quarterfinals, and will be at home for the semifinals against the rival Jacks. SDSU has never won a playoff game in Fargo.
As much as the Jacks look like the hottest team in the country, it’s hard to be playing much better than Montana State. The Bobcats are 14-0, with an FBS win over New Mexico and
two blowout wins over Idaho including Friday’s 52-19 quarterfinal thrashing. (Incidentally, Idaho’s coach, former SDSU assistant Jason Eck, was hired as New Mexico’s new coach after the game.)
In their last four, Montana State has a 30-28 road win over No. 5 UC-Davis, a 34-11 win over Montana (SDSU’s first playoff victim) in the Brawl of the Wild rivalry game, followed by 4917 and 52-19 playoff wins.
The Bobcats are steamrolling, and they’ll have the best homefield advantage in the country on their side on Saturday against USD.
Speaking of the Coyotes, they’re the newbie in this foursome, but no less deserving. The Coyotes’ rise from 3-8 to 10-3 last year was one of the biggest stories in the FCS, but a convincing quarterfinal loss to NDSU (at home) indicated they were still second-tier.
The Yotes have spent most of this season making the case that’s no longer so, and if an OT loss in Brookings and dramatic comeback win over NDSU didn’t do the trick, Saturday’s rough-and-tumble win over a legit UC-Davis team made it official. The Yotes are in uncharted territory. The Final Four. After years of seeing their season end around Thanksgiving (and often then watching their rivals play for another
month), it’s still football season in Vermillion as Christmas approaches. Enjoy it, Yotes fans.
We’re going to have at least one Dakota school in the national championship, and possibly two. Possibly two from South Dakota.
A Jackrabbit-Coyote title tilt in Frisco would be the pinnacle for sports in our state, and even if it ends up being NDSU vs Montana State, having the Jacks and Yotes both extending their season almost to Christmas break serves as a reminder of how far football in South Dakota has come. Of how successful the move to Division I has turned out to be.
South Dakota isn’t just a football state, it’s a great football state. It’s been the most incredible, unlikely and enjoyable development within South Dakota sports that I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I’ve lived here for more than 40 years.
We should get two fantastic semifinal games, but for now, a tip of the cap to the four remaining teams. From the mountains of Bozeman to the I-29 corridor, the best football in the FCS level is being played up here where it’s cold, and it’s not particularly close.
Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott found tough sledding in the FCS semifinals against South Dakota State last December in Brookings. MITCHELL REPUBLIC FILE PHOTO
EXPLOSIVEboom ADAMS brings the
EXPLOSIVEboom
Iowa State transfer has been a source of big plays for Coyotes
BY NATHAN SWAFFAR
MITCHELL REPUBLIC
Explosiveness. That was the next step for South Dakota football’s offense heading into 2024.
Throughout the preseason, coaches and players alike knew that if USD was going to prove itself as one of the best teams in the country, the offense needed to create more explosive plays compared to 2023.
Enter, Quaron Adams.
Adams has been a game-changer for the Coyotes’ offense this season. He’s second on the team with 528 receiving yards, and his five receiving touchdowns lead all USD pass catchers. His efforts also earned him a place on the Missouri Valley Football Conference newcomer team. However, like many players new to a football program, things didn’t click the second he
stepped on campus.
Adams transferred to USD after spending two seasons at Iowa State where he did not record any stats. With the vision of the program, the players and a plan for how he would be used in the offense, he was sold and came to Vermillion. Coaches and teammates were incredibly high on Adams after spring practice and coming into the preseason. However, there were still obstacles to overcome before he became the reliable explosive threat he’s become.
For Adams, the primary challenge was learning the various nuances of USD’s offensive scheme. He knew there was a plan in place for him to succeed but the adaption process still took time.
“The biggest thing was when I talked with Coach (Josh Davis, USD’s offensive coordinator), he knows exactly what I’m capable of and how I can be that factor for the offense,” Adams said. “It was just really just learning each position. Whether that’s being on the outside, me being in the slot, or even being at the three, it was just mastering the concepts that we already have and continuing to grow as a student-athlete.”
Adams wasn’t much of a factor early in the season because he was still adapting to the scheme. He only recorded one catch for four yards in the Coyotes’ first two games. But as he became more comfortable, he morphed into a true X-factor for USD.
Things got kickstarted with a three-catch, 49-yard performance against Drake and it was all-go from there. Over the course of the season, Adams’ abilities have added new elements to USD’s offense. With his speed, he’s drawn attention from opposing defenses as a true downfield, big-play threat. And as his knowledge of the offense grew, the Coyotes started using him in other ways as well.
Adams was more involved with pre-snap motions, end-around carries, jet-sweeps and pretty much any play that could trick the defense. He’s collected 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown as a result, but don’t forget his overall explosiveness. Adams has averaged a staggering 31.06 yards per reception. That would be the top mark in FCS, however, he does not qualify in the category because he’s not caught at least two passes per game.
“When your number is getting called, you always want to do your best to execute in-game and just do what you can for the team,” Adams said. “I feel like that’s a pretty big introduction for me in my first year of actually getting some burn, getting some play time and being able to show everybody what I can do.”
Head coach Bob Nielson said Adams has brought new elements to USD’s offense that were there before his arrival, but have been able to take a bigger step forward behind Adams’ downfield skills.
“You always want somebody that can take the top off of coverage. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he has that kind of speed,” Nielson said. “If you’re going to play man-to-man coverage, or if you’re going to play without high safeties, he’s got an opportunity to run by people. That creates a threat offensively that in our system is really, really valuable. That was something that even though Carter [Bell] runs well and can be that kind of guy, to have another guy like that in your offensive system is as important.”
But his success couldn’t happen without someone to trust his abilities to make plays consistently downfield. The budding chemistry between Adams and quarterback Aidan Bouman has been equally beneficial for both parties.
Bouman said he could tell from the moment Adams arrived, he knew the motivation was there to be great and prove himself as a game-changing player.
“Obviously, speed speaks for itself, but he was hungry,” Bouman said. “He wanted to play, he wanted to help this team in any way he could. Truthfully, as it does for a lot of people, it took him a little bit, for sure, to learn this offense because it’s difficult. But obviously, he’s come along great and been a huge asset for us this year. So really happy to have him here.”
He continued and said the trust the two have built over the season has allowed Bouman to take some more big-play risks knowing that Adams can usually make them pay off.
“I think it’s one of those things as a quarterback, you always want to be perfect but it’s nice to have guys like that that can kind of make you perfect,” Bouman said. “So sometimes it’s like, hey, it’s oneon-one. Just throw it as far as you can, put some air under and let him run under it.”
Adams hasn’t stopped producing big plays for USD since the playoffs have rolled around. He only had one catch for 21 yards in the Coyotes’ second-round game against Tarleton State, but had perhaps the biggest play of the game when he took a jet-sweep handoff 70 yards for a touchdown, which put USD in front 42-31. He showed his explosiveness yet again against UC Davis with a first-quarter 71-yard catch that set up a score just a few plays later.
His abilities will be required once again when USD will battle with Montana State in the program’s first-ever semifinal matchup on Saturday.
“It’s been nothing short of greatness, honestly, between me and Aidan,” Adams said. “It’s even a better feeling knowing we both came from the same place at Iowa State and end ed up moving on in our career at a dif ferent university, but still being able to put in great work for this school. It’s a great feeling. We’re getting better every week. The preparation gets better every week as the season goes on and ultimately, it’s going to lead us to a championship.”
" He was hungry. He wanted to help this team any way he could "
South Dakota wide receiver Quaron Adams lines up for a play at a recent Coyotes practice on Aug. 5, 2024. NATHAN SWAFFAR / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
AIDAN BOUMAN
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Baller New Year
HOOPS HEAT UP
From the Corn Palace to the Pentagon, holiday action delivers
BY LANDON DIERKS
MITCHELL REPUBLIC
As the New Year approaches, so too does a long list of holiday classics across South Dakota.
Here are five specific matchups to keep an eye on over the holidays.
HOOP CITY CLASSIC
HAMLIN VS. ETHAN (GIRLS)
9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 30, at the Corn Palace
There are only two girls matchups on the Hoop City Classic slate this year, but the Chargers and Rustlers bring plenty of intrigue for an early morning showdown in Mitchell. The Chargers were 14-8 last season and were knocked out of the region playoffs in the round of 32, but they have a talented lineup returning to the court in 2024-25.
Ethan lost their top two scorers due to graduation, but the Rustlers have shown they can develop players each year to keep the program strong, with senior guard Ella Pollreisz and juniors Marissa Storm, Taziah Hawkins and Rachel Klock leading the way. It is also scheduled to be the Rustlers’ fifth game of the season by that point, which should be helpful for working through some early season wrinkles before the Hoop City matchup.
ENTRINGER CLASSIC
DELL RAPIDS ST. MARY VS. FLANDREAU (BOYS)
5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, in Brookings
Much more will be learned about a handful of teams at the Entringer Classic, and that includes the Cardinals and Fliers, who will play in the penultimate game at the Bob Jostad Gymnasium ahead of Hamlin and Dell Rapids.
The Cardinals scored a nice win in the season opener, 62-48 over Howard, and then rolled past Mitchell Christian to start 2-0, with Maverick LeBrun looking strong for Dell Rapids St. Mary early in the season. St. Mary is expected to be among the top contenders in Class B this season, currently sitting at No. 2 in the South Dakota Prep Media poll with one first-place vote.
Flandreau, which didn’t lose a single varsity player from last year’s 14-8 roster to graduation, takes on the Cardinals in the midst of a tough gauntlet of games that has already included a road loss at Class A No. 2 Hamlin, a trip to Beresford and a matchup with Class B No. 1 Castlewood on Jan. 7. Six-foot-four guard Paul Parsley was game MVP for the Fliers last season in a 64-40 win over Colman-Egan in the event.
PRESIDENTS BOWL
SF WASHINGTON VS. SF JEFFERSON (GIRLS)
3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, in Sioux Falls
This matchup appears to be the top showdown at the Presidents Bowl Classic, which is being held by the four Sioux Falls public high schools at the Sanford Pentagon for the third year. Ranked No. 2 in the Class AA South Dakota Prep Media poll, Washington has come flying out of the gates of the season, scoring 72.5 points per game in their first two games and allowing a mere 36 points per game.
With the showdown against Washington and playing Lincoln on Dec. 31, the Cavaliers are in midst of a difficult schedule to open the season, already taking a close loss to Sioux Falls Roosevelt and falling to Brandon Valley, plus facing No. 2 O’Gorman on Dec. 20. Jefferson received two first-place votes and was ranked No. 5 in Class AA in the preseason media poll.
MIDWEST MIRACLES CLASSIC
AMERICA'S HOMETOWN CLASSIC
HOWARD VS. WYNOT (NEB.) (BOYS) 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, in Madison
PINE RIDGE VS. VIBORG-HURLEY (BOYS)
7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3, in Hurley
Pitting two state tournament teams from last season against each other, Class B preseason No. 2 Viborg-Hurley welcomes Class A preseason No. 5 Pine Ridge to its home court for the inaugural Midwest Miracles Classic, an event set to raise money for pediatric cancer families. The classic was organized by 2024 V-H graduate Kobee Sherman, who’s battling cancer.
Each side has taken an early setback, with Viborg-Hurley falling to Freeman in its opener, while Pine Ridge dropped a pair of games to out-of-state opponents at an event in Gillette, Wyoming.
There will be no shortage of talent on the court for the marquee matchup, headlined by the Cougars’ 6-foot-7 senior forward Nick Hanson on one side and the Thorpes’ high-scoring 6-foot4 guard Marvin Richard III on the other. Both teams will be in attendance at the Hoop City Classic the week prior, as well. In fact, by the time the Thorpes step onto the court, they’ll have already played nine games, all in early season tournaments or classics.
The defending Class B champions from Howard don’t have to go far from home to get an out-ofstate matchup, as the Tigers are set to take on Nebraska power Wynot at Madison High School as part of America’s Hometown Basketball Classic.
Of note, the matchup will come one day after Howard hosts Freeman, who already owns a ranked win over Viborg-Hurley. Already with a season-opening loss to Dell Rapids St. Mary, the Tigers must navigate a tricky early schedule that also includes back-to-back home dates against McCook Central/Montrose and Wessington Springs.
The Blue Devils are ranked No. 5 in Nebraska’s Class D-2, the smallest of six divisions playing boys basketball. Wynot finished third in the state last season with 19 wins.
Ethan’s Marissa Storm dribbles down the court during a girls high school basketball game against Wyoming’s Thunder Basin during the Hoop City Classic on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, at the Corn Palace. ADAM THURY / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
“I think the town, the school, my host family, everybody’s accepted me and welcomed me here. … I think I made the best decision.”
TAMPA SCOTT IV
BY MARCUS TRAXLER MITCHELL REPUBLIC
There are different levels of trust between coaches and players in sports.
And then there’s the trust Tampa Scott IV has in Dakota Wesleyan University men’s basketball coach Kevin Williamson.
One year ago, Scott certainly had no idea that he’d be playing NAIA basketball in Mitchell, South Dakota. But the now-senior point guard saw his college near San Diego close, his coach leave and had to make a leap of faith to join him nearly 1,400 miles from home.
It’s been a change he’s embraced, even if it means he’s had to get a winter coat.
“I’ve definitely never lived in snow before,” Scott said. “That’s different for me. Everybody tells me to wear a winter coat. They got me some new gear that I can wear.”
Scott has found his footing with the Tigers men’s basketball team, and the next week will also serve as a homecoming for Scott, as DWU heads to Arizona and will play two games in the Mesa area, near where the 5-foot-10 guard went to high school and junior college.
“It’s been great. I feel very welcome,” Scott said. “I think the town, the school, my host family, everybody’s accepted me and welcomed me here. … I think I made the best decision.”
ON NEXT PAGE
Dakota Wesleyan’s Tampa Scott IV (2) handles the basketball during an NAIA men’s college basketball game against Briar Cliff on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at the Corn Palace. Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic CONTINUED
Williamson also has Arizona connections, coaching at Glendale Community College as an assistant for a season and coaching at Kofa High School in Yuma, near the Mexican border. Those connections mattered for Scott when he first moved to the University of Saint Katherine to play for Williamson and then later followed him to DWU.
“I mean, he’s family,” Scott said. “I’ve learned a lot from him. Especially him having Arizona roots and everything like that. A lot of the concepts that I’ve learned from past coaches are transferred to me. As far as on the court, whatever he says goes. It’s worked for me so far.”
PAIN AND GAIN
For his college career, Scott played for two seasons at Mesa Community College in Arizona, followed by a season at the University of Saint Katherine in San Marcos, California, before landing at DWU this season. Through 10 games, Scott is DWU’s second-leading scorer with 12.9 points per game, and shooting 53.8% from the field and 40% on 3-pointers. Scott has eight games in double figures. He had a season-high 21 points in a Nov. 2 game at Saint Mary in Kansas, and he recently went over 1,000 points for his college career with a 16-point effort at Dordt on Dec. 4.
“He knows what the expectation is, what the standard is.”
Williamson said Scott benefited from learning from Cesar Meza, who played two seasons at USK and was a graduate assistant coach for the Firebirds last season.
“He really helped groom Tampa last year,” Williamson said. “There were games last year where we were going at each other, and Cesar was able to calm the ship and get him going in the right direction.”
Williamson said Scott has always had the intangibles to succeed on the court but he has made strong progress with understanding the speed and intensity of NAIA basketball, which has made his game flourish.
The coach said his relationship with Scott only grew after the Firebirds finished 23-9 last season, discussing offseason improvements and potential recruits.
Dakota Wesleyan’s Tampa Scott IV (2) handles the basketball during an NAIA men’s college basketball game against Briar Cliff on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at the Corn Palace. Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
“I trust Coach a lot, and I’ve been happy with it.”
TAMPA SCOTT IV
“As we worked through what that was going to be like, I think that got him to understand what I was looking for, not just as a player, but what the intangibles are that I want in people,” Williamson said. “He could understand why I recruited him. I think that that created a deep relationship between us.”
The situation changed in April when Saint Katherine announced it was closing, and uncertainty was clear for both coach and player about what would be next.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be coaching anymore,” Williamson said. “I wasn’t really recruiting him; I was just talking with him trying to see what’s going on for him.”
“It definitely hurt when the school shut down last year and the situation we had at Saint Katherine,” Scott said of the school’s closure. “We didn’t know what would happen next.”
Williamson was hired in May but he said there was no guarantee Scott was going to be interested in playing at DWU.
“There was some convincing that had to go on," Williamson said. "I had to walk through all the
different things. I think as he saw all the different things add up, he was like, ‘This is a pretty cool opportunity.’”
“It took some time and thinking about what I wanted. I trust Coach a lot, and I've been happy with it,” said Scott, who is finishing a kinesiology and exercise science degree and will graduate at the end of the school year.
Williamson said Scott also had some name, image and likeness (NIL) offers at the NCAA Division II and NAIA levels he had to consider as well with his transfer, but ultimately, the opportunity and quality of the DWU program won out.
Scott is one of two players from USK last season on DWU’s roster. Jadon Amiot, a native of Citrus Heights, California, also joined the Tigers and followed Williamson. Scott said there were some moments early with the Tigers in which he served as a conduit to his fellow teammates about what the new coach’s expectations were. Most important to him was his teammates embracing him, as well.
“We’ve gotten together really fast,” Scott said. “We have a really coachable group. Everybody’s worked pretty well with him.”
“He knows what the expectation is, what the standard is, and he knows what’s going to set me off,” Williamson said. “If there’s something going really bad, he can stop the practice, huddle the group up and say what needs to be said. He knows they’ve got one more attempt to get it right before I’m going to lose it and we’re going to start doing cardio for a while.”
The Tigers are playing Dec. 20 and Dec. 22 in Arizona and both games will be right down the road from where Scott went to high school, with opponents Justice University in Chandler and Park University in Gilbert. Scott is from Mesa, which is right next to Chandler and Gilbert in the Phoenix metro area.
Even with Scott in line to play one season for DWU, Williamson said he’s noticed Scott has been an important mentor for a few of the Tigers’ guards of the future, including sophomores Randy Rosenquist Jr. and Oliver Vincent.
“That’s already happening,” Williamson said. “He’s also the guy that is teaching the younger guards what it takes, not just to play for me, but to be really good, to exceed their own expectations.”
Dakota Wesleyan’s Tampa Scott IV (2) attacks the basket as Briar Cliff’s Jamison Helmers (22) defends during an NAIA men’s college basketball game on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at the Corn Palace. Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
ON Game
Riggs, Sanford Sports takes on the world of 7-on-7 touch football
ON
BY TRENT SINGER
SIOUX FALLS LIVE
The Sanford Sports Academy is offering a new opportunity for local youth athletes to participate in 7-on-7 touch football, and the deadline to try out is on the horizon.
Five teams organized by age group — 10-and-under, 12U, 14U, 15U and 18U — will be based at the Sanford Sports Complex, where most workouts will take place indoors at the Sanford Fieldhouse on the newly installed FieldTurf playing surface. The season begins in February and runs through May, with teams competing both regionally and nationally.
There will be roughly four tournaments per team, and players chosen for teams will receive uniforms, practice gear and travel gear.
Tryouts are set to take place Friday, Dec. 27, at the Sanford Fieldhouse, and the cost to register for tryouts is $50. Registration will be available until the day of tryouts.
For more information and to register, visit the Sanford Sports website.
Sioux Falls Live caught up with Kurtiss Riggs, who serves as director of football at the Sanford Sports Academy, to discuss some of the finer details of the new program and learn how it all came to be.
Q: Where did the idea to launch 7-on-7 touch football teams originate for Sanford?
A: Seven-on-seven has been a big thing nationwide for quite some time. We’ve just been somewhat resistant because in South Dakota, when kids hit summer, they’re on campuses and working with the high school coaches, and the high school coaches have programs that they do. We thought we would steer clear of those situations.
Q: What are the primary reasons for getting involved with 7-on-7 football?
A: The reason we decided to get involved is, one, it’s not going away, and, two, the demand is extremely high for it. We felt like there’s groups and organizations around that are offering it, but we could do it better. Then, the high school coaches, too, had come to us, saying, “We, too, know that 7-on-7 is going to be here, so if our kids are going to do it, then we want you guys running it.”
Q: Who are some of the coaches involved with this program?
A: Brandon White, the head coach at Harrisburg, is going to be coaching. Ryan Evans, the head coach at [Sioux Falls] Washington, is going to be coaching. James Schrenk, who is a former offensive coordinator at Augustana, is going to be coaching. Brian Hermanson, who’s coached everywhere, is going to be coaching. Drew Reinschmidt is an assistant coach at Harrisburg, and he’ll be coaching. Preston Nordling, who is an assistant coach at Madison, will be coaching. We have a wealth of coaches who have high school, college and professional experience.
Q: What does the travel look like for these tournaments?
A: We’ll go to five tournaments, and the travel will go a little bit further for our 15U and high school teams, but we’re going to stay in the midwest region. We don’t feel like we need to go further than that. Most of the teams, though, are going to travel to Iowa and Nebraska and then South Dakota for tournaments, and then the older kids may go to tournaments in either Minneapolis — additional to the other ones — or Kansas City.
Q: What do the teams look like in terms of roster size?
A: The 10U, 12U, 14s and 15s will have players that play both ways, so they’ll have a 12-athlete roster. The high school, though, will be more of specialized, one-position players, so they’ll have a 20-man roster. We’ll also have an offensive and defensive coach for the high schools. James Schrenk, being an offensive coordinator at the college level, also runs a recruiting agency called Summit [Sports Solutions], which is going to be implemented in helping the kids with the whole recruiting process. Brian Hermanson, being the defensive coach, has coached high school, college and the Sioux Falls Storm on the defensive side of the football.
Q: Who organizes the tournaments for 7-on-7 football?
A: There’s tournaments everywhere, so it’s not hard to find the tournaments. But the thing I’ve found quickly as you network is that finding the good tournaments is the difficult part. We’ve tried to reach out to a lot of organizations that we’ve felt really good about what they’ve done in building their brand and how long they’ve been going for and a lot of recommendations. That’s how we’ve kind of picked out the tournaments we’ll be going on. We’re going to host one here, too, for the younger division May 10 and 11.
Q: The cost for tryouts is $50. What all does that price entail?
A: After the tryouts, the coaches will pick the players. They’ll offer them an opportunity to be on the team, and then they’ll have to pay to be on the team. What that will include is three sets of uniforms, all kinds of gear that Sanford is excited about providing for the kids, practices, coaches, tournament fees, and then they get training sessions at the [Sanford Sports] Academy. From then on, being a part of the Sanford program, they’ll get discounted training opportunities, too.
Q: Being a new venture, how exciting is it to get this off the ground?
A: It’s a learning experience for me. I think it’s something that’s been a lot of work. I wasn’t quite sure about what we were stepping into. I think it’s going to be exciting for the kids. It’s something that once we start to get our feet wet and do it a little bit more, we’ll start to feel a little more comfortable with it, but it’s kind of nerve-wracking right now because it’s something we’re not real familiar with.
athletes Dec
of theweek
19
BY NATHAN SWAFFAR | MITCHELL REPUBLIC
The prep basketball season is finally underway across the state.
There were plenty of standout performers from the first week of boys and girls action. Here are four athletes who stood out on the hardwood this week.
Parkston junior James Deckert attempts a shot in the first quarter of a game against Tripp/ Delmont-Armour on Dec. 12, 2023 in Parkston.
JACOB NIELSON / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
during a Class A
Thursday,
REAGAN RUS: MOUNT VERNON/PLANKINTON GIRLS BASKETBALL
Rus, who just finished off an incredible season where she was named the 2024 Mitchell Republic volleyball player of the year, opened up her senior basketball season with a historic accomplishment. Rus, a Northern State basketball commit, scored her 1,000th career point in MVP’s 50-36 over McCook Central/Montrose last Tuesday. She accomplished the feat off the back of a 23-point, 10-rebound and five-steal performance. Rus and the Titans will be back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 17 against Wagner.
JAMES DECKERT: PARKSTON BOYS BASKETBALL
Deckert, a senior small forward, was instrumental in the Trojans’ season-opening 63-56 victory over Tri-Valley last Friday. He finished with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead Parkston to victory. Deckert and Parkston will be back on the court on Tuesday, Dec. 17 to face off with Tripp-Delmont/Armour.
Mount Vernon/Plankinton’s Reagan Rus attempts to catch a pass
girls basketball SoDak 16 game on
Feb. 29, 2024 at the Huron Arena. MARCUS TRAXLER / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
MARVIN RICHARD III, PINE RIDGE BOYS BASKETBALL
Richard made headlines around the state last week because of the performance he had against Bismarck Century (N.D.) at the ReMax Invitational in Gillette, Wyoming, last Thursday. Richard, a Class A first-team all-state performer last season, poured in a staggering 49 points in the Thorpes’ 73-63 loss. The 6-foot-4 guard's scoring spree tied the Thorpes' program single-game record set in 1966. He also finished with 34 and 35-point performances in the other two games of the tournament. Richard and Pine Ridge got back on the hardwood on Wednesday, Dec. 18, as the Thorpes open up the Lakota Nation Invitational tournament against Tiospa Zina.
Sisseton’s Krista Langager (54) powers up a shot near the rim as Mount Vernon/Plankinton’s Reagan Rus (1) contests during a Class A girls basketball tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday, March 7, 2024, at the Dacotah Bank Center in Brookings. LANDON DIERKS / MITCHELL REPUBLIC
KRISTA LANGAGER: SISSETON GIRLS BASKETBALL
Langager led the way for Sisseton in its victory 77-64 victory over Sioux Valley last Thursday night. She finished the game with 32 points and 19 rebounds in a 77-64. Langager, a 6-foot-1 center and Class A first-team all-state honoree last season, is a University of Sioux Falls signee. Langager and the Redmen will be back on the hardwood to face Groton Area on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Pine Ridge’s Marvin Richard III drives to the basket in a game during the Class A state basketball tournament in March 2024. SOUTH
DAKOTA PUBLIC BROADCASTING PHOTO
around the state TOP storylines
Here’s a look at some of the top local sports storylines taking shape around South Dakota:
WEST
MUELLER AWARDED AS 2025 MISS RODEO AMERICA: A new national queen of rodeo has been crowned and she’s from South Dakota. Miss Rodeo South Dakota Callie Mueller, earned the prestigious title of Miss Rodeo America after several days of intense competition in a field of
BY MARCUS TRAXLER | MITCHELL REPUBLIC
29 rodeo queens at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since 1956, Mueller is just the sixth Miss Rodeo South Dakota to be crowned Miss Rodeo America.
The last winner from South Dakota was Jordan Tierney from Oral, who ended up serving two years, 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mueller, of Florence, earned her bachelor of science degree in education from Dakota State University in May 2023.
Participants were judged on horsemanship, public speaking, personality, appearance and a written test on equine and rodeo knowledge to find the best representative for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Miss Rodeo America serves as the official representative of the PRCA and attends rodeos, schools, civic
Watertown’s Gage Lohr attempts to turn Brandon Valley’s Trevon Oehme during the Class A 120-pound state title bout during the 2024 South Dakota State Wrestling Championships on Saturday,
groups and events to educate the public about rodeo.
SOUTHEAST
MYRON VAULTS INTO CLASS AA GYMNASTICS PICTURE: Harrisburg’s Emery Myron is the state’s gymnastics scoring leader in the vault in the early portion of the season with a 9.800 scored on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Hub City Invitational in Aberdeen.
Myron, a sophomore who has joined the Tigers after competing in club gymnastics, has the highest individual score of any gymnast in the state in an event this season. She’s also tied for second in the state with teammate Brinly Sanderson and behind Harrisburg’s Meredith Hruby for the top beam score this season at 9.500.
Harrisburg heads to Mitchell this week for the Jill McCormick Invitational, in what should be another battle between the top-two teams in South Dakota gymnastics. The defending state champion Kernels edged Harrisburg by one-tenth of a point on Dec. 7 in Pierre and also topped Harrisburg for the state title in 2024.
NORTHEAST
ARROWS START WELL ON THE MAT: A pair of Watertown High School wrestlers have started their seasons strong, most recently winning individual titles at the highly competitive Rapid City Invitational on Dec. 13-14.
Gage Lohr, wrestling at 138 pounds, improved to 12-0 on the season so far with a 16-1 technical fall victory in the championship match over Winner’s Karson Keiser. His championship run included six wins, including four via technical falls. Lohr has won state titles the last two seasons, including in 2024 as a
freshman at 120 pounds with a 44-0 season.
Micah Hach, wrestling at 285 pounds, won five matches for the title, including four by fall in a total time of 2 minutes and 55 seconds, claiming the Rapid City event title for the second
year in a row. The South Dakota State football recruit has won every match this season by either pin or technical fall, including a 52-second pin in the championship match in Rapid City over Tea Area’s Chase DeBoer.
Miss Rodeo
