- The South Dakota High School Football Championships wrapped up in the DakotaDome over the weekend
Class 9B: Dell Rapids St. Mary defeated Potter County 44-42 in a double overtime thriller on Thursday. This back-and-forth battle for the ‘9B’ title started slow offensively, but ended with non-stop scoring action. This is the first state football championship for Dell Rapids St. Mary.
Class 9A: Howard defeated Herreid/Selby Area in impressive fashion on Thursday to win the 9A state title 55-18. This is Howard’s fourth state football title in the playoff era. It’s their first since 2014, their second in Class 9A, and their third title in 9-man football.
Class 9AA: A late game touchdown helped lift Platte-Geddes to a 14-8 state championship victory over Canistota/Freeman on Thursday night in the 9AA title game. The Black Panthers have gone back-to-back with state football championships. This is Platte-Geddes’ second state title as a co-op. By themselves, Platte won state championships in 1986 and 1992 while Geddes won its lone title in 1982.
Class 11B: Winner defeated Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan in the 11B state championship game on Friday 40-8 to capture their ninth state title in program history. This is Winner’s ninth state football championship in program history, and their fifth in Class 11B. The Warriors also beat Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan last year in the state title game.
Class 11A: It was the “Bulldog Bowl” as Madison and Milbank squared off for the Class 11A state championship game at the dome today. It was Madison who yanked on Milbank’s leash however, as Madison dominated Milbank 31-0 to secure their fourth straight state football title.
Class 11AA: Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back defending 11AA Champs, that’s what the Pierre Governors will now be permitted to say when speaking of their football program. After trailing #1 seed Tea Area, another DakotaDome regular, 21-7 at half, it was looking like Tea Area would unseat the defending champs and add another championship to their own mantle after dominating Class 11A for the last decade. The Governors came roaring back in the second half against a seemingly tired Tea Area, an issue that the Titans faced against Yankton in the semi-final round a week prior. After the Governors tied the game at 27 with just over 3 minutes remaining in the 4th, a missed extra point left the game deadlocked. Tea drove the length of the field and an interception by Pierre’s Jacob Mayer gave the Governors the ball and the chance to drain the clock and score to secure the game, which is exactly what happened as Pierre’s kicker Cole Peterson booted a 40-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Governors to their fifth straight 11AA title, with a 30-27 final score.
Junior QB Lincoln Kienholz led the way offensively for the Governors, rushing for 194 yards and two scores and passing for 347 and two scores and earned MVP honors.
Class 11AAA: The Harrisburg Tigers defeated Brandon Valley 27-0 to win their first state championship since 1999. Since their last state title, Harrisburg has finished runner-up five times – twice in 11A, twice in 11AA, and once in 11AAA.
- South Dakota and South Dakota State South Dakota squared up for the 115th time Saturday in a series that dates back to 1889. The last time the two state rivals faced off, the Yotes took the contest 24-21, breaking a long division 1 winning streak on behalf of SDSU. This time, it seemed the Jackrabbits were about to regain in-state bragging rights, as they had the Coyotes stranded on their own 43-yard line, leading by three and a single second on the clock. It would take miracle for the Coyotes to win.
A 57-yard hail mary pass from QB Carson Camp to Jeremiah Webb sealed the Coyotes victory by a final 23-20 score. The touchdown, which bounced off two Jackrabbit defenders before Webb corralled it and fell into the end zone, was the first of his collegiate career. The win gives South Dakota (7-3, 5-2 MVFC) a chance at a share of its first MVFC title. The Coyotes take on North Dakota State (9-1, 6-1) in a 2:30 p.m. kick Saturday inside the Fargodome in North Dakota.
- South Dakota Womens Basketball senior guard Liv Korngable dropped a career-high 24 points as the Coyotes fell 72-41 to No. 1/1 South Carolina inside the Sanford Pentagon on Friday night as a part of the Mammoth Invitational. South Dakota returns to action tonight with a 6 p.m. tip-off at Drake in Des Moines, Iowa.
- Omaha avenged its only loss in Summit League play and clinched at least a share of its first Summit title by downing South Dakota 3-1 in volleyball action Sunday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center before a season-high 1,259 fans. Scores went 25-27, 25-15, 25-23, and 25-21. The Coyotes were 10-0 at home this season entering the match. USD, now tied with Denver but owning the tiebreaker, will need road wins against North Dakota (1-27, 0-16) and North Dakota State (12-16, 6-10) to secure a first-round bye in the upcoming Summit League Tournament to be held in Vermillion.
- Drake’s depth and high-octane offense proved difficult to handle as the Bulldogs handed the Coyotes a 99-50 mens basketball loss inside the Knapp Center on Sunday afternoon. South Dakota (1-1) returns home next Friday for a home contest against Southern inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center at 7 p.m. It marks the first of three games in a five-game stretch.
