FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS UPDATE

State championship games schedule (all games on SDPB):
Thursday—
11 a.m.: 9A, Canistota-Freeman vs. Britton-Hecla.
1:45 p.m.: 9AA, Viborg-Hurley vs. Bon Homme.
4:30 p.m.: 9B, Colman-Egan vs. Herreid/Selby Area.
7:15 p.m.: 11A, Lennox vs. Canton.
Friday—
Noon: 11AA, Pierre vs. Brookings.
3:30 p.m.: 11B, Winner vs. Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan.
7 p.m.: 11AAA, Brandon Valley vs. Sioux Falls O’Gorman.

VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS UPDATE

“AA” SoDak 16 games Thursday (the 8 winners advance to the state tournament quarterfinals Nov. 21 at Rapid City):
State tournament game #1—
#16 Yankton at #1 Watertown
#9 Harrisburg at #8 Aberdeen Central
State tournament game #2—
#13 Brookings at #4 Sioux Falls Roosevelt
#12 Pierre at #5 Sioux Falls Washington
State tournament game #3—
#14 Sturgis at #3 Huron
#11 Rapid City Central at #6 Sioux Falls LIncoln
State tournament game #4—
#15 Mitchell at #2 Sioux Falls O’Gorman
#10 Brandon Valley at #7 Rapid City Stevens

“A” state tournament quarterfinals Nov. 21 at Rapid City:
#1 Miller vs. #8 Elk Point-Jefferson
#4 Winner vs. #5 Sioux Falls Christian
#3 McCook Central-Montrose vs. #6 Groton Area
#2 Dakota Valley vs. #7 Madison

“B” state tournament quarterfinals Nov. 21 at Rapid City:
#1 Northwestern vs. #8 Bridgewater-Emery
#4 Faith vs. #5 Warner
#3 Ethan vs. #6 Burke
#2 Chester Area vs. #7 Faulkton Area

THE POSITIVE SIDE

With every ending comes also a new beginning. With every disappointment comes a new opportunity for success.

With every mistakes comes a new and valuable lesson to be learned. With every setback comes a new position from which to move forward.

With every frustration comes the energy to move to a higher level of achievement. With every challenge comes a new strategy for taking action.

With every time of darkness comes the chance to make a real difference by shining your own special light. With every sadness comes a deeper appreciation for the joys that life can hold.

With every difficulty comes a new level of strength to be gained. With every loss comes an increased determination to win.

Though life has many pitfalls and problems, there is a positive side to every one of them. Choose to see and live that positive reality, and no problem will be a problem for long.

— Ralph Marston

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Football: The undefeated Pierre Governors were well represented on the ESD Conference’s all-conference teams. On the all-ESD defense Pierre players honored were linebackers River Iverson and Chase Sattgast, defensive backs Matt Lusk and Cade Hinkle and defensive linemen Preston Taylor and Gunnar Goehring. The all-ESD offense included quarterback Garrett Stout, backs/receivers Maguire Raske, Regan Bollweg and Andrew Coverdale and offensive linemen Grey Zabel and Cole Nelson. Kicker Carston Miller was named to the all-ESD special-teams team.

Football: Pierre swept through Brookings, 57-7, in the 11AA semifinal in Pierre to advance to this Friday’s state championship game. The unbeaten Governors recorded 23 first downs in piling up 596 yards of total offense. An 80-yard, eight-play drive ended with Maguire Raske plunging over from a yard away for the first score. Garrett Stout’s 71-yard for a score made it 14-0 in the first period. On a fourth-and-17 play Stout went 34 yards for a 21-0 lead. Pierre successfully executed an onsides kick, and that possession ended with Stout hitting Zach Letellier on a first down from the seven. A Stout TD pass to Andrew Coverdale made it a 34-0 halftime lead. In the third quarter on third-and-29 Stout passed to Josh Rowe, who carried the mail to the 5. Collin Brueggeman scored on his first carry of the season for a 40-0 lead. Carston Miller contributed a 37-yard field goal to make it 43-0 after three quarters. Josh Rowe at quarterback hit Jaret Clarke for a touchdown in the fourth period, and Lincoln Kienholz scored with 6:52 left to end Pierre’s scoring. Down 57-0, Mitchell got on the scoreboard on a 70-yard pass play. Grey Zabel had four sacks in the game, and Cade Hinkle posted two interceptions.

Volleyball: The Governors lost their regular-season finale to Huron, 3-0, on game scores of 25-23, 21-25, 12-25, 15-25. Josie Stevens had 10 kills, Emry Heiss six kills, Kenzie Gronlund six kills and Kenzie Kexhaus 35 digs. Pierre heads into the SoDak 16 with an 8-12 record.

This week’s schedules:
Football—Friday, vs. Brookings (at SDSU) in state championship game, noon.
Volleyball—Thursday, at Sioux Falls Washington in SoDak 16, 6 p.m.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

Volleyball: Karley Leafgreen was named to the Big Dakota Conference’s all-conference first team.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Volleyball: The Chargers lost in their semifinal match in the Region 2B Tournament at No. 2 seed Ipswich, 3-0, on game scores of 20-25, 23-25, 21-25. Sully Buttes finished the season with an 11-19 record and loses seniors to Angela Guthmiller, Kendra Kleven and Kiley McGee through graduation.

Football: In the Class 9A semifinal game at Onida, things looked ominous right from the start for the unbeaten Chargers when Canistota-Freeman drove the field with two big plays and scored immediately. It was 14-0 when Nick Wittler scored from six yards out to cut the deficit to 14-6. The visitors led 28-6 after one quarter. Late in the first half Wittler scored on a 65-yard interception return for a score to make the score 42-14 for Canistota-Freeman. Late in the game Jordan Schall scored the other Charger TD in a 56-22 loss that ended the SBHS season with a 10-1 record. It was the first home loss in their high school careers for the graduating seniors. C-F rushed for 387 yards and passed for 142 while the Chargers had 189 rushing yards and 170 passing yards. Of the four Charger turnovers—two fumbles and two interceptions—three led to scores.

FACT OF LIFE

“Show me a man who gets rich by being a politician, and I’ll show you a crook.”

— Harry S. Truman

COUNTDOWN

6 days: Democratic presidential candidates debate (Nov. 20).
7 days: State volleyball tournaments, Rapid City (Nov. 21-23).
8 days: Fort Pierre Christmas tree lighting ceremony (Nov. 22).
11 days: Pierre’s Parade of Lights (Nov. 25).
12 days: Capitol Christmas trees lighting ceremony (Nov. 26).
14 days: Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28).
15 days: Cultural Heritage Center holiday open house (Nov. 29).
19 days: South Dakota Gives Day (Dec. 3).
22 days: State oral interpretation tournament, Yankton (Dec. 6-7).
22 days: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas events, Onida (Dec. 6).
22 days: Pierre Players’ “Arsenic and Old Lace” (Dec. 6-8, 12-14).
26 days: Riggs High band/choir concert (Dec. 10).
30 days: Surprise Package’s Christmas concert (Dec. 14-15).
31 days: “Kennedy Center Honors,” CBS (Dec. 15).
32 days: Georgia Morse Middle School band/choir concert (Dec. 16).
35 days: Democratic presidential candidates debate (Dec. 19).
35 days: Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers (Dec. 19).
41 days: Christmas Day (Dec. 25).
44 days: College football national semifinals (Dec. 28).
51 days: NFL playoffs begin (Jan. 4-5).
52 days: Golden Globe awards, NBC (Jan. 5).
60 days: College football national championship game (Jan. 13).

LIFE LESSON

People wait
All week for Friday,
All year for summer,
All life for happiness.
Be happy today.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Presentation football (Michael Lyons): The Saints finished the season with a 1-9 record, losing to Dakota State, 31-29, in their final game.

Mary volleyball (Korie Tetzlaff): The Marauders lost 3-0 matches to Augustana and Wayne State. Now 1-26, Mary plays at Southwest Minnesota State Friday and at USF Saturday.

Mary women’s soccer (Abigail Foster): Mary defeated Northern, 4-1 and beat Minot State, 2-1, to improve to 11-4-2. The Marauders opened NSIC postseason play against Minnesota State Wednesday afternoon.

Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): The Marauders beat Concordia (Minn.), 28-6, in their first dual of the season. Lincoln did not wrestle there nor at the Bison Open Saturday. Mary wrestles this Saturday at Concordia’s Cobber Open in Moorhead.

Northern men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Wolves lost both of their season-opening games in Oklahoma City. NSU fell to Southeast Oklahoma State, 75-64, and lost to Southern Nazarene, 67-61. Lincoln did not play in either game. NSU goes to Spearfish this weekend to play the School of Mines Friday and BHSU Saturday.

Northern women’s soccer (Tori Thorpe): Northern lost to Mary, 4-1, and won over MSU-Moorhead, 1-0. Their season ended with a 5-12-1 record.

Northern football (Jacob Howard, Joe King, Gage Gehring, Colten Drageset): The Wolves defeated Minnesota-Crookston, 42-17. Joe had one kickoff return for nine yards. Jacob was credited with one solo tackle and one assisted tackle. Colten had one solo tackle. Now 6-4, Northern hosts Minnesota-Duluth at 1 p.m. Saturday.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb, Ciara Duffy): The Coyotes won at Green Bay, 66-60, to improve to 2-0. Chloe went 4-for-8 (2-of-5 in threes) for 10 points with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Ciara, who has been named Summit League Player of the Week, was 7-of-14 (3-of-6 in three-pointers) and 6-of-10 in free throws for 23 points with 10 rebounds, eight assists and a block. USD hosted Drake last night and goes to Utah of the PAC-12 Saturday.

South Dakota volleyball (Brooklyn Bollweg): The Coyotes defeated NDSU, 3-0, to clinch the Summit League’s regular-season championship. USD, now 25-1, finishes the regular season at Western Illinois Friday and at Purdue-Fort Wayne Saturday.

King’s College men’s soccer (August Axtman): In the semifinal of the MAC conference tournament King’s defeated Stevens Institute, 2-1. Gus had one shot in the game. In the championship game King’s lost to Eastern University, 3-1. The season ends with a 15-5-1 record. Gus had nine goals, three of them game-winners, and 22 shots on goal.

Black Hills State women’s basketball (Racquel Wientjes): Racquel had two weekend games vastly different from each other, but BHSU won them both to open the season. In a 65-34 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville, she went 1-for-10 in field goals (0-for-6 in three-pointers) and 2-of-2 in free throws for four points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. But on Saturday as the Yellow Jackets defeated Texas A&M-International, Racquel was hot from the field, going 13-of-16 (8-of-10 in threes) and 1-of-1 for 35 points with eight boards, three assists and two steals. Now 2-0, BHSU hosted Montana State-Billings last night and goes to Northern Friday.

Black Hills State football (Shawn Schnabel): The Yellow Jackets were shut out by CSU-Pueblo, 59-0, and are now 2-8. The season ends with a non-conference home game against Azusa Pacific at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Augustana wrestling (Jebben Keyes): The Vikings had five first-place finishers at the DWU Open. Jebben did not wrestle there. Augustana wrestles Friday at Arizona State.

Augustana women’s basketball (Aislynn Duffy, Katie Bourk): The Vikings were idle last week. They play Saturday at Truman State (Mo.).

Loyola men’s soccer (Sean Knoblauch): The Ramblers ended their regular season with a 3-0 win over Valparaiso and a 10-4-3 record. In the Missouri Valley Conference tournament Loyola opened play last night in the quarterfinals.

Dakota State volleyball (Nicole Sarringar): The Trojans defeated Bellevue, 3-2, in the regular-season finale. Nicole had 20 assists and two digs. In the NSAA postseason tournament DSU will play the Bellevue-Waldorf winner in the semifinals at Watertown Friday.

Dakota Wesleyan football (Lukas Chase): The Tigers are now 2-8 after a 41-14 win over Jamestown. DWU hosts Hastings at 1 p.m. Saturday in the season’s last game. We have wondered all fall why Lukas’ name no longer appeared in the defensive statistics, and now we know, thanks to a story this week in the Mitchell Daily Republic. Lukas, a redshirt junior defensive end who graduated from Stanley County High School, suffered heat stroke during fall camp, spent five days in an intensive care unit after his organs began to shut down. His inner core body temperature reached 106 degrees. But he rallied, spent a week in acute care and a few weeks at home. He was told he would not play football again this fall. But last Saturday, on the fifth defensive series in the second quarter of the Jamestown game, Coach Ross Cimpl put Lukas into the game for one play. The coach called a timeout after that play, and Lukas was mobbed by his teammates and cheered by DWU fans who had been wearing special T-shirts—“Beat the Heat; LC #99” on the front and “Chase 99” on the back. In the story in the newspaper Cimpl said, “He’s the backbone of our defense. He had to battle every day, and he did it.” Lukas and DWU have only the Hastings game remaining. He is on schedule to graduate with his business management degree next spring and likely won’t use his remaining year of eligibility.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Bradley Dean): Idle last week, the Tigers played at Dordt last night and host Midland at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan volleyball (Elena Svingen): DWU lost to Morningside, 3-1, and finished the season with a record of 20-12 overall but only 4-12 in the GPAC. Elena had one service ace and five digs.

South Dakota State swimming (Ashley Theobald, Caleb Huizenga): The SDSU women defeated Nebraska-Omaha in a dual, 162-138. Ashley won the 50-meter freestyle in 24.26 seconds and won the 400 individual medley in 4:37.65. She also swam on the “A” team in the 200 medley relay, which won its race in 59.17. Ashley was named Summit League Women’s Swimmer of the Week. The men were idle last week, but all the SDSU swimmers will next be in action at the Augustana Invitational Nov. 21-23.

South Dakota State wrestling (Aric Williams): At NDSU’s Bison Open in Fargo, Aric at 141 pounds went 1-2. He lost by technical fall, 20-5 to a Minnesota wrestler; won by major decision, 17-4, over a NDSU wrestler, and lost 8-6 to a Minnesota wrestler. SDSU hosts Binghamton (N.Y.) in a dual at the Sanford Pentagon Friday, then returns home to host the Daktronics Open Sunday.

Texas A&M-International women’s basketball (Nate Vogel): A long northern road trip ended with a 2-2 record to open the season. TAMIU lost at Chadron State, 66-63; lost at Black Hills State, 78-56; won at Northern New Mexico, 97-66, and won at New Mexico Highlands, 98-71. The team is off until next Tuesday at Incarnate Word.

Northwestern men’s soccer (Cole Cruse): The Raiders lost to Briar Cliff, 3-2, in the GPAC postseason quarterfinals and finished at 9-10. Cole had one goal in 13 games in his senior season.

Northwestern women’s soccer (Nikky Farnsworth): Northwestern lost in the GPAC quarterfinals to Hastings, 5-1. Nikky had two shots on goal and scored at 21:49 to cut the deficit at the time to 2-1. She had 16 goals this season, including three game-winners, and three assists. The team’s final record was 9-9-1.

Northwestern football (Morris Hofer): The Raiders beat Hastings, 44-17, and remain unbeaten at 9-0. Morris had one assisted tackle on defense and carried the ball on offense three times for nine yards. Northwestern ends the regular season with a 1 p.m. home game Saturday vs. Morningside.

Tennessee women’s basketball (Caleb Currier): Caleb, who was a student manager for the Lady Vols during his undergraduate years at UT, is now a graduate manager. In that role he oversees the student managers, assists with recruiting efforts and helps the director of basketball operations with logistics and equipment. He is pursuing a master’s degree in recreation and sports management. The Lady Vols won an exhibition game over Carson-Newman, 70-44. In regular-season play Tennessee defeated East Tennessee State, 72-68, and Central Arkansas, 63-36. On Monday night the Lady Vols went into South Bend and took down #15 Notre Dame, 74-63. Tennessee is home Thursday vs. Tennessee State and Tuesday vs. Stetson.

Charleston volleyball (Jaxin Melby): The Golden Eagles defeated Concord, 3-2; won over Glenville State, 3-1, and lost to West Virginia State, 3-0. Jaxin had three digs against Conrad and two kills and two digs against West Virginia State. Charleston finishes the regular season at home Friday vs. Davis & Elkins and Saturday vs. West Virginia Wesleyan.

Lindenwood University men’s hockey (Coleman Varty): Pierre native Coleman, who played the last two winters with the Gillette Wild, is playing at Lindenwood in St. Charles, a St. Louis suburb, Technically it’s club hockey, but they take the sport very seriously there. The team is currently 10-2-0 and has outscored opponents 40-6 in the current nine-game winning streak. Lindenwood plays Friday and Saturday at Central Oklahoma.

NCAA volleyball: The Summit League champion, South Dakota State, opens the NCAA Tournament at Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. Friday. That winner will play California or Santa Clara in the second round on Nov. 22. Third-round games will be Nov. 24, the quarterfinals on Nov. 29 and 30, the semifinals in San Jose Dec. 6 and the national championship match Dec. 8. Meanwhile, the University of Colorado team, where Kari Kebach is the athletic trainer for the team, opens NCAA play with a home match against Northern Colorado. That winner will play the region’s top seed, North Carolina, or Belmont in the second round.

(MALE) BLOND JOKE

A blond man spotted a letter on his doormat. It said on the envelope, “DO NOT BEND.” He spent the next two hours trying to figure out how to pick it up.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Nov. 14:
Brody Kelley, Addisyn Norman, Sandy Spencer, Hana (Bloomberg) Fretta, Brandon Brown, Josh Boyle, Emma Aadland, Dakota Bixler, Alison (Drewes) Haas.
— 39th anniversary, Randy/Colleen (Colson) Pool.

Friday, Nov. 15:
Rik Drewes, Molly Ryan, Lorlee (Day) Steever, Ivy Rollinger, Lisa (Ries) Kramer, Shane Hollingsworth, Max Fjelstad, Therese (Blake) Schutz, Robert Nagle, Chance Stoeser, Scott Schuetzle.

Saturday, Nov. 16:
Kris Schaffer, Tristan Voller, Colby Williams, Brian Shekleton, Hollie (Stutesman) Stoeser, Chad Uhrig, LaTonya Anderson, Wes Spencer, Jack Merkwan, Daniel Magee.

Sunday, Nov. 17:
Wally Thomsen, Joseph Merriam, Aaron Goehring, Claire Taylor, Tessa (Bollinger0 Hartmann, Jessica West.

Monday, Nov. 18:
Denise (Marshall) Kjer, Cobey Carr, Linda Burchill, Chris Voller, Tom Hindman, Joe Jungman, Brendan Whitebird.

Tuesday, Nov. 19:
Karla Byrum, Bonnie Small, Ken Weinheimer, Chris Pope, DeeAnn Stevbens, Rachel Zuercher, Caroline Tschetter, Mike Anderson, Jim Sampson, Alice Geraets, Rob Shoup, Taylor Lindekugel, Bethany (Goeden) Intorn, Kylor Knox, Kaid Knox, Aiden Dykstra, Brad Cruse.

Wednesday, Nov. 20:
John Forney, Ethan Ellefson, Sarah Magdanz, Austin Wagner, Ryker Tieszen, Blake Dean, Jerry Tveidt, Cammy (Clark) Theeler, A.J. Neuberger, Rigley Kulesa.

Thursday, Nov. 21:
Thomas Voeltz, Peggy Rose, Mark Logan, Chuck Hamre, Dawson Jarecke, Delaney Jarecke, Ashton Wood, Evelyn Decker.
— We fondly remember Tyler Wilcox, who passed away 14 years ago today.

THOUGHT FOR THESE TIMES

“When the speech condemns a free press, you are hearing the words of a tyrant.”

— Thomas Jefferson

HOCKEY UPDATE

Sioux Falls Stampede: In their only game last week the Stampede lost to Lincoln, 4-3, in overtime. Sioux Falls plays at Sioux City Friday and at home vs. Green Bay Saturday and Sunday.

North Dakota: The Fighting Hawks swept a weekend pair from Miami (Ohio), 7-1 and 5-4. Now 7-1-1, UND plays at Denver at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush swept three home games from Idaho, 5-1, 3-2 in a shootout and 1-0. Rapid City, after a game at Wichita last night, continues on the road to Tulsa Friday and Kansas City Saturday.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings beat Minot, 6-3; lost to Minot, 3-2, and lost to Minot, 4-1. The Wings play at Austin Friday and Saturday nights.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild lost at San Jose, 6-5; won at Arizona, 4-3, and lost at Los Angeles, 3-1. Minnesota is home vs. Arizona Thursday (7:00 FSN) and Carolina Saturday (1:00 FSN), then goes to Buffalo Tuesday (6:00 FSN).

Oahe Capitals boys varsity: The Caps open their season at Yankton at 1 p.m. Dec. 8, according to the hockey association website, but there is talk of the Caps playing in a tournament in Rapid City later this month.

Oahe Capitals girls varsity: The Capitals girls open with a pair of home games at 6 p.m. Dec. 30 against Brookings and 4 p.m. Dec. 1 against Rushmore.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): At the final leg of the Charles Schwab Cup in Phoenix, Tom tied for 19th place with a 9-under-par 275 on rounds of 68, 68, 69 and 70, earning 75,000 more Schwab Cup points. Those points lifted him to 31st place in the final Schwab Cup standings. He finished 31st on the Champions Tour money list for 2019 with earnings of $651,730. Next on the schedule for the Tour are qualifying tournaments for 2020 in Texas, California and Florida Nov. 19-22, then the final stage of qualifying Dec. 3-6 at Scottsdale, Ariz.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Skyforce has won its first two games of the season, 128-122 over Iowa and 105-98 over Salt Lake City. After a game at Stockton, Calif., last night, Sioux Falls goes on to South Bay Thursday and back home vs. Agua Caliente Saturday.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves lost to Memphis, 137-121; defeated Golden State in overtime, 125-119; lost to Denver in overtime, 100-98, and beat Detroit, 120-114. After facing San Antonio last night, Minnesota hosts Washington Friday and Houston Saturday, then goes to Utah Monday.

BASEBALL UPDATE

Pierre Trappers: The Trappers announced that Tanner Neale will return for his third season as manager of the team.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“There is a myth that the purpose of education is to give students the means for upward mobility and success. The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as our culture has defined it.”

— David W. Orr

FOOTBALL UPDATE

College football update (current record; last week’s score; this week’s game):
— USD 4-6: Beat Youngstown State 56-21; at NDSU, 2:30 p.m., Midco Sports Network.
— SDSU 7-3: Lost to Illinois State 27-19; home vs. Northern Iowa, 2 p.m.
— NDSU 10-0: Beat Western Illinois 57-21; home vs. USD, 2:30 p.m., Midco Sports Network.
— UND 5-4: Lost to Weber State 30-27; home vs. Northern Colorado, 1 p.m.
— Northern 6-4: Beat Minnesota-Crookston 42-17; home vs. Minnesota-Duluth, 1 p.m.
— Augustana 8-2: Beat Winona State 26-25; home vs. Southwest Minnesota State, 1 p.m.
— USF 7-3: Lost to Minnesota State 42-39; at Wayne State, 1 p.m.
— Dakota State 5-5: Beat Presentation 31-29; season over.
— Presentation 1-9: Lost to Dakota State 31-29; season over.
— S.D. Mines 2-8; Lost to Chadron State 53-49; at Fort Lewis, noon.
— Black Hills State 2-8: Lost to CSU-Pueblo 58-0; home vs. Azusa Pacific, 1 p.m.
— DWU 2-8: Beat Jamestown 41-14; home vs. Hastings, 1 p.m.
— Minnesota 9-0: Beat Penn State 31-26; at Iowa, 3 p.m., Fox.
— Nebraska 4-5: Open date; home vs. Wisconsin, 11 a.m., Big Ten Network.
— Iowa 6-3: Lost to Wisconsin 24-22; home vs. Minnesota, 3 p.m., Fox.
— Iowa State 5-4: Lost to Oklahoma 42-41; home vs. Texas, 2:30 p.m., FS1.
— Wyoming 6-3: Lost to Boise State 20-17 (O.T.); at Utah State, 3 p.m., ESPNU.

Denver Broncos: Idle last weekend, the Broncos resume play at Minnesota at noon Sunday on CBS.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings can win big games! They won at Dallas Sunday night, 28-24, and are 7-3, one game behind Green Bay in the NFC North. Minnesota hosts Denver at noon Sunday on CBS.

NFL games on local TV this week (subject to change by the networks):
Thursday—Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 7:20 p.m., Fox and NFL Network.
Sunday—Dallas at Detroit, noon, Fox.
Sunday—Denver at Minnesota, noon, CBS.
Sunday—New England at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m., CBS.
Sunday—Chicago at Los Angeles Rams, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
Monday—Kansas City at Los Angeles Chargers, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK LIVE GAMES THIS WEEK

Friday—Women’s basketball, Valparaiso at NDSU, 7 p.m.
Friday—Volleyball, Oral Roberts at UND, 7 p.m. (MSN2).
Saturday—Football, Northern Colorado at UND, 1 p.m. (MSN2).
Saturday—Football, USD at NDSU, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday—Men’s hockey, UND at Denver, 8 p.m.

ANOTHER (MALE) BLOND JOKE

A blond man was in the bathroom when his wife shouted, “Did you find the shampoo?”

He answered, “Yes, but I’m not sure what to do. It’s for dry hair, and I just got mine wet.”

FOOTBALL CONTEST #13

Eric James was the sole 10-point winner in our contest last week with a 7-3 record. At 6-4 for 9 points each were Debra Bollinger, Jon Boer, Laurie Johnson, Kyle Richards, Randy Pool, Nathan Vetter, Jason Noyes, Greg Dean and Dawn Magee. At 5-5 for 8 points apiece were David Ludwig, Brian Hunhoff, Greg Chapin, Chuck Libby and Mikal Kern.

Contest #13 (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Saturday morning):
(1) Minnesota at Iowa
(2) Wisconsin at Nebraska
(3) Wake Forest at Clemson
(4) Oklahoma at Baylor
(5) Georgia at Auburn
(6) LSU at Mississippi
(7) UCLA at Utah
(8) Texas at Iowa State
(9) NFL: Houston at Baltimore
(10) NFL: New England at Philadelphia

A PRAYER FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

We live in a land rich to harvest, yet multitudes die daily for want of bread.
We choose our clothes from many changes, yet multitudes cannot afford our rummage.
We live in well-built, comfortable houses, yet multitudes have no place to call home.
We have books we have never opened, yet multitudes have no books to read.
We have work that feeds mind and body, yet multitudes have jobs that feed neither.
Lord, unlike millions of your people, we have been given much.
Let us remember that, from those to whom much is given, much shall be expected.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Surprise Package, the local mixed vocal ensemble, has scheduled its Christmas concerts for this year. They will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, both at First United Methodist Church. There is no admission charge, but a free-will donation offering will be accepted.

Greg Peterson is the oldest of the three Peterson Farm Bros., part of the Kansas family well known for their promotion of and advocacy for agriculture and the farming industry. Last week Greg was driving their next-to-last load of grain to the elevator on Kansas State Highway 4 near Gypsum. When he came over a hill, he saw a cattle semi coming toward him and already halfway in his lane. Greg bailed to the far right of his lane of the highway, which has a steep shoulder. The momentum of his trailer toppled his whole rig, but he avoided a head-on collision. Greg climbed out of the cab, which was on its side, and saw that the Freightliner had not stopped. Greg was shaken but not injured. There were witnesses to the accident, but as of the last post on their Facebook page, the driver of the cattle semi had not been located by authorities. The Peterson Farm Bros. appeared at the Sully County Fair in Onida last summer, and they will be featured in Pierre at the 2020 Ag Appreciation Banquet on March 5.

A retirement party for Lois Ries will be hosted by the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce and its Convention and Visitors Bureau at The Fieldhouse from 4 to 6 p.m. next Thursday, Nov. 21.

Riggs High and School of Mines alumnus Doug Bachand was the subject of KNBN-TV’s “Faces in the Crowd” series on that Rapid City station last week. He is owner of FullSend Ski Company. At Mines Doug majored in industrial engineering, so that and his passion for skiing came together when he created his small business. He became a part of the Ascent Innovation Center on the Mines campus where he has a manufacturing space to build skis. Now he has 2 1/2 years of experience in building them. His business offers customers a semi-custom-built product with prebuilt options to choose from and customize. He hopes his ski business will snowball as the years go by. Doug is the son of Pierre residents attorney Paul Bachand and his wife Carla, a court reporter. (News courtesy of KNBN-TV, Rapid City)

Jim Stukel, 65, died Nov. 8 at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, followed by Mass of Christian Burial there at 10:30. He grew up in Illinois and earned his degree from Michigan Tech. He moved to Gregory as a soil surveyor. Later he moved to Pierre to work for the Department of Agriculture. He met Eileen Dowd in Pierre, and they were married in 1992. Jim coached hockey and enjoyed fishing and hunting in this area. In recent years he worked at Lynn’s Dakotamart. He is survived by his wife, Eileen; his mother, Shirley Stukel of Winchester, Va., and three sisters.

Garrett Stout, Riggs High senior who has excelled in every sport in which he participates, has signed a letter of intent to attend South Dakota State and play baseball there.

Janaina Zanin, another Riggs HIgh senior athlete, has signed a letter of intent with USD to join the soccer team there where her sister, Joana, is a starter.

Students of the Month in the Stanley County middle school and high school for October: grade 6, Maddix Wind; grade 7, Colton Brady; grade 8, Cadence Hand; grade 9, Aleeyah Schilling; grade 10, Kamryn Schilling; grade 11, Augustyna Good Bird; grade 12, Brooke Gloe.

The first American Legion Post 8 baseball pancake breakfast is set for Nov. 23 from 7 to 11 a.m. at the Legion cabin. These breakfasts raise money to support the Post 8 summer baseball programs. Admission is by good-will donation.

Larissa FastHorse’s play, “The Thanksgiving Play,” which has had performances across the country this year, will be staged by the theater department at Augustana University in Sioux Falls next week. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21-22-23 and 2:30 p.m. Nov. 23-24. For ticket information go to www.Augietickets.com.

Brandon Cruse and his officiating crew worked the Big 12 game in Fort Worth between host TCU and visiting Baylor Saturday. The game was an instant classic, going into a third overtime before Baylor won to stay unbeaten.

The Riggs High oral interpretation local showcase program has been changed from this weekend to Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Riggs theater.

Pierre native Rodger Hartley has a leading role in “Stupid F#*#ing Bird,” which will be staged at the Firehouse Brewing Company theater in Rapid City Jan. 3-25.

Sully Buttes football coach Mark Senftner has been named Region 3 Coach of the Year by the South Dakota Football Coaches Association. He and the other honorees will receive their awards in Brookings during the championship games this weekend.

Francis “Fran” Vogel of Timber Lake passed away at home Nov. 6 at the age of 64. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Monday afternoon at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Aberdeen. He graduated from Aberdeen Central in 1972 and attended Jamestown College and Northern State University where he participated in track. He and Kathy Wattier were married in Webster, and they became the parents of a son, Chad. In 1985 he met his wife, Sharon, and her six children, and they married in 1986 and had sons Matthew and Fredrick. Mr. Vogel spent 33 years as an educator, most of them serving Native American students. His final job was that of dean of students at Tiospaye Topa School. He is survived by his wife, Sharon; his sons, Chad of Aberdeen, Matthew, Fredrick and Dewey of Timber Lake and Dugan of Dupree; his daughters, Dayle of Albuquerque, N.M., Dew of Aberdeen and Sarah of Timber Lake; two grandsons; four brothers, Mike Vogel and his wife Diana in Minnesota, Bob Vogel and his wife Tammy in Iowa, Greg Vogel and his wife Kila in Pierre, and Steve Vogel and his wife Ronnie in Texas, and three sisters, Barb in South Dakota, Mary and her husband John in Nebraska and Monica and her husband Loren in Montana.

Shelby Guthrie, a sophomore at the School of Mines, has been inducted into Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.

Jamie Damon, former Pierre resident and attorney, moved to Sioux Falls last week. She has already settled in her new home and is looking forward to connecting with former Pierre residents and friends and making new friends. She left on Thursday night to visit her son, Andrew McNulty, and his family in Virginia for a few days. Her granddaughter, Elspeth, asked Jamie to join her and honor her at their school’s Veterans Day program.

Named Athlete of the Week last week by the Pierre Athletic Coaches Association were Addy Smith of the volleyball team and Lincoln Kienholz of the football team. This week the honorees were Grey Zabel of the football team and Josie Stevens of the volleyball team.

We call your attention to Katie (Shoup) Nebelsick’s new home business called The Written Wall. Check out her products at the Facebook page entitled “The Written Wall—Handmade Wood Signs.”

Long-time sports official Mark Smith of Pierre will be presented with the Steve Withorne Memorial Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions and long-time dedication to promoting the development of officials. The presentation will take place at halftime of the Pierre-Brookings championship game Friday afternoon. Smith is also one of four men who will receive the SDHSAA’s 40-year officiating award.

Gerda Jorgenson, who lives in Vancouver, Wash., has a new job as Amazon Sales channel manager for Crafts Group Americana. She will be working mainly with their brands Knit Picks and Connecting Threads.

PARKER’S COLUMN

(From the Custer Chronicle in December 2005)

Remember the good old days, you who are my age or thereabouts, when the only way to communicate with somebody out of town, except for a long-distance phone call, was by U.S. Mail?

Once the Onida grade school dismissed for Christmas vacation, one of my kicks was going to the post office twice a day to pick up the mail. Yes, mail came to town twice a day back then in the late ’40s and early ’50s. In December each of those mail deliveries meant another fistful of Christmas cards. And being the son of a rural mail carrier, I found it was more fun than ever to ride with Dad on his route west and north of town because there was so much more mail to be delivered at holiday time.

Everybody sent Christmas cards in those days. Some were simpler than others, choosing to do nothing more than scribble their names on a card, lick the seals shut, apply stamps and throw them into the mailbox, but what the heck! At least they were thinking of us, even if it was already Christmas Eve and we wouldn’t receive the cards till Dec. 26. Or were they sending us cards just because we had sent cards to them? No matter.

More often than not, a Christmas card included a snapshot or two and, of course, the family Christmas letter. Letter-writing was the way to communicate in those days (how else?!). It was especially good to hear at holiday time from relatives, friends and acquaintances from out of the past, reading their Christmas letters to learn all about their past year.

It was at some point, maybe in the ’60s or ’70s, when some hoity-toity busybodies decided to institute a movement to ban—or at least frown upon—family Christmas letters.

Did they experience such boring years themselves that there was nothing for them to write? Were they jealous of the rest of us who had something about which to write? To soothe their own gilt or laziness over not writing Christmas letters, did they find it necessary to make us feel guilty for writing them?

Anyway the hoity-toities wrote to Ann Landers (or maybe it was her evil twin, Dear Abby) and found very vocal, very public support from the famed advice columnist for their We-Hate-Christmas-Letters movement.

“We don’t want to know that Aunt Shirley went on a cruise through the Panama Canal.”

“We don’t want to know that Freddie earned three purple ribbons for his hogs at the State Fair.”

“We don’t care if Walter stubbed his toe on the porch step and was hospitalized with infection for six weeks.”

“We don’t want to hear your bragging about your kids’ straight-A report cards and your grandchildren’s first teeth.”

“We don’t care, period.”

Well, I thought to myself back then, who is “we”? I do care, and I do want to know. Who was born in your family? Who died? Who was elected to what? Where did you go on your vacation? Are the kids flunking out of college? How do the crops look? When are you coming home to South Dakota? What rating did Susie get on her vocal solo this year? Did Johnny get a scholarship? Did you paint the house this year? Did Sheldon put up any new grain bins this year? Is Grandma’s arthritis any worse?

Ann Landers, Dear Abby and the hoity-toities succeeded in stifling Christmas letters. And a new generation of people too busy to keep in touch with their relatives and long-lost friends grew up.

We all were losers.

But alas! In my own case in the past few years, I have discovered that Christmas letters may be making a comeback. Even in this age of e-mails and phones that play music and send pictures, there is still a place in the world for an envelope containing a letter that can be read and re-read without fear of deletion and a beautiful Christmas card, perhaps also a family photo on photo paper, not on a computer screen.

From my column-writing days in Pierre there remain people who print an extra copy of their Christmas letters to send to me, not because I know them well, if at all, but because they are fellow members of CLF (Christmas Letters Forever), local chapter).

So what if the news isn’t all that great in one’s family this year? We all have skeletons in our family closets. We understand, What, after all, are friends for?

It used to peeve me a bit that Christmas letters starting arriving the Monday after Thanksgiving. Anybody who is so organized to have that task out of the way while it is still November is a sick person. But in a few days I hope the mailbox begins to contain honest-to-goodness hand-written Christmas cards and duplicated Christmas letters.

I do care. I do want to know. Let the Scrooges be unhappy in this wonderful time of the year if they choose. But they will not deter us from our mission—to spread holiday cheer, at least between you and me, and share each other’s joys from the past year.

(And a 2019 addition to this column: Since Thanksgiving is so late this year, the Monday after Thanksgiving will already be December, so if letters start to arrive in that day’s mail, I’m fine with it.

(And one more addition: My lengthy list of addresses saved over many years but unfortunately saved—I thought!—on my laptop, disappeared this year, all on its own accord. So I’m going to have to wait to receive YOUR Christmas letter before I can send you mine.)