VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS UPDATE

State tournaments quarterfinals Thursday at Rapid City:

Class “AA”
#1 Watertown vs. #9 Harrisburg
#4 Sioux Falls Roosevelt vs. #5 Sioux Falls Washington
#3 Huron vs. #6 Sioux Falls Lincoln
#2 Sioux Falls O’Gorman vs. #7 Rapid City Stevens

Class “A”
#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

Class “B”
#1 Northwestern vs. #8 Bridgewater-Emery
#4 Faith vs. #5 Warner
#3 Ethan vs. #6 Burke
#2 Chester Area vs. #7 Faulkton Area

(NOTE: Thursday and Friday matches can be seen online at www.sdpb.org. The three championship matches Saturday will be live on SDPB.

FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS UPDATE

Championship game scores:
Class 9A—Canistota-Freeman 46, Britton-Hecla 34
Class 9AA—Viborg-Hurley 50, Bon Homme 24
Class 9B—Colman-Egan 58, Herreid-Selby Area 6
Class 11A—Canton 46, Lennox 8
Class 11AA—Pierre 32, Brookings 16
Class 11B—Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan 21, Winner 14
Class 11AAA—Sioux Falls O’Gorman 21, Brandon Valley 16

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Volleyball: The Governors lost their SoDak 16 match at Sioux Falls Washington, 3-0, on game sores of 16-25, 21-25, 21-25 and finished the season with an 8-13 record.

Football: The Governors climaxed a 12-0 perfect season with a 32-16 victory over Brookings in the Class 11AA championship game, giving Pierre its third straight state title. Garrett Stout, named the Outstanding Player of the Game, was involved in all five Pierre touchdowns—he ran for three of them, passed for one and returned a kickoff for the other. Stout passed for 154 yards, completing 12 of 16 passes and ran for 132 yards on 19 carries. Maguire Raske ran for 35 yards. Andrew Coverdale had four receptions for 83 yards, Josh Rowe three catches for 20 yards, Regan Bollweg one for 17 yards, Zach Letellier one for 12 yards, Raske two for 11 yards and Matt Lusk one for 11. Pierre accumulated 165 rushing yards on 81 carries and had Stout’s 154 passing yards. Brookings rushed for 96 yards on 38 carries and passed for 74 yards. Grey Zabel was named the game’s outstanding lineman.

Highlights of the game:

First quarter: Brookings won the coin toss but chose to defer to the second half. Pierre took the ball and went on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that consumed six minutes. A 25-yard run by Stout and a 17-yard run by Bollweg were big plays on the drive which ended with Stout scoring through a path cleared by Zabel. Carston Miller’s kick was good. (7-0)

Brookings went 3-and-out on its first possession, but the fourth-down punt was fumbled by Pierre and lost, giving the Bobcats the ball at the Pierre 29. In eight plays the only plays on which Brookings gained any yardage came on two pass interference calls against the Govs. A field goal was kicked successfully. (7-3)

Second quarter: A 15-play, 80-yard drive for the Govs started in the first quarter and carried over into the second. Ten running plays and two passes got Pierre to the 9-yard line, and Stout hit Josh Rowe with a laser pass for a touchdown on fourth down. (13-3)

Brookings’ next possession gained one first down but ended with a punt. Pierre’s possession was curtailed by a holding penalty that forced a long pass, which was intercepted. The two teams exchanged punts that ended the first half. Brookings had been held to a total of 21 yards of offense in the half.

Third quarter: Brookings came out on fire and drove 80 yards in 14 plays over 5:51 to score from the 1-yard line but missed the extra point. (13-9)

Just when Brookings appeared to have momentum, Garrett Stout returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, and Miller kicked the extra point. (20-9)

Brookings went three-and-out, the third-down play ending on a sack by Bollweg. Pierre received the punt at its own 48, and in three plays the Govs scored—Stout to Letellier for 13 yards, Stout to Coverdale for 26 yards and Stout on the ground for 13 for the score. (26-9)

Fourth quarter: Brookings went on a long, time-consuming drive covering 80 yards in 16 plays and taking six minutes. By the time it ended with a score from three yards out the game was in the fourth quarter. (26-16)

Brookings attempted what appeared to be an onsides kick, and River Iverson recovered the ball for Pierre. Stout hit Coverdale on a 43-yard pass. From the 25 Stout carried for 17 yards, losing his shoe in the process. Then he scored from the 8 with 8:56 left. (32-16)

On Brookings’ possession a second-down pass was thrown away, thanks to pressure from Preston Taylor. On third down Bollweg scored another sack, and the Bobcats punted it away. Pierre punted on its next possession as well, but Brookings likewise punted. Pierre took the ball, Stout going 30 yards on first down, then Raske for nine, then Stout for 11. By then the Govs had only to take a knee and start celebrating.

Winter sports opening dates:
— Gymnastics: Dec. 5, at Huron quadrangular; Dec. 7, at Sioux Falls invitational.
— Wrestling: Dec. 6-7, at Mandan invitational; Dec. 12, home vs. Harrisburg.
— Boys basketball: Dec. 13, home vs. Harrisburg; Dec. 20, at Douglas.
— Girls basketball, Dec. 13, at Harrisburg; Dec. 17, home vs. Huron.

Volleyball: Kenzie Kexhaus of the Governors was named to the ESD Conference all-conference team. She recorded 339 digs this season, which was 204 more than the nearest teammate in that category. She also had 23 service aces and was second highest on the team in serve percentage accuracy at 90%.

Cross country: Pierre cross country athletes who earned Academic All-State honors are Halli Drewes, Morgan Oedekoven, Kyla Keyes, Hunter Martell and Tyler Gere.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

Football: Four Buffaloes were named to the SESD Conference all-conference team. They are Reid Wieczorek, Tracy Nielsen, Dylan Gabriel and Lathan Prince.

Winter sports opening dates:
— Wrestling: Dec. 5, at Lyman triangular; Dec. 7, home for Stanley County invitational.
— Girls basketball: Dec. 13, home vs. Lyman; Dec. 14, at White River.
— Boys basketball: Dec. 13, home vs. Lyman; Dec. 19, home vs. Philip.
— Gymnastics: Dec. 5, at Huron quadrangular; Dec. 14, at Wagner invitational.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Winter sports opening dates:
— Wrestling: Dec. 7, at Stanley County invitational; Dec. 12, at Lyman triangular.
— Girls basketball: Dec. 13, home vs. North Central; Dec. 17, home vs. Lyman.
— Boys basketball, Dec. 17, home vs. Lyman; Dec. 21, home vs. Winner.

COUNTDOWN

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

HOCKEY UPDATE

Rapid City Rush: On yet another southern road trip, the Rush lost at Wichita, 4-3; won at Tulsa, 5-4, and lost at Kansas City, 10-1. Rapid City is home this weekend against Tulsa, then plays at Idaho on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving week.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings swept their weekend in Austin, winning 4-1 and 3-2 in overtime. Aberdeen is home Friday and Saturday against Chippewa Falls and Nov. 29-30 against Bismarck.

Sioux Falls Stampede: It was a lost weekend for the Stampede, who lost to Sioux City, 5-2, and lost to Green Bay twice, 6-3 and 8-1. Sioux Falls is home Friday and Saturday against Youngstown, next Wednesday vs. Fargo and Nov. 29-30 against Sioux City.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild edged Arizona, 3-2; lost to Carolina in overtime, 4-3, and beat Buffalo, 4-1. Minnesota is home Thursday vs. Colorado, at Boston Saturday, at New York Rangers Monday, at New Jersey Tuesday, home vs. Ottawa Nov. 29 and Dallas Dec. 1, and at Florida Dec. 3.

North Dakota: The Fighting Hawks tied Denver, 1-1, in overtime, then beat the Pioneers, 4-1. UND is home vs. St. Cloud State Friday and Saturday, then plays at Minnesota Nov. 28-29.

Oahe Capitals boys: According to the schedule on the Oahe Hockey website, the Capitals play at Yankton at 1 p.m. Dec. 8.

Oahe Capitals girls: According to the schedule on the Oahe Hockey website, the girls varsity is home Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. vs. Brookings and Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. against Rushmore.

A THOUGHT FOR THESE TIMES

“The more a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.”

— George Orwell

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Skyforce, after winning their first two games of the G-League season, lost at Stockton, 132112, and lost at South Bay, 121-118, then defeated Agua Caliente, 122-108. The Skyforce, after playing at Sioux City last night, goes to Agua Caliente Frfiday and to South Bay Sunday, then plays at home vs. Texas next Wednesday and Northern Arizona Nov. 29-30.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves beat San Antonio, 129-114; lost to Washington, 137-116; lost to Houston, 125-105, and beat Utah, 112-102. Minnesota, after a home game vs. Utah again last night, hosts Phoenix Saturday, goes on the road to Atlanta Monday and to San Antonio Wednesday, then is home vs. Memphis Dec. 1.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

NFL games on local TV (subject to change by the networks):
Thursday—Indianapolis at Houston, 7:20 p.m., Fox and NFL Network.
Sunday—Denver at Buffalo, noon, CBS.
Sunday—New York Giants at Chicago, noon, Fox.
Sunday—Dallas at New England, 3:25 p.m., Fox.
Sunday—Green Bay at San Francisco, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
Monday—Baltimore at Los Angeles Rams, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.
Thanksgiving—Chicago at Detroit, 11:30 a.m., Fox.
Thanksgiving—Buffalo at Dallas, 3:30 p.m., CBS.
Thanksgiving—New Orleans at Atlanta, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
Dec. 1—Oakland at Kansas City, noon, CBS.
Dec. 1—Green Bay at New York Giants, noon, Fox.
Dec. 1—Los Angeles Chargers at Denver, 3:25 p.m., CBS.
Dec. 1—New England at Houston, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
Dec. 2—Minnesota at Seattle, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.

Minnesota Vikings: Down 20-0 and looking awful, the Vikings scored touchdowns on their first four possessions of the second half to stun Denver, 27-23. With an 8-3 record the Vikings are still in the last wild-card spot in the NFC. Minnesota has a bye this weekend, then plays at Seattle in a Monday night game Dec. 4.

Denver Broncos: Denver blew a 20-0 lead and lost at Minnesota, 27-23, to fall to 3-7. The Broncos playi at Buffalo this Sunday, then hosts the Los Angeles Chargers Dec. 1.

College football update (current record; last week’s score; this week’s game):
— USD 4-7: Lost at North Dakota State, 49-14; home vs. SDSU, 2 p.m., Midco Sports Network.
— SDSU 8-3: Beat Northern Iowa, 38-7; at USD, 2 p.m., Midco Sports Network.
— NDSU 11-0: Beat USD 49-14; at Southern Illinois, 2 p.m.
— UND 6-4: Beat Northern Colorado 45-38; home vs. Southern Utah, 1 p.m.
— Northern 6-5: Lost to Minnesota-Duluth 48-10; season done.
— Augustana 9-2: Beat Southwest Minnesota State 45-21; at CSU-Pueblo, 2 p.m. in first round of NCAA Div. II playoffs.
— Sioux Falls 8-3: Beat Wayne State 41-21; at Colorado Mines, 1 p.m. in first round of NCAA Div. II playoffs.
— S.D. Mines 3-8: Beat Fort Lewis 27-17; season done.
— Black Hills State 3-8: Beat Azusa Pacific 19-7; season done.
— Dakota Wesleyan 3-8: Beat Hastings 30-7; season done.
— Minnesota 9-1: Lost to Iowa 23-19; at Northwestern, 11 a.m., ABC.
— Nebraska 4-6: Lost to Wisconsin 37-21; at Maryland, 2:30 p.m., Big Ten Network.
— Iowa 7-3: Beat Minnesota 23-19; home vs. Illinois, 10 a.m., Big Ten Network.
— Iowa State 6-4: Beat Texas 23-21; home vs. Kansas, 5 p.m., FSN.
— Wyoming 6-4: Lost to Utah State 26-21; home vs. Colorado State, 8:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN2.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK LIVE GAMES

Friday—Volleyball, NSIC quarterfinals, noon, 2:30, 5:00 (MSN2).
Friday—Women’s basketball, Iowa State at NDSU, 7 p.m. (MSN2).
Friday—Men’s hockey, St. Cloud State at UND, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday—Football, Southern Utah at UND, 1 p.m. (MSN2).
Saturday—Football, USD at SDSU, 2 p.m.
Saturday—Men’s basketball, Utah Valley at NDSU, 5 p.m. (MSN2).
Saturday—Men’s hockey, St. Cloud State at UND, 7 p.m.
Saturday—Volleyball, NSIC semifinals, 7 p.m. (MSN2).
Sunday—Volleyball, NSIC championship, 3 p.m.
Monday—Women’s basketball, Missouri State at USD, 7 p.m.
Monday—Women’s basketball, Wyoming at NDSU, 7 p.m.
Wednesday—Men’s basketball, Samford at SDSU, 7 p.m.
Dec. 4—Women’s basketball, Creighton at USD, 7 p.m.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

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

Friday, Nov. 22:
Al King, Jane (Trumble) Husman, Kelly Culberson, Lowen Kulesa, Jesse Herra, Brad Like, Hannah Melius, Judy (Sonnenschein) Larson, Will Nebelsick.

Saturday, Nov. 23:
Sarah (Zellmer) Johnson, Kerry (Ingram) Rounds, Cody Van Houten, Benjamin Saniuk, Eva (Schmidt) Reed, Tom Tipton, Elaine Konechne, Gage Deal, Cora Vogel, Jenny Weingart, Knox Englehart, Wendy (Kaiser) Wulf, Allyson Pierce, Erin (Schiefelbein) Jones, Laurie Johnson.

Sunday, Nov. 24:
Todd Meierhenry, Sharon Hoelscher, Brooke (Lee) Cronin, Kaishia (Bernard) Anderson, Tom Roberts, Harper Lucas, Janet (Stahl) Hofer, Mae Virginia Gibson, Pam Kean, Monica Paxton, Jared Boyer, Mary (Wendt) Curtis, Tucker Stoeser.
— 13th anniversary, Jerid/Megan (Joachim) Jaeger.

Monday, Nov. 25:
Deann (Asheim) Mohlman, Ezekiel Ross, Randy Hilding, Kyle Hollingsowrth, Cliff Garber, Reggie Hansen, Cadi Imsland, Ken Koistinen, Tyrell (Allardyce) Jeniges, Bob Ruedebusch, Matt Mancuso.
— 8th anniversary, James/Jill (Rounds) Sleger.
— 16th anniversary, James/Crystal Dvorak.

Tuesday, Nov. 26:
Patti (Marso) Petersen, Christina (Zellmer) Nath, Kristin (Rausch) Hangebrauck, Thea (Miller) Ryan, Julie Bright, Coy Knudson, Andrew Berreth, Curt Rawstern, Jackie Forster, Brian Myers, Melissa Kirkpatrick, Ben Blair, Stacey (Shepherd) Schumacher, James Berreth, Tom Martin.
— 9th anniversary, Jeff/Taya (Dockter) Runyan.
— 8th anniversary, Michael/Kylie (Sutton) Knudson.

Wednesday, Nov. 27:
Gretchen Lord Anderson, Donny Kuper, Mary Likness-Keeler, Lynn Sevening, Gracie Kuper, Randy Briese, Matt Flyger, Emory Aguirre.
— 15th anniversary, Gary/Bobbi (Martin) Drewes.
— 15th anniversary, Boice/Jamie (Mesteth) Hillmer.
— 4th anniversary, Rick/Shelbi (Hostler) Schimpf.
— 43rd anniversary, David/Kathy Hausmann.
— 43rd anniversary, Mike/Laurie Kelley.

Thursday, Nov. 28:
Maxx Vaudrin, Kacie (Schneider) Olson, Katie (Zeller) Murphy, Travis Lindekugel, Ryan Hipple, Scott Colwill, Ella Frohm, Kim (Deffenbaugh) Altermatt.

Friday, Nov. 29:
Ashleigh Baker, Josh Tetzlaff, Sarah Burger, Kayla Prince, Corey Westover, Kallie Heibel, Lisa Blake, Marcie (Fuhrer) Holsteen, Luke Steece, Reid LeBeau, Michael Hardwick, Dallas Cronin, Bobbi (Bourk) Underberg.

Saturday, Nov. 30:
Robbin (Volmer) Figge, Lynsey (Meyer) Anderson, Todd Palmer, Chris Boom, Vea Bea (Bourk) Thomas, Jay Vogt, Elizabeth Heidelberger, Myron Kusler, Jake Stewart, Mary (Storsteen) Dieken, Michael Gardner, Cole Hoelscher, Robyn (Bramblee) Bothwell, Joanna Peterson, Holly (Byrum) Jacobs.
— 45th anniversary, Rodney/Janice Haag.

Sunday, Dec. 1:
Lena (Burtts) Hammell, Sharon England, D.J. Stars, Kristin (Rau) Hayward.

Monday, Dec. 2:
Jamie (Driscoll) Olson,, Andrew Heymans, Liam Dehne, Brady Douglas, Tyler Bryant, Randy Weischedel, Scott Weischedel, Brady Douglas, Cayden Jensen, Kristin Gunderson.

Tuesday, Dec. 3:
Porter Hunsley, Trey Redetzke, Landon Lizotte, Nolan Ortbahn, Jake Imsland, Brad Heckenlaible, Heath Olson, Louise Snodgrass, Amy Stotts, Brandon Cruse, James Lee, Shaun Ludemann, Hallie Holden, Hannah Harmon, Kyler Gabriel.
— 3rd anniversary, Rip/Heather (Schreiner) Ray.

Wednesday, Dec. 4:
Carmen Ziegler, Mandy Bartels, Deb (Raue) Evans, Kayson Boyer, Andrea Calkins, Kristen (Colestock) Pittman, Jesse Boyer, Wanda Boyle, Calvin Bumann, Chad Harris, Scott Senftner, Zack Weinheimer, Matthew Deal.
— 20th anniversary, Mike/Ann Shoup.

Thursday, Dec. 5:
Jill (Rounds) Sleger, Lacie BoyleHerman, Colleen Burchill, Elizabeth Stofferahn.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The Raiders’ perfect regular season came to an end with a loss to top-ranked Morningside, 37-27, in a battle of unbeatens between #1 and #5. Northwestern with its 9-1 record was selected for the NAIA playoffs and will host St. Xavier (Ill.), which has an 8-2 record, in Orange City at noon Saturday.

Northwestern (Iowa) women’s soccer (Nikky Farnsworth): The Pierre senior was named first-team all-conference by the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Nikky’s 27 career goals ranks her tied for fourth all-time in school history. Her 16 goals this season in conference play ranked her second in that category in the GPAC, and her 35 points ranks her third in the GPAC. The 16 goals this year ranks her fourth all-time for single-season goals in school history.

Texas A&M-International women’s basketball (Nate Vogel): The TAMIU women are 2-2. Tonght they are at Arkansas-Fort Smith and Saturday at Oklahoma Christian. Then they go to Western Oregon Nov. 29 and to St. Martin’s (Wash.) Dec. 1.

Mary women’s soccer (Abigail Foster): The Marauders lost to Minnesota State in the opening round of the NSIC postseason tournament to end their season. The game was tied after overtime ended, 1-1, but Mary lost the shootout 6-5.

Mary volleyball (Korie Tetzlaff): The season ended with a 1-28 record after a 3-1 loss to Southwest Minnesota State and a 3-0 loss to Sioux Falls.

Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): At Concordia’s Cobber Open in Moorhead, Lincoln placed fourth at 125 pounds. He lost his first-round match, then won four in a row, all by pins, in 2:06, 0:35, 4:22 and 1:47. He then lost the third-place match by no contest. Mary wrestles Sunday at Minot State.

Black Hills State football (Shawn Schnabel): The Yellow Jackets’ season ended with a 19-7 win over Azusa Pacific. The season record was 3-8.

Black Hills State women’s basketball (Racquel Wientjes): BHSU defeated Montana State-Billings, 60-42. Racquel was 5-of-11 in field goals and 1-of-1 in free shots for 11 points with three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. In a 64-55 loss at Northern she was 4-of-12 and 1-of-1 for nine points with three rebounds and an assist. Now 3-1, BHSU is home Saturday vs. Wayne State and Tuesday vs. the School of Mines.

Augustana wrestling (Jebben Keyes): The Vikings went to Tempe to wrestle Arizona State in a dual and lost 35-6. Jebben lost on a takedown in the last minute of his match, 6-3. Augie wrestles next at Nebraska-Kearney’s tournmament this Saturday, then goes to North Dakota State for a dual Dec. 1.

Augustana women’s basketball (Katie Bourk, Aislynn Duffy): The Viking women defeated Truman State in Missouri, 8362, and defeated Midland, 64-56. Now 2-0, Augie hosts Mount Marty Friday and Bellevue Monday, then goes to Wayne State for NSIC play Nov. 30.

Tennessee women’s basketball (Caleb Currier): The Lady Vols are 5-0 after wins by similar scores this week—73-43 over Tennessee State and 973-46 over Stetson. Tennessee is home Tuesday vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Dec. 1 vs. Air Force.

Northern football (Jacob Howard, Joe King, Colten Drageset, Gage Gehring): The Wolves lost to Minnesota-Duluth, 48-10, and ended the season with a 6-5 record. Jacob had one solo tackle in the game.

Northern men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Wolves won both games of a four-team classic in Spearfish, beating Mines, 69-63, and Black Hills State, 83-81. Lincoln did not play in either game. Now 2-2, Northern is home Friday vs. CSU-Pueblo and Saturday vs. Chadron State, then hits the road to MSU-Moorhead Nov. 30.

Dakota Wesleyan football (Lukas Chase): The Tigers ended their season on a positive note, defeating Hastings, 30-7. The final record was 3-8.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Bradley Dean): DWU finished the weekend still unbeaten at 4-0. DWU defeated Dordt, 79-78, and defeated Midland, 85-65, in GPAC play. After playing at Jamestown last night, DWU goes to St. Cloud State Saturday, hosts Briar Cliff Tuesday, then plays two games at the St. Francis Classic in Joliet, Ill., Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

South Dakota State swimming (Ashley Theobald, Caleb Huizenga): Idle last week, the Jackrabbit swimmers will go down to the Augustana invitational Thursday through Saturday.

South Dakota State wrestling (Aric Williams): The Jackrabbits lost a dual to Binghamton (N.Y.), 25-16. Aric did not wrestle in that match. At the Daktronics Open in Brookings Aric wrestled unattached. He lost 7-1 and then 10-3, both to Minnesota wrestlers. SDSU wrestles a dual at Utah Valley Friday.

Charleston volleyball (Jaxin Melby): The Golden Eagles defeated Davis & Elkins, 3-1, and beat West Virginia Wesleyan, 3-0. Jaxin did not play in either dual. The regular-season record was 12-20. Charleston plays in the MEC championship playoffs Thursday through Saturday.

Lindenwood men’s hockey (Coleman Varty): The Lions saw their nine-game win streak end with a pair of losses at Central Oklahoma, 4-2 and 3-1. Now 10-4-0, Lindenwood plays at Ohio Friday and Saturday, then is off until Jan. 10.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb, Ciara Duffy): The Coyotes are 4-0, winning their first four games by single-digit margins and two of them in overtime. USD topped another top-5 mid-major powerhouse, Drake, 102-94, in overtime in the home opener. Monica Arens’ floater at the buzzer sent the game into O.T. Chloe was 8-of-16 (6-of-9 in threes) and 1-of-2 for 23 points with four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Ciara was 5-of-10 (3-of-5) and 7-of-8 for 20 points with seven boards and four assists. In Salt Lake City Saturday the Coyotes led almost all the way and made clutch free throws at the end to beat the PAC-12 Utah women in overtime, 84-81. Ciara went 6-of-13 (1-of-3) and 3-of-4 for 16 points with five rebounds, seven assists and a block. Chloe went 4-of-14 (2-of-7) and 1-of-2 for 11 points with five rebounds, four assists and a steal. Ciara was named Summit League Player of the Week. USD plays Missouri of the SEC at home Thursday at 7 p.m. and hosts Missouri State at 7 p.m. Monday (Midco SN2). In Las Vegas Nov. 29-30 USD will play Ohio State of the Big 10 and Northern Illinois, then return home to host Creighton of the Big East Dec. 4 on Midco.

South Dakota volleyball: The Coyotes defeated Western Illinois, 3-1, and shut out Purdue-Fort Wayne, 3-0, to finish the Summit League season perfect at 16-0 and the regular season at 27-1. USD is the top seed in the league postseason tournament in Denver and will start play at 4 p.m. Saturday against #4 Omaha or #5 NDSU. The champion advances to the NCAA Tournament.

Dakota State volleyball (Nicole Sarringar): The Trojans won their NSAA semifinal match over Bellevue, 3-2, as Nicole had 20 assists, one ace and seven digs. In the championship match DSU lost to Viterbo, 3-1, as Nicole contributed 24 assists, two aces and a dig. With a 19-12 record, DSU was given an at-large bid into the NAIA Tournament, and their first-round match will be Saturday against St. Mary (Kan.) in Leavenworth.

Loyola men’s soccer (Sean Knoblauch): The Ramblers won their Missouri Valley Conference semifinal match over Bradley, 2-1. Facing top-seeded Missouri State, ranked #9 in the country, in the championship match, the game was tied 1-1 after overtime, then Loyola won on penalty kicks, 5-4, for their first-ever MVC championship. That gives Loyola an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, and the Ramblers will start in the first round against Kentucky. That winner would play Indiana in the second round.

NCAA women’s soccer tournament: South Dakota State lost at Oklahoma State, 1-0, in its first-round match and ended the season with a record of 15-5-2. Colorado, where Kari Kebach is an athletic trainer for the soccer team, won over Northern Colorado, 6-0, in the first round but lost to UC-Irvine in the second round, 3-2.

FOOTBALL CONTEST #14

A note to our football contest participants: Next week we will have TWO separate contests because of the many Thanksgiving weekend college and pro games. So pay attention on Facebook if that is where you see the games I choose. Otherwise make your picks from the contests listed below.

Last weekend upsets were few and far between, the favored teams mostly won, so we had high scores all over the place. At 9-1 for 10 points each were Greg Dean, Kyle Richards, Beth Rinehart, Brian Hunhoff and Jon Boer. At 8-2 for 9 points each were Mikal Kern, Eric James, Levi Neuharth, Nathan Vetter, Chuck Libby, Dawn Magee and David Ludwig. At 7-3 for 8 points apiece were Jeff Adel and Randy Pool.

Contest #14 (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Saturday morning):
(1) Penn State at Ohio State
(2) Texas at Baylor
(3) SDSU at USD
(4) Nebraska at Maryland
(5) Texas A&M at Georgia
(6) Minnesota at Northwestern
(7) Oregon at Arizona State
(8) NFL: Seattle at Philadelphia
(9) NFL: Green Bay at San Francisco
(10) NFL: Dallas at New England

Contest #15 (send these 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Wednesday of next week):
(1) Cincinnati at Memphis
(2) Virginia Tech at Virginia
(3) Iowa at Nebraska
(4) West Virginia at TCU
(5) Alabama at Auburn
(6) Clemson at South Carolina
(7) Wisconsin at Minnesota
(8) Ohio State at Michigan
(9) Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
(10) NFL: Buffalo at Dallas

Contest #16 (send these 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Saturday morning, Nov. 30):
(1) Notre Dame at Stanford
(2) Iowa State at Kansas State
(3) Colorado at Utah
(4) Wyoming at Air Force
(5) BYU at San Diego State
(6) NFL: San Francisco at Baltimore
(7) NFL: New England at Houston
(8) NFL: Green Bay at New York Giants
(9) NFL: Cleveland at Pittsburgh
(10) NFL: New Orleans at Atlanta

LESSONS FOR LIFE

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.”

— C. S. Lewis

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• After my column last week about family Christmas letters, one of our readers said I should have included my own mail address so that she and others can send me their letters next month. Absolutely right! My address has changed since last Christmas, so the new one is 5285 Mercury Dr., Rapid City SD 57703. Just so you know, I use the Christmas letters I receive to glean newsy tidbits for our Update in the weeks following the holidays.
• As the natural break between high school sports seasons is right now, we will take advantage of that fact and the Thanksgiving holiday to skip a Midweek Update next week. The next one should appear on Facebook on Thursday, Dec. 5.
• From the number of Facebook posts on Sunday, I suspect about a fourth of the crowd at the Vikings-Broncos game were present or former South Dakotans. How do you people get tickets?!

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Beulah McKay of Rapid City, formerly of Spearfish, who celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this fall, passed away Nov. 19 at Rapid City Regional Hospice House. A celebration of her life will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at All Angels Episcopal Church in Spearfish. Internment will be at 12:30 p.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery. The Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel of Spearfish is handling the arrangements. Mrs. McKay was the mother of Ann McKay Thompson and the grandmother of Murray Thompson and McLean Thompson Kerver.

Tia Kafka is the new director of the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, succeeding the retiring Lois Ries. Since 2015 she has been communications director for the Department of Social Services. Tia, a native of Sauk Centre, Minn., has been in Pierre with her husband Joe and two sons for eight years.

The funeral service for Ron Lawrence, long-time coach at Onida and Stanley County and a starting guard on Onida’s 1953 state “B” championship team, is being held this (Thursday) morning at 10 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church. After interment at Scotty Philip Cemetery, a time of fellowship will take place at the Moose Lodge. He grew up in Onida where he became best known by his nickname of “Mouse.” After graduating from OHS in 1953, he served in the Army with occupational forces in Japan. Back in the United States, he earned an education degree at Huron College and later a master’s at Black Hills State. He and Gloria Gloe of Presho were married in 1960, and they settled in Onida where he taught and coached. They became parents of four children. In 1964 the Lawrences moved to Pierre where Ron worked in vocational rehabilitation for the state. He returned to education later as principal and head coach at Stanley County. His 1978 Buffalo boys team reached the state “B” tournament and earned third place, losing only to champion Armour. In 1986 Ron and Gloria moved to Tucson, Ariz., where he worked in insurance. They returned to Fort Pierre in 1994. During his retirement years Ron participated in marathons, Senior Olympics and Iron Man events. He is a member of the South Dakota Amateur Basketball Hall of Fame, the Onida-Sully Buttes Athletic Hall of Fame and the Stanley County Buffalo Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Gloria Lawrence; their four children, Brenda Lounsbury and her husband Bruce of Fort Pierre, Brad Lawrence and his partner Mary Powell of Madison, Deb Kenworthy and her husband Monty of Fort Pierre, and Tracy Lesmeister and her husband Oren of Parade; six grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Brady Hawkins, son of Sully Buttes High alumnus Tim Hawkins, quarterbacked the Seahawks of Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan to the Class 11B state championship, staging a dramatic goalline stand at the end of the game to beat unbeaten Winner, 21-14. Brady was named the game’s outstanding player. He is a senior at Ethan High School. Tim is an assistant coach for the football team as well as principal at Ethan.

The All-State Chorus and Orchestra concert held in Sioux Falls last month will be rebroadcast on South Dakota Public Broadcasting at 1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, followed by a rebroadcast of the South Dakota Elementary Honors Choir concert.

Mary Ann Nielsen, 85, died Nov. 12 at Edgewood Senior Living. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Isburg Funeral Chapel where a prayer service will be at 7. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the funeral chapel. Interment will take place at Black Hills National Cemetery. Mary Ann was born at Gary and married Clinton Nielsen at Clear Lake in 1954. They moved to Pierre in 1956 and became the parents of four children. She worked at many jobs in the community until joining the Department of Revenue where she served for 26 years until retiring in 1954. She and her husband were married for 59 years. She is survived by four children, Christie Zander, Mark Nielsen and his wife Sheryl, Bob Nielsen and his wife Barb, and James Nielsen and his wife Sharon; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a sister, Pat Houk.

Remember the Riggs High oral interpretation students will perform their selections in a home oral interp showcase, a free event to the public, at 7 p.m. this Saturday in the Riggs theater.

Fort Pierre’s Pat Duffy Community Center will have its 34th annual Holiday Tour of Homes on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets at $10 per person are available at the Pat Duffy Community Center in Fort Pierre or at American Bank & Trust, all BankWest locations and Capital City Florist in Pierre. The homes that will be featured this year are the Pierre homes of Dianna and Fran Welch, Ellen and Tom Lee, Dawn and Milt Morris, and Mary and Randy Turner and the Fort Pierre home of Aundrea and Jeff Wilson. Complimentary coffee and cookies for all tour ticket holders will be served at the Sutley Senior Center in Fort Pierre from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. In addition a lunch will be available for $5 per person from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sutley Senior Center. For further information call Pat Duffy at 223-2701.

The funeral service for Ronald Walgamuth, 71, will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Southeast United Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. He passed away at Avera Maryhouse Nov. 16. He grew up at Sturgis and graduated from high school in 1966. He served as a medic in Vietnam. He and Karla Remington were married in 1971, and they had three children, later divorcing. Ron met Myrtle Crandell in 1991, and he moved to Pierre to be with her. He is survived by Myrtle Crandell; their five children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and two sisters.

John Irvine, 78, Blunt, died Nov. 15. A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at the school gym in Blunt, preceded by fellowship and refreshments at 6 p.m. The funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Pierre. John was born in Connecticut and grew up in California. He served in the U.S. Air Force. In the summer of 1975 he and three friends set sail into the Pacific Ocean toward the Marquesas Islands, but after 44 harrowing days at sea they landed on Takaroa, 500 miles off course. John stayed for a year on Niau, helping natives build American-style homes. In 1976 he flew to Pierre to visit his brother Bill and never left. He went to work for Morris Irrigation and stayed for 16 years. In 1979 he married Dolores King of Blunt. John spent 24 years with the city of Pierre as city building inspector and city building official. He was mayor of Blunt for 12 years. John played in several area bands. He is survived by his wife, Dolores Irvine; his sons, Scott Irvine and his wife Lori of Foothills Ranch, Calif., Jeremy Irvine and his wife Terra of Pierre, and Dooz Irvine and his wife Sam of Blunt; three grandchildren; his sister, Catherine Irvine of Easly, S.C., and his brother, William Irvine of Canyon Lake, Texas.

Remember the Post 8 baseball breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. this Saturday at the Legion cabin.

Pierre native Eric Robinson passed away due to heart failure at the age of 35 on Nov. 15. Visitation will be from 3 to 4 p.m. today (Thursday) at Heritage Funeral Home, 4800 S. Minnesota Ave., Sioux Falls, with a celebration of his life following at 4 p.m. Eric was born with congenital heart disease and underwent multiple open-heart surgeries as a child. He attended grades K-3 in Pierre, then went to Sioux Falls where he attended both South Dakota School for the Deaf and the Sioux Falls school district. He played baseball at Washington High School and basketball at the SDSD. He graduated from the School for the Deaf in 2003, then attended Southwest Collegiate Institute in Big Spring, Texas, earning an associate degree in computer and office technology. He met Abby Saiz while in Texas, and they are the parents of a daughter, McKenzie, who is 5. Eric is survived by his parents, Steve Robinson and his wife Pamela of Dowagiac, Mich., and Marla Fischer Nelson of Sioux Falls; his sister, Amy Ryan and her husband Joe of Sioux Falls; his daughter, McKenzie, and her mother, Amy Saiz, of Uvalde, Texas; his grandparents, Howard and Marie Blachford of Orient. Among those whom he preceded in death were his Pierre grandparents, the late Jack and Bonnie Robinson.

Michael DeFea, 61, Fort Pierre, died Nov. 16 in hospice care after a long fight with cancer. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Friday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. today (Thursday) at St. John’s Catholic Church in Fort Pierre with a prayer service there at 5:30. Michael graduated from Central High School in Rapid City in 1976. He lived in Phoenix, Rapid City, Denver and Pierre. He worked for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Pierre from 2004 until retiring due to illness in 2018. He is survived by his daughter, Kara Duven and her husband Eric of Aberdeen; his sister, Lisa Magorien and her husband Lyle of Fort Pierre; two grandchildren and two nieces.

Janelle (Kvislen) Carda is opening a home decor store in Dell Rapids on Nov. 30. She is also an associate broker at the Amy Stockberger Real Estate firm in Sioux Falls. Janelle and her husband, Andy Carda, and their family live outside Sioux Falls.

Trace Beck received the Vernon Award for Excellence at the annual meeting of the Pierre Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO) this week. The award is named in honor of the late Vern Schuetzle.

Shirley Iversen, who lived almost all of her nearly 90 years in Pierre, died Nov. 15. Mass of Christian Burial took place Wednesday at St. John’s Catholic Church in Fort Pierre. Shirley attended school in Pierre. She married F. Dudley Iversen in 1948, and they had four children. She worked in secretarial positions, including with the Selective Service, St. Mary’s Hospital and the U.S. Forest Service. Due to health issues, Shirley spent her last years at an assisted living home in Gregory. She is survived by her four children, Monica Iversen of Tucson, Ariz., Timothy Iversen of Madison, Terry Iversen and his wife Tracy of Gold Canyon, Ariz., and Julie McClelland and her husband Ron of Pierre, and two grandchildren.

PONDER THIS

“We come with nothing.
We go with nothing.
But one great thing we can achieve in our beautiful journey is a little remembrance in someone’s mind and a small place in someone’s heart.”

— Kelly’s Treehouse

PARKER’S COLUMN

“It is not just the festivities that make Thanksgiving special. It is a time to ponder upon the lessons we learned through the year and the happiness we spread around. So look back at the memories of the year. Look forward to another great year.”

— SayingImages.com

For many years I wrote a Thanksgiving column detailing countless (and I mean countless!) joys of my life from candied sweet potatoes to Barbra Streisand songs. I skipped last year’s Thanksgiving, and nobody noticed. However, I write this column for my own pleasure, no one else’s, so here we go.

Among other things I am thankful this year for cranberry muffins . . . . . processional hymns on Sunday mornings . . . . . Charlie and Macy waking me up each morning with wet noses and low growls . . . . . the harvest moon . . . . . birds swarming all over the birdhouse in the backyard . . . . . Audrey onstage in musicals and dance recitals . . . . .

Sitting in the band families’ section at the high school football games . . . . . fallen leaves blowing down the street . . . . . the Black Hills Symphony . . . . . Patriots football games and Duke basketball games on TV . . . . . my senior-center chorus family . . . . . the wind chimes outside my closet window . . . . . Christmas letters . . . . .

The sound from upstairs of Parker reading aloud . . . . . the dogs howling at the sound of a distant emergency vehicle siren . . . . . Dylan throwing out a runner at second base or snagging a long pass and taking it in for a touchdown . . . . . the chimes from atop the downtown churches on Sunday mornings . . . . . the Black Hills Playhouse . . . . .

“We gather together to be thankful for what we have, for the family we have, for the friends we cherish, and for the blessings that will come.”

— SayingImages.com

First responders and law enforcement personnel . . . . . my kids and their spouses as great parents . . . . . “The Dan Patrick Show” on sportstalk radio . . . . . Milo, the three-legged cat, cuddling alongside in bed . . . . . Olivia’s senior year and all its last-time events . . . . .
the hometown paper in the mailbox . . . . . my warm and welcoming church family . . . . .

The thunder of the planes taking off from Ellsworth . . . . . the characters on “This Is Us” and “Chicago P.D.” and “9-1-1” and “Seal Team” and “S.W.A.T.” and “Chicago Fire” and “A Million Things” . . . . . pumpkin spice latte . . . . . USD athletics and everything else . . . . .
Nolan and Lincoln asking me “Did you bring donuts?” . . . . . the community theater . . . . .

The Christmas concert at the cathedral . . . . . snow but not deep enough to be removed by snowblower . . . . . greeting people at the door of the theater and the church . . . . .
the torches atop the Alex Johnson . . . . . coffee with friends in from out of town . . . . .
summer baseball nights at the Fitz . . . . . politicians worthy of our votes . . . . .

“May you celebrate Thanksgiving Day with love in your hear, prosperous vision in your mind and gratitude in your being. Thanksgiving wishes to everyone.”

— SayingImages.com