CHRISTMAS THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”

— Burton Hills

ENTERTAINMENT AT THE CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREES

Thursday:
Noon to 1 p.m.—Lincoln High School choir, Sioux Falls.
5 to 6 p.m.—Freeman Academy choir.

Friday:
Noon to 1 p.m.—St. Joseph Elementary School musicians, Pierre.
7 to 8 p.m.—Priscilla Hofer piano, Pierre.

Saturday:
11 a.m. to noon—Aberdeen orchestras.
4 to 6 p.m.—South Dakota Jazz All-Stars, Pierre.
6 to 7 p.m.—Ron Smith piano, Pierre.
7 to 8 p.m.—Priscilla Hofer and Ron Smith, vocals/piano, Pierre.

Sunday:
1 to 1:30 p.m.—First United Methodist Church choir, Pierre.
3 to 5 p.m.—Andrea Royer Studio students, Pierre.
6 to 7 p.m.—Lori Hall and Ron Smith, handbells/piano, Pierre.
7 to 8 p.m.—First Baptist Church musicians, Pierre.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Wrestling—Thursday, at Aberdeen Central, 7 p.m.; Saturday, at Elk Point-Jefferson invitational, 10 a.m.
Gymnastics—Saturday, at Mitchell invitational, 11 a.m.
Boys basketball—Friday, at Douglas, 7 p.m. MST; Saturday, at Spearfish, 3 p.m. MST.
Girls basketball—Friday, home vs. Sturgis, 7 p.m.; Saturday, home vs. Spearfish, 3 p.m.

Wrestling: The Governors defeated Harrisburg in a dual, 45-16. Blake Judson, Nate Williams, Tyson Johnson and Preston Taylor won by pins, Jack Van Camp by technical fall, Deegan Houska by major decision and Jacob Larson, Cade Hinkle and Maguire Raske by decisions. At the Rapid City Invitational won by Bismarck, the Governors were sixth. Preston Taylor placed third with a 5-1 record for Pierre’s best finish. Other placers: Regan Bollweg (4-2) fourth, Jack Van Camp (5-2) fourth, Cade Hinkle (4-2) fourth, Tyson Johnson (4-3) sixth, Noah Williams (5-3) sixth, Jacob Larson (4-3) sixth, Blake Judson (3-3) eighth. Those who did not place were Trey Lewis (3-2), Nate Williams (1-2), Jayden Wiebe (2-3), Daniel Tafoya (0-2), Maguire Raske (injury), Gavin Stotts (1-2) and Wesley Harsma (3-2).

Boys basketball: The Governors lost their season opener to Harrisburg at home, 68-61. Paul Adam scored 23 points, Grey Zabel 12 and Grant Judson 12.

Gymnastics: The Governors were sixth at the Aberdeen invitational with 127.175 points. Meg Erwin was eighth in the all-around at 34.325 and Jasi Kroll 13th at 32.1925.

Girls basketball: Pierre stands 0-2 after the first week of play. Harrisburg beat the Governors, 59-41. Kylee Thorpe led Pierre with 15 points and six rebounds. On Tuesday Pierre missed nine of 11 free throws in the fourth period, and that was costly as Huron went ahead at the end of the game and won by 54-52. Thorpe scored 18, Kodi Severyn 15 and Remi Price 12.

PONDER THIS

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.”

— Andy Rooney

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Gymnastics—Saturday, home for Stanley County invitational, noon.
Wrestling—Thursday, at Redfield quadrangular (with Potter County and Faulkton), 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, at Mount Vernon-Plankinton invitational (in Plankinton), 9:30 a.m.
Boys basketball—Thursday, home vs. Philip, 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, at Chamberlain, 4 p.m.; Dec. 30, at Jones County, 2 p.m.
Girls basketball—Thursday, home vs. Philip, 3:30 p.m.; Dec. 30, at Jones County, 2 p.m.

Wrestling: At the Gregory invitational the Buffaloes placed sixth of 11 teams with 102 points. Chase Hanson won the 106-pound class, and Reid Wieczorek won at 179 pounds. Other placers: Isaac Cliff third at 192, Levi Stover fifth at 145, Hayden Roggow sixth at 113, Colton Brady sixth at 120, Sydney Tibbs sixth at 220 and Dylan Endres sixth at 285. At the Lyman triangulare SCHS lost to Lyman, 42-39, but defeated Todd County, 42-30.

Boys basketball: In the season opener the Buffaloes lost to Lyman, 77-64.

Girls basketball: On opening weekend SCHS lost to Lyman, 56-20, and lost to White River, 64-19.

Gymnastics: At the Wagner invitational the Buffaloes were fifth with 92.7 points. Elena Hebb placed fourth in the vault event.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Wrestling—Saturday, at Mount Vernon/Plankinton invitational (in Plankinton), 9:30 a.m..
Boys basketball—Saturday, home vs. Winner, 2 p.m.; Dec. 30, at Parkston Classic.
Girls basketball—Saturday, home vs. Winner, 2 p.m.; Dec. 30, at Parkston Classic.

Wrestling: The Chargers placed 16th at the Faulkton invitational with 18 points.

Boys basketball: The Chargers lost their season opener to Lyman, 62-61, in overtime after leading by 13 points at one point. Nick Wittler led SBHS with 38 points.

Girls basketball: Sully Buttes is 1-1 after the first week of the season. The Chargers whipped North Central, 56-37, as Kendra Kleven scored 18 and Lydia Hill 13. On Tuesday the girls lost to Lyman, 43-41, as the Raiders got the winning basket with 12 seconds left. Kleven scored 15 for SBHS.

COUNTDOWN

6 days: Christmas Day (Dec. 25).
9 days: College football national semifinals (Dec. 28).
16 days: NFL playoffs begin (Jan. 4-5).
17 days: Golden Globe awards, NBC (Jan. 5).
25 days: College football national championship game (Jan. 13).
38 days: Grammy awards, CBS (Jan. 26).
45 days: Super Bowl LIV (Feb. 2).
46 days: Iowa caucuses (Feb. 3).
49 days: State one-act play festival, Sioux Falls (Feb. 6-8).
54 days: New Hampshire primary (Feb. 11).
57 days: State gymnastics tournament, Aberdeen (Feb. 14-15).
65 days: Nevada caucuses (Feb. 22).
70 days: State wrestling tournaments, Sioux Falls (Feb. 27-29).
72 days: South Carolina primary (Feb. 29).
72 days: NSIC men’s/women’s basketball tournaments, Sioux Falls (Feb. 29-March 3).
75 days: Super Tuesday primaries (March 3).
78 days: State girls hockey tournament, Fort Pierre (March 6-8).
79 days: Summit League men’s/women’s basketball tournaments, Sioux Falls (March 7-10).
80 days: Daylight Saving Time begins (March 8).
84 days: State “B” girls basketball tournament, Spearfish (March 12-14).
85 days: State boys hockey tournament, Sioux Falls (March 13-15).
89 days: Arizona, Florida, Illinois primaries (March 17).
91 days: State “B” boys basketball tournament, Aberdeen (March 19-21).
91 days: State “A” boys/girls basketball tournaments, Rapid City (March 19-21).
91 days: State “AA” boys/girls basketball tournaments, Sioux Falls (March 19-21).
91 days: State visual arts show, Sioux Falls (March 19-21).
98 days: Baseball opening day (March 26).
100 days: All-State Band concerts, Mitchell (March 28).

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

South Dakota State swimming (Ashley Theobald, Caleb Huizenga): Idle last week, the Jacks are off until a dual at St. Cloud State Jan. 18.

South Dakota State wrestling (Aric Williams): The Jacks were idle last week. They are home Friday vs. Minnesota, then go to Fort Lauderdale for the South Beach Duals Dec. 29-30.

Lindenwood men’s hockey (Coleman Varty): Idle last week, the Lions await Missouri State on Jan. 10-11.

Texas A&M International women’s basketball (Nate Vogel): The Dustdevils defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville, 61-53, and are now 5-4. The team hosts Western New Mexico tonight and UT-Permian Basin Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Bradley Dean): The Tigers are 11-1 after winning twice this week, and the final score in both games was 79-51. In a win over Valley City State, Brad scored five points in seven minutes, going 2-for-5 in field goals, including 1-of-4 in three-pointers. He added a rebound and a steal. Brad played one minute in the win over Doane. DWU goes to Fort Lauderdale to play Keiser and Ave Maria this weekend, then hosts Trinity International and Southeastern (Fla.) at the Corn Palace in the Mike Miller Classic Dec. 28-29. DWU then plays at Dakota State on Jan. 1.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb, Ciara Duffy): The Coyotes moved into the top 25 in the entire nation this week with their 11-1 record. An ultimate test comes Sunday in Columbia, S.C., when USD faces #5 South Carolina. USD then opens Summit League play at Western Illinois Dec. 29 and at Purdue-Fort Wayne Jan. 1. USD whipped Mount Marty, 110-39. Chloe was 3-of-4 (2-of-2) and 0-of-0 for eight points with one board and a steal. Ciara went 4-of-6 (0-of-1) and 0-of-0 for eight points with one rebound, six assists and two steals. USD dominated Montana, 96-64, as Ciara was hot from the field at 9-of-12 (5-of-6 in threes) for 23 points with four rebounds and three steals. Chloe was 3-of-5 (1-of-3) for seven points with five assists, a rebound and two steals.

Augustana women’s basketball (Aislinn Duffy, Katie Bourk): The Vikings defeated Minnesota-Crookston, 63-54, as Aislinn didn’t score but had four rebounds, an assist and a steal. In a 74-57 loss to Bemidji State, she had two rebounds. Now 6-3, Augie hosts Wayne State in its next NSIC game Saturday.

Augustana wrestling (Jebben Keyes): Idle last week, the Vikings are home for a pair of duals Friday against Parkside and Nebraska-Kearney.

Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): Lincoln didn’t wrestle as Mary sent men to Indianapolis for the Midwest Classic. Next up are the Division II national duals at Louisville, Ky., Jan. 10-11.

Northern men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Wolves won twice in NSIC play, 69-67 over Minot State and 74-61 over Mary. Lincoln didn’t get into either game. Now 8-3, NSU hosts MSU-Moorhead Saturday.

Tennessee women’s basketball (Caleb Currier): The Lady Vols defeated Colorado State, 79-41. After a game vs. Stanford last night, UT goes to Portland State Saturday, then hosts Howard Dec. 29.

Black Hills State women’s basketball (Racquel Wientjes): The BHSU women are now 6-4 after a pair of RMAC wins. In an 85-51 win over Adams State, Racquel was 4-of-9 (2-of-4 in threes) and 4-of-6 for 14 points with eight rebounds, a block and an assist. In a 74-66 win over Fort Lewis she was 3-of-13 (1-of-5) and 6-of-6 for 13 points with three rebounds, one assist and three steals. BHSU is off until a pair of home games Jan. 3-4 aganst Western Colorado and Colorado Mesa.

Black Hills State track (Kelsey Van Den Hemel, Frank Becker, Allan McDonnell): The Yellow Jackets are idle until Chadron State’s meet Jan. 18.

S. D. Mines track (Erik Colman, Theron Singleton): Idle last week, the Hardrockers don’t compete again until Jan. 18 at Chadron State’s meet.

South Dakota track (Maddy McClure): The Coyotes are in the midst of a long break. They return to competition Jan. 18 at NDSU’s meet.

South Dakota State track (Addy Eisenbeisz): The Jacks are off until NDSU’s meet Jan. 18.

Augustana track (Elizabeth Schaefer): The Vikings are off until Minnesota State-Mankato’s meet Jan. 17.

Northern track (Angela Guthmiller): The Wolves’ next meet is at Jamestown Jan. 18.

South Dakota volleyball: Shunned by the NCAA Tournament, the Coyotes went on a successful run that took them through two rounds, the quarterfinals and a 3-1 win over Tulsa in the semifinals. The run ended Tuesday when Georgia Tech came to Vermillion and defeated USD, 3-0, in the National Invitation Tournament championship match. The attendance was 2,431. The Coyotes’ final record was 31-3.

THOUGHT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

“Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.”

— Ruth Carter Stapleton

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Dec. 19:
Jim Costello, Breanna Costello, Georgia Hanson, Elise Titze, Miles Hunsley, Lisa Dorschner, Dianne Noyes, Tim Bjorneberg, Karin (Unkenholz) Hansen, Alexander Meagher, Blake Hemminger.
— Anniversary, Casey/Alyssa Kahler.

Friday, Dec. 20:
Henry Melius, Conor Getty, Steve Hosman, Dustin Garber, Michaela (Thompson) Novak, Louie Mehlhaff, Joel Schwader, Marcie (Lyngstad) Long, Mathis Joens, Maddy Jo Sayer, Valori (Kunsman) Floyd, Josh Lamb, Mary Sarvis, Jean Cowan, Nicole Neal, Kari Dale, Rick Dopps, Luke Studer.

Saturday, Dec. 21:
Sarah Gran, Eric Sprenkle, Isaac Vogel, Delaney Uecker, Matt Jahraus, Laura (Winter) Anderson, Timaree (Ice) Axlund, David Zellmer, Chris Frost, Jamie Goff, Allison Guindon, Erica Schipper, Tyler Moodie, Brad Moore, Colt Norman, Evan Nielsen, Caitlin Bingner.

Sunday, Dec. 22:
Seneca Hertel, Susan (Erickson) Ogan, Jeff Adel, Twila Merkwan, Gerad Johnson, Brandon Rausch, Neil Eichstadt, Cameron Bullard.

Monday, Dec. 23:
Maranda Ehrenfried, Jeremy DeWitt, Terry Mattke, Susan Colleran, Kesiah (Pearson) Frederick, Dietrich Johnson.
— 10th anniversary, Eddie/Reina Welch.
— 13th anniversary, Kyle/Jeannie Kafka.

Tuesday, Dec. 24:
Landon Schumacher, Bruce Kessler, Melisa Forest, Jeff Fahey, Mary Huckins, Sonny Reed, Bill Gingrich, Andrea Bauer, Chris Anglin, Kolton Durkin.

Wednesday, Dec. 25:
Josh Golden, Sheila Gould, Alicia Burchill, Chuck Libby, Katie (Skrondahl) Melius, Hudson Rohrbach, Kathy (Beemer) Cruse, Randy Barth,, Andrew Kost, Kathy (Marso) Harford, Reid Turner.

Thursday, Dec. 26:
Kathy Lucas, Angel (Hanson) Martin, Shelby Stadel, Jaclyn Clown, Bernie (Ripperger) Hanson, Nathan Blaseg, Matt Blaseg, Taylor McGee, Amy (Stahl) Jones, Mary Peltier, Yutzil (Rodriguez) Becker.
— 10th anniversary, Adam/Samantha (Dockter) Gallagher.

Friday, Dec. 27:
Alaire Palmer, Stuart Stofferahn, Wendy Guindon, Graham Hunsley, Chris Iverson, Ann Thompson, Elizabeth (Lamb) Salmonson, Sean Colleran, Alana Stars, Gary Heintz, Cole Cruse.
— 10th anniversary, Jason/Eva (Schmidt) Reed.
— 7th anniversary, Michael/Natasha Kendall.

Saturday, Dec. 28:
Andrew Van Houten, Rob Miller, Kaylyn Pitlick, Morgan Ellefson, Todd Peterson, Kelsey Dykstra, Jonas Heard, Lynette James, Helen Bright, Owen Knutson, Hazel Van Camp, Troy Jones, Serena (Buhler) Swenson, Dalila Timmons, Dayna Timmons.
— 17th anniversary, Jon/Michelle Hofer.
— 17th anniversary, Conrad/Mary (Storsteen) Dieken.
— 45th anniversary, Lari/Linda Ott.

Sunday, Dec. 29:
Tane Bramblee, Ken Gardner, Rodger Hartley, Kent Kinkler, Thad Fonck, Donielle Gustafson, Tyson Bramblee, Kristi Jordan, Lindsay (Potts) Strohfus, Geryd Erbele, Brandon Haag, Ava Briese, Guy Hunter, Nedra (Eddy) Strouf.

Monday, Dec. 30:
Crystal (Byrum) Frost, Sonja Christensen, Chad Lahman, Betty Lindbloom, Brian Bondy, Christy Kramer, Brian Lowery, Michael Fuchs, Jim Gerdes, Justin Trebesch, Doug Runge, Casey Keller, Lyndsey Harrowa, Shane Severyn.
— 13th anniversary, Todd/Mollee (Hewlett) Madden.

Tuesday, Dec. 31:
Andy Zarecky, Nicole (Cholik) Namken, Prentice Weaver, Moriah (Wagner) Gross, Sean Getty, Logan Hall, Bryce Palmer, Jess Wright, Hannah Albertus, Caroline Denton, Brian Harrington, Debby Bouchie, Melissa (Huber) Hundstad, Carrie (Kinkler) Smith, Kellan Ogan, Amanda Garrett.
— 14th anniversary, Kyle/Meaghan (Anderson) Neuberger.
— 20th anniversary, Kris/Calyn (Cronin) Hauck.
— 20th anniversary, Brian/Carolyn Deal.
— 14th anniversary, Jon/Lindsey (Riter) Rapp.
— 58th anniversary, Jerry/Karen Kern.
— 10th anniversary, Derek/Katlyn Gustafson.
— 6th anniversary, Jon/Pati Kotilnek.
— 31st anniversary, John/Vicki Hagemann.
— 25th anniversary, Norm/Sarah Lingle.
— 12th anniversary, Rob/Bethany Nill.
— 3rd anniversary, Logan/Rachel (Howard) Sulentic.

Wednesday, Jan. 1:
Brayden Ahlers, Lukas Tedford, Natalie Nagle, Astrid Schaack, Kathy Murtland, Nikki (Grandpre) Wilson, Dolly Christenson, Kim Paxton, David Gordon, Cody Knott.
— Anniversary, Jordan/Nikki Hoover.
— 9th anniversary, Kyle/Britany (Gonsor) Willis.
— 7th anniversary, Travis/Lauren Scharnweber.

Thursday, Jan. 2:
D.T. Meyer, Zoe (Donahue) Jones, Sara (Lakner) Johnson, Will Corcoran, Mike Fugitt, Dennis Eisnach, Steve Parker, Patty Millar.
— 4th anniversary, Greg/Shelly (Monnens) Campbell.
— Anniversary, Bryce/Tennile (Asmussen) Lindskov.

THOUGHT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

“Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.”

— Eric Sevareid

HOCKEY UPDATE

Oahe Capitals boys varsity: The Caps lost a non-league game to Mandan, 4-2, but rebounded to win their second league game over Yankton, 11-3. Caden Davis had a hat trick. Jaden Flor, Clay Ambach, Spencer Wedin and Adam Ankrum had two goals apiece. Kieran Duffy made 22 saves in goal. Now 2-0-0 in the SDAHA and 6-6-0 overall, the Caps play at Huron at 8 p.m. Friday, at Rushmore at 8 p.m. Dec. 28, and at home vs. Sioux Falls #1 at 5 p.m. Dec. 29.

Oahe Capitals girls varsity: The Capital women won their first game, 8-3 over Huron. Abigail Stewart-Fromm made 25 saves in net. Jessa McTighe and Olivia Swenson each had a hat trick while Brylee Kafka and Jenna Keyser each scored once. In a 6-2 loss to Brookings McTighe and Sara Bierne each scored a goal, and Stewart-Fromm made 24 saves. Now 1-2-0 in the SDAHA, the girls are home vs. Aberdeen at 2 p.m. Saturday and again at 5 p.m. Dec. 28 against Brookings.

North Dakota: The Fighting Hawks were idle last week. Their next game is at home Dec. 28 against the U.S. U18 team.

Rapid City Rush: Wheeling swept the Rush in Rapid City, 4-3, 3-1 and 4-2. Rapid City plays at Allen Friday and Saturday, then hosts Wichita Dec. 27-28.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd had a winning weekend, beating Cedar Rapids, 3-1, and Fargo, 3-2 in a shootout. Sioux Falls is home Dec. 27-28 vs. Omaha and Dec. 31 vs. Des Moines.

Aberdeen Wings: Aberdeen swept Bismarck, 2-1 in a shootout and 6-5. Aberdeen goes to St. Cloud Friday and Saturday.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild won over Edmonton, 6-5, and Philadelphia, 4-1, then lost to Chicago, 5-3, and to Las Vegas, 3-2. Minnesota is at Arizona tonight, home vs. Winnipeg Saturday and Calgary Monday, at Colorado Dec. 27, and home against the New York Islanders Dec. 29 and Toronto Dec. 31.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves lost to Utah, 127-116, and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 124-117. After hosting New Orleans last night, Minnesota goes west to Denver Friday, Portland Saturday, Golden State Monday and Sacramento Dec. 26; hosts Cleveland Dec. 28 and Brooklyn Dec. 30 and spends New Year’s Day at Milwaukee.

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Force lost to Stockton, 118-98; beat Iowa, 98-95, and won over Texas, 93-90. After a road game tonight at Agua Caliente, the Skyforce will be home Dec. 27 vs. Memphis, on the road to Oklahoma City Dec. 29 and home against Oklahoma City on New Year’s Eve.

BASEBALL UPDATE

Pierre Trappers: The latest addition to the 2020 roster is Carter Howell, a redshirt sophomore outfielder from Augustana. His hometown is Moorhead, Minn.

THOUGHT FOR THESE TIMES

“The less people know, the more stubbornly they know it.”

— Osho

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings won at the Los Angeles Chargers, 39-10. Now 10-4, Minnesota hosts Green Bay Monday at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN. The Vikings then finish the season at home against Chicago, needing wins in both games to solidify a playoff position.

Denver Broncos: Denver is 5-9 after a 23-3 loss at Kansas City. The Broncos are home vs. Detroit at 3:05 p.m. Sunday on CBS.

NFL games on TV this weekend:
Saturday—Houston at Tampa Bay, noon, NFL Network.
Saturday—Buffalo at New England, 3:30 p.m., NFL Network.
Saturday—Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m., NFL Network.
Sunday—New York Giants at Washington, noon, Fox.
Sunday—Detroit at Denver, 3:25 p.m., CBS.
Sunday—Dallas at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m., Fox.
Sunday—Kansas City at Chicago, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
Monday—Green Bay at Minnesota, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.

College football update (record, latest game, next game):
— NDSU 14-0: Beat Illinois State, 9-3, in FCS quarterfinals; vs. Montana State in semifinals, 1 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2.
— Minnesota 10-2: Idle last week; vs. Auburn at Outback Bowl, noon Jan. 1, ESPN.
— Iowa 9-3: Idle last week; vs. USC at Holiday Bowl, 7 p.m. Dec. 27, FS1.
— Iowa State 7-5: Idle last week; vs. Notre Dame at Camping World Bowl, 11 a.m. Dec. 28, ABC.
— Wyoming 7-5: Idle last week; vs. Georgia State at Arizona Bowl, 3:30 p.m. Dec. 341, CBSSN.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK LIVE GAMES

Friday: Men’s basketball, Northern Colorado at USD, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Women’s basketball, Wayne State at Augustana, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday: Men’s basketball, Wayne State at Augustana, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: Men’s basketball, UMKC at USD, 3:30 p.m.
Dec. 29: Women’s basketball, SDSU at Omaha, 2 p.m.
Dec. 29: Men’s basketball, SDSU at Omaha, 4:30 p.m.

THOUGHT FOR THESE TIMES

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

— Albert Einstein

FOOTBALL CONTESTS #20, 21, 22, 23

Last week Debra Bollinger, Randy Pool and Eric James had 8-2 records for 10 points each. At 7-3 for 9 points each were Jon Boer, Laurie Johnson, Kyle Richards, Levi Neuharth, Brian Hunhoff and Levi Neuharth. Earning 8 points each for 6-4 records were David Ludwig, Beth Rinehart, Mikal Kern and Chuck Libby.

OK, contestants, do not be confused, but since we won’t have another Update until Jan. 2, here below are our next FOUR contests. Enter at your pleasure! They will also be posted on the Parker Knox Facebook page.

Contest #20 (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Friday afternoon, Dec. 20):
(1) D2 championship: Minnesota State-Mankato vs. West Florida
(2) FCS semifinal: Weber State at James Madison
(3) FCS semifinal: Montana State at NDSU
(4) Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington
(5) Boca Raton Bowl: SMU vs. Florida Atlantic
(6) New Orleans Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Alabama-Birmingham
(7) NFL: Buffalo at New England
(8) NFL: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco
(9) NFL: Dallas at Philadelphia
(10) NFL: Green Bay at Minnesota

Contest #21 (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Monday morning, Dec. 23):
(1) Hawaii Bowl: BYU at Hawaii
(2) Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Miami (Fla.)
(3) Quick Lane Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Eastern Michigan
(4) Military Bowl: North Carolina vs. Louisville
(5) Pinstripe Bowl: Michigan State vs. Wake Forest
(6) Outdoors Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
(7) Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Iowa
(8) Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State
(9) Camping World Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
(10) Cotton Bowl: Penn State vs. Memphis

Contest #22 (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Saturday morning, Dec. 28):
(1) National semifinal: LSU vs. Oklahoma
(2) National semifinal: Ohio State vs. Clemson
(3) NFL: Pittsburgh at Baltimore
(4) NFL: Philadelphia at New York Giants
(5) NFL: Oakland at Denver
(6) NFL: Chicago at Minnesota
(7) NFL: New Orleans at Carolina
(8) NFL: Washington at Dallas
(9) NFL: Tennessee at Houston
(10) NFL: San Francisco at Seattle

Contest #23 (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Monday morning, Dec. 30):
(1) Redbox Bowl: California vs. Illinois
(2) Orange Bowl: Florida vs. Virginia
(3) Belk Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky
(4) Sun Bowl: Florida State vs. Arizona State
(5) Liberty Bowl: Navy vs. Kansas State
(6) Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State
(7) Alamo Bowl: Utah vs. Texas
(8) Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama
(9) Outback Bowl: Minnesota vs. Auburn
(10) Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

WORDS OF WISDOM

“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present and hope for the future.”

— Agnes M. Pahro

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

— The next Midweek Update should appear two weeks from now on Thursday, Jan. 2.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Receiving Athlete of the Week honors from the Pierre Athletic Coaches Association last week were Preston Taylor of the wrestling team and Jasi Kroll of the gymnastics team.

Riggs High alumni Chris Koenig and Kaydee (Hewlett) Withers announced their engagement on Facebook last week.

These were some of the awards presented at the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce banquet last week:
— Hospitality Award: Dawn Hill and Leah Svendsen with Christmas at the Capitol.
— Ambassador of the Year: Stephanie Odden of Black HIlls Federal Credit Union.
— Family Business of the Year: Peterson Motors.
— Business of the Year: Dairy Queen.
— Pierre Pride Award: Deseree Corrales with the community orchard.
— Farmer/Rancher of the Year: Tyler Stoeser.

Meredith Lee Roebuck is the incoming president of the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce.

Long-time Pierre resident Mike Shaw passed away at the age of 95 on Dec. 9 due to various complications from cancer. At the time of his death he was under hospice care at his home in Brandon. A service date for a celebration of his life at Trinity Episcopal Church in Pierre will be announced for the spring of 2020. Mike was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Marilyn Shaw. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Licht-Shaw; his children, Nancy Jo Grinager and her husband John, Lizabeth Drew and her husband Bob, Mike Shaw and his wife Dedra, and Christopher Shaw and his wife Christy; 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Riggs High alumnus Josh Breske has earned his first head coaching position. He was revealed Monday as the next head coach at his alma mater, Black Hills State University, where he played from 2005 to 2009 and was named an NAIA All-American twice. Josh graduated with his B.S. in business administration from BHSU in 2010. He spent 2011 at Robert Morris in Illinois as a graduate assistant. Then at Chadron State he was a graduate assistant while earning his MBA in 2012-13. Josh served as tight ends coach at the University of Sioux Falls in 2014-2015 and as offensive line coach there in 2016. The past three football seasons he has been offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Lindenwood University in Missouri. Josh and his wife, the former Alana Dykhouse, are the parents of two children—Lola, 4, and Bo, 2.

The Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers tour of the state continues this week, and their Pierre concert will be at the Riggs theater at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday). Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. They can be purchased during the day from Rotary Club members or at Prairie Pages Bookseller or the Boys & Girls Club.

Alex Baus graduated as an electrician apprentice from AE Tech in Rapid City.

Lila Morse, 92, died Dec. 13. A celebration of her life is being held this (Thursday) morning at 10 a.m. at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. She attended Wessington Springs Junior College and Huron College, worked as an elementary teacher for 19 years, was an accounting clerk at SDSU for 15 years and worked as a church secretary for six years. She married Gordon Droz in 1945 and Raymond Morse in 1967. She is survived by her son, Doug Droz and his wife Maureen in Pierre; her daughter, Sheila Hart and her husband Dave of Scottsdale, Ariz.; her daughter-in-law, Kathy Droz of Pierre; two grandchildren, a great-grandchild and two sisters.

Pierre businessman Mike Weisgram has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for one of the two District 24 seats in the House of Representatives. Will Mortenson earlier announced his candidacy as well. The two incumbents in those seats, Tim Rounds and Mary Duvall, cannot run for re-election due to term limits.

Recognized as Fine Arts Performer of the Week at Riggs High last week was Savannah Shrake of the oral interpretation team. This week’s honoree is Brooke Allison of the choir.

Becky Burke is the recipient of the 2019 Charles H. Burke Community Leadership Award. Becky is part of the Pierre-Fort Pierre Kiwanis Club and the Oahe YMCA, was a founding member of the Pierre Pool Committee, is a life-long supporter of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, serves on the board of the Pierre/Fort Pierre Community Foundation, plays in the Capital City Band and contributes to the Pierre Youth Orchestra.

Parker McKittrick can be called Dr. McKittrick now. He graduated with his doctor of chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington, Minn., last week. He and his wife, the former Maddy Keeler, will be moving to Fargo where Parker is taking a job with the chiropractic practice where he did his internship.

The Custer school district has a marvelous program each year in which elementary students meet and interview one of four outstanding senior citizens of the community. The students work with local musicians to compose a song about that senior citizen. The four honorees are then celebrated at the Elders’ Wisdom/Children’s Song concert. At this year’s event on Jan. 28, former Pierre resident John Culberson will be one of the honored senior citizens.

Bill Novak, who spent all of his adult life as a custodian in the Pierre School District, died at the age of 83 Dec. 11. His funeral was held Wednesday at Feigum Funeral Home. Bill was drafted into the Army in 1959. He married Irene Sowards in 1967. He worked for the school district until his retirement. He is survived by three sisters, Bevberley Altenberg of Gillette, Wyo., and Sandra Leonard and Marie Lovell of Pierre, and four brothers, Robert Novak, Richard Novak and Steven Novak, all of Pierre, and Donald Novak of Wessington Springs.

Kelly Mikkelsen, who works for the Department of Legislative Audit in Pierre, will be inducted into the Onida/Sully Buttes Athletic Hall of Fame at halftime of the Sully Buttes-Winner boys game in Onida Saturday. He competed in basketball, cross country and track for Charger teams during his 1985-89 tenure at SBHS. Mikkelsen was a state-meet competitor in cross country and track and an All-State selection in basketball. After high school he played basketball and ran track at Dakota Wesleyan. He and his wife Michelle are the parents of Ryan and Emily.