LET THE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS BEGIN!

It’s playoffs time in South Dakota high school football. In the nine-man classes and in Class 11B the postseason begins tonight (Thursday) while the bigger 11-man schools finish their regular seasons tonight and open the playoffs next Thursday. Here’s the way it looks for Pierre, Stanley County and Sully Buttes:

Class 11AA: Despite their loss at Roosevelt last Friday, the defending state champion Governors retained the No. 1 seed in Class 11AA. They will keep it if they win against Aberdeen Central tonight, and that would assure a home game in Pierre in the quarterfinals and, if they qualify, the semifinals, too. Pierre might stay No. 1 seed even with a loss against the 1-7 Golden Eagles tonight, depending on what Harrisburg, the current No. 2 seed, does tonight against Yankton. It appears the Governors’ first-round opponent will be Spearfish or Sturgis.

The playoff dates for Class 11AA: quarterfinals, Oct. 25; semifinals, Nov. 2; championship game, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. The top eight of the nine Class 11AA teams qualify for the playoffs; they will be seeded 1-8 with 8 playing at 1 and 5 at 4 in one bracket and 7 at 2 and 6 at 3 in the other bracket.

Last week’s games in Class 11AA:
Sioux Falls Roosevelt 39, Pierre 34
Huron 28, Spearfish 0
Brandon Valley 34, Yankton 9
Harrisburg 21, Mitchell 17
Hot Springs 46, Douglas 0
Sturgis 42, Pine Ridge 22
Brookings 21, Sioux Falls Lincoln 7

Tonight’s regular-season games in Class 11AA:
Aberdeen Central at PIERRE (6-2)
YANKTON (4-4) at HARRISBURG (5-3)
BROOKINGS (4-4) at HURON (4-3)
MITCHELL (3-5) at SPEARFISH (2-6)
STURGIS (3-5) at Hot Springs
DOUGLAS (0-8) at Belle Fourche

Class 11B: Stanley County’s loss to Chamberlain in the regular-season finale last Friday caused them to drop in Region 4 seed-point standings. They still qualified for the playoffs as one of the four statewide at-large teams, but that meant they were shifted to another region for playoff purposes. Tonight’s eight winners in the 11B playoffs will be seeded 1-8 for next Thursday’s quarterfinals with 8 at 1 and 5 at 4 in one bracket, 7 at 2 and 6 at 3 in the other bracket.

Tonight’s 11B playoff first-round games:
Elk Point-Jefferson at Aberdeen Roncalli
Mobridge-Pollock at Groton Area
Sioux Valley at Canton
Sioux Falls Christian at Beresford
Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central at Bridgewater/Emery-Ethan
Stanley County at Mount Vernon-Plankinton
Custer at Winner
Red Cloud at Lead-Deadwood

Stanley County played at Mount Vernon-Plankinton in the season opener in August and lost by a 40-7 count.

The playoff dates for Class 11B: quarterfinals, Oct. 25; semifinals, Nov. 2; championship game, Nov. 9, 1 p.m.

Last week’s games in Class 11B, Region 4:
Chamberlain 20, Stanley County 7
Winner 40, Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central 0
Custer 26, Lead-Deadwood 13
Red Cloud 69, Little Wound 24
Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 24, Crow Creek 12
Bennett County idle

Class 9B: Sully Buttes’ win over the next-best team in Region 1, 50-12 at Faulkton Area, kept the Chargers with the best seed-point score in the state in Class 9B and assured SBHS of home games through first round, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, so long as they keep winning. In this class the top three teams in each region make the playoffs along with the next-best four teams statewide. In the case of Region 1, five teams qualified for the playoffs. Tonight’s eight winners will be seeded statewide 1-8, with 8 playing at 1 and 5 at 4 in one bracket next Thursday and 7 playing at 2 and 6 playing at 3 in the other bracket.

Tonight’s 9B playoff first-round games:
Hitchcock-Tulare at Sully Buttes
Langford Area at Faulkton Area
Dell Rapids St. Mary at Castlewood
Bison at Colman-Egan
Gayville-Volin at Colome
Sunshine Bible at Burke
Faith at Wall
Kadoka Area at Harding County

Sully Buttes played at Hitchcock-Tulare in midseason and came home with a 50-14 victory.

The playoff dates for Class 9B: quarterfinals, Oct. 25; semifinals, Nov. 2; championship game, Nov. 9, 10 a.m.

Last week’s scores in Class 9B, Region 1:
Sully Buttes 50, Faulkton Area 12
Potter County 34, Sunshine Bible 0
Langford Area idle
Hitchcock-Tulare idle
Northwestern 48, Iroquois 0

WHY ENGLISH IS SO HARD TO LEARN

After a number of injections my jaw got number.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Girls soccer: In the beginning it was a wet field with some snowflakes in the air. By game time it was a field dusted with a coat of snow, and traction was difficult. In the first half it became a field covered with an inch of snow with more snow blowing sideways, north to south into the faces of the team heading toward the north goal. In the second half it was downright winter, and players were trudging through snow. The field’s lines were visible only because a crew kept scraping them clear throughout the game. Such was the setting for the state soccer championships at Sioux Park in Rapid City, but Pierre’s defending state champs prevailed and won their second in a row, 2-0 over Rapid City Stevens. Going toward the south goal with the wind and the snow at their backs, the Raiders had some chances to score but could not. With roles reversed and the Lady Govs facing south in the second half, Pierre converted first in the 45th minute when Caytee Williams scored after a free kick bounced off a Stevens defensive player. Good fortune smiled on the Lady Govs a few minutes later when a Pierre corner kick was headed into the net by a Stevens defender for an own goal. The Lady Govs finished a marvelous season with a 14-1-1 record. The cold and the snow never felt so good! (In the other state championship games, Washington beat Aberdeen Central for the ‘AA’ boys title, West Central topped Tea Area for the girls ‘A’ crown, and Tea Area beat Sioux Falls Christian to win the boys ‘A’ championship.)

This week’s schedules:
Football: Thursday, home vs. Aberdeen Central, 6 p.m. (Note early kickoff time.)
Cross country: Saturday, at state meet, Sioux Falls, noon.
Volleyball: Friday, at Sioux Falls Lincoln, 7 p.m.; Tuesday, home vs. Brookings, 7 p.m.
Cheer/dance: Saturday, at state meet, Brandon, 11 a.m.

Football: A bad start proved fatal for the Governors in the end when they lost at Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 39-34. Pierre fell behind 26-0 but refused to roll over and die at such a deficit. The Governors were back within 26-13 at halftime, and after falling behind 33-13, they rallied to take the lead at 34-33 with 3:26 left in the game. But Roosevelt drove the field, helped along with a 49-yard pass completion, to move into the red zone and eventually score the winning touchdown with 1:18 remaining. To start the game, Roosevelt picked up a Pierre fumble and returned it 25 yards for a 6-0 lead. The ensuing kickoff was also fumbled, and the defense held this time. But on the next Pierre possession, Roosevelt intercepted a pass, drove to the 4 and scored for a 130 lead. A 23-yard touchdown pass made it 20-0 for the Rough Riders at the end of the first period. Yet another Pierre fumble was lost early in the second quarter, setting up the Riders at the 50 from where they drove to a 7-yard touchdown and a 26-0 lead. Pierre’s fifth turnover, another interception, allowed Roosevelt to take the ball inside the 10-yard line, but they did not score this time. With 2:57 left in the half Garrett Stout hit Gage Gehring on an 11-yard pass to cut the deficit to 26-6. With 0:16 left in the half Stout connected with Jack Maher on a 9-yard TD pass, and it was 26-13. Roosevelt went ahead, 33-13, but Pierre answered with a touchdown pass from Stout to make it 33-20. With 8:56 left in the game Stout passed to Jason Schuchard covering 18 yards on a fourth-down play, and the Govs were within 33-27. Pierre’s defense gave the ball back to the offense after just a minute and six seconds. In 10 plays over 61 yards the Govs scored on Stout’s 11-yard pass to Schuchard with 3:26 left. Carsten Mueller’s kick gave Pierre the lead by a point. But on the Riders’ possession they got a 49-yard pass play to the 15. On a third-and-goal play they scored and missed a pass for a two-point conversion, so the lead was five at 39-34. Pierre got as far as midfield in the final minute, but a desperation long pass was intercepted with 19 seconds left. Stout passed for 143 yards and ran for 182 yards and had five touchdown passes and four interceptions.

Cheer/dance: At the ESD meet the Pierre competitive dance team placed fifth overall, going second in hip hop, seventh in jazz and eighth in pom.

Volleyball: In their only match last week the Lady Govs lost at Sioux Falls Washington, 3-0, on game scores of 15-25, 16-25 and 18-25. Pierre stands at 7-10 for the season.

Cross country: Pierre entries in the girls ‘AA’ race at the state meet at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls Saturday at 2:30 p.m. will be Halli Drewes, Autumn Iverson, Kyla Keyes, Jessica Lutmer, Hunter Martell, Rachel Nemec and Morgan Oedekoven. Entries in the boys race at 1 p.m. will be Tucker Berens, Trevin Black Bear, Tyler Gere, Ethan Gilk, Isaac Polak, Alejandro Ramirez and Hayden Shaffer.

Boys soccer: The Governors’ Clay Alban was the only Pierre player selected to the ESD Conference’s all-conference team.

FIVE LITTLE STORIES

(1) Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That’s faith.

(2) When you throw babies into the air, the laugh because they know you will catch them. That’s trust.

(3) Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarms to wake up. That’s hope.

(4) We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children. That’s love.

(5) On an old man’s shirt was written a sentence: “I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.” That’s attitude.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Football: Thursday, 11B first-round playoff game at Mount Vernon-Plankinton, 7 p.m.
Cross country: Saturday, at state meet, Sioux Falls.
Volleyball: Friday, at Highmore-Harrold, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, home vs. Lyman, 6:30 p.m.

Cross country: Stanley County’s entry in the state ‘A’ boys race at the state meet in Sioux Falls will be Kade VanDusseldorp. The race starts at 12:30 p.m.

Volleyball: The Lady Buffs defeated Dupree, 3-0, on game scores of 25-22, 25-20 and 25-16. At a triangular Tuesday the girls lost to Kadoka and New Underwood by 3-0 counts. The game scores against highly-ranked Kadoka were 11-25, 16-25 and 16-25. Against New Underwood the scores were 12-25, 8-25 and 19-25. SCHS now stands at 6-14.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Football: Thursday, 9B first-round playoff game home vs. Hitchcock-Tulare, 7 p.m.
Cross country: Saturday, at state meet, Sioux Falls.
Volleyball: Friday, at Hitchcock-Tulare (in Tulare), 6:30 p.m.

Volleyball: The Charger girls swept Mobridge-Pollock, 3-0, on game scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-20. On Tuesday they lost to Herreid-Selby Area, 3-0, on game scores of 22-25, 20-25 and 22-25. In the latter match Angela Guthmiller had eight kills and Lauren Wittler seven kills.

Football: The unbeaten Chargers faced once-beaten Faulkton on the road in the regular-season windup and dominated play to win 50-12. Morris Hofer’s 66-yard run made it 8-0. In the second period Nick Wittler passed to Sebastian Frost for a 14-0 lead. After Faulkton scored, Wittler scored on a quarterback keeper with 10 seconds left in the half for a 22-6 lead. After Grant Johnson intercepted a pass in the third period, the Chargers scored on a Wittler-to-Johnson pass covering 27 yards. The score became 38-6 on Wittler’s 20-yard TD pass to Cam Ogle. In the final period Hofer went 28 yards for his second score, and Caleb Chicoine passed to Garrett Petersen on a 20-yard TD to make the final score 50-12.

Cross country: At the state meet in Sioux Falls Saturday Griffin Petersen will be the Sully Buttes entry in the boys ‘B’ race at noon. In the girls race at 1:30 the Charger runners will be Calleigh Chicoine and Dani Frost.

ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE

Oct. 18: lime
Oct. 19-21: watermelon
Oct. 22-23 maple
Oct. 24-25 raspberry cheesecake

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.”
— Father Theodore Hesburgh, former president of Notre Dame University

COUNTDOWN

1 day: State competitive cheer/dance tournament, Brandon (Oct. 19-20).
2 days: Viking Day at Augustana (Oct. 20).
2 days: Rapid City Rush home opener (Oct. 20).
4 days: Voter registration deadline for general election (Oct. 22).
4 days: Georgia Morse Middle School band/chorus concert and art show (Oct. 22).
5 days: Sutton-Noem gubernatorial debate, KELO-TV, 7 p.m. (Oct. 23).
7 days: Sutton-Noem gubernatorial debate, SDPB, 8 p.m. (Oct. 25).
8 days: Riggs High band at S.D. Music Educators conference, Rapid City (Oct. 26).
9 days: All-State Chorus/Orchestra concert, Rapid City (Oct. 27).
11 days: 15th anniversary “Wicked” concert, NBC-TV (Oct. 29).
11 days: Sutton-Noem debate, The CW network, noon and 9 p.m. (Oct. 29).
12 days: Riggs High band concert and art show (Oct. 30).
16 days: Jeannette Beemer’s 100th birthday bash, Drifters (Nov. 3).
17 days: Daylight Saving Time ends, 2 a.m. (Nov. 4).
17 days: Sutton-Noem gubernatorial debate, KSFY-TV, 4 p.m. (Nov. 4).
19 days: General election (Nov. 6).
19 days: Riggs High indoor marching band concert (Nov. 6).
21 days: State football championships, Vermillion (Nov. 8-10).
28 days: State volleyball tournaments, Sioux Falls (Nov. 15-17).

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Missouri Valley Football Conference standings: NDSU 3-0, USD 2-1, SDSU 2-1, Illinois State 2-1, Missouri State 2-1, Western Illinois 1-2, Youngstown State 1-2, Indiana State 0-3, Southern Illinois 0-3.

South Dakota football: The Coyotes, with their toughest opponents still ahead on the schedule, lost a crucial home game to Northern Iowa, 42-28. The Panthers broke away from a 21-21 tie to go up 42-21 and clinch the win before USD got a late touchdown. Now 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the Valley, USD goes to Youngstown State for a 5 p.m. kickoff Saturday.

South Dakota State football: A Hobo Day crowd saw the Jacks whip Youngstown State, 36-7. Taryn Christion had one passing TD and two on the ground. SDSU, ranked No. 2 in the national polls this week, is now 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the Valley. SDSU goes to Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. Saturday.

North Dakota football: Montana played give-away early and fell hopelessly behind in a 41-14 loss in Grand Forks. Now 4-2, UND plays at Sacramento State at 8 p.m. Saturday on MSN2.

North Dakota State football: Ranked No. 1 in the national polls as usual, the Bison defeated Western Illinois, 34-7. Now 6-0, NDSU is home vs. Illinois State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Presentation football (Michael Lyons): The Saints lost a league game to Dakota State, 44-28. Now 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the NSAA, Presentation plays Waldorf in Forest City, Iowa, Saturday.

Black Hills State football (Shawn Schnabel): That elusive first win of the year has been achieved by the Yellowjackets, who whipped New Mexico Highlands, 42-7. Now 1-6 overall, BHSU is home vs. Colorado-Mesa at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan football (Lukas Chase): The Tigers lost to Dordt on Blue and White Day, 50-23. Lukas had one solo tackle and two assisted tacklers. Now 1-6 overall and 0-5 in the GPAC, DWU goes to Midland at 1 p.m. Saturday.

South Dakota Mines football: The Hardrockers outscored Adams State, 56-42. Connor Silveria rushed 46 times for 423 yards and three touchdowns for Mines, which is now 4-3 overall and 3-3 in the RMAC. Mines goes to New Mexico Highlands Saturday.

Northern football (Alex Gray, Colten Drageset, Jacob Howard, Joe King): The Wolves lost to Augustana, 42-21. Alex had three solo tackles, three assisted tackles and two pass breakups. Northern goes to Southwest Minnesota State for a 5 p.m. kickoff Saturday.

University of Sioux Falls football: The Cougars’ playoff chances may have ended with a 30-27 loss to St. Cloud State. Now 4-3, USF goes to Minnesota State-Moorhead at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Augustana football (Peyton Zabel): The Vikings are back above .500 after a 42-21 win at Northern. Now 4-3, Augie is home for Viking Day against Mary at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Northern Michigan women’s golf (Karissa Guthrie): Idle last week, the Wildcats go to the Kohler Classic at Sheboygan, Wis., Monday and Tuesday.

South Dakota women’s golf (Katie Bartlett): In their last meet of the fall season the Coyote women placed 10th at the Pat Lesser-Harbottle Invitational at Tacoma, Wash. Santa Clara was the team champion there. Katie tied for 43rd place with a 233 score.

Augustana women’s golf (Natalie Young): The Viking women tied for ninth place among 12 teams at the D2 National Preview at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Augustana’s score was 340-325=665. Natalie did not play there. Augie goes this weekend to the Dacotah Ridge Classic at Morton, Minn.

Dakota State volleyball (Nicole Sarringar): The Lady Ts lost to Morningside, 3-0, as Nicole recorded 15 assists and seven digs. Now 11-10 overall and 4-5 in the NSAA, Dakota State plays at Presentation Friday, at Mayville State Saturday and at Mount Marty Wednesday.

South Dakota State volleyball: The Jacks defeated Western Illinois, 3-2, and lost to Purdue-Fort Wayne, 3-0. Now 4-17 overall and 1-7 in Summit play, SDSU goes to USD Friday.

Mary volleyball (Korie Tetzlaff): The Marauders lost 3-0 matches to USF and Southwest Minnesota State. Now 3-19 overall and 0-14 in the NSIC, Mary plays at Wayne State Friday and at Augustana Saturday.

South Dakota volleyball: The Coyotes lost to Omaha, 3-1, and shut out UND, 3-0. Now 12-8 overall and 6-2 in the Summit, USD hosts SDSU Friday and Oral Roberts Sunday.

South Dakota cross country (Caleb Lusk, Maddy McClure): At Bradley’s meet in Peoria, Ill., the USD women were second only behind No. 15 Iowa State, and the USD men placed 20th. Next up is the Summit League meet in Omaha Oct. 27.

South Dakota State cross country (Rachel Propst): Jackrabbit runners went to meets at Grand Forks or Madison, Wis., last weekend. SDSU competes next at the Summit League meet in Omaha Oct. 27.

Black Hills State cross country (Kelsey Van Den Hemel): At the D2 West Region preview meet in Billings, the BHSU men and women both finished first in team standings. Kelsey placed 14th in the women’s 6K in 24:19.99. Next on the schedule is the RMAC conference meet in Denver Nov. 3.

South Dakota Mines cross country (Theron Singleton): In Billings at the D2 West Region meet, the Mines men finished second behind BHSU. Theron finished 23rd in the men’s 10K in 35:16.95. The RMAC conference meet in Denver on Nov. 3 is next on the Mines schedule.

Morningside bowling (Alex Badger): The Mustang men’s and women’s teams opened their season at Wauwatosa, Wis., at the Midwest Championships. No individual scores were posted on the school’s athletic website, but the men’s team placed 22nd among 40 schools with total pins of 8,881, averaging 193. Morningside bowls this weekend in Wichita at the Midstates Championships.

North Dakota men’s hockey: The Fighting Hawks failed to get a win in a weekend home-and-home against Bemidji State, losing 2-1 and tying 1-1. Now 0-1-1, UND is home vs. Minnesota State Friday and Saturday with both games on Midco Sports Network.

Northwestern (Iowa) men’s soccer (Cole Cruse): The Red Raiders found an easy foe in Presentation, beating the Saints, 10-0. Now 8-4-2 overall and 4-1–2 in the GPAC, Northwestern hosted DWU last night and will be home vs. Morningside Saturday and Dordt next Wednesday.

South Dakota women’s soccer (Joana Zanin): The Coyotes lost in double overtime to SDSU, 1-0, and lost to Omaha, 1-0. Now 7-6-2 overall and 2-3-0 in Summit play, USD is home vs. Purdue-Fort Wayne tonight.

St. Thomas men’s soccer (Marcus Hluchy): The Tommies defeated Concordia, 1-0; Northwestern (Minn.), 4-0, and St. Scholastica, 3-1, and now stand at 11-3-1 overall and 4-2-1 in the MIAC. St. Thomas plays Saturday at St. Olaf and Tuesday at Augsburg.

Black Hills State women’s soccer (Katie Nielson): The Yellowjackets lost to Regis, 6-0, and are now 0-13-1 overall and 0-8-1 in the RMAC. BHSU plays at Colorado Mines Friday and Colorado Christian Sunday.

Concordia (Minn.) women’s soccer (Morgan Hluchy): The Cobbers defeated St. Olaf, 1-0, in double overtime. Now 6-5-3 overall and 2-3-2 in the conference, Concordia hosted St. Thomas last night and goes to Augsburg Saturday.

Northern women’s soccer (Tori Thorpe): The Wolves lost to Augustana, 1-0, as Tori got off one shot. NSU then beat Wayne State, 4-34. Now 7-6-1 overall and 5-5-1 in the NSIC, Northern goes to Minnesota State and Concordia-St Paul this weekend.

King’s College men’s soccer (August Axtman): The Monarchs won 4-2 over Manhattanville College, and the first King’s goal was scored by Gus on a penalty kick. Now 8-4-2 overall and 3-1-0 in their conference, the Monarchs hosted DeSales last night and Delaware Valley University Saturday.

South Dakota State women’s soccer: The Jackrabbits beat USD 1-0 in overtime and lost to NDSU, 1-0. The Jacks are home vs. Omaha Friday and Oral Roberts Sunday.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Timberwolves: The NBA regular season opened for the Wolves in San Antonio last night after they completed a winless preseason with a 143-121 loss at Milwaukee last Friday. Minnesota’s home opener is vs. Cleveland at 7 p.m. Friday on FSN. They play at Dallas at 7:30 Saturday on FSN+, at home vs. Indiana at 7 p.m. Monday on FSN and on the road at Toronto at 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday on FSN.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Rapid City Rush: The regular season got off to a rocky start as the Rush lost twice in Utah, 4-2 and 6-2. The home season opens Saturday at 7 p.m. vs. Kansas City, and the teams play again at 3:05 Sunday.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd beat Fargo, 4-3, on a third-round shootout goal. Now 3-1-1, Sioux Falls s home Friday vs. Waterloo and Saturday vs. Madison, both games facing off at 7:05 p.m.

Gillette Wild (Coleman Varty): Gillette lost twice to Great Falls, 7-2 and 5-1. Coleman had an assist on one of the goals in the Friday game. Now 2-6-1-1, Gillette plays Friday at Yellowstone.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild beat Chicago in overtime, 4-3; lost in overtime to Carolina, 5-4; lost to Nashville, 4-2, and topped Arizona, 2-1. Minnesota plays at Dallas at 7 p.m. Friday on NBCSN and at home vs. Tampa Bay at 7 p.m. Saturday on FSN.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“It’s difficult to watch the news and to scroll through your timeline and not to come to the conclusion that good people are an endangered species. I can tell you unequivocally that this simply isn’t true.

“I’ve been on the road for most of the past year, and without fail no matter where I’ve ended up, I’ve found myself overwhelmed by the beauty and diversity of this country. In blue states and red states, in placid rural areas and civic gatherings and humanist confeences and interfaith services, I have been reminded that humanity is still at work in this place.

“Today, if you’re tempted to feel like you’re the only one left who gives a damn, realize that you’re actually in good and vast company. Take a rest if you need it, and when you’re ready, get back to work alongside a multitude of damn-givers, and remember that no act of love is ever wasted.”

— John Pavlovitz in his “Table Talk”
(Copyright 2018 johnpavlovitz.com)

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): At the SAS championships in Cary, N.C., Tom tied for 30th place with a 3-under-par 71-71-71=213 weekend that earned him $14,840. The winner, Bernhard Langer, was far away at 22 under. Tom now stands 44th on this year’s Champions Tour money list with earnings of $396,285. This weekend the Tour goes to the Dominion Charity Classic at Richmond, Va.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

NFL games live on local TV this week:
Thursday: Denver-Arizona, 7:20 p.m., Fox.
Sunday: Los Angeles Chargers-Tennessee, 8:30 a.m., CBS.
Sunday: New England-Chicago, noon, CBS.
Sunday: Minnesota-New York Jets, noon, Fox.
Sunday: Los Angeles Rams-San Francisco, 3:25 p.m., CBS.
Sunday: Cincinnati-Kansas City, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
Monday: New York Giants-Atlanta, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.

Midco Sports Network live games this week:
Thursday: College volleyball, USD-SDSU, 7 p.m. (MSN2).
Friday: College men’s hockey, UND-Minnesota State, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: College football, Minnesota State-Bemidji State, 1 p.m.
Saturday: College men’s hockey, UND-Minnesota State, 7 p.m.
Saturday: College football, UND-Sacramento State, 8 p.m. (MSN2).

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings improved to 3-2-1 with a 27-17 win over Arizona. Minnesota plays the Jets in New York at noon Sunday on Fox.

Denver Broncos: Denver is now 2-4 after a 23-20 loss to the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams. Denver plays at Arizona tonight in the Thursday night game.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons were shut out by Colorado, 2-0. Minnesota plays at the Los Angeles Galaxy at 3 p.m. Sunday.

MARQUEE MESSAGES

From the marquee at Indian Hills Community Center in Colorado:

DESPITE THE
HIGH COST
OF LIVING
IT REMAINS
POPULAR

I’M FRIENDS
WITH 25 LETTERS
OF THE ALPHABET
I DON’T KNOW Y

COW STUMBLES
INTO POT FIELD!
THE STEAKS
HAVE NEVER
BEEN HIGHER

CRUSHING
POP CANS
IS
SODA PRESSING

HE WHO
LAUGHS LAST
DIDN’T GET IT

FOOTBALL CONTEST #8

Last week the Jaguars were picked by 16 of our 19 contestants. Bad choice! The Bears were picked by 15 of the 19 entrants. Bad choice! Georgia was picked to beat LSU by 14 of the 19. West Virginia was the choice over Iowa State of 15 of the 19 people. No wonder there were hardly any good scorecards! Nevertheless, Nathan Vetter had a 9-1 mark, losing only the Georgia game, so he alone gets 10 points. In second place at 7-3 for nine points each were Levi Neuharth, Jason Noyes, Jeff Adel and David Thoreson. At 6-4 for eight points apiece were Beth Rinehart and Lane Kozel.

This week’s games (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by noon Saturday):
(1) Minnesota at Nebraska
(2) Oklahoma at TCU
(3) Michigan at Michigan State
(4) Ohio State at Purdue
(5) Mississippi State at LSU
(6) USC at Utah
(7) South Dakota State at Northern Iowa
(8) NFL: New Orleans at Baltimore
(9) NFL: Minnesota at New York Jets
(10) NFL: New England at Chicago

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

There is no excuse for not being registered to vote in the general election on Nov. 6. This coming Monday, Oct. 22, is the final day a person can register with his or her county auditor if not already registered.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Oct. 18:
Ryan Fromm, Tasha Unkenholz, Msty Scott, Mark Swenson, Tammy Withers, Michael Putnam, Mackenzie Burger, Aubrey (Hunt) Stofferahn, John Burchill III, Troy Heien, Sue Schaefer, Sharon (Harkless) Metzinger, Maxwell Pool.
— 43rd anniversary, Gary/Kathy Sarvis.
— 4th anniversary, Wayne/Vanessa (Kinkler) Yackley.

Friday, Oct. 19:
Mary Jean Lomheim, Jolynn Riis, Franklin Hansen, Lydia Nuttall, Archer Edelen, Hilary (Woodburn) Hunt, Carrie (Gerber) Norman, Brian Timp, Carol Heintz, Connor Berg.
— 6th anniversary, Greg/Kayla (Petersen) Barringer.
We fondly remember Jack Unkenholz on the 9th anniversary of his death.

Saturday, Oct. 20:
Debra (Kern) Workman, Lisa Heffernan, Emerson Antholz, Kevin Tiger, Carisa (Rathbun) Marshall, Rohini Knudson, Lois Welch, Betty Morford, Jon Dravland, Brittany (Bailey) Jarecke, Carter Ahlers, Bill Lytle, Gerry Cass, Shelley Erickson.
— 6th anniversary, Josh/Stacie (Ries) Swanstrom.

Sunday, Oct. 21:
Chris Bondy, Shirley Schnabel, Nick Hodgin, Jenna (Neuhauser) Tschetter, Jonathan Bell, Stephen Williamson, Susan Colleran, Corey Carr, Marcia (Davis) Kozel.
— 1st anniversary, Cody/Brook (Jennings) Hutchison.

Monday, Oct. 22:
Alexa Berg, Gwen Smith, Lincoln Englehart, Joy (Peck) Colson, Carey Smalley, Garrett Gordon, Pat Anderson, Dan Snyder, Joni (Haugen) Sengos, Chris Mullett, Corie Oliva, Tessa Beyer.
— 13th anniversary, Bobby/Katrina Duncan.
— 7th anniversary, Justin/Somer (LaRosh) Garrigan.

Tuesday, Oct. 23:
Eileen Kramer, Susie Fuller, Theresa (Frick) Jones, Seth Hoffman, Cassandra Jones, Michelle Van Camp.
— 41st anniversary, Ted/Sheryl Hall.
— 3rd anniversary, Travis/Vera (Van Winkle) Tipton.

Wednesday, Oct. 24:
Craig McTighe, Minnie Budmayr, Austin Lentsch, Carletta Zebroski, Jacob Beastrom, Mike Rounds.
— 15th anniversary, Lonnie/Danielle Ballweg.
— Anniversary, Dan/Brooke (Severson) Lusk.

Thursday, Oct. 25:
Stephanie Strang, Emily Weber, Tom Ripley, Pat Powers, David Reiss, Kelly Meagher-Pitlick, Sullivan Vogel, Trevor Fisher, Todd Madden, Maxine Blasdell, Diane Kafka, Josh Graves, Brent Sogaard, Jami Neumiller, Sandra (Kern) Mollman.
— 15th anniversary, Lance/Stacy Hosman.

REASONS TO WRITE A LETTER

Ask a friend things you don’t know about him or her via letter.

Send a text through the mail—a one-sentence note.

Kids love mail, too!

Write a haiku about the recipient.

Send a note to an older person in your life who might not get much mail or who might not use the computer much.

—– Egg Press & Hello! Lucky

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Allyson (Friez) Kreycik was selected among the 2018 Boston Agent Magazine’s “Who’s Who in Real Estate.” Allyson is senior vice president of mortgage lending at Guaranteed Rate in Boston.

Dr. Brianne (Barnett) Roby has spent the past week in Hermosillo, Mexico, on a mission trip with Children’s Surgery International, a Minnesota-based nonprofit volunteer organization that provides specialized medical and surgical services to underprivileged children around the world. Brianne is a pediatric facial plastic surgeon at Children’s Minnesota Hospital.

Todd Johnson, who was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, was welcomed home from the hospital by a raucous crowd last week. An account to help the Johnsons with the medical expenses caused by the accident has been established at American Bank and Trust, 700 E. Sioux Ave., Pierre SD 57501. Johnson is known community-wide for his work on the YMCA staff, as a school resource officer with the police department and as a youth sports referee.

Francis Bies, 70, died Oct. 15 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. A memorial service will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 22, at the Maryhouse Chapel. He grew up in Rapid City, Fort Pierre and Pierre and graduated from high school in Fort Pierre in 1969. He joined the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam, then joined the National Guard where he completed seven years of military service. Among his survivors are his niece, Fawn Kline; cousins Mary Fredrichs and Charlie Bies and aunt Bonnie Reisch.

Trevor Jones has accepted a position with Dakota State University in Madison where he will work in their digital forensics lab. Jones has spent 20 years in law enforcement, most recently with the Department of Public Safety.

Named Athlete of the Week by the Pierre Athletic Coaches Association last week were Jack Maher of the football team and Avery Davis of the girls soccer team.

Bryan and Rachel Palmer, who live in the Twin Cities area, are the parents of another son. Bennett Lane Palmer was born Oct. 12, weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces. He joins a brother, Jackson, who will be 2 in December, in the Palmer family.

Gloria Beastrom, 86, Pierre, died Oct. 12 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. Her funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Highmore. The former Gloria Gregg grew up in the Pocket area south of Harrold. She later taught in area rural schools. She and Bill Beastrom were married in 1957. She is survived by her husband Bill; their six children, Lupe Beastrom, Diane Beastrom, Tina Harrowa, Karen Nielsen, Deb Beck and Billy Beastrom; 21 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Former Pierre student and Legion baseball player Jesse Beesley was married Oct. 14 to April Harwell. They live in Fort Worth, Texas.

Tom Lehmkuhl spent his last day last week with the Department of Transportation after more than 14 years there. He began work in a federal government job Monday.

Drew Mickelson and his wife, Nicole, who live in Aberdeen, are expecting their second child.

The annual fall Country Fair will be held at Faith Lutheran Church from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. There will be crafts, baked goods, candy, home-grown produce, collectibles, gift baskets, caramel rolls for breakfast and soup and sandwiches for lunch.

Riggs High alumnus Louis Mehlhaff has been cast in the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge in Sioux Empire Community Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” to be performed in December in Sioux Falls. Lou and his wife, Alyssa, are also expecting a baby girl next month.

Remember that Jeannette Beemer’s 100th birthday bash is coming up on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 4, at Drifters.

Sully Buttes High School’s four singers in All-State Chorus in Rapid City next week will be Avery Weinheimer, Angela Guthmiller, Lydia Hill and Collin Bradberry.

Essie “Dimp” Olson died at the age of 94 Oct. 9 at home. A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She grew up in the Robbs Flat area in Haakon County and went to school there through the eighth grade. After the family relocated into Pierre, she graduated from Pierre High School. She married Stanley Olson i 1952. Mrs. Olson spent her life as a homemaker, raising their nine children, and was also active in her church and the St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary. She is survived by her husband, Stan Olson; their children, Edward Colwell, Glenda Roach, Roxi Mobley, Rosalie Kasper, Vicki Guerisoli, Peggy Hansen, Redgie Olson, Patsy O’Donoghue and Scott Olson; her twin sister, Dolly Nafus, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded her in death were her siblings, Ruthie Curry, Evelyn Sandal and Monte Curry.

The Riggs High marching band competed in Class II at Yankton’s first March to the Meridian competition Saturday. Pierre placed third in parade, fourth in field and sixth in parade overall.

On what channel do we watch Brandon Cruse do his officiating work this weekend? Make that FS1, and kickoff will be at 2:30 p.m. CDT Saturday when he and his crew work the Texas Tech home game in Lubbock against Kansas.

All members of the Riggs High Class of 1979 are welcome to attend a 40-year reunion planning meeting at The Fieldhouse from 5:30 to 6;30 p.m. next Thursday, Oct. 25.

There are a pair of local connections to this week’s Athlete of the Week selected by the sports staff of the Rapid City Journal. Senior quarterback Morgan Harkless of Hot Springs was selected after he scored three touchdowns and returned an interception for a touchdown in a 46-0 win over Douglas. Morgan is the second youngest of seven brothers and the third youngest of eight siblings, all of whom are the grandchildren of Blunt natives Gale and Jo (King) Harkless. Fort Pierre native Ben Kramer is head coach at Hot Springs and has coached Matt, Brady, Justin, Jared and Brice Harkless in the past and now coaches Morgan and his younger brother, Marcus. The Bison (6-2) are currently the fourth seed in Class 11A football and play Sturgis tonight in their last regular-season game.