FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS UPDATE

Class 11AA semifinals Friday:
#5 Mitchell at #1 Pierre
#3 Huron at #2 Brookings

Class 9A semifinals Friday:
#4 Gregory at #1 Britton-Hecla
#3 Canistota-Freeman at #2 Sully Buttes

VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS UPDATE

Class A: Stanley County’s season ended in the Region 6A first round Tuesday with a 3-0 loss at Mobridge-Pollock by game scores of 25-18, 25-10, 25-16. The Buffaloes’ season ends with a 3-19 record.

Class B: After losing twice to Highmore-Harrold during the regular season, Sully Buttes won at Highmore Tuesday night in the Region 2B quarterfinal round in straight sets, 3-0, on game scores of 25-22, 25-23, 25-17. The Chargers’ record is now 11-19. SBHS plays at #2 seed Ipswich at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) in one of the two semifinal games in the region, and the winner qualifies for next Tuesday’s SoDak 16. The eight winners that night advance to the state tournament.

Class AA: Some of the 18 AA teams have regular-season matches remaining tonight and this weekend. The top 16 teams at the end of the weekend will qualify for next Thursday’s SoDak 16 where the eight match winners advance to the state tournament. As of today Pierre is #11 and would play its SoDak 16 match at #6 Rapid City Stevens. However, the Governors have a tough match tonight at #3 Huron. A loss would put Pierre in jeopardy of moving down a notch and perhaps having to go to Sioux Falls for its SoDak 16 match. Two teams just below Pierre—Rapid City Central and Sturgis—play each other tonight, so one of them is sure to win, so the Pierre match at Huron is an important one. Here are the current seed-point standings which will send #16 against #1 #15 against #2, etc., next Thursday: (1) S.F. O’Gorman (2) Watertown (3) Huron (4) S.F. Washington (5) S.F. Roosevelt (6) R.C. Stevens (7) S.F. Lincoln (8) Aberdeen Central (9) Harrisburg (10) Brandon Valley (11) Pierre (12) R.C. Central (13) Brookings (14) Sturgis (15) Mitchell (16) Yankton. Out of the playoffs: Spearfish and Douglas.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and destroys a visible Nature, unaware that this Nature he’s destroying is this God he’s worshipping”

— Hubert Reeves

COUNTDOWN

7 days: State football championships, Brookings (Nov. 14-15).
13 days: Democratic presidential candidates debate (Nov. 20).
14 days: State volleyball tournaments, Rapid City (Nov. 21-23).
18 days: Parade of Lights in Pierre (Nov. 25).
19 days: Capitol Christmas trees lighting ceremony (Nov. 26).
21 days: Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28).
26 days: South Dakota Gives Day (Dec. 3).
29 days: Pierre Players’ “Arsenic and Old Lace” (Dec. 6-8, 12-14).
29 days: State oral interpretation tournament, Yankton (Dec. 6-7).
33 days: Riggs High band/choir concert (Dec. 10).
38 days: “Kennedy Center Honors,” CBS-TV (Dec. 15).
39 days: Georgia Morse Middle School band/choir concert (Dec. 16).
42 days: Democratic presidential candidates debate (Dec. 19).
48 days: Christmas Day (Dec. 25).
51 days: College football national semifinals (Dec. 28).
58 days: NFL playoffs begin (Jan. 4-5).
67 days: College football national championship game (Jan. 13).

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
Football—Friday, home for state semifinal vs. Mitchell, 7 p.m.
Volleyball—Thursday, home vs. Huron, 7 p.m.

Football: The Governors, who had beaten Spearfish 72-0 when they first met earlier in the season, handled the Spartans with ease again, winning 103-0 in the 11AA quarterfinal in Pierre. The size of the margin set the whole state on edge and brought down an avalanche of criticism on the Pierre coaches and football program. The game could not have started any worse for Spearfish. After 82 seconds had been played, Pierre already led 28-0. If that seems impossible, the Spartans turned the ball over three times. Garrett Stout ran back the opening kickoff 98 yards to get it going (7-0 at 11:47). After the first Spearfish turnover, Stout passed to Maguire Raske who passed to Regan Bollweg for a score (14-0 at 10:58). After Cade Hinkle intercepted a Spearfish pass on their first play, Stout passed to Bollweg for a 23-yard TD play (21-0 at 10:42). The Govs recovered a fumble on the subsequent kickoff return, and on the first play Stout passed to Josh Rowe for the score (28-0 at 10:33). Only two minutes later Stout passed to Raske for a 28-yard TD (35-0 at 8:30). Stout hit Raske for a score again late in the quarter (42-0 at 2:04). In the second period the Governors began substituting, but their offense could not be stopped. Stout scored from the 1, Raske from the 15 and then from the 16, Josh Rowe from the 17 and Raske from the 61 to make the score 75-0 at halftime. In the third period Rowe ran in from the 6 (82-0), then freshman quarterback Lincoln Kienholz scored from a yard out (89-0), scored again in the fourth period (96-0) and scored yet again (103-0). Stout carried five times for 54 yards and one TD and completed nine of 17 passes for 150 yards and five TDs. Raske carried 8 times for 118 yards and 3 TDs and caught 3 passes for 46 yards and two scores. Bollweg had two receptions for two TDs and 37 yards. Kienholz ran for 74 yards on 10 carries and scored three times. Rowe carried eight times for 68 yards and two scores. Pierre recovered five Spearfish fumbles.

Volleyball: The Governors defeated Mitchell, 3-0, on game scores of 25-15, 25-21, 25-22. Pierre’s record is 8-11 with one regular-season match remaining tonight vs. Huron.

Boys soccer: At a post-season meeting of the Governors team, awards were presented as follows: Varsity—most valuable players, Clay Alban and Cam Ahartz; defensive Player of the Year, Clay Alban; offensive Player of the Year, Carsten Miller; most improved, Jack Walsh; Academic All-State, Clay Alban, Jack Walsh, Sawyer Lee, Caden Davis; Junior Varsity—most valuable player, George Stalley; offensive Player of the Year, George Stalley; defensive Player of the Year, Cayden Morris; most improved, Weston Northrup.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Football: The Chargers had to fight for their lives in the 9A quarterfinals but outlasted Warner, 22-14, in a game that went down to the wire. Leading 6-0 (missed the extra point on their first touchdown) at halftime and down 7-6 with six minutes left in the third quarter, Sully Buttes converted a crucial fourth-down play from the Warner 31 when Nick Wittler ran 14 yards for a first down. From there he scored on the first play. On the try for the two-point conversion he passed to Raef Wientjes for a 14-7 Charger lead. Warner drove 85 yards, however, to tie the game with a 5-yard TD run with 7:22 left in the game. The next possession had crucial plays involved. The Chargers faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 29-yard line, but a false start penalty made it fourth-and-6, and Sully Buttes had to punt. But before the kick was made, the Chargers were called for too many men on the field, so they punted on a fourth-and-11, and Warner was in great position to move to a win, getting the ball at its own 48 with five minutes to go. But on the first play Grant Johnson forced the biggest fumble of the season, and the Chargers recovered at their own 48. Wittler ran 16 yards, then 9. On a third-and-1 Jordan Schall ran six yards, then Wittler ran 9. On a second-down play at the Monarchs’ 14, Wittler scored with 2:44 left, and he ran in the two-point conversion to make it 22-14. Sully Buttes tried a daring onsides kick, and it was successful when Johnson recovered. The Chargers were able to run out the clock. One of the key plays came on a fourth-and-2 at the 39 when Wittler passed to Johnson for a gain of five and a first down that clinched the victory. Wittler carried 39 times for 197 yards and passed for 118 yards, completing eight of 14.

This week’s schedules:
Football—Friday, home vs. Canistota-Freeman in state 9A semifinal, 7 p.m.
Volleyball—Thursday, at Ipswich in Region 2B semifinal, 7 p.m.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“Common sense is a flower that doesn’t grow in everyone’s garden.”

— TheMotivationHotel.com

HOCKEY UPDATE

North Dakota: The Hawks defeated Michigan Tech, 3-1, and are now 5-1-1 for the season. UND hosts Miami (Ohio) Friday at 7:30 and Saturday at 7 p.m., both on Midco Sports Network.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush lost all three games on a southern trip, 3-2 in overtime and 4-3 at Allen and 4-2 at Tulsa. After a home game vs. Idaho last night, Rapid City hosts Idaho again Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

Aberdeen Wings: Aberdeen won both weekend games at Chippewa Falls, Wis., 8-1 and 4-1. The Wings host Minot at 7:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd lost to Omaha, 4-0. Sioux Falls goes to Lincoln for a 7:05 p.m. face-off Saturday.

Minnesota Wild: After two losses to St. Louis, 2-1 and 4-3 in overtime, the Wild began a week-long western trip by overcoming a 2-0 deficit to win at Anaheim, 4-2, Tuesday. Now 5-9-1, Minnesota stays out west at San Jose Thursday (9:30 FSN), at Arizona Saturday (7:00 FSN) and at Los Angeles Tuesday (9:30 FSN).

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Force opens the season at Iowa Friday and at home vs. Salt Lake City Sunday.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves won at Washington, 131-109, and lost to Milwaukee, 134-106, this week. After a game against Memphis last night, Minnesota hosts Golden State Friday (7 p.m. FSN) and Denver Sunday (2:30 p.m. FSN) before going to Detroit Monday (6 p.m. FSN).

FOOTBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Vikings: In a game where the lead changed several times in the second half, it was a 27-yard punt at crunch time by the Vikings that set up Kansas City in easy reach of field-goal range. A field goal in the final second won it for the Chiefs, 26-23. Now 6-3, Minnesota is at Dallas at 7:20 p.m. Sunday on NBC.

Denver Broncos: Denver won at home over Cleveland, 24-19, and is now 3-6. The Broncos are idle until Nov. 17 at Minnesota.

NFL games on local TV this week (subject to change at networks’ discretion):
— Thursday: Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland, 7:20 p.m., Fox and NFL Network.
— Sunday: Atlanta at New Orleans, noon, Fox.
— Sunday: Detroit at Chicago, noon, CBS.
— Sunday: Carolina at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m., Fox.
— Sunday: Minnesota at Dallas, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
— Monday: Seattle at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.

College football update (record; last week’s score; this week’s opponent):
— USD 3-6: Lost to Western Illinois, 38-34; home vs. Youngstown State, 2 p.m.
— SDSU 7-2: Beat Missouri State 35-14; home vs. Illinois State, 2 p.m.
— NDSU 9-0: Beat Youngstown State 56-17; home vs. Western Illinois, 2:30 p.m.
— UND 5-3: Open date; at Weber State, 3 p.m.
— Northern 5-4: Beat Mary 49-21; vs. Minnesota-Crookston at Grand Forks, 7 p.m.
— Augustana 7-2: Beat Concordia-St. Paul 21-20; at Winona State, 1 p.m.
— USF 7-2: Beat Upper Iowa 47-10; home vs. Minnesota State, 1 p.m.
— Dakota State 4-5: Lost to Valley City State 30-18; at Presentation, 1 p.m.
— Presentation 1-8: Beat Mayville State 51-35; home vs. Dakota State, 1 p.m.
— S.D. Mines 2-7: Lost to Colorado Mines 49-28; at Chadron State, noon.
— Black Hills State 2-7: Lost to Western Colorado 42-21; at CSU-Pueblo, noon.
— DWU 1-8: Open date; home vs. Jamestown, 1 p.m.
— Minnesota 8-0: Open date; home vs. Penn State, 11 a.m.
— Nebraska 4-5: Lost to Purdue 34-27; open date.
— Iowa 6-2: Open date; at Wisconsin, 3 p.m.
— Iowa State 5-3: Open date; at Oklahoma, 7 p.m.
— Wyoming 6-2: Open date; at Boise State, 7:15 p.m.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK LIVE GAMES THIS WEEK

Friday: 11AAA semifinal, S.F. Roosevelt vs. S.F. O’Gorman, 6 p.m. (MSN2).
Friday: Men’s hockey, Miami (Ohio) at UND, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Football, Youngstown State at USD, 2 p.m.
Saturday: Football, Illinois State at SDSU, 2 p.m. (MSN2).
Saturday: Men’s hockey, Miami (Ohio) at UND, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Women’s basketball, Northern Illinois at NDSU, 1 p.m.
Monday: Men’s basketball, Cal Poly at NDSU, 1 p.m.
Tuesday: Volleyball, UND at NDSU, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Women’s basketball, Drake at USD, 7 p.m.

BASEBALL UPDATE

American Legion baseball: A sweeping change is coming to Class “A” Legion baseball in South Dakota next summer. The Legion athletic commission has caught the seeding-points bug that volleyball, basketball and football have succumbed to in South Dakota. The regional tournaments will exist no longer. Each “A” team must play a minimum of 14 games against other South Dakota “A” opponents. The seeding points will be figured only for games against those South Dakota “A” opponents. In lieu of the regionals, which allow teams statewide to be in a state tournament, teams will be seeded into a best-of-3 series with the winner advancing to the state tournament. The host team will still get an automatic bid into the state tourney. (Brandon Valley is the host team in 2020, and the Central Plains Regional will again be in Sioux Falls.) Taking out the host team, there will be 14 “A” teams remaining for the “super regional” best-of-three series with #1 hosting #14, #2 hosting #13, #3 hosting #12, etc. The new plan is said to be on a “trial basis.”

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour: At the second of three legs of the Charles Schwab Cup played at Thousand Oaks, Calif., Tom tied for 43rd place with a scorecard of 75-73-68=216, an even-par score, and earned 17,600 Schwab Cup points. He dropped from 31st place to 33rd in the Cup standings, but that’s okay because the top 36 advance to the final leg of the Cup at the Phoenix Country Club today through Sunday.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The Raiders clobbered Briar Cliff, 38-7 to stay undefeated at 8-0. Morris, freshman from Onida, had two solo tackles. Northwestern hosts Hastings at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Northwestern (Iowa) women’s soccer (Nikky Farnsworth): The Raider women are 9-9 at the end of the regular season. They defeated Jamestown, 2-1, as Nikky had three shots on goal and scored Northwestern’s goal at 12:49. In a 7-0 loss to perennial champion Hastings, she also had one shot. Nikky had 15 goals and three assists in conference play for 33 points. Northwestern became the fifth seed in the GPAC playoffs and played at Briar Cliff last night in the quarterfinals.

Northwestern (Iowa) men’s soccer (Cole Cruse): The Raiders finished the regular season at 9-8-1. They lost to Jamestown, 2-1, and lost to Hastings, 7-0. Cole got off one shot in each match. The Raider men earned the seventh seed in the GPAC playoffs and play at Hastings in the quarterfinals tonight (Thursday).

Augustana women’s basketball (Katie Bourk, Aislinn Duffy): The Vikings won an exhibition game over Minnesota-Morris, 91-56, Monday. Aislinn was 4-of-7 in field goals, including 1-of-1 in threes, for nine points with three rebounds. Augie is off until Nov. 16 at Truman State in Kirksville, Mo.

South Dakota State wrestling (Aric Williams): The Jackrabbits open the season Saturday at the Bison Open in Fargo.

South Dakota State cross country (Rachel Propst): The Jackrabbit women placed third at the Summit League meet in Fargo.

South Dakota State swimming (Ashley Theobald, Caleb Huizenga): At the USD quad-duals in Sioux Falls, the Jackrabbit men defeated St. Cloud State twice and Western Illinois once and lost to USD twice. The women beat St. Cloud State twice, USD twice and Western Illinois once and lost to Northern Iowa. Ashley tied for second in the 50-meter freestyle in 24.08, fourth in the 400 individual medley in 4:43.47 and second in the 100 IM in 59.32. She swam on the 200 free relay “A” team, which won its race in 1:35.96 and on the 400 free relay “B” team, placing 11th in 3:45.05. Caleb placed 10th in the 50 freestyle in 22.46 the first day and tied for 12th in that event in 22.30 the second day of the meet. He swam on the 400 medley “D” team, which placed 10th in 3:44.58; on the 200 free relay “B” team, placing fifth in 1:28.69 and on the 400 free relay “C” team, placing seventh in 3:16.46.

Dakota Wesleyan football (Lukas Chase): DWU, off last weekend, hosts Jamestown Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Bradley Dean): The Tigers swept their two games at the NAIA event at the Sanford Pentagon. DWU beat Dakota State, 80-62, then defeated Presentation, 95-62. In the latter game Brad got in for four minutes and went 1-for-2 in three-pointers for three points. DWU is off till next Wednesday at Dordt.

Dakota Wesleyan volleyball (Elena Svingen): The Tigers lost 3-1 matches to Midland and Concordia (Neb.). Elena had five digs against Midland and three digs in the other match. DWU took a 20-11 record into a match against Morningside last night.

Dakota State volleyball (Nicole Sarringar): DSU defeated Waldorf, 3-1, as Nicole had 21 assists, nine digs and one service ace. In a 3-1 loss to Viterbo, she had 14 assists, one ace and four digs. Now 17-11, the Trojans host Bellevue Friday.

Loyola men’s soccer (Sean Knoblauch): The Ramblers defeated Evansville, 1-0, and lost to unbeaten Missouri State, 2-1. Loyola ends the regular season Saturday at Valparaiso.

Texas A&M International women’s basketball (Nate Vogel): Nate’s team opens its season with a long road trip north to Chadron State Friday and to Black Hills State Saturday.

Augustana wrestling (Jebben Keyes): Jebben scored 24 team points for Augustana in the season-opening meet at Jamestown Saturday. In the 141-pound class Jebben won by pin over a Northern opponent in 1:17, won by pin over a Saskatchewan wrestler in 41 seconds, won by another pin in 1:13 in the quarterfinals over a Jamestown wrestler, won by pin in 1:12 over a Northern wrestler in the semifinals and lost in a 5:00 pin in the championship match to John Fox of York College, finishing in second place. The Vikings wrestle this Saturday at the DWU Open in Mitchell.

Black Hills State cross country (Kelsey Van Den Hemel): Some of the Yellow Jackets will run Saturday at the NCAA South Region meet in Canyon, Texas.

Black Hills State women’s soccer (Katie Nielson): BHSU lost to UC-Colorado Springs, 4-0, and lost to Metro State, 2-0, to end the regular season. Katie had five goals and one assist for 11 points this season and had 14 shots on goal. BHSU’s final record is 3-12-1.

Black HIlls State football (Shawn Schnabel): The Yellow Jackets fell to 2-7 with a 42-21 loss to Western Colorado. BHSU goes to CSU-Pueblo for a noon game Saturday.

Black HIlls State women’s basketball (Racquel Wientjes): The Yellow Jacket women open their season at home Friday vs. Texas A&M Kingsville and Saturday vs. Texas A&M International.

King’s College men’s soccer (August Axtman): In the last match of the regular season King’s defeated FDU-Florham, 1-0, in overtime, and Gus scored that winning goal at 92:18, giving him nine goals off 21 shots on goal this season. With a 14-4-1 record, King’s began the MAC tournament with a semifinal match last night against Stevens Institute of Technology. The finals are Saturday.

South Dakota women’s soccer (Joana Zanin, Emily Mikkelsen): The Coyotes tied Oral Roberts, 4-4, in double overtime. Joana had an assist on USD’s first goal, her second assist of the season. In a 2-0 win over Western Illinois Joana had two shots, one shot on goal. USD ends the regular season with a record of 8-9-2 overall and 3-3-2 in the Summit League.

South Dakota cross country (Maddy McClure): The Coyote women placed second behind NDSU at the Summit League meet in Fargo.

South Dakota volleyball (Brooklyn Bollweg): The Coyotes’ amazing season continues with a 24-1 record, the only loss coming to Iowa State back on Sept. 3. USD whipped South Dakota State, 3-0, Tuesday and hosts NDSU Friday. Brooklyn, the daughter of Harrold native Pat Bollweg and granddaughter of former Blunt resident Marcie Bourk, is a freshman from Harrisburg High School.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb, Ciara Duffy): The Coyotes, ranked #1 in the nation among mid-major schools, had a nail-biting season opener in Boston against Northeastern but won 80-76 Tuesday afternoon. Ciara was 7-of-12 in field goals (2-of-3 in three-pointers) and 6-of-7 in free throws for 22 points with five boards, a steal and five assists. Chloe went 4-of-8 (1-of-4 in threes) and 2-of-2 for 11 points with five rebounds and an assist. Six players scored for USD, the five starters in double figures. After leading most of the way, USD found itself trailing by 72-62 with 3:00 left but went on an amazing, resilient 11-0 run, climaxing with Chloe’s gutsy 3-pointer that put USD ahead 73-72. Ciara’s free throw made it 74-72, and after a takeaway by Hannah Sjerven, Chloe with 0:19 to go sank two free throws, completing a 14-0 run and giving the Yotes a 76-72 lead. Northeastern hit a three-pointer to close to within a point, but Ciara sank two free throws at 0:08, and after one Northeastern free throw, she hit two more for the final margin. The USD women play at Wisconsin-Green Bay at 1 p.m. Saturday, then return home to play Drake (#5 nationally in the mid-major poll) at 7 p.m. next Wednesday on Midco Sports Network.

Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): At Jamestown’s Jimmie Open Lincoln placed second in the 125-pound class. He won 4-2 over an Augustana wrestler in the first round, won by pin in 2:09 over a Northern wrestler in the quarterfinals and won by medical forfeit in the semifinals. In the championship match he lost a 13-4 major decision to Michael Suda of Augustana. Mary wrestles Thursday against Concordia-Moorhead, then goes to NDSU’s Bison Open Saturday.

Mary women’s soccer (Abigail Foster): The Marauders defeated Minnesota-Duluth, 4-0, and lost to St. Cloud State, 1-0, giving them a 9-8-2 record. Mary played Northern last night, hosts Minot State Friday and begins NSIC postseason play next Wednesday.

Mary volleyball (Korie Tetzlaff): The Marauders lost to Minot State, 3-0; lost to Northern, 3-0, and lost to MSU-Moorhead, 3-1, to fall to 1-24 or the season. Mary is home Friday vs. Augustana and Saturday vs. Wayne State.

Charleston volleyball (Jaxin Melby): It was a tough week for Charleston, losing to Urbana, 3-1; to Notre Dame College, 3-1, and to Wheeling, 3-0. Jaxin had one dig against Urbana, 10 assists and a dig in the Notre Dame game and eight kills and a dig against Wheeling. Now 8-19, Charleston plays at Concord (W.Va.) Friday, at Glenville State Saturday and at home Tuesday vs. West Virginia State.

Northern men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Wolves open the season in Oklahoma City against Southeastern Oklahoma State Friday and Southern Nazarene Saturday.

Northern women’s soccer (Tori Thorpe): Northern defeated Minnesota-Crookston, 6-1, and lost to Bemidji State, 1-0, for a 4-11-1 record. NSU ends the regular season with a match at Mary last night and at home vs. MSU-Moorhead Friday.

Northern football (Jacob Howard, Joe King, Colten Drageset, Gage Gehring): The Wolves defeated Mary, 49-21, for a 5-4 record. Jacob had one solo tackle. NSU plays Minnesota-Crookston at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

Presentation football (Michael Lyons): The Saints won their first game of the season, 51-35 over Mayville State, to improve to 1-8. PC ends the season with a 1 p.m. home game vs. Dakota State Saturday.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

“I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful, and too determined to be defeated.”

FOOTBALL CONTEST #12

Brian Hunhoff, one of the journalistically legendary brothers from Yankton, is making a mockery of our contests this fall. He had a 9-1 record last weekend, missing only Cleveland’s loss at Denver, to earn 10 points. At 8-2 for 9 points was Greg Dean, missing only Cleveland and the Vikings. At 7-3 for 8 points each were Eric James, Jon Boer and Nathan Vetter. When only five contestants earn points, consider it a win for the guy who chooses the games!

Contest #12 (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Saturday morning):
(1) LSU at Alabama
(2) Appalachian State at South Carolina
(3) Penn State at Minnesota
(4) Wyoming at Boise State
(5) Wake Forest at Virginia Tech
(6) Iowa at Wisconsin
(7) Kansas State at Texas
(8) Dartmouth vs. Princeton (at Yankee Stadium)
(9) NFL: Carolina at Green Bay
(10) NFL: Minnesota at Dallas

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

Nobody has asked me how to fix the “problem” the superiority of the Pierre Governors football team has caused. In the long run perhaps the SDHSAA and its member schools will do something, but what can we do in time to “save” Class 11AA for the teams that remain in time for Friday’s semifinals and next week’s championship game? I have the solutions so that nobody is unhappy, sad, embarrassed or outraged, including the state’s sports media and the hundreds of people who haven’t watched a football game all season but who saw the 103-0 score and immediately went berserk.

The following stipulations will take effect today because we want to be fair to everybody:

(1) Pierre will be allowed only one kickoff-return touchdown per game. After the Govs score on a kickoff return, any subsequent kickoff return can be advanced no farther than the 50-yard line. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(2) Pierre will not be allowed to have possession of the ball at any point in the first three minutes of a game. This will prevent the Govs’ scoring 28 points in the first 82 seconds like last week. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(3) All flags the officials throw will be for only penalties on the offense when Pierre has the ball and for only penalties on the defense when the opponent has the ball. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(4) In any set of downs Pierre will be allowed to throw a pass only once in every four plays. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(5) Garrett Stout and Maguire Raske cannot be allowed on the field at the same time. When Pierre is on offense, only one of them can play at any point, not both of them. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(6) If Pierre has a lead of more than 14 points, whenever the Governors reach the opponent’s red zone, the opponent on defense can bring onto the field their starters, their reserves, anybody else who rode the bus to the game and perhaps the bus itself. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(7) Grey Zabel is allowed to make no more than three tackles in a half. Any tackle he makes after three will result in an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(8) Pierre’s offensive line can include no more than one senior on any one play. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(9) If any freshman scores more than once, he is ineligible for the rest of the game and can be replaced only by an eighth grader or younger. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(10) The present rule for requiring 10 yards to gain a first down will apply only to the opponent. In Pierre’s case it will be first-and-20 each time the Governors earn a first down. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(11) If at any point Pierre’s lead grows to 21 points, the game will be stopped so that the cheerleaders for both teams can run a relay race around the track. If the opponent’s cheerleaders win, 7 points will be deleted from the current Pierre score. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(12) Pierre will be allowed only three plays to make a first down instead of four. The opponent will still be given four as per the rules currently in place. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(13) If Pierre’s lead grows any larger than 28 points, Coach Steele will immediately be escorted by authorities to a heated bus to undergo a therapy session. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(14) If all else fails and Pierre still wins, when reporting the score to the Argus Leader, Pierre’s score must be cut in half. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

(15) If Pierre should lose its game this week or next, a state holiday will be declared in all counties except Hughes. After all, we want to make it fair for everybody.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Nov. 7:
Kyle Sarringar, Sue Gannaway, Cathy Wellner, Michelle (Wattier) Kezar, Kayla Nagle, Blair (Simon) Picchietti, Maari (Sweetman) LaBrie.
— 10th anniversary, Dustin/Kayla (Trebesch) Dowling.
— 10th anniversary, Tim/Rachel Schmidt.
— 4th anniversary, Ryan/Beth (Feist) Baloun.

Friday, Nov. 8:
Laura Marsh, Molly Genzler, Connie Blair, Rick Cronin, Jeff Everson, Shaun Keller, Conner Kramer.
— 5th anniversary, Terry/Yutzil (Rodriguez) Becker.

Saturday, Nov. 9:
Tom Denton, Zach Merrill, Paula Weeldreyer, Bryan Konechne, Sara Messbarger, Matt Picchietti, Susan Lamb, Jami Beck, Dana (Halverson) Gloe, Mike Currier, Katie Gourneau, Colleen Jensen.
— 7th anniversary, Daniel/Alexis (Fanger) Timmons.

Sunday, Nov. 10:
Mark Lauseng, Patty McGee, Steve Gardner, Royce Volker, Garrett Pochop, Anne (Rounds) Harrington, Ryan Noyes, Sara (Dvorak) Becker, Kyle Kafka, Aaron Laudermith.
— 2nd anniversary, Eric/Katherine (Adam) Davenport.

Monday, Nov. 11:
Carson Wyly, Sam Molseed, Danielle Trujllo, Rosa Iverson, Ellie Ripley, Scott Gibson, Vicki Warne, Jennifer Finley.
— 2nd anniversary, Jim/Michelle (Wattier) Kezar.

Tuesday, Nov. 12:
Greg Vogel, Andy Jockheck, Melissa (Van Duzer) Edeburn, Anita Nicholas, Bergan Murphy, Grady Johnson, MIke Fouts.

Wednesday, Nov. 13:
Aaron Clark, Casey Buechler, Jay Carroll, Shanna Peterson, Tanner Foth, Barb (Hoover) Olson, Clark Kraemer, Ann (Sutera) Hepker, Courtney (Donnan) Vanden Berg, Shelli Ness, Colin Alexander.

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

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Crystal Ortbahn was one of 18 education volunteers with Peace Corps Uganda who had their close-of-service conference in Entebbe recently. The three-day conference allowed the volunteers to reflect on their two-year terms of service, discuss future career options, think through the next steps in their lives and discuss such topics as how to bid farewell to their Uganda people and how to apply to colleges.

A welcome-home party for Chris Maxwell (husband of the former Molly Weisgram) will be held at Drifters from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday. Chris is scheduled to speak at 8:30. This is a family event to which kids are welcome.

Rodger Hartley and his wife, Joanna Lawler, are part of the cast of “Book of Days,” the second show of the season at Black Hills Community Theatre. The play runs on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons from Nov. 8 through 24.

At the Rogue Theatre in Tucson, Ariz., Ryan Parker Knox and fellow cast members open a three-week run of Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” tonight (Thursday). The show runs through Nov. 24 there. Ryan plays Charles Condomine, a novelist who invites a spiritualist to hold a seance in his home. Inadvertently the ghost of his first wife is summoned. Charles can see her, but his second wife cannot. The ghost is a jealous one, so chaos ensues.

A 90-minute workshop on writing unique and creative family Christmas letters is being offered through Capital University Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m. both this Sunday, Nov. 10, and next week, Nov. 17. The cost is $21. For details or to register, call CUC at 773-2160.

Governor sports teams lost a big fan this week. Mark Zabel’s father, Denny Zabel, 77, Selby, passed away Nov. 2 at Mobridge Regional Hospital. The funeral service is being held this morning (Thursday) at 10 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Selby. Mr. Zabel grew up on a farm southwest of Selby. He started working at his parents’ implement dealership as a teen-ager, then took over the business and ran it until 1992. He married the former Karol Bieber in 1962, and they spent 57 years together. He passed away one day short of his 78th birthday. He is survived by his wife; two sons, Mark Zabel and his wife Tanna of Pierre and Matt Zabel and his wife Ianthe of Edina, Minn.; seven grandchildren, and a sister, Diane Stroh of Selby.

Abe Storms, who lives in Bismarck and works for the North Dakota National Guard; his sister and a friend ran in the New York City Marathon and raised money for Project Purple, the fight against pancreatic cancer.

The beginning of Matt Blake’s venture into politics is a rousing success. He was the top vote-getter among six candidates vying for three open seats on the city council at Urbandale, Iowa, in Tuesday’s election. Urbandale is a major suburb on the west side of Des Moines.

Among the Riggs High students who reached the final round of Pierre’s home oral interpretation tournament last Saturday, these were their results: Ruben Bowen, fourth of 23 in varsity humorous; Addisyn Gruis, first of 17 in varsity oratory; Xzaria Henderson, second of 17 in varsity oratory; Abbie Pillen, fifth of 23 in varsity humorous; Kaitlyn Pitlick, fourth of 17 in varsity oratory; Xzania Henderson and Jack Ferris, first of 19 in varsity duet. Savannah Shrake also placed first of nine in varsity storytelling.

Seb and Carol Axtman’s grandsons John and Eric, who are the sons of Greg and Sarah (Adam) Axtman of Harrisburg Pa., are soccer players like their older brother, August, who plays college soccer. John and Eric were part of the Central Dauphin High School team in Harrisburg, and with a record of 20-1-1, they were one of 16 teams qualifying for the statewide Pennsylvania playoffs. In their first-round match at Hershey against Central Bucks West (11-7-5) Tuesday night, however, they lost a gut-wrenching playoff opener, 1-0 in double overtime to end their season.

George Tapken, 91, Alpena, died Oct. 29 at Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center in Wessington Springs. His funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at Zion Lutheran Church in Wessington Springs. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) with a prayer service at 6:30 at Welter Funeral Home in Huron. Mr. Tapken was a farmer in Jerauld County and a devoted member of Zion Lutheran Church. Among his survivors are three daughters, Janice Christensen of Huron, Julie Linn and her husband Bernie of Pierre, and Jackie Bolster and her husband Dan of Drummond, Mont.; 12 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; his sister, Thelma Hansen, and his brother, Norm Tapken.

From among six entries Adam Venner, who is executive chef at the Deadwood Social Club, won People’s Choice honors and won first place at the Taste of Elegance pork competition sponsored by the South Dakota Pork Council.

Students of the Month at the Stanley County middle and high schools: grade 6, Valdyn Wessels; grade 7, Kaysen Magee; grade 8, Justin Kuper; grade 9, Max Scott; grade 10, Taylee Stroup; grade 11, Tracy Nielsen; grade 12, Amy Johnson.

Pierre native Cody Coppess and his wife, Mandi, who live in Minneapolis, became parents for the first time on Nov. 3. Their daughter, Dakota Sky Coppess, weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce, and measured 23 inches.

Roger Pries, who was head coach of the Pierre Governors boys basketball team for 21 seasons from 1958 to 1979, died of bone cancer Nov. 1 at the age of 84. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, with a prayer service at 7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Pries’ Governor teams won 193 games and lost 90 and qualified for the state “A” tournament 10 times. His last team in the 1978-79 won Pierre’s first state title since Paul Marschalk’s team had won in 1944.

Will Mortenson has announced a campaign kickoff event for next week. He will be a candidate for one of the two District 24 seats in the state House of Representatives.

Georgia McFarland, 85, died Oct. 13 at Rapid City Regional Hospital. A time of sharing will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis. A celebration of her life begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church in Belle Fourche. Georgia’s family moved to Fort Meade when she was 14 years old. She graduated from high school in Sturgis in 1952 and married Glenn McFarland that fall. They ranched in west-central South Dakota until 1976 when they moved to the Belle Fourche area. After her husband’s death Georgia lived in Spearfish and Rapid City, then moved to Maryhouse in Pierre in 2017. She is survived by five children, Mike McFarland and his wife Nancy in Wyoming, Kraig McFarland and his wife Marcy in Oklahoma, Gini Grannes and her husband Tom in Pierre, Carol McKee and her husband Randy in Illinois, and Ranae Haglund and her husband Brian in South Dakota; 13 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren, and two sisters, Connie Grundel in Minnesota and Edith Knutson in Washington.

Margo (West) Northrup was sworn into office as a Sixth Judicial Circuit judge by Chief Justice David Gilbertson in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda last Friday.

Pierre native Jason Culberson, chief of the Rapid City Fire Department’s EMS division, received the South Dakota EMS Association’s President’s Award at the 2019 EMS conference in Aberdeen last week. He was chosen for his work in creating the Mobile Medic Program in Rapid City.

Named Athlete of the Week last week by the Pierre Athletic Coaches Association were Jessica Lutmer of the cross country team and Chase Sattgast of the football team.

Grant Gormley, 72, died Oct. 30 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at the Isburg Funeral Chapel with a prayer service at 6 p.m. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. As a child Grant lived in LaCrosse and Racine in Wisconsin and in Choteau, Mont., where he graduated from high school in 1965. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Chicago, a master’s in education at the University of Wisconsin and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Montana. He taught at West St. Paul and Duluth and later at the University of Sioux Falls and Capital University Center in Pierre. Grant and Anne McQuillen were married in 1972 and moved to Pierre in 1977. He worked as an attorney for the Department of Legislative Audit, then joined the office of the attorney general. He moved to the governor’s office in 1987 and served under governors Mickelson and Miller. In 1995 he returned to the attorney general’s office and served there until retiring in 2006. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Anne Gormley of Pierre; his son, Joe Gormley in Sioux Falls; his daughter, Ellen Hopper and her husband Jesse in Watertown; three grandchildren; his sister, Gwen Brott and her husband Joe of Deer Lodge, Mont., and many other relatives.

Tara Adamski, who has practiced law in Pierre for more than 20 years since her graduation from the USD law school in 1996, has been appointed as a magistrate judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit. She will be based in Fort Pierre when she begins work in her new position in late December.

Emily Mertes, who became the first strings player from Pierre to be selected for All-State Orchestra in more than 40 years, has been named Warrior of the Month. The honor goes to a Riggs High student each month under the sponsorship of the South Dakota Army National Guard. An interesting note about Emily: She grew up in the vibrant strings program in Rapid City. When she moved to Pierre, she had to be part of a school instrumental program in order to be considered for All-State Orchestra. So she joined the band and became a string bass player, something well out of her comfort zone as a violinist.

Charles “Chuck” Kohler, long-time owner of the Country Kitchen restaurant, died Oct. 31 at Avera Health in Sioux Falls due to complications from a pulmonary embolism. He was 62. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at Calvary United Pentecostal Church with a memorial service there at 2. Then there will be a luncheon at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center. Chuck grew up in Brookings. He came to Pierre in 1978 and became owner of the restaurant. In 1981 he married the former Joan Opbroek. He is survived by his wife; their children, Bethany Peters and her husband Kirk, Steven Kohler and his wife DeLacie, and Lisa Park and her husband Dan; seven grandchildren; his mother, Phyllis Kohler; his brothers, Jim, Paul and Tom Kohler, and his sister, Nancy Stubbs.

First Congregational United Church of Christ will be serving its annual fall pheasant feed from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, at the church located at the corner of Highland and Prospect avenues. The cost is $7 for age 13 and older and $5 for age 12 and under. Take-out meals will be available. The menu includes pheasant and gravy, wild rice, peas, buns and dessert.