THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“This holiday, may we all remember Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words, ‘What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.’ So move forward. Take it day by day. You’ve got this. You are capable of manifesting your best holiday season.”
— Maria Shriver

STATE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES

Class B: Warner 3, Colman-Egan 0.
Class A: Sioux Falls Christian 3, Garretson 0.
Class AA: Sioux Falls O’Gorman 3, Sioux Falls Washington 2.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Gymnastics: at Huron quadrangular.
— FRIDAY
Boys wrestling: at Mandan invitational.
— SATURDAY
Boys wrestling: at Mandan invitational.
Girls wrestling: at Clark-Willow Lake invitational.
Gymnastics: at Sioux Falls Lincoln invitational.

Volleyball: The first Pierre team to make the state tournament since 2016 lost all three games there and finished in eighth place, completing a season in which their overall record was 16-8. Jenna Bush and Addison Cumbow are the only seniors who will be lost by the team via graduation. In the quarterfinal round Pierre had a 2-0 lead on Brandon Valley but lost a close third set as well as the final two to go down by 3-2. Lily Sanchez had 13 kills and 26 assists, Ayvrie Kaiser 11 kills and 26 digs, Reese Terwilliger 11 kills and Addison Cumbow 25 digs. The set scores were 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 17-25, 11-25. In the consolation semifinals Pierre lost to Huron, 3-1, on close set scores of 18-25, 25-14, 23-25, 21-25. Kaiser had 16 kills, Terwilliger 10 kills, Makenna Schlekeway 10 kills, Sanchez 32 assists and 16 digs and Cumbow 18 digs. In the seventh-place match Harrisburg swept Pierre, 3-0, on set scores of 11-25, 24-26, 21-25. Kaiser had 10 kills in that match.

Volleyball: Ayvrie Kaiser of the Governors was selected for the volleyball All-State second team.

Football: Governor junior quarterback Lincoln Kienholz was named to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader Elite 45 honor football team, which the newspaper sports staff considers the top 45 players in the state regardless of school classification. The Argus wrote, “Kienholz is rewriting the record books for the Governors, and he’s only a junior. He threw for more than 3,000 yards and ran for more than 1,000. As the Governors edged the previously unbeaten Tea Area 30-27 in the championship game, Kienholz threw for 347 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 190 yards with two scores in that game. ‘Plain and simple, Lincoln is the best player on the football field in about, if not every, game this season,’ Pierre coach Steve Steele said. ‘There are so many things he does in a game that don’t have statistical value, on top of the many that do. He’s a born leader and has the intangibles to take over a game at a moment’s notice.'” Governor players Christian Busch and Jack Merkwan were named to the Elite 45 honorable mention list.

Football: Four members of the state 11AA champion Pierre Governors earned All-State first-team status from the South Dakota Football Coaches Association. Making the All-State team were quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, wide receiver Jack Merkwan, defensive lineman Jaden Flor and defensive back Jacob Mayer. Named to the honorable mention list were Jayden Wiebe and Christian Busch.

Basketball: This year the basketball schedules of the Pierre boys and girls teams do not contain the traditional home-and-home matchups between the Governors and their long-time ESD Conference rivals. Instead, Pierre plays each of those schools only once, opening up the chance for each of the Pierre teams to play all five Sioux Falls schools and the Black Hills schools. In addition, the boys have a game against Winner, the girls take on Lakota Tech, and both Pierre teams play Bismarck. Quite a varied and interesting winter lies just ahead! Here are the schedules for the two Pierre varsity teams:

PIERRE BOYS BASKETBALL
Dec. 10: at Rapid City Stevens, 7 p.m.
Dec. 11: at Rapid City Central, 1:30 p.m.
Dec. 17: Sturgis, 7 p.m.
Dec. 18: Spearfish, 2 p.m.
Jan. 6: Sioux Falls Lincoln, 7 p.m.
Jan. 8: at Sioux Falls Washington, 7 p.m.
Jan. 11: at Winner, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 13: Mitchell, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20: Douglas, 7 p.m.
Jan. 21: Brandon Valley, 7 p.m.
Jan. 25: Aberdeen Central, 7 p.m.
Jan. 28: at Sioux Falls O’Gorman, 7 p.m.
Jan. 29: at Harrisburg, 3 p.m.
Feb. 4: Yankton, 7 p.m.
Feb. 8: at Huron, 7 p.m.
Feb. 11: at Bismarck, 7 p.m.
Feb. 17: at Brookings, 7 p.m.
Feb. 18: Watertown, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22: Sioux Falls Jefferson, 7 p.m.
Feb. 26: at Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 7 p.m.

PIERRE GIRLS BASKETBALL
Dec. 10: Rapid City Stevens, 7 p.m.
Dec. 11: Rapid City Central, 2 p.m.
Dec. 17: at Sturgis, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 18: at Spearfish, 2 p.m.
Jan. 4: at Sioux Falls Lincoln, 7 p.m.
Jan. 8: Sioux Falls Washington, 4 p.m.
Jan. 11: Lakota Tech, 7 p.m.
Jan. 14: at Mitchell, 7 p.m.
Jan. 18: at Douglas, 7 p.m.
Jan. 21: at Brandon Valley, 7 p.m.
Jan. 25: at Aberdeen Central, 7 p.m.
Jan. 28: Sioux Falls O’Gorman, 7 p.m.
Feb. 1: Harrisburg, 7 p.m.
Feb. 11: Bismarck, 7 p.m.
Feb. 15: Brookings, 7 p.m.
Feb. 18: at Watertown, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22: at Sioux Falls Jefferson, 7 p.m.
Feb. 26: Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 2 p.m.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Wrestling: at Lyman.
Gymnastics: at Huron quadrangular.
— SATURDAY
Wrestling: home for Stanley County invitational.
— TUESDAY
Girls basketball: home vs. Chamberlain.

Football: The Buffaloes’ offensive lineman Stran Scott was named to the Class 9AA All-State football team by the South Dakota Football Coaches Association.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— SATURDAY
Wrestling: at Stanley County invitational.
— TUESDAY
Girls basketball: at Ipswich.

Football: Charger senior defensive lineman Jesse Schall was named to the Class 9B All-State team by the South Dakota Football Coaches Association. Schall also was named to the honorable mention list of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader Elite 45 honor football team.

COUNTDOWN

Tonight: “Annie” live, NBC-TV (Dec. 2).
1 day: Pierre wrestling opener at Mandan invitational (Dec. 3-4).
1 day: State oral interpretation festival, Huron (Dec. 3-4).
1 day: “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” events, Onida (Dec. 3).
2 days: Pie Day at the Capitol (Dec. 4).
2 days: Fort Pierre community tree-lighting events (Dec. 4).
4 days: Stanley County middle school concert (Dec. 6).
5 days: People’s Choice Awards, NBC-TV (Dec. 7).
8 days: Pierre girls basketball openers home vs. Stevens and Central (Dec. 10-11).
8 days: Pierre boys basketball openers at Stevens and Central (Dec. 10-11).
9 days: Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers concert, Riggs theater (Dec. 11).
11 days: Riggs High band/choir concert (Dec. 13).
11 days: Stanley County elementary concert (Dec. 13).
14 days: Sully Buttes grades 6-12 concert (Dec. 16).
16 days: Oahe Capitals boys home league openers (Dec. 18-19).
16 days: Surprise Package choral group Christmas concerts (Dec. 18-19).
18 days: Georgia Morse Middle School band/choir concert (Dec. 20).
20 days: “Kennedy Center Honors,” CBS-TV (Dec. 22).
23 days: Christmas Day (Dec. 25).
29 days: College football national semifinals (Dec. 31).

WORDS OF WISDOM

“For though my faith is not yours and your faith is not mine, if we are each free to light our own flame, together we can banish some of the darkness of the world.”
— Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Dakota State volleyball (Nicole Sarringar): In the first round of the NAIA tournament, DSU lost to Grand View in Des Moines, 3-1. Nicole had one kill, 15 assists and 14 digs, finishing the season with a 21-9 record.

South Dakota State swimming (Morgan Nelson): At the Augustana invitational Morgan placed eighth in the 100-meter breast stroke event in 1:05.35 and 15th in the 200 breast in 2:29.38. She swam on the SDSU 400-meter relay team, which placed second in 3:48.70, and swam on the SDSU “C” team in the 200 medley relay, which placed second in 1:48.95. SDSU swimmers are off now until a dual against St. Cloud State on Jan. 15.

Morningside bowling (Alex Badger): The Mustangs have been idle the past few weeks. They return to the lanes Saturday and Sunday at their own invitational tournament.

Missouri Valley Football Conference final standings: NDSU 7-1, Missouri State 6-2, USD 5-3, SDSU 5-3, Southern Illinois 5-3, Northern Iowa 4-4, UND 3-5, Indiana State 3-5, Illinois State 2-6, Youngstown State 2-6, Western Illinois 2-6.

South Dakota football: The Coyotes lost their regular-season finale at North Dakota State, 52-24, but were still selected for the FCS playoffs. However, at home Saturday USD lost to Southern Illinois, 22-10, finishing the season with a 7-5 record.

North Dakota State football (Grey Zabel): The Bison won the last game of the regular season, 52-24 over USD, then earned a bye through the first round of the FCS playoffs. They will be at home Saturday in the second round for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff against Southern Illinois. NDSU’s record is 10-1.

South Dakota State football (Regan Bollweg): With UND driving the field late in the game, SDSU intercepted a pass to save a 24-21 win over the Fighting Hawks in the regular-season windup two weeks ago. In the first round of the FCS playoffs the Jackrabbits dominated UC-Davis in Brookings, 56-24. SDSU takes a 9-3 record to Sacramento State for an 8 p.m. CST kickoff Saturday in the second round.

Northern State track-field (Rachel Guthmiller): The Wolves open their indoor season this weekend at the SDSU Open.

Black Hills State track-field (Frank Becker): The Yellowjackets open the indoor season at a home meet this weekend.

Mount Marty men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Lancers lost five straight games over the past two weeks and now stand at 3-9. In an 82-74 loss to Briar Cliff, Lincoln was 4-of-6 (0-of-1 in threes) and 0-of-0 for eight points with five rebounds, a block and two assists. In an 87-67 loss to Hastings, Lincoln was 6-of-9 and 1-of-2 for 13 points with six boards and a block. MMC lost to DWU, 67-55, as Lincoln went 5-of-10 for 10 points with five rebounds, a block and an assist. Bellevue beat Mount Marty, 73-66, as Lincoln was 6-of-9 and 1-of-2 for 13 points with one rebound. On Sunday MMC lost to Dakota State, 68-64, as Lincoln was 3-of-8 and 1-of-2 for seven points with two boards and an assist. The Lancers hosted Midland last night, then plays at Morningside Saturday and at Concordia next Wednesday.

Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): The Marauders placed six men at Nebraska-Kearney’s meet. Next on the Mary schedule are a dual against Concordia (Minn.) Thursday and the Dragon Open at MSU-Moorhead Saturday.

South Dakota Mines track-field (Erick Colman): Mines’ indoor season doesn’t open until the BHSU invitational Jan. 29-30.

Dakota State track-field (Houston Lunde): DSU’s indoor season starts this weekend at the SDSU Open.

Dakota Wesleyan wrestling (Tyson Johnson): DWU had one placer at the Nebraska-Kearney meet and also lost a dual to Northwestern (Iowa), 28-18. After duals against Hastings and Concordia (Neb.) last night, the Tigers go to the Doane Open in Crete, Neb., Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan track-field (Cobey Carr, Morgan Oedekoven, Abbigail Ferris): The Tiger teams open their indoor season this weekend at the SDSU Open.

Augustana track-field (Elizabeth Schaefer): The Vikings’ indoor season starts at the SDSU Open this weekend.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb): The Coyotes are 3-4 after a rugged November schedule to open the season. USD defeated Briar Cliff, 83-35, as Chloe was 6-of-10 (1-of-5 in threes) and 2-of-2 for 15 points with three rebounds, a steal and an assist. USD went 1-2 in three games at the U.S. Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving weekend. In a 73-57 loss to Northwestern of the Big 10, Chloe was 10-of-16 (5-of-7) and 0-of-0 for 25 points with three boards, two assists, two steals and a block. In a 58-44 loss to Texas A&M of the SEC, she was 3-of-11 (1-of-7) and 0-of-0 for seven points and had three rebounds, two steals and four assists. She finished the tournament with a 30-point performance as the Coyotes defeated Pittsburgh of the ACC, 72-61, in overtime. Chloe was 12-of-23 in field goals for the game and had 10 of her 30 points in overtime. She also had three assists and three rebounds. USD is home vs. Wichita State Saturday and Bradley Monday with both games on Midco Sports Network.

Augustana women’s basketball (Katie Bourk): The Vikings defeated Minnesota-Morris, 86-55; lost to Wayne State, 73-61, and bested Briar Cliff, 77-64. Now 3-1, Augie hosts Sioux Falls tonight (Thursday) on Midco Sports Network and goes to Southwest Minnesota State for a Saturday game.

South Dakota State women’s basketball: The Jackrabbits won over Montana State, 78-49; lost to Creighton, 67-55; lost to Massachusetts, 81-63; and defeated #19 UCLA, 76-66. A game against Charlotte to complete their Florida tourney trip was canceled. Now 3-4, SDSU plays at Northern Iowa Saturday and is home vs. Missouri State Monday on MS2.

South Dakota State track-field (Addy Eisenbeisz): The Jackrabbits open their indoor season in a dual against USD Sunday.

South Dakota volleyball (Brooklyn Bollweg): The Coyotes won the Summit League tournament on their home floor in Vermillion. USD, after beating UND 3-0 and NDSU 3-2 in the last two regular-season matches, had a bye into the tourney semifinals. There they met SDSU, which had ousted Denver in their quarterfinal match. USD beat SDSU 3-2 to move into the finals against top-seeded Omaha. The Coyotes won the first two sets, then roared to a big lead and held on to win the third set, 25-16, for a 3-0 sweep. USD will be in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. The Coyotes will open the NCAA in Minneapolis by playing the #12 national seed Minnesota. Should USD upset the Gophers, the Coyotes would next take on the winner of Stanford vs. Iowa State.

Augustana football (Jett Lamb, Colton Hartford): The Vikings, who had beaten Bemidji State during the regular season by 52-24, lost to Bemidji in the first round of the Division II playoffs, 28-24. Augie was down at halftime, 21-10; took a 24-21 lead after three quarters but gave up a fourth-quarter touchdown to the Beavers. Augustana’s best season in quite awhile ended with a 9-3 record.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Nick Wittler): The Tigers lost to Jamestown, 77-67, as Nick was 5-of-6 (2-of-3 in threes) and 0-of-0 for 12 points with two rebounds, two assists and two steals. DWU beat Dakota State, 69-59, and Nick was 3-of-7 (2-of-4) and 0-o-f0 for eight points. In a 67-55 win over Mount Marty, Nick was 3-of-8 (3-of-6 in threes) and 1-of-2 for 10 points with four boards, a steal and an assist. DWU lost twice at a holiday classic in Billings. In a 75-69 loss to Rocky Mountain, Nick was 5-of-15 (3-of-8) and 0-of-0 for 13 points with three rebounds. In a 78-50 loss to Montana-Western, he was 4-of-15 (1-of-9) and 0-of-0 for nine points with five rebounds, three steals and an assist. DWU, now 4-6, is home Friday vs. Hastings and Saturday vs. Doane.

South Dakota men’s basketball (Max Burchill): The Coyotes beat Southern 71-68, beat Tennessee State 83-66, won over Presentation 99-58, lost to Nebraska 83-70 and lost at San Jose State 61-52. In the Presentation game Max was 3-of-4 (1-of-2 in threes) and 4-of-4 for 11 points with one rebound and one assist. At Nebraska he was 1-of-2 (1-of-1) and 0-of-0 for three points with one assist. Now 4-3, USD will be home vs. Waldorf (Iowa) Friday and on the road to Northern Colorado next Tuesday.

Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The Raiders won their NAIA playoffs first-round game over Central Methodist (Mo.), 24-7. In their quarterfinal home game the Raiders defeated Marian (Ind.), 25-20, to improve to 12-1 for the season. In the national semifinals Northwestern goes down the road to Sioux City to play #2 national seed Morningside Saturday at noon.

South Dakota State men’s basketball: The Jackrabbits are 7-2. In the past two weeks they have wins over Montana State 91-74, Presentation 99-62, Nevada 102-75, George Mason 80-76 and Prairie View A&M 99-90 while losing to Washington by 87-76. SDSU is home vs. Minnesota-Morris on Friday and on the road at Idaho next Wednesday.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“When a child is allowed to become a vigilante without recourse, we are forced to confront the idols of our society—guns, violence and white supremacy. To be sure, this is not about one person but indeed about all of us together. Today’s acquittal is an injustice. It points to the disorder in which we all live. As we seek to restore justice, so also will we restore God to God’s rightful place at the center of our life together.”
— The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) following the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse from all charges in regard to the killings in Kenosha, Wis.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Sioux Falls Skyforce: After a break the Skyforce returned to action and lost twice to Cleveland, 115-111 and 113-110. Sioux Falls is home vs. Fort Wayne Friday and Saturday, then is home vs. Motor City Tuesday and Wednesday.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves are actually off to a decent start this season. In the past two weeks they compiled a five-game winning streak and now they have won seven of their last eight games, beating Sacramento 107-978, San Antonio 115-90, Memphis 138-95, New Orleans 110-96, Miami 113-101, Philadelphia 121-120 in double overtime and Indiana 100-98 while losing only to Charlotte 133-115. The Wolves, after a game at Washington last night, play at Brooklyn Friday, then home against Houston Monday and Utah next Wednesday.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

— NFL games on local TV this weekend (subject to change by the networks):
* Thursday: Dallas at New Orleans, 7:20 p.m., Fox and NFL Network.
* Sunday: Minnesota at Detroit, noon, CBS.
* Sunday: Arizona at Chicago, noon, Fox.
* Sunday: Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m., CBS.
* Sunday: San Francisco at Seattle, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
* Monday: New England at Buffalo, 7:15 p.m., ESPN.

— Could it possibly be that Nebraska will have some degree of good luck next fall and have a satisfactory, if not perfect, football season? A check at the 2022 Husker schedule indicates that perhaps Nebraska could, with a little good fortune, be 4-1 after the first five games. In the crossover Big 10 schedule, Nebraska avoids Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State from the other division, and that’s a good thing. Here is the 2022 Nebraska slate: Aug. 22, Northwestern (in Dublin, Ireland); Sept. 3, North Dakota; Sept. 10, Georgia Southern; Sept. 17, Oklahoma; Sept. 24, at Rutgers; Oct. 1, Indiana; Oct. 15, at Michigan; Oct. 22, Minnesota; Nov. 5, at Wisconsin; Nov. 12, Purdue; Nov. 19, Illinois; Nov. 25, at Iowa.

— Next fall’s Minnesota football schedule shows that the Gophers get to avoid playing both Ohio State and Michigan from the Big 10’s Eastern Division. Good news! Five of the first six games are at home, too. Minnesota ends with a pair of tough road games, however. Here is the 2022 Minnesota schedule: Sept. 1, New Mexico State; Sept. 10, Western Illinois; Sept. 17, Colorado; Sept. 24, Iowa; Oct. 1, Rutgers; Oct. 8, at Illinois; Oct. 15, Purdue; Oct. 22, at Nebraska; Nov. 5, at Michigan State; Nov. 12, Northwestern; Nov. 19, at Penn State; Nov. 26, at Wisconsin.

FCS playoffs update:
The eight games of the second round will be played this weekend—two on Friday night and six on Saturday. Here is this weekend’s bracket:
Upper left bracket:
Incarnate Word at Sam Houston State
Tennessee-Martin at Montana State
Lower left bracket:
Holy Cross at Villanova
South Dakota State at Sacramento State
Upper right bracket:
Southeast Louisiana at James Madison
Eastern Washington at Montana
Lower right bracket:
Kennesaw State at East Tennessee State
Southern Illinois at North Dakota State

Minnesota Vikings: As usual the Vikings games came down to the last minute. Minnesota defeated Green Bay, 34-31, to move into the sixth of the seven NFC playoff spots, but that went away Sunday in a 34-26 loss to San Francisco, the team that had had the same record as Minnesota. The Vikings are now 5-6 and play at Detroit Sunday at noon.

FOOTBALL CONTEST #17

In our Contest #15 Mikal Kern posted a 9-1 record for 10 points. At 8-2 for nine points was Thomas Voeltz. At 7-3 for eight points apiece were Kyle Richards and Eric James.

In our Contest #16 Dawn Magee and Greg Dean rang the bell with 8-2 marks for 10 points. At 7-3 for nine points were Eric James and Nathan Vetter. At 6-4 for eight points was Mikal Kern.

Here is our Contest #17 for this week. Everyone is welcome to send his or her picks for these 10 games to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by FRIDAY afternoon:
College championship games:
(1) PAC-12: Utah vs. Oregon.
(2) ACC: Pittsburgh vs. Wake Forest.
(3) SEC: Georgia vs. Alabama.
(4) Big 12: Oklahoma State vs. Baylor.
(5) AAC: Houston at Cincinnati.
(6) Mountain West: Utah State at San Diego State.
(7) Big 10: Michigan vs. Iowa.
FCS second-round playoffs:
(8) Southern Illinois at NDSU.
(9) SDSU at Sacramento State.
NFL:
(10) Arizona at Chicago.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK LIVE GAMES

* Thursday, 5:30 p.m.: Men’s basketball, USF vs. Augustana.
* Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: Women’s basketball, USF vs. Augustana.
* Friday, 7:30 p.m.: Men’s hockey, UND vs. St. Cloud State.
* Saturday, 1 p.m.: Women’s basketball, USD vs. Wichita State.
* Saturday, 2 p.m.: Wrestling, NDSU vs. Augustana (MS2).
* Saturday, 6 p.m.: Men’s hockey, UND vs. St. Cloud State.
* Monday, 7 p.m.: Women’s basketball, SDSU vs. Missouri STate (MS2).
* Monday, 7 p.m.: Women’s basketball, USD vs. Bradley.
* Tuesday, 5:45 p.m.: Girls basketball, Bismarck vs. Mandan.
* Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.: Boys basketball, Bismarck vs. Mandan.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Badlands Sabres: The Rapid City team in the NA3HL lost twice to Butte, 7-1 and 7-5, then split with Great Falls, winning 4-2 and losing 7-3. The Sabres are home this Friday and Saturday vs. Great Falls.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings split with Bismarck, losing 5-4 and winning 5-3, then split with Minot, losing 4-3 and winning 4-2. Aberdeen plays Friday and Saturday at Austin.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd lost to Sioux City, 8-2; defeated Fargo, 1-0; won in a shootout over Lincoln, 3-2, and beat Sioux City, 2-0. Sioux Falls goes to Waterloo for games Friday and Saturday.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush have gone 4-4 in the past two weeks, splitting four games vs. Allen, winning two over Kansas City and losing two to Wichita. The latest games were a 3-2 shootout loss at Wichita and a 4-2 win at Kansas City. Rapid City is at Tulsa Thursday and Friday and at Allen Sunday.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild had a 10-4 record in November and are currently riding a four-game winning streak. Minnesota beat Dallas 7-2, lost to Florida 5-3, lost to Tampa Bay 5-4 in a shootout, won over New Jersey 3-2 in a shootout, beat Winnipeg 7-1, beat Tampa Bay 4-2, and beat Arizona 5-2. The Wild is home vs. New Jersey Thursday and Toronto Saturday, then plays at Edmonton Tuesday.

Oahe Capitals boys varsity: The Caps blasted Mitchell, 9-0, in their SDAHA league opener. Carter Sanderson accomplished a hat trick with three goals for the Capitals. Ashton Griese scored twice while Jonathon Lyons, Barret Schweitzer, Devin Dodson and Keller Herman each had a goal. Kieran Duffy in net made 25 saves. The Capitals have a rugged three-game weekend road trip—8 p.m. Friday at Aberdeen, 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Watertown and 4 p.m. Sunday at Huron.

Oahe Capitals girls varsity: The Capital girls opened their league season with a bang, scoring two big wins and tying another game. In a 7-3 win over Huron, Ashton Lee scored four goals, Kiersten Miller two and Olivia Swenson one. Abagail Stewart Fromm, the goalkeeper, made 19 saves. The girls then whipped Rushmore, 6-2, as Swenson and Lee each scored twice and Alyssa Stahl and Brylee Kafka one each. Fromm made 21 saves. On Sunday the game against Brookings ended in a 4-4 tie. Kafka scored two, Swenson one and Lee one for Oahe as Fromm made 23 saves. The girls go to Watertown for a 4:30 p.m. faceoff Saturday.

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): The tour has been idle since the season schedule ended. Next up is the PNC Championship at Orlando Dec. 17-19.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons made the MLS playoffs, but in the first round they lost at Portland, 3-1, ending their season.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• When my Joyful Gals & Guys chorus from Canyon Lake Senior Center performed at the West Hills retirement community in Rapid City two weeks ago, it was my pleasure to visit with two former Pierre elementary teachers. Bev Searls along with her husband Doug and Karen Schaefer along with her husband Greg live at West Hills.
• The Coyotes football team made the FCS playoffs this fall with some surprising wins and some disappointing losses. But take a look at the USD schedule for next year! It doesn’t take a genius or even a distinctly loyal fan to see that USD could very easily be 1-4 or even 0-5 after the first five weeks! We won’t think about that at least until next August, but nevertheless here is the 2022 USD slate:
  Sept. 3: at Kansas State.
  Sept. 10: at Montana.
  Sept. 17: Cal Poly.
  Sept. 24: NDSU.
  Oct. 8: at SDSU.
  Oct. 15: at Illinois State.
  Oct. 22: Southern Illinois.
  Oct. 29: at Youngstown State.
  Nov. 5: Missouri State.
  Nov. 12: at UND.
  Nov. 19: Northern Iowa.
• Jackrabbit fans are likely already making plans to travel to Iowa City next fall. That’s where SDSU opens the 2022 football season. The UC-Davis team that was in Brookings for the playoff opener last weekend will be back next fall, too. The schedule is different from this year’s in another way—the rivalry games against the other Dakota teams are all in the middle of the season instead of at the end. Here is the 2022 SDSU schedule:
  Sept. 3: at Iowa.
  Sept. 10: UC-Davis.
  Sept. 17: Butler.
  Sept. 24: at Missouri State.
  Oct. 1: Western Illinois.
  Oct. 8: USD.
  Oct. 15: at NDSU.
  Oct. 22: at UND.
  Oct. 29: Indiana State.
  Nov. 5: at Northern Iowa.
  Nov. 12: Illinois State.
• This year’s “Kennedy Center Honors” special is coming up on CBS-TV on Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. CST. The program is taking place this week in Washington and will be recorded for the broadcast. This year’s honorees are Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Justino Diaz, Berry Gordy and Lorne Michaels.
• “Work is what you do for others. Art is what you do for yourself,” said Stephen Sondheim. However, the distinguished composer and lyricist did a whole lot of art—as well as work—for millions of us. He died last week at the age of 91. His work did not go unnoticed. He received an Academy Award, eight Tony awards, eight Grammy awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award. Sondheim was both composer and lyricist for such Broadway classics as “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Company,” “Follies,” “A LIttle Night Music,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Into the Woods.” But he also wrote the lyrics of “Gypsy” and “West Side Story,” What a legacy! Sondheim and I had one small connection, and it came in the spring of 2014 in the midst of my first year back in Rapid City after six years in Vermillion. I received a desperate phone call one Friday afternoon from my daughter, Holly, who at the time was a member of the cast of “Company” at the Firehouse Brewing Company theater. Their show’s pianist in the three-piece pit band had come down ill, and if a substitute pianist was not found, the show would have to be canceled. So four hours before show time, there I was at the keyboard at the Firehouse, examining the Sondheim score of “Company” for the very first time. The cast showed up for a run-through, and not only did I have to play a full show with which I was totally unfamiliar, but the actors onstage had to gingerly and nervously go through their lines and songs with a new pianist trying to accompany them. It all went satisfactorily, and the audience likely wasn’t aware of the last-minute substitution at the piano. We even did it again the next night! And that’s my connection with Mr. Sondheim, whose music for any show is a challenge for any pianist.

CORONAVIRUS ROUNDUP

Yesterday’s state Department of Health report showed 15 new deaths since the previous day’s report, bringing the state’s toll to 2,349. (Remember when we wondered if the state would even surpass 2,000?) The 15 deaths in one day represents the highest number in any one day’s DOH report since early October. Yesterday’s report revealed 936 new cases since the previous day’s report, and the number of active cases is 7,222.

In other developments over the past two weeks:

• Sacred Heart Schools in Yankton canceled school for the first two days of Thanksgiving week due to a rise in COVID cases. At the same time the Yankton public schools had 31 active cases as of Nov. 19, the largest number of any day this semester.
• The Rapid City Journal reported that first responders in the city had the lowest number of vaccinated employees among city workers.
• The number of United States deaths from COVID-19 during 2021 surpassed the total of deaths during all of 2020. South Dakota recorded 99 COVID-related deaths in November, the highest number in any single month since February. And somebody thinks masks, mandates and vaccinations are no longer necessary because the pandemic is all in the past?
• More than 90% of federal workers got their vaccinations by President Biden’s deadline for doing so.
• In Austria COVID cases surged, so the nation imposed lockdown restrictions again. Austria becomes the first country in western Europe to reimpose restrictions since vaccines became available.
• Border crossers, including essential non-residents, will be required to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 22 in order to cross the border into the United States.
• South Dakota has the lowest vaccination rates for children ages 5-11 among all the Great Plains states. Good work, parents! Let’s keep the pandemic going for another year!
• The United States, Canada and 27 nations of the European Union are restricting travel from eight nations in the southern part of Africa due to the surge of the latest variant of the coronavirus.
• On Monday a federal judge blocked the federal government from mandating COVID vaccinations for healthcare workers in 10 states, including South Dakota.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

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

Friday, Dec. 3:
Kyler Gabriel, Hannah Harmon, Shawn Ludemann, James Lee, Louise Snodgrass, Brandon Cruse, Amy Stotts, Heath Olson, Porter Hunsley, Trey Redetzke, Landen Lizotte, Nolan Ortbahn, Jake Imsland, Brad Heckenlaible, Hallie Holden-Wright.
— 5th anniversary, Riip/Heather (Schreiner) Ray.

Saturday, Dec. 4:
Scott Senftner, Zack Weinheimer, Matthew Dial, Chad Harris, Wanda Boyles, Calvin Bumann, Jesse Boyer, Andrea Calkins, Kristen (Colestock) Pittman, Kayson Boyer, Deb (Raue) Evans, Carmen Ziegler, Mandy Bartels.
— 22nd anniversary, Mike/Ann Shoup.

Sunday, Dec. 5:
Elizabeth Stofferahn, Lacie Boyle-Herman, Jill (Rounds) Sleger.

Monday, Dec. 6:
Dan Johnson, Ruby Renemans, Jason Knox, Darlene Stampe, Jon Beastrom, Steve Zarecky, Brianna (Emerson) Bolger, Isaac Williams, Bob Hoisington, Danielle (Ryan) Schroeder.

Tuesday, Dec. 7:
Jim Kuchta, Bonnie Lahren-Gallagher, Desirae Ludwig, Owen Picchietti, Sarah Parker, Sam Shaw, Homer Harding, Jacob Severson, Alex Helbig.

Wednesday, Dec. 8:
Tim Smith, Erin McKillip, Kathryn Schuetzle, Chris Markley, Carolyn Deal, Rochelle Scott, Tammy (Pool) Cole, Rhener Gordon.
— Anniversary, Edd Hogan/Larissa FastHorse.

Thursday, Dec. 9:
Les Traut, Jerry Sperry, Gary Drewes, Tyler Coverdale, Jackie Cook.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Long-time local and area teacher Phil Meyers passed away in Colorado on Nov. 16 at the age of 77. Services will be held at a later date. He grew up on a ranch in the Moenville area and attended grade school out there. He graduated from Midland High School in 1962 and from Black Hills State in 1970. He taught upper grades at the Ottumwa rural school and later taught at Midland High School. In 1972 he married Bernie Valentine, whom he met at Midland. Inh 1976 Phil became business manager of the new Stanley County School District but missed teaching. He taught for two years at Timber Lake, then at 20 years at Stanley County. After retiring in 1999 he continued in education as librarian at Pierre Indian Learning Center for four years and at Lower Brule as a school counselor. While teaching he also taught driver education and worked part-time at Capital Area Counseling for 23 years. Phil fought cancer for the last 10 years of his life. He is survived by his sister, Sonia Nemec; his children, Darren (Peg) Meyers, Dana Malfero and Damon (Sarah) Meyers, and 12 grandchildren.

The Christmas concert by students in grades 6-12 of the Sully Buttes school will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at the gym in Onida. In the Stanley County district the middle school concert is at 7 p.m. next Monday, Dec. 6, and the elementary concert at 6 p.m. the following Monday, Dec. 13.

Donna Richars of Parker, S.D., passed away Nov. 22 at the age of 86 at Good Samaritan Center in Windom, Minn. She is survived by four children, including Michael (Mary) Richards of Pierre; eight grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; four sisters and a brother.

Doug Clark was named by the governor as interim secretary of the Department of Corrections, replacing Tim Reisch effective Dec. 8. Clark has been deputy secretary of the Department of Corrections and acting warden of the state penitentiary.

Clarence “Tinker” Hodgkiss, 83, died Nov. 25. A memorial visitation will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 3, at Feigum Funeral Home. Clarence spent many years in Eagle Butte and Lower Brule. After he came to Pierre, he worked in maintenance at the South Dakota Discovery Center and the Wakpa Sica Reconciliation Place. He is survived by his sons, Cyril Hodgkiss of Sioux Falls and Clarence Hodgkiss Jr. of Vermillion; his daughters, Kimberly Hodgkiss Bien of Sioux Falls, Melanie Gwilliams of Pierre, and Yolanda Harrison of Pierre, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Friends of Chris Voller and his family in his hometown of Pierre held a benefit silent auction, dart tournament and free-will donation to help the Vollers in their son Tristan’s leukemia journey. Chris and his wife and two children live in Billings, Mont.

Fort Pierre’s community Christmas tree lighting and accompanying events, including wagon rides and caroling, will take place this Saturday between 4 and 7 p.m. This Saturday is also the traditional Pie Day at the Capitol Christmas trees display.

Terry Ludemann, 60, Fort Pierre, died at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital on Nov. 16. Services were held Nov. 23 at St. John’s Catholic Church. Terry graduated from Stanley County High School in 1979. He worked for 41 years at WW Tire in Fort Pierre, concluding his work there as shop foreman. He is survived by his siblings, Rick, Greg, Steve and Laurie; four nephews, Shad Ludemann, Shawn Ludemann, Mikey Ludemann and Louis Burley, and their families, and many other relatives.

Surprise Package, a local mixed vocal group in Pierre, will present its Christmas concerts at First United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19.

The Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers concert in Pierre, a benefit for the Boys & Girls Club of the Capital Area, will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Riggs theater. Tickets are being sold by members of the Pierre-Fort Pierre Rotary Club. Prices are $20 for adults and $10 for students. The Hegg Brothers’ touring ensemble will also perform in Omaha Dec. 12, Mitchell Dec. 14, Brookings Dec. 16, Sioux Falls at the Washington Pavilion Dec. 18 and Sheldon Dec. 19.

Mallory Wiley was crowned Sully County Snow Queen last month, and Arian Gruis was selected Sully County Junior Snow Queen. Both will compete in state pageants in Aberdeen in January.

Vernon Bump, 83, Sioux Falls, formerly of Pierre, died Nov. 18 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. His funeral took place Nov. 29 at Faith Lutheran Church. He grew up in Rapid City and graduated from Central High School in 1956. After a year at South Dakota State College, he returned home to attend the School of Mines and Technology, graduating in 1961 and becoming a licensed professional geotechnical engineer. He worked for the state Department of Transportation for 40 years. After retirement he continued to work as a geotech engineer for American Engineering and Testing and as a member of the Pierre City Planning and Zoning Commission. During his career he received several honors from the DOT and the School of Mines. He married the former Gloria Imsland in 1960. Vernon is survived by his wife; his children, Deborah (John) Hepper of Sioux Falls, Craig Bump (Anita Baker) of Pierre, and Renee (Rev. Gregory) Lehr of Sioux Falls; five grandchildren; a great-granddaughter, and many other relatives.

Jocelyn Goodlander of the choir was selected as Fine Arts Performer of the Week at Riggs High School two weeks ago.

The SDHSAA state oral interpretation festival will be held at Huron High School Friday and Saturday. Riggs High students who have qualified to compete at the state meet include the following: non-original oratory, Ain Petersen; readers’ theatre, Maren Houdyshell, Lillie Kellar, Melissa Bauer; storytelling, Gavin Black Bear; duet interpretation, Ashlyn Pitlick, Kale Eckstine; poetry reading, Taryn Borman. Representing Sully Buttes High School in the duet interpretation division are Lydia Hill and Taryn Kenzy.

Travis and Elizabeth (Lamb) Salmonson of Mitchell revealed they are expecting a baby daughter in March. Travis and Liz have two boys in their family now.

Mark Miller, who came to South Dakota in 2020 to be Governor Noem’s general legal counsel, was named as her chief of staff two weeks ago. He is the fifth person to hold that position in the Noem administration. Miller replaces Aaron Scheibe, who will remain in the governor’s office as a legislative consultant.

Riggs High alumnus Josh Hove passed away in his sleep the weekend of Nov. 20-21. Services were held Nov. 26 at Peace Lutheran Church in Dresser, Wis. The church which his wife Meagan and their three daughters attend are trying to raise funds to pay for the funeral and to pay off their house for Meagan and the girls. Checks can be sent to this address: Cedar Bend Church, Note: Joshua Gene Hove Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 414, Osceola WI 54020. Another way to contribute is to go to this link: https://cedarbendchurch.churchcenter.com/giving/to/joshua-gene-hove-memorial-fund. Josh was born in Albert Lea and moved with his family to Pierre in 1990. He graduated from Riggs High School in 2000. He attended North Central University in Minneapolis and met his future wife at a church there. They were married in 2007. They moved in 2018 to Osceola, Wis., just north of the Twin Cities, where he had been working as a utility-locating technician. He was also part of his church’s worship team. Survivors include his wife, Meagan Hove; their daughters, Madelyn, Sophia and Eleanor; his mother, Mary Hove of Osceola, and his sisters, Angela Flores of Lincoln, N.D., Amanda Aadland of St. Paul, and Natalie Yost of Sioux Falls, and their families. Among those preceding Josh in death was his father, Gene Hove.

Eric and Christina (Adams) Lusk are the parents of a daughter, Madelyn Margaret Lusk, who was born Nov. 22. She weighed 8 pounds and measured 20 inches. She joins a sister, Lydia Inez Lusk, who turned 3 on Nov. 27, in the family.

Riggs High senior Ella Ward-Zeller has signed a letter of intent to attend Augustana University and swim for the Vikings there.

Larissa FastHorse’s play, “The Thanksgiving Play,” continues to be performed nationwide. It was the fall production of the theater department of Black Hills State University last month.

Election Update: There is another candidate for governor of South Dakota. Former Republican legislator Lora Hubble announced last week that she will run for governor in 2022 as an independent candidate. So far there are no Democratic candidates who have announced, but the Republicans have at least two, including current governor Kristi Noem and former House speaker Steven Haugaard.

Andy Deis, 91, died Nov. 29. His funeral will be held at 10 a.m. this Friday, Dec. 3, at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. Inurnment will take place Monday at Black Hills National Cemetery. Andy graduated from high school at Onaka, S.D., in 1948. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He was deployed to Germany in 1952 and was part of the U.S. Occupation Forces in West Germany. After his service he graduated from South Dakota State College with a bachelor of science degree in business. In 1958 he married his first wife, Ruby, and they lived at Onaka and raised six children. In 1978 Andy and Ruby divorced and moved to Pierre. Andy worked for 18 years as an internal auditor with the Department of Transportation. He participated in Pierre Players community theater productions, sang in barbershop groups and was part of the Ss. Peter & Paul Folk Group for more than 40 years. In 1990 he married Jan Erickson. Together they volunteered at the Cultural Heritage Center and worked as certified IRS tax preparers at the Pierre Senior Center for more than 25 years. Andy is survived by his wife, Jan; his children, Cullan (Diane) Deis, Carmen (Dan) Carda, Jayme (Dee) Deis, Paula Deis and Tracy Deis; his stepchildren, Kristin (Todd) Erickson, Todd (Michelle) Erickson and Jason Erickson; 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded him in death were 11 siblings and a daughter, Laurie Deis.

Santa Claus at the Capitol tree-lighting ceremony last week bore a strong resemblance to former Riggs High band director Larry Johnson.

Pierre native Doug Smith, his wife Deb, and their son Dom of Rapid City were among the 20,389 fans at the Duke-Gonzaga college basketball game in Las Vegas last Friday night. Some woman asked them if they were Jon Scheyer’s parents. (Scheyer is the head assistant Duke coach and the head coach starting next season.) Greg and Jill Dean of Pierre and their three sons, Blake, Bradley and Bennett, were also in the crowd for the game which turned out to be an instant classic.

Friends and former students of Liz Vogt should know that her mother, Joan Eitrheim, will celebrate her 90th birthday this Sunday, Dec. 5, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at West Nidaros Lutheran Church at Crooks, S.D., just outside Sioux Falls. Greetings can be sent to her at 46904 – 254th St., Crooks SD 57020.

Janice Carlbom, 83, Interior, died Nov. 26 at Good Samaritan St. Martin’s Village in Rapid City. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 6, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Philip. She was the former Janice Kirsch of Blunt.

PONDER THIS

“The pandemic has proved to be a nearly two-year stress test that the U.S. flunked.”
— sociologist Zeynep Tufekei

” Past crises from the Great Depression to 9/11 led to lasting change in American society. But we’re still in danger of further COVID waves and are unprepared for the next pandemic.”
— Axios A.M. newsletter

“Omicron’s very emergence is another reminder that, although many of us might think we’re done with COVID-19, it’s not done with us.”
— Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization