THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”
— Albert Camus

TOURNAMENTS ROUNDUP

GIRLS VARSITY HOCKEY

The state varsity tournament runs Friday through Sunday at Aberdeen. Friday’s quarterfinal pairings: Upper bracket—10 a.m., #6 Oahe vs. #3 Aberdeen; 12:30 p.m., #2 Mitchell vs. #7 Sioux Center. Lower bracket—3 p.m., #4 Brookings vs. #5 Watertown; 5:30 p.m., #1 Sioux Falls vs. #8 Rushmore.

BOYS VARSITY HOCKEY

Another weekend of regular-season hockey remains, so the pairings for the state tournament at Sioux Falls March 11-13 are not official yet. If the state tourney were to begin today, the quarterfinal matchups would be #1 Rushmore vs. #8 Watertown, #4 Oahe vs. #5 Aberdeen, #2 Brookings vs. #7 Sioux Falls #2, and #3 Sioux Falls #1 vs. #6 Sioux Center. Mitchell, Yankton and Huron, the bottom three teams in the SDAHA standings, would not qualify for the state tournament.

INDIVIDUALS WRESTLING

The Denny Sanford Premier Center will see the “A” and “B” boys tournaments and the girls tournament Thursday and Friday. At 9 a.m. Thursday it will be first-round matches; at 3 p.m. quarterfinal matches and first-round consolation matches, followed by second-round consolation matches. Friday begins at 9 a.m. with semifinal matches and third-round consolation matches, followed by fourth-round consolation matches. At 3 p.m. come the third- through eighth-place matches followed by the championship matches.

TEAM DUALS WRESTLING

The Class “A” quarterfinal pairings for the dual tournament, which was won in dramatic fashion by Pierre last February, are: #1 Brandon Valley vs. #8 Brookings and #4 Pierre vs. #5 Harrisburg in the upper bracket and #2 Rapid City Stevens vs. #7 Sturgis and #3 Watertown vs. #6 Tea Area in the lower bracket. Those matches start at 11 a.m. Saturday. After a break come the semifinal matches. After another break will be the championship, third-place and fifth-place duals.

The Class “B” dual tournament quarterfinal pairings are: #1 Kimball-White Lake/Platte-Geddes vs. #8 Philip and #4 Canton vs. #5 Redfield in one bracket and #2 Winner vs. #7 Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon and #3 Kingsbury County (De Smet-Lake Preston) vs. #6 Parkston in the other bracket.

“AA” BOYS BASKETBALL

One weekend remains in the regular season before we will know for sure the matchups for the SoDak 16 round of eight games next Saturday, March 5. Pierre as of this morning is #10 and would play at #7 Aberdeen Central if nothing changes. If the Governors were to move up to #9, they would match up at Sioux Falls Lincoln if nothing else changes. If the Govs, who have to play #1 Roosevelt this Saturday, were to drop to #11, they might have to go to Sioux Falls Jefferson, which is currently #6.

“A” BOYS BASKETBALL

The regions in “A” boys ball will be played next week. Stanley County, solidly #2 in Region 6A, will be home in the quarterfinal round Tuesday, March 1, and if that game were played today, the opponent would be #7 Crow Creek. The Buffs could also face McLaughlin, currently #8, or Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, currently #6, if things were to change slightly in this final weekend of regular-season play. If Stanley County wins Tuesday, they would also play at home next Friday, March 4, in a semifinal game with that winner advancing to the SoDak 16 round of eight games March 8.

“B” BOYS BASKETBALL

The Sully Buttes boys currently stand #7 in the 10-team Region 2B tournament. If they stay in #7 with a win in their last regular-season game Friday, the Chargers would be home Monday against the #10 team, Sunshine Bible. The winner of that game would then go on the road Tuesday in the quarterfinal round at #2 Potter County. Tuesday’s four quarterfinal winners move to next Friday, March 4, for semifinal games which would send two winners into the SoDak 16 round March 8. Lower Brule is currently the #1 seed in the region.

“AA” GIRLS BASKETBALL

A SoDak 16 state tournament play-in game at home? That is a distinct possibility for the Governor girls, who today stand at #8 with a 9-10 record, the same as #7 Sioux Falls Jefferson. Pierre plays Roosevelt, which has won only one game all year, this Saturday. If Pierre finishes at #8 or #7, the Govs’ opponent in the SoDak 16 round next Friday, March 4, would likely be Sioux Falls Lincoln, now #9; Mitchell, now #10, or Watertown, now #11.

“A” GIRLS BASKETBALL

This week’s brutal cold and snow has messed up the girls “A” tournaments. In Region 6A the games have yet to begin and will be played tonight (Thursday), weather permitting. Stanley County, #7 seed in the eight-team region, faces a huge challenge in going down to play #2 Winner. The winner of that game will play Mobridge-Pollock or Cheyenne-Eagle Butte on Saturday in a semifinal with that winner qualifying for the SoDak 16 to be played next Thursday, March 3.

“B” GIRLS BASKETBALL

This week’s winter storm set back the Region 2B tournament by one day. Top-seed Sully Buttes will now play its first game in the quarterfinals at home tonight (Thursday) vs. Ipswich or North Central, who played Wednesday afternoon. The other quarterfinals will pit Highmore-Harrold vs. Lower Brule, Potter County vs. Herreid-Selby Area, and Miller vs. Faulkton. Tonight’s four winners play in the semifinals Saturday, and if the Chargers win tonight, they will be home again Saturday. That night’s two winners advance to the SoDak 16 round next Thursday, March 3, where eight games will determine the eight state tournament teams headed to Watertown March 10-12.

COUNTDOWN

Today: State wrestling tournaments, Sioux Falls Premier Center (Feb. 24-26).
1 day: Bantam B state hockey tournament, Expo Center (Feb. 25-27).
1 day: Pierre Players’ “Making God Laugh” (Feb. 25-27, March 3-5).
2 days: NSIC men’s/women’s basketball tournaments, Sioux Falls Sanford Pentagon (Feb. 26-March 1).
2 days: Minnesota Loons MLS season opener (Feb. 26).
5 days: Zesto opens in Pierre (March 1).
5 days: State of the State address (March 1).
5 days: Georgia Morse Middle School musical (March 1, 3).
8 days: State girls varsity hockey tournament, Aberdeen (March 4-6).
9 days: Summit League men’s/women’s basketball tournaments, Sioux Falls Premier Center (March 5-8).
11 days: Riggs High talent show (March 7).
12 days: Riggs High National Honor Society induction ceremony (March 8).
14 days: State girls basketball tournaments, AA Rapid City Monument Ice Arena, A Brookings Frost Arena, B Watertown Civic Arena (March 10-12).
15 days: State boys varsity hockey tournament, Sioux Falls (March 11-13).
17 days: Daylight Saving Time begins (March 13).
19 days: Riggs High/Georgia Morse Middle School fine arts festival (March 15).
21 days: State boys basketball tournaments, AA Sioux Falls Premier Center, A Rapid City Summit Arena, B Aberdeen Barnett Center (March 17-19).
21 days: NCAA Division I wrestling championships, Detroit (March 17-19).

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Wrestling: at state tournaments, Sioux Falls.
— FRIDAY
Wrestling: at state tournaments, Sioux Falls.
— SATURDAY
Boys wrestling: at state dual tournament, Sioux Falls.
Girls basketball: home vs. Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 2 p.m.
Boys basketball: at Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 4 p.m.

Boys wrestling: The Governors swept through the Region 3A tournament at far-away Milbank with 278 1/2 points, followed by Mitchell 195 1/2, Chamberlain 179 1/2, Aberdeen Central 167 1/2, Milbank 107 and Huron 99 1/2 in the top six. Pierre qualified a wrestler in each of the 14 weight classes and had six individual regional champions and five other men in championship matches with runner-up finishes. Pierre places: 106, Alex Oedekoven first; 113, Lincoln Schoenhard second; 120, Noah Williams second; 126, Nate Williams third; 132, Tristan Spencer third; 138, Blake Judson first; 145, Hayden Shaffer second; 152, Deegan Houska first; 160, Jayden Wiebe first; 170, Lucas Chamberlin first; 182, Chance Carda first; 195, Gavin Stotts, second; 220, Elijah Boutchee second; 285, Joshua Rydberg third.

Girls wrestling: Pierre will have a wrestler in each weight class at the state tournament this weekend. The Governor entries: 106, Sydney Uhrig; 113, Nevaeh Baade; 120, Dani Ringstmeer; 126, Hattie Baldwin; 132, Gianna Stangeland; 142, Abbigail Lewis; 154, Ireland Templeton; 170. Emalee Larson; 190, Marlee Shorter; 295, Ciara McFarling.

Boys basketball: The Governors whipped one-win Brookings, 71-45, led by Lincoln Kienholz with 22 points, Jett Zabel with nine and Jack Merkwan with eight. Pierre beat Watertown, 72-65, as Kienholz scored 35, passing the 1,000-point mark for his career. Matt Hanson had 12 points as did Zabel. Watertown, down by 18 points, tied the game at 61-61 before the Govs went to work to put the game away. On Tuesday the boys lost to Sioux Falls Jefferson, 64-54, as Edman scored 13 and Kienholz 12.

Girls basketball: Pierre finished the regular season with a 9-10 record. Coach Kirk Beebout got his 100th career win as his girls beat Watertown, 46-33, led by Remi Price with 16 points and Reese Terwilliger with 11. On Tuesday the Govs beat Sioux Falls Jefferson, 43-40. Price hit a field goal for a 41-40 lead, and Ryann Barry made two free throws to clinch the victory.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Wrestling: at state tournament, Sioux Falls.
Girls basketball: at Winner in Region 6A quarterfinal.
— FRIDAY
Wrestling: at state tournament, Sioux Falls.
Boys basketball: home vs. Cheyenne-Eagle Butte.
— TUESDAY
Boys basketball: home in Region 6A quarterfinal.

Wrestling: Three Stanley County wrestlers qualified for this weekend’s state “B” tournament by placing fourth or higher at the Region 4B tournament at Parkview Gym. Chase Hanson placed third at 120 pounds, Colton Brady fourth at 145 and Levin Stover fourth at 170. SCHS was ninth as a team with 59 points. The top three teams in the regional were Philip first, Custer second and Lyman third.

Boys basketball: In their next-to-last regular-season contest the Buffaloes lost a close battle to Lyman, 65-57. The game was tied at 40-40 after three quarters. Lathan Prince had 17 points, Cormac Duffy 14 and Stran Scott 11 points with nine rebounds. SCHS takes a 13-6 record into Friday’s C-EB game.

Girls basketball: The Buffaloes lost their final regular-season game to Mobridge-Pollock, 64-45, and finished with a 3-17 record heading into the regional. Mattie Duffy had nine points, Kori Gabriel eight and Jordyn Sosa eight.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Girls basketball: home in Region 2B quarterfinal.
— FRIDAY
Boys basketball: at North Central (in Bowdle).
— SATURDAY
Girls basketball: home in Region 2B semifinal (if Sully Buttes wins Thursday game).
— MONDAY
Boys basketball: home in Region 2B first-round.
— TUESDAY
Boys basketball: at site to be determined in Region 2B quarterfinal (if qualified).

Boys wrestling: No Charger wrestlers qualified for the state “B” boys tournament out of the regional held at Britton. Lucas Arcoren placed fifth at 145 pounds. Sully Buttes was the 15th team in point totals with 12. The top three teams in the regional were Redfield, Clark-Willow Lake and Kingsbury County.

Girls wrestling: Three Sully Buttes girls will participate in the state tournament. They are Tahni Yellowhawk at 120 pounds, Cateri Yellowhawk at 126, and Saige Heath at 190.

Girls basketball: The Chargers whipped Faulkton Area, 62-37, in the last regular-season game. Stevie Wittler had 20 points, Ally Wittler 18 and Lydia Hill 12. Sully Buttes finished the regular season with a 16-4 record. As the top seed in Region 2B, they will be home tonight for a quarterfinal game and, if they win, home again Saturday in the regional semifinal.

Boys basketball: Sully Buttes lost to Faulkton Area, 57-42, led by Landon Hepker’s 14 points. At the Warner Classic the Chargers defeated Waverly-South Shore, 48-31, as Marshall Wittler, Hepker and Dwight Kinney each scored 12. The boys will be looking for their ninth win when they close the regular season Friday night in Bowdle.

WORDS OF WISDOM

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not, and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

GOLF UPDATE

PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): Tom did not play in the tour’s Chubb Classic in Naples, Fla., last weekend. This weekend’s tour stop is the Cologuard Classic at Tucson.

HOCKEY UPDATE

SDAHA state tournaments: In the state PeeWee B tournament the Oahe Capitals team completed an unbeaten season, beating Huron 18-0, taking out Rushmore 6-1 and beating Sioux Falls 5-2. In the championship game the Caps were tied 2-2 with one period to go but scored three times in a thrilling final stanza for the state title. At the state PeeWee C tournament the Capitals team placed eighth, losing to Yankton 4-3, to Watertown 4-3 and to Sioux Center 7-6. In the girls 14U state tournament the Oahe team beat Rushmore 6-5, lost to Sioux Center 3-1 and lost to Mitchell 3-2, placing fourth.

Oahe Capitals girls varsity: The girls were idle last week, preparing for the state tournament next weekend in Aberdeen.

Oahe Capitals boys varsity: The Caps split a pair of weekend home games against Sioux Center. In a 6-3 loss Keenan Howard, Ashton Griese and Carter Sanderson each scored a goal, and Carter Schulz made 21 saves in goal. Rebounding with a 4-3 win, the Caps first found themselves down 2-0 after one period, but Griese scored twice in the second period to tie the game. In the third period Sanderson scored a goal for a 3-2 lead, and after Sioux Center tied the game, Andre Carbonneau put in the game-winner. Kieran Duffy made 18 saves. The Caps end the regular season at Sioux Falls #1 at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush took two of three in Norfolk, Va., winning 5-4 and 4-3 and losing 3-2 in a shootout. Rapid City plays three Friday through Sunday at Tulsa.

Badlands Sabres: The Sabres beat Yellowstone, 4-2; lost, 2-0, then scored a 5-4 overtime win in a game that clinched a playoff spot for the Sabres when the NA3HL playoffs begin next month. Now 19-24-2, Badlands is home in Rapid City Friday and Saturday against Gillette.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings split with Minot, winning 6-5 in overtime and losing 3-1. Aberdeen is home this weekend for two more against Minot.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd lost to Waterloo, 5-2; beat Omaha, 6-1, and lost in overtime to Sioux City, 4-3. Sioux Falls plays Friday and Saturday at Tri- City in Kearney.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild lost to Winnipeg, 6-3; lost to Florida, 6-2; beat Edmonton, 7-3, and lost to Ottawa, 4-3. Minnesota is at Toronto Thursday and at Calgary Saturday before a home game vs. Calgary Tuesday.

Bantam B state tournament: The Oahe Hockey Association hosts the state Bantam B tournament at the Expo Center this weekend Friday through Sunday. The quarterfinal pairings: 3 p.m., #4 Brookings vs. #5 Yankton; 5:30 p.m., #3 Sioux Falls vs. #6 Watertown; 8 p.m., #2 Rushmore vs. #7 Oahe. Saturday’s schedule has games at 1:00, 3:30 and 6:00, including #1 Sioux Falls against the Brookings-Yankton winner in the final game of the day. Sunday’s schedule has games at 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 1 p.m.

SOCCER UPDATE

Minnesota United FC: The Loons tied Portland, 0-0, in another preseason game. The MLS regular season begins Saturday with Minnesota at Philadelphia at 11 a.m.

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves lost to Toronto, 103-91, last Wednesday and since then have been on their all-star break. Minnesota resumes the NBA season Thursday at home vs. Memphis and Friday at home vs. Philadelphia. After a game at Chicago Monday the Wolves are home Tuesday vs. Golden State.

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Force lost to Rio Grande Valley, 127-117, and lost to Oklahoma City, 130-89. After a 115-111 win over Oklahoma City last night, the Skyforce goes to Memphis Saturday and returns home next Thursday vs. Texas.

MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK SCHEDULE

— THURSDAY
7 p.m.: Women’s basketball, SDSU vs. Oral Roberts.
— SATURDAY
11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Men’s basketball, NSIC quarterfinals (Mary vs. Minnesota-Duluth, Southwest Minnesota State vs. Augustana).
1 p.m.: Men’s basketball, NDSU vs. UND (MS2).
4:30 and 7 p.m.: Women’s basketball, NSIC quarterfinals (Northern vs. St. Cloud State, Southwest Minnesota State vs. Minnesota State).
6 p.m.: Men’s hockey, UND vs. Western Michigan (MS2).
— SUNDAY
11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Men’s basketball, NSIC quarterfinals (Northern vs. Upper Iowa, St. Cloud State vs. MSU-Moorhead).
4:30 and 7 p.m.: Women’s basketball, NSIC quarterfinals (Bemidji State vs. Concordia-St. Paul, Mary vs. Minnesota-Duluth).
— MONDAY
11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Men’s basketball, NSIC semifinals.
4:30 and 7 p.m.: Women’s basketball, NSIC semifinals.
— TUESDAY
4 p.m.: Men’s basketball, NSIC championship game.
7:30 p.m.: Women’s basketball, NSIC championship game.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We need leaders willing to share their experiences with mental health, willing to expose the challenges and triumphs within the true mental health work we all must do. We need role models willing to normalize the good, the bad and the ugly and share their struggles so that we can suppress the stigma that we all suffer from.”
— Jasmin Fosheim

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Nick Wittler): The eighth and last seed in the GPAC postseason tournament, Dakota Wesleyan went on the road last night and stunned top-seeded Briar Cliff, 85-77, in the quarterfinals of the tournament. DWU led at halftime in Sioux City, 49-40. Nick went 7-of-12 (4-of-5 in three-pointers) and 4-of-4 at the stripe for 22 points with one rebound and one steal. The Tigers go to Jamestown for a 3 p.m. Saturday game in the semifinal round. Jamestown, the #5 seed, also won on the road last night. Because Briar Cliff was the regular-season champion of the GPAC, they automatically get into the NAIA national tournament, but with their loss last night, whoever wins this postseason tourney also gets to go to the NAIA. DWU lost its last two regular-season games last weekend, 73-65 to Morningside and 86-70 to Concordia. Nick had two points in each of those games as DWU finished the regular season at 12-15 overall and 8-11 in league play.

Augustana women’s basketball (Aislinn Duffy, Katie Bourk): The Vikings’ season came to an end last night when they lost to Northern, 76-66, in the first round of the NSIC postseason tournament. Aislinn was 7-of-12 (1-of-2) and 2-of-2 for 17 points with eight rebounds, one assist and a blocked shot. Augie lost to USF, 69-62, and beat Southwest Minnesota State, 74-64, in the last two regular-season games last weekend to finish at 9-10 in NSIC play. The Vikings’ overall record was 13-11.

Mary wrestling (Lincoln Turman): The Marauders were idle last week. They send wrestlers this Saturday to the Super Region 5 tournament at Moorhead, Minn.

Mount Marty men’s basketball (Lincoln Jordre): The Lancers’ regular season ended with an 84-66 loss to Doane. Lincoln was 1-of-4 for two points with two rebounds. The final record was 7-22 overall and 3-16 in the GPAC. Mount Marty did not finish in the conference’s top eight and thus did not qualify for the GPAC postseason tournament.

South Dakota State track/field (Addison Eisenbeisz): At the SDSU last-chance meet Addy placed second in the high jump at 57″. The Jacks go to the Summit League championships at Grand Forks this Friday and Saturday.

Black Hills State track/field (Frank Becker): At BHSU’s Stinger open Frank placed 14th in the 800-meter run in 2:09.27. The Yellowjackets go to the RMAC championships at Gunnison, Colo., this weekend.

Northern State track/field (Rachel Guthmiller): At the SDSU last-chance meet Rachel placed 18th in the weight throw event at 43’6″. The Wolves compete Friday and Saturday at the NSIC championships at Mankato.

Dakota State track/field (Houston Lunde): At the North Star Athletic Association’s conference meet Houston placed 16th in the shot put at 39’1 3/4″ and 17th in the weight throw at 34’9″. The Trojans were the first-place team in the men’s point totals.

South Dakota women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb): The Coyotes won over St. Thomas in St. Paul, 73-46. Chloe was 5-of-13 (2-of-6 in threes) and 1-of2 for 13 points with three rebounds and two assists. A scheduled game at Western Illinois was postponed, but it is crucial to the final standings, so the Summit League hopes to reschedule it within the next few days. USD plays at home vs. Kansas City Thursday and in its Senior Day game vs. Oral Roberts Saturday.

Summit League women’s standings: SDSU 15-1, USD 14-1, Kansas City 12-4, Oral Roberts 10-6 UND 9-8, NDSU 6-11, Western Illinois 5-10, Denver 3-13, Omaha 3-13, St. Thomas 3-13.

South Dakota men’s basketball (Max Burchill): The Coyotes won two more league games, 81-60 over St. Thomas and 78-65 over Western Illinois. Now 17-10 overall and 10-6 in the Summit, USD goes to Kansas City Thursday and on to Oral Roberts Saturday.

Summit League men’s standings: SDSU 16-0, Oral Roberts 12-4, NDSU 12-5, Kansas City 11-5, USD 10-6, Western Illinois 6-10, Denver 5-11, Omaha 4-12, St. Thomas 3-13, UND 2-15.

South Dakota State women’s basketball: The Jackrabbits broke out of a tie with USD and gained sole possession of first place when one of USD’s games was postponed. SDSU beat Western Illinois, 84-54, and St. Thomas, 83-42. Now 19-8 overall and 15-1 in the league, SDSU plays Oral Roberts Thursday and Kansas City Saturday.

Wyoming wrestling (Tate Samuelson): The Cowboys beat West Virginia in a Big 12 dual, 25-11. Fifteenth-ranked Tate won his match by a 9-1 major decision in the same week he was named to the Big 12 All-Academic team. Next on the Wyoming schedule is the Big 12 championships at Tulsa Marchi 5-6.

Texas State baseball (Peyton Zabel): The Bobcats won two of three in their season-opening home series against Utah Valley. Peyton did not play in 5-3 and 14-4 wins. In a 5-3 loss he came in to pitch in relief to start the ninth inning with Utah Valley leading by 5-2. He faced four batters and held Utah Valley at five runs with one flyout, two groundouts and a walk. Texas State rallied with one run in the bottom of the inning but lost 5-3. Now 2-1, Texas State played Wichita State in the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Park in Arlington, Tex., last night, then goes home for Friday, Saturday and Sunday games against Oklahoma State.

Dakota Wesleyan wrestling (Tyson Johnson): At the GPAC conference tournament Tyson had a first-round bye in the 157-pound class. In the quarterfinal round he lost his match due to injury default. He advanced through the first consolation round with another bye but lost his next consolation match due to injury default.

South Dakota State men’s basketball: SDSU remained perfect in league play with a 91-66 win over Western Illinois and a 79-60 win over St. Thomas. SDSU plays at Oral Roberts Thursday and at Kansas City Saturday.

South Dakota State swimming (Morgan Nelson): At the four-day Summit League championships in West Fargo, Morgan placed eighth in the 200-meter breast stroke event in 2:29.63 and was 13th in the 100 breast in 1:06.23. She swam on the 200 medley team (1:45.18) and the 400 medley team (3:51.79) but neither relay placed.

Iowa Central Community College baseball (Jack Van Camp): Iowa Central won two and lost two in a weekend slate of games all played at Millington, Tenn. ICCC defeated Cleveland State CC, 4-1; defeated Bryant & Stratton (Wis.), 8-2; lost to Southwest Tennessee CC, 8-6, and lost a 6-5 14-inning game to Lincoln Land CC (Ill.). Jack got into the latter game as a pinch-hitter but did not get an official at-bat. There was no scoring in the game after the seventh until the bottom of the 14th. This weekend Iowa Central goes back to Millington for games against UA Rich Mountain, Frontier CC, Southeast CC and Rend Lake College.

Dakota Wesleyan track/field (Cobey Carr, Abby Ferris, Morgan Oedekoven): The DWU athletes competed in the GPAC conference meet, none of the three Pierre athletes placed in any events. there.

South Dakota Mines track/field (Erick Colman): At BHSU’s Stinger Open Erick placed eighth in the shot put at 46’6 3/4″ and 10th in the weight throw at 50’11”. The Hardrockers go to the RMAC conference meet at Gunnison, Colo., this weekend.

University of Sioux Falls track/field (Jessica Lutmer): At SDSU’s last-chance meet Jessica placed fifth in the mile run in 5:18.64. USF athletes go to the NSIC conference meet in Mankato this weekend.

Colorado Mines women’s basketball (Liz Holter): The Orediggers split two games on their western road trip. At Westminster in Utah it was a 59-54 win, and Liz was 2-of-6 (0-for-2) and 0-for-0 for four points with four rebounds, three steals and three assists. In an 81-74 loss at Colorado-Mesa Liz was 4-of-8 (3-of-6) and 0-of-0 for 11 points with a rebound, five assists and two steals. Now 22-4 overall and 17-3 in the RMAC, Mines is home Friday vs. Adams State and Saturday vs. CSU-Pueblo.

Northern State baseball (Spencer Sarringar): The Wolves lost three of four games against Washburn University in Topeka. In a 10-2 loss Spencer was 0-for-4. In a 5-3 loss he went 2-for-4, walked once and stole a base. In a 5-2 win he again was 2-for-4, walked once and scored a run. In Monday’s 7-3 loss Spencer was 1-for-3, and his RBI single in the third tied the game at 3-3. He was also hit with a pitch once. Now 2-5, Northern will go on a spring break trip to play seven games over the March 9-14 period.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Feb. 24:
Heidi Nelson, Loryn (Schuetzle) Lichty, Joe WIlson, Hope Davis, Michael Knudson, Jayne (Knox) Kraemer, Everett Miller, Chris Peterson, Dave Potter, Michael Authier, Andrea Spaid, Jane Cass, Brian Pope, Piper Dooley, Karin (Porter) Bartell, Rob Stoeser, Phoenix Malone, Zach Frisby.

Friday, Feb. 25:
Len Cooper, Julie Smith, Clara (Stoeser) Kinzie, Glynnes Sargent, Greg Campbell, Troy Buschbom, Christy (Sobolik) Luskey, Steve Thompson, Marvin Massey, Willie Gloe, Patsy Handcock, Caitlyn McKay, Chandra (Lesmeister) Miller, Tom Gerken, Max Hunsley.

Saturday, Feb. 26:
Jade Bartel, Tyson O’Daniel, Amelia Rounds, Austin Gross, Peyton Shibley, Adelyn Steele, Diane Deis, Stacey Mancuso, Justin Stephens, Zach Parsons, Tye Johnson, Evelynn Dekker, Torey Garrett, Jill (Taylor) Bischoff, Kit Bramblee, Valerie (Coyle) Hawley.

Sunday, Feb. 27:
Patrick Olson, Nick Marso, Tyson Pierce, Seth Deal, Terry (Lamster) Horning, Vada Smith, Isaiah Shoup, Leah Parsons, Sheryl Johnson, Macy Bryant, Sara (Stulken) Kehrwald, STeven Jonas, Amanda Barber, Jim Bright, Andrea (Viken) Urbach.

Monday, Feb. 28:
Terry Miller, Harry Decker, Anna (Van Duzer) Yost, Karen (Van Camp) DeJabet, Mitch Irion, Dawn (Henderson) Holmes, Bre Ripperger, Derek Van Roekel Kyler Tieszen, Nancy Peck, Andrew Chick, Kayla Klemann.

No birthday this year, Feb. 29:
Malik Hachem, Karen (Rawstern) LaFurge, Marj (Schmidt) Thompson.
— We fondly remember Warren Albertson on what would have been his birthday.

Tuesday, March 1:
Jeb Bruzelius, Nate Buscher, Dan Cahill, Laura Louder, Karen Schaefer, Robae (Cook) Robinson, Caleb McKinley.
— 8th anniversary, Alan/Ann Hess.
— 22nd anniversary, Brady/Emily Smith.
— 19th anniversary, Adam/Jami Chick.

Wednesday, March 2:
Brianna Neuhauser, Kate Boyd, Fletcher Ruby, Curt Roddewig, Lindsay (Lower) Uecker, the Rev. Teri Johnson, Sawyer Weinheimer, Sandy Zimmerman, Julie Morris-Holter, Karen Gerdes, Pat Kuchta.

Thursday, March 3:
Kollyns Gorter, Alena Axlund, Amanda Redden, Chad Pitlick, Kenyon Kuiper, Lori Fisk-Neitzel, Carol (Sanborn) Koehn, Leah (Anglin) Hammersley, Will Vogel, Justin Flottmeyer, Jesse Flottmeyer, Jacob Wagoner, Brooke Goff.
— We fondly remember Brooks Monfore, who passed away 10 years ago today.
— 4th anniversary, Kyle/Ali (Meister) Cichos.

CORONAVIRUS ROUNDUP

As the third year of the pandemic is about to begin in less than a month, yesterday’s Department of Health daily report has some bits of good news. The number of hospitalizations due to COVID in South Dakota is down to 171, the lowest number since Aug. 30 last summer. However, five newly reported deaths brought the state’s two-year toll to 2,784.

Among other developments in the past week:

• Canadian police finally started arresting truckers protesting and blockading the capital city of Ottawa.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom in California announced the first shift by a state to an “endemic” approach to the pandemic. It emphasizes prevention and quick reactions to new outbreaks. That state’s indoor mask requirements ended Feb. 25. An announcement on Feb. 28 will reveal when the state’s school mask mandate might end.
• The vaccination rate for South Dakota residents who are 75 and older has reached 93%.
• In Friday’s Department of Health daily report the number of active cases in the state was 8,465, which was the lowest number since Dec. 30. The number of persons hospitalized due to COVID stood at 222.
• It’s a race who is doing more to prolong the pandemic in this state—the governor or the Legislature. The House of Representatives followed Speaker Gosch’s lead by passing 37-30 a bill to allow broad exemptions to an employer’s vaccination mandate, “citing any objection of their conscience.” The freedumbs rule in South Dakota.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• Especially hitting home for me was a meme that showed up on Facebook last week. It read, “After you turn 50 years old, you can’t recognize letters up close, but you can recognize idiots from far away.” I added a comment that they are even more obvious when one passes 80.
• This won’t surprise too many of you who know the kids in Riggs High’s basketball programs. Last Thursday night after their game in Brookings, the Governor players were lined up—all the way out the door!—at a Subway. A man named Matt Halvorson posted that night on Facebook that he stopped there to get a sandwich on his way home in Brookings and intended to get in line outdoors. But the players kept insisting he cut in front of all of them. They even made a tunnel for him to walk through up to the front of the line. Halvorson added, “You guys are raising some great kids in Pierre. I hope the Brookings High School kids are that respectful when they go on the road.” A check of Halvorson’s Facebook page reveals he has family ties with Kennebec and Lyman County.
• In these days when a lot of people talk about mental health but do little, each of you should read the latest blog by one of our own local products, Jasmin Fosheim. This week she wrote a courageous column on seeking help for one’s own mental health when depression sets in. Jasmin lives in Hettinger, N.D., with her husband, Frank Turner, and their daughter, Josie. She works in economic and community development for that small town. The title of her series of blogs is “Realizing Rural Change.” You can find the latest column here: https://www.realizingrural.com/blog/breaking-down-and-building-up
• The weather fouled up the plans of quite a few people up in Onida, I suspect. Where a lot of them will be and where more would like to be is Chloe Lamb’s Senior Day game at USD Saturday. But the weather delayed the Region 2B girls tournament, and the Sully Buttes girls, if they win Thursday night, will be playing in the semifinal Saturday at home. On a normal weekend Chloe’s fans who can’t get to Vermillion could watch her game on television, but the USD game is not on Midco’s schedule for this weekend. Blame all this on Mother Nature whose tournament week storm came very early in the tournament season this year.
• An autobiography (that means she wrote it herself?) of Governor Noem entitled “Not My Last Rodeo: Lessons Learned from the Heartland” is due to be released June 28. It will cost you only $30 in support money for her campaign. Of course by June 28 she may have lost the Republican primary and have nothing for which to campaign. That might be bad for book sales.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Tony and Lisa Dorschner became grandparents for the first time on Feb. 15. Brynlee Ann Pease is the daughter of Matt and Haley Pease of Fort Pierre. She weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and measured 19 1/4 inches.

Lincoln Kienholz of the boys basketball team and Kezrey Benning of the girls wrestling team were named Athletes of the Week last week by the Pierre Athletic Coaches Association. This week’s honorees were Nate Williams, Noah Williams and Sydney Uhrig of the wrestling teams.

The annual used books sale sponsored by the AAUW chapter is now being taken over by the Zonta Club of Pierre-Fort Pierre. Drop-off boxes for used books, CDs and DVDs are now in place through March 27 at the YMCA, Dakotamart in Pierre and Fort Pierre, BankWest and the Discovery Center. Please do NOT drop off textbooks, magazines, encyclopedias, cassettes or VHS tapes. The sale itself will take place at the Northridge Plaza on April 9-10.

Where to have supper next Monday? The Pizza Ranch is the place. The Pierre high school baseball team will be serving as waiters and performing other duties there as a fund-raiser for their baseball program between 5:30 and 8 p.m. Whether you dine in, drive through or order carry-out, help out the boys. Baseball is less than two months away (weather permitting).

Patrick Lowin, 30, passed away Feb. 17. A memorial open house and visitation will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at Feigum Funeral Home. Private funeral services will be held at a later time. Patrick grew up in Blunt and graduated from Sully Buttes High School in 2010. He earned a degree in horticulture from SDSU. He worked in construction and landscaping and at a nursery. Among his survivors are his parents, Tom and Lynda Lowin; his brother, Ben, and his sister, Suzy.

Volunteers are needed in various capacities to work at the state Special Olympics basketball tournament to be played in Pierre March 12-13. To volunteer go to sosd.volunteerhub.com/LP.statebasketball. For information contact Chad Vanderpoel at cvanderpoel@sosd.org, Haley Zerr at hzerr@sosd.org, or Mary Jo Stier at Mary.Stier@k12.sd.us.

Kaylee Blauert and Christian Stanley, both students at Georgia Morse Middle School, were chosen via audition for the South Dakota Middle School All-State Orchestra. That honor group met for rehearsals and a concert in Rapid City last weekend.

Chloe Lamb, fifth-year senior on the USD women’s basketball team from Onida, was named to the District IV Academic All-District team by the region’s college sports information directors. She is the fifth USD player to receive that honor since USD moved to Division I.

John Scott, 76, Onida, died peacefully Feb. 18 at Dougherty Hospice in Sioux Falls. A celebration of his life will be held at the family farm near Onida this summer. John grew up in the Amarillo, Texas, area. Scott’s Custom Combining operated from Texas to North Dakota, and John loved this area. He bought a farm in Sully County, and after marrying his wife Pam in 1969, they moved to South Dakota. John farmed with his sons until 2020 when he retired and passed the farm on to them. John helped with the local youth wrestling program and taught adult woodworking. He is survived by his wife Pam; his children, Eric (Tracy) Scott of Onida, Amy (Kevin) Wilcox of Amarillo Wendy Carroll of Tea, Sarah (Chad) Heinrich of Phoenix and John L. (Heather Olson) Scott of Pierre; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren, and his twin sister, Judy (Bob) Patrick of Amarillo. He was preceded in death by his parents and four siblings.

An all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage supper will be served on Shrove Tuesday, March 1, at Trinity Episcopal Church. The adult price is only $5, kids age 5-10 eat for $3 and kids under four get in free.

Dr. Brianne (Barnett) Roby has been on mission trips with other medical professionals in the past. In the past week she has been on such a trip to a hospital at Hermosillo, Mexico, where she and the rest of the team worked with children and families. That is the capital city of the northwestern Mexico state of Sonora, a hundred miles or so south of Nogales, Ariz. Bri is a strong supporter of Children’s Surgery International (CSI), which is based in Minneapolis where Bri is a pediatric surgeon.

Southeast United Methodist Church, a fixture in that part of Pierre for decades, is closing down. The final worship service there will take place this Sunday.

Ryan Merriam and his Dueling Duo team are coming back home for a Post 8 baseball benefit event at Drifters on Saturday, March 12, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Tables of eight are available for $250. For tickets call All-Around Graphix at 224-4677 and ask for Derk Campbell.

Beverly Zebroski, 88, a life-long resident of the Onida community, passed away Feb. 18 at Avera Oahe Manor in Gettysburg. A prayer service will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at First Presbyterian Church in Onida, preceded by visitation starting at 6 p.m. The funeral service will be at the church at 11 a.m. Saturday, followed by burial at the Onida cemetery and lunch at the Phoenix Center. The former Beverly Ludwig was the first of three daughters of Corydon and Ava Ludwig. She graduated in 1951 from Onida High School where she was the Ki-Yi Day homecoming queen. She and Phil Zebroski were married in August 1951. They lived on several ranches and farms in Sully County until moving to the Corydon Ludwig farm northeast of Onida. In the late 1960s they established Phil’s Place on Main Street. After their divorce, Beverly raised her six children as a single parent, assuring their active lives in 4-H, church, school and community. Bev worked at the school, Peavey Lumber and the Missouri Slope feedlot. In December 1978 she bought Gary’s Liquors, and as Bev’s Liquors, her business was named South Dakota Retailer of the Year. She has managed the Corydon Ludwig Farm Corporation since 1977. Bev was always active in the Sully County Fair, missing that event only twice in her 88 years. She co-chaired Onida’s centennial celebration; was a county commissioner; served on the Onida cemetery board; worked with the South Dakota Liquor Association and the South Dakota Retail Beverage Dealers Association, and participated in many other clubs and organizations in the community. She was named Sully County Fine Lady by the Extension clubs and South Dakota Eminent Homemaker by SDSU. Bev is survived by her six children, Tim (Carletta) Zebroski of Gillette, Wyo., Tom Zebroski of Rozet, Wo., Tawana (Rod) Grueb of Onida, Tarina (Reid) Kopren of Bison, Teresa (Ken) Murdoch of Sheridan, Mont., and Ted Zebroski of Winnemucca, Nev.; 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Betty Barnes and Berneice Kiel; her daughter-in-law, Terah Zebroski, and a special friend, Hank Johnson.

Delta Tau Delta fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority at USD are working together on an April 12 event to benefit Jacob and Katie (Starzl) Parsons of Pierre, former members of those two organizations. The fund-raising event will be the fraternity’s and the sorority’s spring philanthropy event. Katie was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. Katie’s Karnival on April 12 will include a dunk tank where members of Delta Tau Delta will be dunked. There will also be many other carnival games and food items. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the Parsons family to help them through their current medical experience. Anyone with students or friends at USD are encouraged to point out to them to save the date of April 12 to participate in the carnival events on the Vermillion campus. Meanwhile, anyone else there or at a distance can support the Delts’ and Alpha Phi’s cause by contributing at this page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-katie-starzl-parsons-beat-cancer. You can also send checks to the fraternity at 114 N. Pine St., Vermillion SD 57069, making your checks payable to Delta Tau Delta.

Friday is Opening Night for Pierre Players’ “Making God Laugh.” The winter show opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday this week as well as Thursday, Friday and Saturday next week. There is also a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. this Sunday. Call 224-7826 for ticket reservations.

Bob Bak, 88, Fort Pierre, died Feb. 16 at his shop. A memorial service is planned for this (Thursday) afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. Bob graduated from Centerville High School in 1951. He married Elsie Anderson in Murdo in 1952. They would have celebrated their 70th anniversary later this year. Bob worked for the state Department of Highways in Murdo and White River. In 1960 he started Bak Construction, and they moved to Fort Pierre in 1986. He is survived by his wife, Elsie Bak; his sons, Hank (Linda) Bak and Bobby (Carla) Bak; his daughter, Jean (Doug) Evans; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren, and two sisters, Alice Sylliaasen and Ruth Ewoldt.

PONDER THIS

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
— Anne Bradstreet