THOUGHT FOR TODAY
“At last came the golden month of the wild folk—honey-sweet May when the birds come back and the flowers come out and the air is full of sunrise scents and songs of the dawning summer.”
— Samuel Scoville Jr. in “Wild Folk”
PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP
Girls golf: At the Rapid City tournament the Governor girls finished second with a 355 score. Ellie Jo Simpson was second individually with an 80, just one stroke behind the winner. Other Pierre scores: Haley Nadeau, tied for fourth, 87; Madilyn Brakke, eighth, 93; Andrea Mosteller, ninth, 5; Hadley Hart, tenth, 98; Hattie Baldwin, 15th, 108. On Tuesday at home the Governor girls placed fourth as a team in their invitational, 22 strokes behind team champion Rapid City Stevens. Nadeau was sixth with a 12-over 83, six shots behind the co-winners. Simpson was 12th with an 87. Other Pierre scores: Hart 89, Brakke 92, Morgan Lisburg 98, Mosteller 102.
Baseball: The Governors lost both ends of a doubleheader at Sioux Falls Lincoln. In a 13-1 five-inning defeat Spencer Easland’s sacrifice fly accounted for the only Pierre run. The team managed only three hits. In a 10-9 loss the Govs were down 10-2 before mounting a late comeback, scoring four in the sixth and three in the seventh. Pierre had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position when the game ended on a wind-aided fly-ball catch. Pierre split with Sioux Falls Washington on Saturday by scores of 24-13 in a loss and 24-1 in a win. In the first game against the Warriors, Lincoln Kienholz hit a three-run homer for a 5-2 lead, but Washington had a 13-run inning to break open the game. Gary Nedved had three hits and two RBIs, and George Stalley had two hits. In the blowout win Stalley had four hits and five RBIs. Jett Zabel, Grayson Hunsley, Matt Brewer and Cade Kaiser each had three RBIs. Jackson Edman pitched three shutout innings, and Spencer Kelly threw the other two innings, giving up only the lone Washington run. On Tuesday the Governors finally got to play a home game and will be at home for all games this month. A nine-run fourth inning for the Govs broke open a 0-0 tie with Huron. Hunsley, Stalley and Matt Hanson each had an RBI hit in the big inning. Kienholz added an RBI double in the sixth to end the game via the 10-run rule. Kienholz pitched all six innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and one walk while fanning 13. Pierre’s record is now 5-6.
Boys tennis: The Governors are on a six-game winning streak in tennis duals. This week after beating Aberdeen Central, Harrisburg and Sioux Falls Christian, Pierre dominated both Huron and Spearfish on Tuesday by 8-1 scores. Matt Hanson, Blake Judson, Luke Leingang and Spencer Kelly all went 4-0 in their two singles and two doubles matches Tuesday, and Matyas Pribal won in singles twice and doubles once. Pierre’s dual record is now 7-3.
Boys track/field: At the power-laden Pierre Legion Relays, which drew schools from Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Bismarck among other places, Pierre managed two first-place athletes. Canyon Jones won the pole vault at 12’9″ and Aaron Campbell the javelin at 163’5″. Jack Merkwan placed second in the 300-meter hurdles in :41.44. Jared Lutmer was second and Hayden Shaffer third in the 1600 in respective times of 4:34.71 and 4:37.29. The 4×100 relay team of Cole Peterson, Brock Moser, Tucker Putzier and Caden Thompson placed third in :43.72.
This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Girls golf: at Aberdeen Central, 10 a.m.
Boys tennis: home vs. Brandon Valley, 1 p.m.
Track/field: at Aberdeen Central invitational, 11 a.m. (moved to today from Saturday)
— FRIDAY
Girls golf: at Parkston tournament, Mitchell, 10 a.m.
Baseball: home vs. Harrisburg, 5 and 7 p.m.
— MONDAY
Boys tennis: at Mitchell quadrangular, 10:30 a.m.
— TUESDAY
Baseball: home vs. Sturgis, 5 and 7 p.m.
— WEDNESDAY
Baseball: home vs. Rapid City Stevens, 6 p.m.
STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP
This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Girls golf: at Faulkton tournament, 10 a.m.
Track/field: at Lyman meet, Presho, noon.
— SATURDAY
Track/field: at Black Hills Classic, Sturgis.
— MONDAY
Girls golf: at Bennett County tournament, Martin, 10:30 a.m.
Boys golf: at Bennett County tournament, Martin, 10:30 a.m.
ZESTO SHERBET SCHEDULE
Thursday: coffee.
Friday-Sunday: huckleberry.
HOCKEY UPDATE
Oahe Capitals boys varsity: Keenan Howard, who played forward for the Capitals, was drafted in the fourth round of the NA3HL draft by the Badlands Sabres of Rapid City. Keenan scored 14 goals and had six assists in 20 games for Oahe this past winter.
Aberdeen Wings: The Wings lead Austin in their best-of-5 first-round playoff series, 2-0, after winning 4-2 and 3-2 games last weekend. Game 3 will be in Aberdeen Friday as will Game 4 Saturday if it is necessary. A fifth game would be back in Austin on Monday.
Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd beat Des Moines, 7-2, then lost to Fargo twice, 5-3 and 4-2. The attendance at the season-ending game Saturday at the Denny was 8,100. The Stampede’s season ends with a record of 19-37-3-3, third-worst in franchise history.
Rapid City Rush: The Rush have a 2-1 lead in their conference semifinal playoff series against Allen, Texas. The Rush won 3-2, lost in overtime 4-3 and won 5-1 on the road Tuesday. Games 4 and 5 will be in Allen on Friday and Saturday. If they are necessary, Game 6 would be Monday and Game 7 next Wednesday, both in Rapid City.
BASEBALL UPDATE
Minnesota Twins schedule:
— Thursday, Detroit, 12:10 p.m.
— Friday, at Tampa Bay, 6:10 p.m.
— Saturday, at Tampa Bay, 3:10 p.m.
— Sunday, at Tampa Bay, 12:10 p.m.
— Monday, at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.
— Tuesday, at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.
— Wednesday, at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.
— Thursday, at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.
Pierre Trappers: The Trappers have been introducing a different member of their 2022 roster on Facebook each day. So far these are this summer’s team members:
— Jack Van Camp, Iowa Central CC pitcher from Pierre.
— Jacob Griffin, Ottawa U.-Arizona outfielder from Scottsdale, Ariz.
— Cole Mahlum, Dakota County Tech pitcher from Brookings.
— Carson Trumpold, Bismarck State catcher from Colorado Springs.
— Danny Sperling, Southeast Missouri State infielder from Wauconda, Ill.
— Garrett Arnold, Modesto Junior College catcher from San Jose.
— Noah McCreary, Clarke University outfielder from Davenport, Iowa.
— Erik Lemberg, Westcliff University outfielder from Kitchener, Ontario.
SOCCER UPDATE
Minnesota United FC: The Loons are off to a good start this MLS season. They shut out Chicago, 3-0, last weekend. Minnesota plays at Los Angeles Sunday, and the next home game is against Cincinnati on May 7.
WORDS OF WISDOM
“You may not love what you do, but you must do what you love.”
— Ziaul Haque
GOLF UPDATE
PGA Champions Tour (Tom Byrum): Tom finished 77th at the tour event in Irving, Texas, with three straight 75s. His 225 was 12 over par and earned him $1,080. This weekend comes the Insperity Invitational in Tom’s home area at The Woodlands, Texas.
BASKETBALL UPDATE
Minnesota Timberwolves: After splitting road wins last week for a 1-1 series deadlock, the Wolves and Memphis have had some great games, but now the Wolves trail in the series, 3-2. In Game 3 at home, Minnesota led by 16 after the third period after leading by 26 earlier but were outscored 35-9 down the stretch as Memphis won by 104-95. In Game 4 the Wolves won by 119-118 on two free throws by Karl Anthony Towns with :04.4 left, and the series was tied. On Tuesday in Game 5 in Memphis the Wolves led throughout and led 99-88 but were outscored 21-10 into a 109-109 tie. Then the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant, who got refs’ calls all night long, made a layup with a second left to win it by 111-109. The Wolves are home for Game 6 on Friday. If they can tie the series again, Game 7 will be in Memphis on Sunday.
FOOTBALL UPDATE
Rapid City Marshals: The Marshals were smoked at Southwest Kansas, 63-12, and now stand at 1-3. Rapid City plays Saturday at Salina.
Sioux Falls Storm: The Storm won over Bay Area, 49-27, and evened their record at 3-3. Sioux Falls is home Friday against Iowa.
COUNTDOWN
2 days: Riggs High prom (April 30).
5 days: Riggs High awards night (May 3).
7 days: Pierre Educational Foundation’s Evening of Excellence (May 5).
10 days: Mothers Day (May 8).
11 days: Riggs High spring chorus concert (May 9).
12 days: Georgia Morse Middle School band/chorus concert (May 10).
14 days: NSIC outdoor track/field championships, Aberdeen (May 12-14).
16 days: Ellsworth AFB air show, Box Elder (May 14-15).
18 days: State ‘A’ boys tennis tournament, Rapid City (May 16-17).
21 days: State ‘AA’ boys tennis tournament, Rapid City (May 19-20).
23 days: High school baseball regional tournament (May 21).
24 days: Riggs High graduation (May 22).
26 days: “This Is Us” series finale, NBC-TV (May 24).
28 days: Pierre Trappers season opener (May 26).
28 days: State track meets, Sioux Falls (May 26-28).
30 days: State ‘A’ high school baseball tournament, Sioux Falls (May 28).
32 days: Memorial Day (May 30).
PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES
- The NBA playoffs have been on TV for nearly two weeks, and for the first time in years I’m interested. I haven’t watched NBA basketball at all during the LeBron James years when he and his team were always in the playoffs. Now they didn’t even qualify this year! Hooray! So my team, the Warriors, are doing well. Even the Timberwolves are interesting enough to watch occasionally. So playoff basketball is on my viewing schedule almost every night. And the hockey playoffs are just a week away!
- An interesting note for college basketball fans in our region: The Big 10 is moving its women’s tournament to the Target Center in Minneapolis for the next two years—2023 and 2024. Besides that, the men’s tournament will be at the Target Center in 2024 after going to Chicago next March. If I’m still around, a trip into the Cities for this event might be on my bucket list for two years from now.
- Well, the pandemic is over, and all is well, right? Wrong! South Dakota reports 11 more deaths due to the coronavirus and its complications in the past week, bringing our death toll to 2,912. As of yesterday there were 540 reported active cases, not to mention all of those not reported but tested as positive. The number of new infections in the state has doubled in the past two weeks. But hey, we want our freedoms! One dependable report I read yesterday says it is no longer pandemic but endemic, meaning it has become more dangerous since we aren’t trying to stop it. The government failed to stop the pandemic, and too many “freedumbs” in our midst refused to help stop it. Oh, those nasty masks! It is now likely that everyone without a mask will now get one to three infections every year from now on, even though the CDC says COVID is on the wane. Enjoy your freedoms. Meanwhile, in Beijing health officials have ordered (not asked) more than 20 million people to get COVID tests, hoping to avoid another full lockdown such as shut down Shanghai two weeks ago.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.”
–— The late Adlai Stevenson, former U.S. senator and presidential candidate
BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES
Thursday, April 28:
Allen Goodman, Ryker Custer, Steph Paluch, Ada Mae Stofferahn, Brittney (Witte) Hunsley, Casey Ahlers Aaron Mentele, Gabriel Yost, Lane Severyn, Benjamin Lechtenberg, Eric Tilberg, Barron Kafka, Boyer Mikkelsen, Henry Hansen.
— 15th anniversary, Matt/Carly Heard.
— 10th anniversary, William/Lynnette Coolidge.
— 21st anniversary, Mike/Erika (Snow) Andreas.
— 4th anniversary, Chris/Morgan Pope.
— 4th anniversary, Josh/Kelsie (Brandlee) Williams.
— 4th anniversary, Connor/Amanda McKittrick.
Friday, April 29:
Jeremy Jorgenson, Terri Johnson, Blake Rose, Hollis Eschmeyer, Cindy (Bourk) Bowden, Morrigan Cardwell, Brittany Rausch, Josiah Severson, Brian Rausch, Joey Boyer, Ryan Kelley.
Saturday, April 30:
Frank Whitebird, Dave Knudson, Paula (Darger) Gunderson, Jason Rumpca, Virgil Mikkelsen (#94), Eileen Dean, Adam Calkins, Juleana Enright, Tyler Merriam, Jake Mortenson, Diana Heymans.
— 6th anniversary, Troyo/Kelsey (Hanson) Roth.
— Anniversary, Rob/Amanda (Chick) Deelstra.
Sunday, May 1:
Ryan Swartz, Connor McKittrick, Mark Senftner, Connor McKee, Dianne Wegner, Parker Reid Knox, Scott Swenson, Elsie Fuchs, Emilie Oltman, Michelle (Young) McCullough.
— 1st anniversary, Dan/Kim Nielsen.
— 12th anniversary, Jeremy/Christine (Gors) Ellwein.
Monday, May 2:
Chris Henrichsen, Stacy (Zeigler) Cwach, Josh Joel, Jared Vermundson, Debra Bollinger, Ross Vander Vorste.
— 19th anniversary, Murray/Jennifer Thompson.
— 13th anniversary, Mike/Terri Mehlhaff.
— 13th anniversary, Mat/Bre Ripperger.
Tuesday, May 3:
Jason Dodson, Sarah Neuhauser, Brooke (Severson) Lusk, Rebecca Shatek, Addilene Sanderson, Cari (Jorgenson) Leidholt.
— 8th anniversary, Derek/Stephanie (Wells) Todd.
— 14th anniversary, Devin/Beth Weingart.
Wednesday, May 4:
Noah Odden, Shelby Guthrie, Jessica Larson, Brett Anderson, Jared Tabbert, Suzanne (Somsen) Moe, Deb Rumrill, June (Cary) Classen.
— 3rd anniversary, Erik/Lauren Gilbertson.
Thursday, May 5:
Shelly (Schochenmaier) Buseman, Track Lindekugel, Tevan Bryant, Carissa Ott, Maxwell Johnson, Max Hanson, Kit (Hartley) Schmidt, Weston Kusser, Bev Sprenkle, Jared Martin, Jason Gararett, Karen Kern, Blake Anderson, RhyAnne Schoenhard, Wren (Bishop) Hollingsworth.
— 10th anniversary, Jason/Lexi Zeigler.
— 11th anniversary, Mike/Kate Clegg.
— 10th anniversary, John/Ashlee Rounds.
— 10th anniversary, John/Courtney (Zander) Fisk.
COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP
South Dakota State track/field (Addison Eisenbeisz): Addy placed third in the high jump at 5’7″ at the USD last-chance meet. Jackrabbit athletes go to the Drake Relays or a meet at Kansas this weekend.
Northern State baseball (Spencer Sarringar): The Wolves went 0-4 in games this past week. In a 3-0 loss to St. Cloud State, Spencer went 0-for-3. In a 16-6 seven-inning defeat against St. Cloud State, Spencer had a 3-for-4 game, scoring twice and driving in runs with a fifth-inning single and a sixth-inning fielder’s choice. In a 6-2 loss to Minnesota-Duluth our man on the Wolves went 0-for-2 but walked once and scored once. He walked twice more and scored once in an 0-for-3 game in a 13-7 loss to UMD. A third game against the Bulldogs was canceled. Now 12-19 overall and 7-11 in the NSIC, Northern was to play Bemidji State twice yesterday, plays three against Mary this weekend and takes on Minnesota-Crookston twice next Tuesday.
Dakota State track/field (Houston Lunde): In a meet at Northern, Houston had these distances in his events—36’9″ in the shot put 103’8″ in the discus and 115’1″ in the hammer throw. The Trojans send athletes to either the Drake Relays or Mount Marty’s meet this weekend.
Northern State track/field (Rachel Guthmiller): At Northern’s Donat Classic, Rachel won the discus at 147’8″, placed second in the javelin throw with a heave of 142’1″ and was fourth in the hammer throw at 115’9 1/4″. NSU athletes go to either the Drake Relays in Des Moines or Simpson’s meet in Indianola, Iowa, this weekend.
Iowa Central baseball (Jack Van Camp): The Tritons lost a 20-10 marathon to Northeast Community College. Jack pitched one-third of an inning, allowing three walks, one hit and two earned runs. He did not play in three games against Southwest Community College. Iowa Central won those games by 22-2 in five innings, 26-5 and 22-12. Now 34-12 overall and 15-8 in league play, Iowa Central was to play Indian Hills twice yesterday and three games this weekend against Kirkwood CC.
Black Hills State track/field (Frank Becker): At a meet in Fort Collins, Colo., Frank ran on the BHSU 4×100 relay team, which won its race in :45.09. BHSU was to have hosted the RMAC conference meet this weekend, but due to the weather forecast, the meet has been moved to CSU-Pueblo.
Texas State baseball (Peyton Zabel): The Bobcats swept three from Arkansas-Little Rock, 3-2, 30-4 and 9-2. In the middle of those three games Peyton pitched two innings, facing eight batters while walking one, striking out two, allowing one hit and getting three fly-ball outs and one ground-ball out. On Tuesday Texas State lost at UT-San Antonio, 14-8. Now 32-10, the Bobcats face South Alabama in a three-game weekend series and Incarnate Word in a single game next Tuesday.
South Dakota Mines track/field (Erick Colman): Erick did not throw as the Hardrockers competed in a meet at Fort Collins. The Hardrockers go to the RMAC conference meet at CSU-Pueblo this weekend.
University of Sioux Falls track/field (Jessica Lutmer): At USD’s last-chance meet Jessica placed fifth in the 1500-meter run in 4:46.16, a personal-best time for her. USF athletes go this weekend to either the Drake Relays or Simpson College’s meet.
NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Elias and Morgan (Sibson) Aguirre of Midland, Texas, added a son to their family. Elijah James Aguirre was born April 19, weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces. He joins a sister, Emory Grace, in their family. Maternal grandparents are Pierre natives Eric and Julie (Shangreaux) Sibson. Maternal great-grandparents are Tim and Barb Bjorneberg of Spearfish, formerly of Pierre. Morgan is a sixth-grade teacher in Midland.
The 80th birthday of Jean Easland will be celebrated at an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, April 30, at Drifters. Cards can reach Jean at 2301 E. Pine St., Pierre SD 57501.
David Cahill, 81, Pierre, died April 16 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. A celebration of his life was held Friday at the Isburg Funeral Chapel, followed by graveside services at Kimball. He is survived by his wife, Roberta; his son, Dan Cahill of Tucson, Ariz., and his daughter, Nancy (Robert) Koranda of Kimball and Tuscaloosa, Ala., as well as many cousins and their families. David graduated from Kimball High School in 1958 and from SDSU in 1962. He earned a master’s degree in social work at Washington University in St. Louis in 1965. He married Roberta Chaboya in 1967. David was a certified and licensed social worker who worked with the state, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, St. Mary’s Hospital and Maryhouse in that capacity. He served on several community boards related to community health, community nursing, hospice care and home healthcare.
Former Pierre student Dave Potter is joining the executive leadership team at PMP Management as regional vice president for the Orange County and San Diego divisions in southern California.
Robert “Mal” Hinckley, 82, died at home April 16. His funeral took place last Friday at Faith Lutheran Church. Mal went to school through junior high at Gettysburg and graduated from Clover Park High School in Lakewood Center, Wash. He later attended SDSU and USD. Mal was a life-long musician. He played the accordion and played with dance bands, including 19 years with The Standbys. He served with the U.S. Navy Seabees for 4 1/2 years. He worked for 11 years with the Department of Transportation. He became a certified chemical dependency counselor with River Park, Capital Area Counseling Service and the state women’s prison. He married Bernadine Umiker in 1962. He is survived by his son, Robert Jr. (Lindy) Hinckley; his daughter, Tonya (Bill) Dunn, and seven grandchildren.
Virgil Mikkelsen will be 94 on his birthday this Saturday, April 30. Friends can send him greetings at 425 E. Missouri Ave. #1, Pierre SD 57501.
At Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Karon Schaack’s granddaughter Anna was inducted this week into the National Honor Society chapter there. She follows in the footsteps of former NHS members Emily Olsen, who will graduate from Marquette University next month, and Toby Olsen, who is a student at Nebraska-Lincoln. The fourth Olsen child, Benjamin, will be a freshman at Dowling this fall. They all are the children of Katie (Schaack) and Kevin Olsen, who met during their student days at Drake University in Des Moines.
A celebration of the life of Floyd Richards, who passed away on Jan. 9, will be held at 11 a.m. this Friday, April 29, at Lutheran Memorial Church, followed by inurnment at Riverside Cemetery.
Pierre native Jake Stewart was married on March 6 to Savannah Sharp. They live in Rapid City.
Julie (Graves) Darling, 65, died April 22. A celebration of her life is being held at 11 a.m. this (Thursday) morning at Faith Lutheran Church. Julie was born in Pierre and graduated from Palo Verde High School in Tucson, Ariz. For nearly two decades she managed the front desk at the Kings Inn in Pierre. Survivors include her daughter, Katlyn (Derek) Gustafson; her son, Cole Darling; four granddaughters, and her siblings, Cheryl (Dick) Hyde of Onida, Walter (Beccy) Graves of Hartford, Gary (Lauri) Graves of Pierre, Mark Graves of Pierre, Susan Graves of Box Elder, Barbara (Royce) Volker of Rapid City, Amy (Lane) Jibben of Sioux Falls and Jim (Laura) Graves of Pierre.
Two more Governors football players have signed letters of intent to play college ball. Jaden Flor is headed for Dakota State at Madison to play football with the Trojans. Kyle Albertson signed to attend Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., to play football there.
Val (Fosness) Melmer, who graduated from Dakota Wesleyan in 1983, will be the commencement speaker at DWU on May 8. Val’s grandparents, parents and siblings all attended DWU, and she met her husband, Rick, there. He graduated from DWU in 1979.
Marguerite Kleven, who served in the state Senate from 1995 to 2004 after being appointed to succeed her late husband Les following his death in 1995, passed away under hospice care Monday. Mrs. Kleven spent 53 years in the broadcasting business, and one of the Klevens’ legacies is the powerful KBHB radio station based in Sturgis. She is survived by two children, Andy (Michelle) Kleven of Onida and Jezal (Mike) McNeil of Bozeman, Mont., and five grandchildren. Mrs. Kleven’s funeral will be at 2 p.m. May 21 at Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis.
PONDER THIS
“During a political campaign everyone is concerned with what a candidate will do on this or that question if he is elected except the candidate. He is too busy wondering what he’ll do if he isn’t elected.”
— The late Everett Dirksen, former U.S. senator and majority leader
You lose me every time you compare American independence, especially in light of the waning effectiveness of masking, and stupid policies like you must wear it to walk through a restaurant but then you can take it off at your table, to Communist China’s propaganda of population compliance.
Get vaxxed, you’ll probably be fine, and leave the others to make their own choices and suffer the consequences.
But never, ever, tell me that China has their imprisoned subjects best interests in mind.
Signed,
Former Pierre Resident, triple juiced and masked in one of the largest counties in America, and one of the last to lift restrictions.