THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Giving thanks fills you with light and joy so you can shine like the bright star you truly are.
— Amy Leigh Moore

STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORES

9B: Avon 32, Faulkton Area 30.
9A: Warner 76, Deubrook Area 54.
9AA: Parkston 12, Howard 7.
11B: Hot Springs 13, Elk Point-Jefferson 7.
11A: Dell Rapids 42, West Central 6.
11AA: Pierre 35, Yankton 7.
11AAA: Sioux Falls Lincoln 31, Sioux Falls O’Gorman 7.

STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS

(Thursday through Saturday at the Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City)

Class “B”
Warner vs. Gayville-Volin
Burke vs. Wolsey-Wessington
Chester Area vs. Faulkton Area
Colman-Egan vs. Castlewood

Class “A”
Sioux Falls Christian vs. Lennox
Platte-Geddes vs. Dell Rapids
Rapid City Christian vs. Dakota Valley
Miller vs. Wagner

Class “AA”
Harrisburg vs. Aberdeen Central
Watertown vs. Sioux Falls O’Gorman
Sioux Falls Jefferson vs. Brandon Valley
Sioux Falls Washington vs. Sioux Falls Lincoln

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Volleyball: In their SoDak 16 game the Governors led 2-0 but eventually lost 3-2 at Aberdeen Central on game scores of 26-24, 25-12, 23-25, 21-25, 8-15. Abigail Kropp had 16 kills, Campbell Boddicker 14 kills, Reese Terwilliger 11 kills and Campbell Cronin eight service aces. The volleyball program loses seniors Terwilliger, Boddicker, Kropp, Jordan Mayer, Lainey Reinke, Makayla Sherwood and Aleise Christopherson via graduation.

Schedule of season-opening games and matches:
Gymnastics: Nov. 30 at Huron.
Girls wrestling: Dec. 1 at Mandan.
Boys wrestling: Dec. 1 at Mandan.
Boys basketball: Dec. 8 at Rapid City Stevens.
Girls basketball: Dec. 8 home vs. Rapid City Stevens.

Football: A play that will go down in memory as one of the biggest in Pierre football history opened the second quarter of the state Class 11AA championship game at Vermillion last Friday and gave the Governors, chasing their seventh consecutive state title, some breathing room against Yankton. From then on Pierre cruised to a 28-0 halftime lead and won the game easily, 35-7. The play just mentioned began with the Governors backed up against their own end zone on the 1-yard line. A play that had been practiced by the team saw Jett Zabel fire a perfect pass to wide-open quarterback Cade Kaiser, who sailed the rest of the way to the other end of the Dakota Dome to complete a stunning 99-yard touchdown play. That made the score 14-0. In the final seconds of the first quarter Trey Lewis, who later would be awarded the Joe Robbie Memorial Award as most valuable player of the championship game, had scored from seven yards out to put the first points of the game on the board. The 99-yard bomb was only the beginning of a 21-point second quarter. Lewis scored again from two yards away for a 21-0 lead. Then with 22 seconds left in the half, the Govs came up with the dagger—a TD pass from Kaiser to George Stalley that covered 37 yards. No more points were really needed, but the Governors got them anyway when Kaiser connected with Zabel for a 23-yard touchdown. Yankton got on the board with 10:30 left in the game on a 13-yard pass from Lucas Kampshaff to Carson Ness. Ryann Barry continued her outstanding season as Pierre’s extra-point kicker, making all five of her PAT kicks. In the first half Yankton had the ball for only 6:33 compared to Pierre’s 12:27 of possession. The first four Bucks possessions ended in punts, and the next three possessions ended in interceptions. For the game Pierre had 169 yards rushing and 185 passing compared to Yankton’s 70 rushing and 171 passing. Lewis carried 23 times for 103 yards, Kaiser 10 times for 65 yards. Zabel’s two completed passes, including the big one, totaled 107 yards. Kaiser completed 7 of 12 for 78 yards. In receptions Zabel had three for 29 yards, Brock Moser three for 12 yards, Kaiser his one for 99 yards, Stalley his one for 17 yards and Cooper Terwilliger one catch for eight yards. The three interceptions that killed Yankton drives were hauled down by Spencer Easland, Zabel and Carson Stoeser. The most valuable lineman of the game award went to Matthew Brewer. The most valuable back award was awarded to Kaiser.

Volleyball: Reese Terwilliger, Pierre senior, was named to the ESD’s all-conference volleyball team.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

Schedule of season-opening games and matches:
Gymnastics: Nov. 30 at Huron.
Boys wrestling: Dec. 2 home for Stanley County Invitational.
Girls basketball; Dec. 5 home vs. Chamberlain.
Boys basketball: Dec. 7 at Miller.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

Schedule of season-opening games and matches:
Boys wrestling: Dec. 2 at Rapid City Invitational.
Girls wrestling: Dec. 2 at Rapid City Invitational.
Girls basketball: Dec. 5 at Ipswich.
Boys basketball: Dec. 12 home vs. Lyman.

ONE YEAR AGO IN THE MIDWEEK UPDATE

Nov. 16, 2022: Pierre won its sixth straight 11AA football championship, 35-20, over Tea Area. Pass plays covering 92 and 75 yards from Lincoln Kienholz to Jack Merkwan started the Governors on their run to the title. Pierre’s lead was only 21-20 when two rushing touchdowns by quarterback Kienholz gave the Govs breathing room. Key interceptions by Kienholz, Deean Houska and Emmit Andersen played key roles in the win.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Black Hills State football (Josh Breske): Josh’s fourth year as head coach at BHSU ended with a 6-5 record following a close 42-37 loss to #1-rated CSU-Pueblo.

Minnesota State-Mankato women’s soccer (Mackenzie Rath): Another former Pierre athlete is headed to postseason play. Mackenzie has been like a brick wall in goal for the Mavericks this season. They have been seeded fourth in their region of the NCAA Division II Tournament and will open play in Topeka, Kan., against Central Missouri at 6 p.m. Friday. If they win, the Mavericks will play at 1 p.m. Sunday against the winner between hometown Washburn (Kan.), the region’s top seed, and Ouachita Baptist (Ark.). This is the 11th straight year Mankato has made it into the NCAA tournament. The event continues with third-round games Nov. 30/Dec. 1 and quarterfinal games Dec. 2/3. The national semifinals will be Dec. 7 at Mathews, N.C., and the championship game there Dec. 9.

Ohio State football (Lincoln Kienholz): The Buckeyes rolled to a 38-3 win over Michigan State, giving them a 10-0 record heading into a home game against Minnesota at 3 p.m. Saturday on Big Ten Network and then the annual showdown at Michigan at 11 a.m. Nov. 25 on Fox. Pierre fans watching the game were thrilled to see freshman Lincoln Kienholz appear in his first college game in the fourth quarter as the Buckeyes quarterback. Kienholz completed two of three passes for a total of 18 yards. On second-and-4 from the MSU 42, he completed a short right pass for 14 yards to the MSU 28. After a rushing gain to the 23, on second-and-5 Kienholz completed a short left pass for 4 yards to the MSU 19. After a penalty moved the ball back to the MSU 24, on second-and-6 Kienholz threw a deep left pass which fell incomplete. The possession ended for Ohio State with a missed field goal.

Augustana football (Jett Lamb, Colton Hartford): The Vikings completed a 10-1 season, 9-1 in the NSIC, with a 38-19 win over Bemidji State. Jett was credited with four solo tackles as well as a tackle for loss of five yards. Augie begins the playoffs with a first-round home game against fellow NSIC member Minnesota State-Mankato Saturday.

Dakota Wesleyan football (Evan Nordstrom): The Tigers ended their season with a 6-5 record when they lost to Dordt, 23-12.

Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The defending national NAIA champs ended their regular season with a 42-11 win over Jamestown. Morris had two solo tackles and two assisted tackles as well as an interception. The Raiders begin their march toward another title with a home playoff game in the second round on Nov. 25. Meanwhile, this week Mo earned all-conference second-team recognition on the GPAC all-conference team on defense.

South Dakota State wrestling (Regan Bollweg): The Jackrabbits opened their season at the Bison Open in Fargo, and Regan wrestled as an unattached wrestler in the 285-pound division. In Pool A at that weight class, he lost by fall in 2;23 to Dawson of NDSU; lost by major decision, 14-5, to teammate McConnville of SDSU, and won by bye to complete pool play. In the placement matches Regan lost the fifth-place match to Trenary of SDSU in a fall at 4:15. SDSU wrestles at home Friday in the Dakota Showcase and Sunday in the Daktronics Open, then at Minnesota on Nov. 26.

Dakota State football (Nathan Cook, Collin Brueggeman): The Trojans lost to Dickinson State, 52-0, in the last game of their season, which had a 1-9 record. Nathan caught one pass for five yards. Collin had one solo tackle and one assisted tackle for a total of two.

North Dakota State football (Grey Zabel): The Bison rebounded from their loss at SDSU with a resounding 34-10 win over Southern Illinois at home. Now 7-3 NDSU ends the regular season at Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+.

USF football (Christian Busch, Jayden Wiebe, Jack Merkwan): The Cougars ended a 3-8 season with a 28-10 loss to Southwest Minnesota State.

Georgia Tech women’s basketball (Cade Currier): The Yellowjacket women won over Furman, 91-56. Now 2-0, Georgia Tech plays at Rice in Houston tonight, at home against Kennesaw State Sunday, then in Cancun, Mexico, against Creighton Nov. 24 and New Mexico Nov. 25. They are back home vs. Florida Nov. 29.

Northern women’s basketball (Katie Bourk): The Wolves opened their season in Oklahoma with a 71-55 loss to Central Missouri and a 68-59 win over Rogers State. Now 1-1, NSU goes to Spearfish this weekend to play Mines Friday and BHSU Saturday and on to Bismarck to play Mary next Tuesday. Then Northern is home vs. USF Nov. 25 and at Marshall against Parkside Nov. 27.

Black Hills State men’s basketball (Jackson Edman): BHSU opened its season with a 72-53 loss to Oklahoma Christian Friday. The next night the Yellowjackets won over Arkansas-Fort Smith, 77-72. Jackson, a freshman, got his first taste of college ball when he got into the game late for a minute and missed one three-point shot. Now 1-1 BHSU plays at home Friday vs. Augustana and Saturday vs. Minnesota State-Moorhead; goes to Montana State-Billings Tuesday, then plays at home Nov. 27 against Mines.

South Dakota State swimming (Morgan Nelson): Idle last week, the Jackrabbits swam last night at USD’s long-course meet. They then swim today through Saturday at the Augustana invitational.

Augustana swimming (Ella Ward Zeller): The Vikings were idle last week. They swam last night at USD’s long-course meet and swim today through Saturday at their own invitational.

Dakota State men’s track and field (Houston Lunde): The Trojans open their season at SDSU’s meet Dec. 2-3.

Dakota Wesleyan wrestling (Tyson Johnson, Aric Williams): DWU won a dual over Ridgewater Community College, 32-15. Tyson lost a major decision 19-6 at 157 pounds. At the DWU Open Aric went 1-2 in three matches at 149 pounds, and Tyson was 2-2, getting his wins by decision and technical fall. DWU wrestles Northwestern (Iowa) Thursday, and on Friday they wrestle at the Dakota Showcase at SDSU. Next Tuesday DWU wrestles in the GPAC duals.

South Dakota State men’s track and field (Rylan McDonnell): The Jacks open their season at their home meet Dec. 2-3.

South Dakota State women’s track and field (Jessica Lutmer, Lydia Hill): The Jacks open their season at their home meet Dec. 2-3.

USF women’s wrestling (Toby Bryant): At the Waldorf Open in Iowa Toby’s Cougars got two placers, one in fourth and one in fifth place. His women’s team wrestles Sunday at DWU and on Nov. 30 against Minot State at home.

USF men’s wrestling (Josh Rydberg): The Cougars wrestled at St. John’s in Minnesota Sunday, but Josh did not wrestle there. USF goes Saturday to the Augsburg Invitational in Minneapolis.

University of Mary women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb): This is Chloe’s second year as assistant coach at Mary in Bismarck. The Marauders have gone 2-4 in their first six games, beating Angelo State and Central Oklahoma while losing to Montana State-Billings, Texas Woman’s and Northwestern State (La.). On Tuesday the Marauders lost to Black Hills State, 58-56. Mary plays at home Tuesday against Northern.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Nick Wittler): The Tigers are 3-1 after a 77-76 loss Monday to Dakota State. Nick went 0-for-2 in field-goal tries. DWU plays at home Friday against Doane and Saturday against Hastings; plays at Briar Cliff on Tuesday and spends Thanksgiving weekend in Columbia, Mo., where they will play Columbia and Hannibal-LaGrange.

South Dakota men’s basketball (Max Burchill): The Coyotes defeated Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 100-79. Max, a starter for the Yotes, was 5-of-8 in field goals (2-of-2 in three-pointers) and 1-of-2 in free throws for 13 points with three rebounds and three assists. On Tuesday in Chicago, USD gave DePaul of the Big East a game but lost by 72-60. Max went 1-of-5 in field goals and 2-of-2 at the stripe for four points with five boards and two steals. Now 2-1, USD will be in Glendale, Ariz., this weekend to play Virginia Military on Friday and either Northern Arizona or Purdue-Fort Wayne on Saturday. USD then plays at home next Wednesday against Northland, Nov. 26 against Air Force and Nov. 28 against Waldorf.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

College football playoffs update:

• SDSU, USD, NDSU, UND: The 24-team field for the FCS playoffs will be revealed at 11:30 a.m. this Sunday on ESPNU. Eight teams will receive first-round byes through next Saturday’s first round of eight games, so 16 teams will remain for the second round Dec. 2, followed by the quarterfinals Dec. 9, the semifinals the weekend of Dec. 16, and the national championship game in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 7.
• Augustana: The Vikings will be home Saturday against Minnesota State-Mankato in the first round. The winner of this game will have to face the #1 regional seed, Colorado Mines (one of the four #1 regional seeds who have byes this week), in Golden, Colo., on Nov. 25. The quarterfinals will be Dec. 2, the semifinals Dec. 9, and the national championship game Dec. 16 at McKinney, Texas.
• Northwestern (Iowa): The defending national champion Red Raiders are the #1 national seed this time so will get all their playoff games at home in Orange City. There are 20 teams in the NAIA playoffs, and 12 of them get first-round byes, including Northwestern. So 16 teams will be left for the second round Nov. 25 when the Raiders will begin play. The quarterfinals will be Dec. 2, the semifinals Dec. 9, and the national championship game Dec. 18 at Durham, N.C.

NFL live games on local TV the next two weekends (games are subject to change without notice by the networks):
— Thursday, Cincinnati at Baltimore, 7:15 p.m., Prime Video.
— Sunday, Chicago at Detroit, noon, Fox.
— Sunday, Las Vegas at Miami, noon, CBS.
— Sunday, New York Jets at Buffalo, 3:25 p.m., CBS.
— Sunday, Minnesota at Denver, 7;20 p.m., NBC.
— Monday, Philadelphia at Kansas City, 7:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN.
— Thanksgiving Day, Green Bay at Detroit, 11:30 a.m., Fox.
— Thanksgiving Day, Washington at Dallas, 3:30 p.m., CBS.
— Thanksgiving Day, San Francisco at Seattle, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
— Sunday, Nov. 26, Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, noon, CBS.
— Sunday, Nov. 26, New England at New York Giants, noon, Fox.
— Sunday, Nov. 26, Kansas City at Las Vegas, 3:25 p.m., CBS.
— Sunday, Nov. 26, Baltimore at Los Angeles Chargers, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
— Monday, Nov. 27, Chicago at Minnesota, 7:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN.

Minnesota Vikings: After leading at halftime comfortably, 24-3, the Vikings behind Josh Dobbs held on to beat New Orleans 27-19 for their fifth straight win. Minnesota plays at Denver in the Sunday night game this weekend, then plays at home in the Monday night game Nov. 27 against Chicago.

Denver Broncos: The Broncos won their third straight game, stunning the Bills in Buffalo with a last-second field goal, 24-22. Denver hosts the Vikings Sunday night on NBC, then stays home to play Cleveland Nov. 26.

Ben Kramer, Hot Springs: Fort Pierre native Ben Kramer’s Bison won the Class 11B state championship in a thrilling title game in Vermillion, 13-7. Elk Point-Jefferson drove into the red zone late in the game, but the Bison defense held strong and kept them from scoring. A last-ditch possession to win the game failed when an EP-J pass was intercepted. Hot Springs finishes with an 11-1 record. The only loss was by six points, 20-14, to 11A champion Dell Rapids.

Other college football in addition to teams mentioned above in the College Sports Roundup:
— Northern (5-6): defeated Northern Michigan, 44-20, ending their season.
— SDSU (10-0): defeated Youngstown State, 34-0.
This week: home vs. Missouri State 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+.
— USD (8-2): defeated UND, 14-10.
This week: at Western Illinois 1 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+.
— Mount Marty (3-8): Lost to Concordia (Neb.), 45-21, ending their season.
— South Dakota Mines (5-6): Lost to Chadron State, 27-19, ending their season.
— Minnesota (5-5): Lost to Purdue, 49-30.
This week: at Ohio State 3 p.m. Saturday on Big Ten Network; home vs. Wisconsin Nov. 25.
— Nebraska (5-5): Lost to Maryland, 13-10.
This week: at Wisconsin 6:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC; at Iowa noon Nov. 24 on CBS.

Midco Sports Network live games the next two weeks:
— Saturday: football, UND vs. Illinois State, 1 p.m.
— Saturday: football, SDSU vs. Missouri State, 2 p.m. (MS2).
— Saturday: men’s hockey, UND vs. Miami, 6 p.m.
— Sunday: women’s basketball, UND vs. Montana State, noon (MS2).
— Sunday: volleyball, Summit League quarterfinals, 2 and 5 p.m.
— Monday: volleyball, Summit League semifinals, 4 and 7 p.m.
— Tuesday: volleyball, Summit League championship, 7 p.m.
— Nov. 24: women’s basketball, SDSU vs. South Carolina State, 6 p.m. (MS2).
— Nov. 24: men’s hockey, UND vs. Bemidji State, 7 p.m.
— Nov. 25: women’s basketball, USD vs. South Carolina State, 1 p.m.
— Nov. 25: men’s hockey, Augustana vs. Omaha, 6 p.m. (MS2).
— Nov. 25: men’s hockey, UND vs. Bemidji State, 6 p.m.
— Nov. 26: men’s basketball, USD vs. Air Force, 12:30 p.m.

FOOTBALL CONTEST #14

Last week there were no upsets in seven of the college games in our contest, and almost everyone picked the expected winners. So that left only three games to decide things—49ers-Jags, Lions-Chargers and Colorado-Arizona. Earning 20 points each (instead of 10 for best record) because they had perfect 10-0 scores were Jon Boer, Dave Potter, David Ludwig, Mikal Kern, Debra Bollinger and Thomas Voeltz. At 9-1 for 9 points each were Kyle Richards, Levi Neuharth, Randy Pool, Beth Rinehart, Nathan Vetter and Jason Noyes. At 8-2 for 8 points each were Seb Axtman, Eric James and Brad Cruse.

This week’s games (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by Saturday morning):
(1) Kansas State at Kansas.
(2) UCLA at USC.
(3) Wake Forest at Notre Dame.
(4) North Carolina at Clemson.
(5) Washington at Oregon State.
(6) Nebraska at Wisconsin.
(7) Utah at Arizona..
(8) NFL: Los Angeles Chargers at Green Bay.
(9) NFL: Seattle at Los Angeles Rams.
(10) NFL: Minnesota at Denver.

Attention, contestants: Because of so many games over the holiday weekend, we will have TWO contests next week. Watch for the lists of games to be posted on the Parker Knox page on Facebook Sunday evening. That is the only place you will find the games listed for next week’s two contests.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“What I believe happened in our state is that we did what conservatives have always said they believed but we did it, and we proved that it works, that it really is better for families, it really is better for businesses, that it is better for those who want to be happier. See, because our people were free, they were happier, they were able to make personal responsibility choices for themselves and their families. South Dakota . . . . . is lighting the way for how to be economically successful, how to embrace liberty and freedom. Like the Statue of Liberty, we’re holding it high as an example.”
— Gov. Kristi Noem speaking in Paris

COUNTDOWN

4 days: Pierre’s Parade of Lights (Nov. 20).
5 days: Capitol Christmas trees lighting ceremony (Nov. 21).
6 days: Christmas at the Capitol trees display (Nov. 22-Dec. 26).
7 days: Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23).
8 days: Fort Pierre’s tree lighting ceremony and Cowboy Christmas (Nov. 24).
11 days: Riggs High oral interpretation showcase (Nov. 27).
14 days: Pierre/Stanley County gymnastics opener (Nov. 30).
14 days: Stanley County wrestling opener (Nov. 30).
15 days: “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” events, Onida (Dec. 1).
15 days: State oral interpretation championship, Brandon (Dec. 1-2).
15 days: Pierre girls/boys wrestling openers (Dec. 1-2).
16 days: Pat Duffy Community Center’s Holiday Tour of Homes (Dec. 2).
16 days: Sully Buttes wrestling opener (Dec. 2)
18 days: Stanley County high school/middle school Christmas concert (Dec. 4).
19 days: Stanley County/Sully Buttes girls basketball openers (Dec. 5).

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Other college basketball update:
— SDSU men (1-2): Lost at Kansas State, 91-68.
Next: Central Florida Sunday and Charlotte or George Mason Monday at St. Augustine, Fla.; at Southern Mississippi Nov. 23; home vs. Mount Marty Nov. 27.
— SDSU women (1-1): Lost at Wisconsin, 66-64.
Next: Saturday at Tennessee-Martin; Monday at South Carolina; Nov. 24 home vs. South Carolina State; Nov. 28 home vs. Washburn.
— USD women (2-1): Lost to Creighton, 81-55; beat Northern Colorado, 72-59.
Next: in the Bahamas vs. DePaul Friday, Michigan or Middle Tennessee State Saturday and another team Sunday; vs. South Carolina State at the Pentagon Nov. 25; home vs. Northern Iowa Nov. 29.

Sioux Falls Skyforce: With the G League now underway, the Skyforce stand at 1-1, losing the opener to Indiana, 129-114, but beating Cleveland, 129-116. The Force is home Thursday vs. Grand Rapids; play at Wisconsin Sunday and Tuesday and at Windy City next Wednesday; play at home Nov. 25 and 26 vs. Iowa and go to Motor City Nov. 28.

Minnesota Timberwolves: It was an all-winning week for the Wolves, who beat San Antonio, 117-110, and Golden State twice in San Francisco, 116-110 and 104-101. In the NBA’s first-year in-season tournament the Timberwolves lead West Group C with a 2-0 record. The champion of each of six groups plus two wild-card teams qualify for the bracketed portion of the tournament in early December. Minnesota, after a road game at Phoenix last night, goes on to New Orleans Saturday, then home to face New York Monday, Philadelphia Wednesday, Sacramento Nov. 24, Memphis on the road Nov. 26, and Oklahoma City back home Nov. 28. The Sacramento and OKC games will be the Wolves’ next that count in the in-season tournament Group C standings.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Augustana men’s hockey: The Vikings split a weekend pair at Lindenwood in Missouri, winning 4-3 and losing 5-3. Augie plays Omaha on the road on Black Friday and at home the next night.

Sioux Falls Stampede: Sioux Falls split with Omaha, losing 6-2 and winning 4-2. The Herd plays at home Friday vs. Sioux City, Sunday vs. Waterloo, next Wednesday vs. Des Moines and Nov. 24 vs. Lincoln.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush lost all three games in Tulsa by scores of 4-1, 5-2 and 5-2. Rapid City plays at Wichita Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then at home vs. Idaho next Wednesday and on Nov. 24-25.

Minnesota Wild: It was a rough week for the Wild, who lost to the New York Rangers, 4-1; to Buffalo, 3-2 and to Dallas, 8-3. Minnesota plays at Ottawa Saturday, at home vs. Toronto Sunday and Colorado Nov. 24, at Detroit Nov. 26 and at St. Louis Nov. 28.

Badlands Sabres: The Sabres swept Yellowstone, 3-2 and 5-1. Badlands is home against Butte Friday and Saturday then plays at Gillette Nov. 24-25.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings split with St. Cloud, winning 4-2 and losing 2-1. Aberdeen goes to Austin for Friday and Saturday games and then to Minot Nov. 24-25.

Oahe Capitals: The season begins for the Caps at Mitchell on Nov. 25.

Oahe Lady Capitals: The girls varsity schedule still has been posted on the Oahe Hockey website.

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• You will notice that the birthdays list below covers the next two weeks instead of just one week. That’s because the next regular edition of The Midweek Update will come your way two weeks from today on Thursday, Nov. 30. However, next week my traditional (and almost annual) Thanksgiving column will be available next Tuesday, Nov. 21.
• Our esteemed governor spoke at what? And where? She went to Paris to speak at something called the Republicans Overseas France/Republicans Overseas Worldwide Freedom Initiative. I suspect one of our state government planes is not designed to fly across an ocean, so am I right in assuming we paid for her flight to Paris and back? No doubt she will say she was recruiting Frenchmen to move to South Dakota where we are FREE and HAPPY. Whee! Of course another person over there was the new Speaker of the House, Mr. Johnson, who is second in line for the Presidency. It doesn’t take a dumbbell to realize that, if he were to become President, he would need a vice president, so now Noem is on his radar.
• It was announced a couple months ago that the annual Hills Alive festival in Rapid City’s Memorial Park would no longer take place. The Chrstian music event had been sponsored for years by the owners of KSLT Radio. But now Lifelight, a ministry based in Sioux Falls, has come through by deciding to take over sponsorship of Hills Alive. So the festival is on for July 20-21 next summer after all.

WORDS OF WISDOM

I like football. I find it’s an exciting strategic game. It’s a great way to avoid conversation with your family at Thanksgiving.
— Craig Ferguson

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Nov. 16:
Tristan Voller, Kris Schaffer Colby Williams Brian Shekleton, Hallie (Stutesman) Stoeser, Chad Uhrig, LaTonya Anderson, Wes Spencer, Jack Merkwan, Daniel Magee.

Friday, Nov. 17:
Carol Axtman (#86), Joseph Merriam, Aaron Goehring, Claire Taylor, Tessa (Bollinger) Hartmann, Jessica West.

Saturday, Nov. 18:
Cobey Carr, Linda Burchill, Denise (Marshall) Kjer, Joe Jungman, Tom Hindman, Chris Voller, Brendan Whitebird.

Sunday, Nov. 19:
Karla Byrum, Bonnie Small, Ken Weinheimer, Jim Sampson, Mike Anderson, Rachel Zuercher, Caroline Tschetter, DeeAnn Stevens, Chris Pope, Alice Geraets, Rob Shoup, Taylor Lindekugel, Bethany (Goeden) Intorn, Kyler Knox, Kaid Knox, Aiden Dykstra, Brad Cruse.
— 12th anniversary, Michael/Macy (Welsh) Kaiser.
— 12th anniversary, Jared/Kim (Weischedel) McPherson.

Monday, Nov. 20:
Cammy (Clark) Theeler, A.J. Neuberger, Rigley Kulesa, John Forney, Jerry Tveidt, Blake Dean, Ryker Tieszen, Austin Wagner, Sarah Magdanz, Ethan Ellefson.

Tuesday, Nov. 21:
Thomas Voeltz, Peggy Rose, Mark Logan, Chuck Hamre, Ashton Wood, Evelyn Decker, Dawson Jarecke, Delaney Jarecke.
— We fondly remember Tyler Wilcox, who passed away 18 years ago today.

Wednesday, Nov. 22:
Brad Like, Hannah Melius, Judy (Sonnenschein) Larson, Will Nebesick, Jane (Trumble) Husman, Al King, Madelyn Lusk, Kelly Culberson, Jesse Herra, Lowen Kulesa, Gavin Gabriel.

Thursday, Nov. 23:
Kerry (Ingram) Rounds, Cody Van Houten, Sarah (Zellmer) Johnson, Cash Murphy, Elaine Konechne, Tom Tipton, Laurie Johnson, Eva (Schmidt) Reed, Allyson Pierce, Erin (Schiefelbein) Jones, Wendy (Kaiser) Wulf, Knox Englehart, Jenny Weingart, Cora Vogel, Gage Deal.

Friday Nov. 24:
Todd Meierhenry, Harper Lucas, Tom Roberts, Kaishia (Bernard) Anderson, Brooke (Lee) Cronin, Sharon Hoelscher, Janet Hofer, Mae Virginia Gibson, Pam Kean, Jared Boyer, Mary (Wendt) Curtis, Tucker Stoeser.
— 17th anniversary, Jerid/Megan (Joachim) Jaeger.
— We fondly remember Monica Paxton on her birthday.

Saturday, Nov. 25:
Deann (Asheim) Mohlman, Randy Hilding, Ezekiel Ross, Kyle Hollingsworth, Cliff Garber, Reggie Hansen, Cadi Imsland, Ken Koistinen, Tyrell (Allardyce) Janiga, Bob Ruedebusch, Matt Mancuso.
— 12th anniversary, James/Jill (Rounds) Sleger.
— 20th anniversary, Jamie/Crystal Dvorak.

Sunday, Nov. 26:
Brian Myers, Jackie Forster, Curt Rawstern, Andrew Berreth, Patti (Marso) Petersen, Christina (Zellmer) Nath, Kristin (Rausch) Hangebrauck, Julie Bright, Coy Knudson, Thea (Miller) Ryan, Tom Martin, James Berreth, Stacey (Shepherd) Schumacher, Ben Blair, Lauren Retterath, Melissa Kirkpatrick.
— 13th anniversary, Jeff/Taya (Dockter) Runyan.
— 12th anniversary, Michael/Kylie (Sutton) Knudson.

Monday, Nov. 27:
Emory Aguirre, Randy Briese, Matt Flyger, Gracie Kuiper, Lynn Sevening, Mary (Likness) Keeler, Donny Kuper, Gretchen Lord Anderson.
— 19th anniversary, Gary/Bobbi (Martin) Drewes.
— 19th anniversary, Boice/Jamie (Mesteth) Hillmer.
— 8th anniversary, Rick/Shelbi (Hostler) Schimpf.
— 47th anniversary, David/Kathy Hausmann.

Tuesday, Nov. 28:
Ryan Hipple, Scott Colwill, Ella Frohm, Travis Lindekugel, Katie (Zeller) Murphy, Kacie (Schneider) Olson, Maxx Vaudrin, Kim (Deffenbaugh) Altermatt.

Wednesday, Nov. 29:
Josh Tetzlaff, Ashleigh Baker, Sarah Burger, Kayla Prince, Corey Westover, Lisa Blake, Kallie Heibel, Reid LeBeau, Michael Hardwick, Bobbi (Bourk) Underberg, Dallas Cronin, Marcie (Fuhrer) Holsteen, Luke Steece.

Thursday, Nov. 30:
Robbin (Volmer) Figge, Lynsey (Meyer) Anderson, Todd Palmer, Chris Boom, VeaBea (Bourk) Thomas Jay Vogt, Elizabeth Heidelberger, Jake Stewart, Mary (Storsteen) Dieken, Michael Gardner, Cole Hoelscher, Robyn (Bramblee) Bothwell, Joanna Peterson, Holly (Byrum) Jacobs.
— 45th anniversary, Rodney/Janice Haag.

CHRISTMAS AT THE CAPITOL ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, Nov. 22:
6-6:30 p.m.: Sabrina Patel, violin, Burlington, N.C.

Sunday, Nov. 26:
2-2:30 p.m.: Paul Larson, cowboy music, Rochford.

Wednesday Nov. 29:
Noon-1 p.m.: Stanley County piano class.

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

The huge tree that is the centerpiece of the Christmas at the Capitol display of decorated trees this year came from Onida. According to The Onida Watchman, the tree was owned by Isaac LaLonde but was planted in the fall of 1984 as a tribute to the twins born to Larry and Claire Martin by Larry and his sons, Jared and Jesse. The Martins’ twins were born and died on July 19 of that year, and two trees were planted in their memory. One of the trees had to be removed because its roots were growing through the sewer line entering a nearby house and its branches were overhanging the sidewalk there. But the remaining tree grew beautifully and perfectly tall. The crew that went to Onida to retrieve the tree had it down and onto their flatbed within a half hour. A crane was used to lift the tree from the ground onto the truck. The tree will be officially lit next Tuesday night along with the dozens of other Christmas trees in the Capitol Rotunda and the adjacent hallways and balconies. The tree display at the Capitol began in 1981 and has grown ever since to the point that nearly 100 trees now comprise the display.

Mary Jean Lomheim died at home near Onida Nov. 10. Visitation will be from 6 to 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) with a prayer service at 7 at the Methodist church in Onida. The funeral will be there at 10 a.m. Friday. The daughter of Craig and Martha Thompson grew up in Oklahoma City, but the family moved to Sully County while Mary Jean was in high school. She graduated from Agar High School in 1953 and attended National College of Business in Rapid City. She married Marcel Lomheim in 1954, and they settled on his grandfather’s homestead northwest of Onida where they farmed together. Mary Jean was her church’s pianist for more than 40 years. She is survived by her husband, Marcel Lomheim; her children, Gary (Linda) Lomheim, Debra (Gene) Jarvis, Kathy Wiseman, Diane (Raynard) Schlenker and Jay (Mary) Michael; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren, and a special friend, Nancy McKenney.

William (Billy) Kelly, 85, died Nov. 7 at home. His funeral service took place Tuesday at Lutheran Memorial Church. Born in Rosebud, Billy attended several schools, then joined the U.S. Army in 1956, serving until his discharge in 1959. Then he pursued his passion of rodeoing. He was the South Dakota Rodeo Association’s bareback champion in 1961, the same year he married LaVonne Jones. A neck injury ended his rodeo career, but Billy obtained a pilot’s license and worked in crop spraying for 34 years. He is survived by his wife, LaVonne; his son, Billy (Jenny) Kelly; his daughter, Karmen (James) Meyer; four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Among those who preceded him in death were his parents and a sister, Teresa.

Jill (Denton) Wellhouse, 74, died at home in Pierre Nov. 9. Visitation is planned for 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, followed by burial at Black Hills National Cemetery. The daughter of Dr. Frank and Alberta Denton graduated from Riggs High School in 1967 and attended South Dakota State University. She married John Wellhouse in 1968. Jill worked at River Park Treatment Center, the Charles Poches law office, the Department of Social Services and the state Senate. She was a founding member of the Ss. Peter & Paul Folk Group and was a member of the South Madison Street Blues vocal group. She was a member of P.E.O. and the St. Mary’s advisory board. Jill is survived by her husband, John Wellhouse; her daughter, Jonette (Craig) Herman; her son, John Wellhouse II; three grandsons, and five siblings, Mary (Dick) Carter, Linda (Chuck) Denton-Rosing, Julie (Bill) Denton-Saltsman, Mike (Jean) Denton and Frank (Susan) Denton.

Jordan and Abbey Lamb announced on Facebook this week that they are expecting their second child next spring.

A string of seemingly never-ending tragic events involving members of the Fort Pierre community continued last weekend when 19-year-old Hayden Schmautz died in a two-vehicle accident north of Pierre. His funeral is being held this (Thursday) morning at 10 a.m. at New Life Church. Hayden grew up with two sets of parents, Danny and Elizabeth Schmautz and Monacha and Ryan Ellerton, and five siblings. He was involved in Oahe ABATE, the Street Masters Car Club and the Fort Pierre fire department.

Duane Butt, 83, died Nov. 12 at Dow Rummel Memory Care in Sioux Falls. Visitation will be tonight (Thursday) from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. A private family burial will take place in Presho. Duane was born in Winner. He attended the School of Mines, then USD, graduating there in 1962 with a degree in business administration with a major in accounting. He married Barbara Hammerbeck, and they moved to Dallas, Texas, where he began his accounting career. Completing his commitment to ROTC from his USD years, Duane and Barbara were at Fort Riley, Kan., for two years. They spent two years in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, then moved to Sioux Falls. In December 1966 he opened a branch office for Broeker and Hendrickson and Co. in Pierre where he retired in 2000. After retirement he formed Eaglecarver Financial Service. Duane was executive secretary of the South Dakota Building Authority for 27 years, served as chairman of the South Dakota Industry and Commerce Association and was named Alumnus of the Year by the USD business school in 1983. He and Barbara became owners of a ranch near Fort Pierre and several radio stations in the Midwest. Survivors include his wife, Barbara Butt; his daughters, Dihanna Fedder of Pine City, Minn., Dee Dee Schmidt of Avoca, Iowa, and Debra (Joe) Hayes of Sioux Falls; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; his brother, Jim (Bernie) Butt of Murdo; his sister, Mollie (Orville) Sweet of Parkston, and many nephews and nieces.

The annual Holiday Tour of Homes, a fund-raising event for the Pat Duffy Community Center, will take place on schedule on the first Saturday of December. The homes will be open for tours between 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, but ticketholders are free to take part in enjoying wine tasting and appetizers from 1 to 6 p.m. at the CYI Center. For tour tickets go to patduffycommunitycenter.ticketleap.com/2023/. The homes on the tour this year are those of John and Jodi Bechard in Fort Pierre, Brady Garner and Holly Wade in Fort Pierre, Steven and Allysen Kerr in Pierre, and the Svendsen/Bierman home in Pierre.

Charles “Chuck” Ellis, 76, died Nov. 6 at Avera St. Mary’s Hospital. A celebration of his life was held Monday at the Feigum Funeral Home. Charles graduated from Onida High School in 1965 and earned a business administration degree from Black Hills State University in 1969. He married Linda Martin in 1966. He worked for the Nuttall family on the ranch and harvested with their crew, then he worked for Butch De Sautell, learning the carpentry trade. In 1972 Charles created Ellis Construction and built homes and businesses in Onida, Pierre and surrounding area. He retired in 2011. Survivors include his wife, Linda; his son, Glen Ellis; three grandsons, Cody (Katelyn) Dewell, Alex Meagher and Cord Ellis; his sister, Janet Liedle; his nephew, Troy Liedle; his niece, Jill Swanson, and three great-nieces.

Lowell King, 88, died Nov. 5. His funeral was held Wednesday at Faith Lutheran Church. Lowell grew up in Philip and left home and school after his eighth grade year. He worked on the farm of Joy and Cliff Phillips at Midland until enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1953. He earned his GED while in the Air Force. Lowell married Thelma Olson in 1959 in Wisconsin. When Lowell was discharged in 1961, they moved to Blunt. Lowell worked for Korkow Trucking and for the state. He worked at Oahe Dam for the rest of his career, retiring as senior operations supervisor. For the last five years he lived at Edgewood. He is survived by his children, Trudie Feldman of Blunt, Matt (Beth) King of Pierre, and Nancy (Bob) Knutson of Wasilla, Alaska;nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; his brother, Garry (Kay) King; and his sister-in-law, Patty Olson. Among those who preceded Lowell in death were his wife, Thelma; his son-in-law, Tom Feldman, and his siblings, Dorrie (David) O’Connor, Bud (Dona) King, Bob (Dixie) King, Chuck (Helen) King, Mary Ellen (Gary) Wipf and Marilyn Miller.

PONDER THIS

If you woke up this morning, you have reason to be grateful. If you lay your head on a pillow tonight, you have reason to give thanks. Don’t take a single day for granted. They run out.
— Toni Sorenson