THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire. It is time for home.
— Edith Sitwell

STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Class “B”: Chester over Warner, 3-2.
Class “A”: Sioux Falls Christian over Rapid City Christian, 3-1.
Class “AA”: Harrisburg over Sioux Falls Washington, 3-1.

PIERRE GOVERNORS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Gymnastics: at Huron quadrangular, 5:30 p.m.
— FRIDAY
Girls wrestling: at Mandan tournament 3 p.m.
Boys wrestling: at Mandan tournament, 3 p.m.
— SATURDAY
Gymnastics: home for Pierre invitational, 11 a.m.
Girls wrestling: at Mandan tournament, 9 a.m.
Boys wrestling: at Mandan tournament, 9 a.m.

Football: Nine members of the Governors state championship team earned postseason honors. Named first-team All-State players were Jett Zabel, Cade Kaiser and Matthew Brewer on offense and Spencer Easland, Trey Lewis, Chance Carda and Emmit Andersen on defense. Brock Moser and George Stalley were given honorable mention. All of the honored players are seniors except Stalley, who is a junior. In addition to his All-State honor, Jett Zabel last week was named Player of the Year in Class 11AA by Midco Sports Network. Then Jett Zabel and Emmit Andersen were named to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader’s annual Elite 45 team, recognizing the 45 best players in the state regardless of classification. Cade Kaiser earned honorable mention there. On the Argus Leader’s All-South Dakota team Emmit was on the first team as a defensive lineman and Jett on the second team as a tight end.

Volleyball: Reese Terwilliger of the Governors was named a second-team All-State player.

STANLEY COUNTY BUFFALOES SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— THURSDAY
Wrestling: at Lyman triangular.
— SATURDAY
Wrestling: home for Stanley County invitational, 10 a.m.
— TUESDAY
Girls basketball: home vs. Chamberlain, 7:45 p.m.

Football: Broch Zeeb of the Buffaloes was named a Class 9AA All-State player as a defensive back although the senior was also the Buffs’ quarterback this season. Colton Brady, a junior, earned honorable mention All-State recognition.

Volleyball: Cadence Hand was named to the Big Dakota Conference’s all-conference team for volleyball. On the honorable mention list were Brylee Kafka, Caycee Knight and Breckyn Huebner.

SULLY BUTTES CHARGERS SPORTS ROUNDUP

This week’s schedules:
— SATURDAY
Girls wrestling: at Rapid City invitational.
Boys wrestling: at Rapid City invitational.
— TUESDAY
Girls basketball: at Ipswich.

Football: On the Class 9B All-State football team, the Chargers’ Gavin Barber earned honorable mention recognition.

ONE YEAR AGO IN THE MIDWEEK UPDATE

Nov. 23, 2022: Pierre native Dr. Wendy Birhanzel was named Superintendent of the Year in Colorado.

Nov. 30, 2022: As South Dakota’s COVID death toll reached 3,000, Governor Noem and other Republican governors urged the President to end the mandate that all military personnel be vaccinated against COVID. (That did happen later when the mandate issue was tacked into a military spending bill.)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.
— Kahlil Gibran.

COUNTDOWN

1 day: “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” events, Onida (Dec. 1).
1 day: State oral interpretation championships, Harrisburg (Dec. 1-2).
1 day: Pierre girls/boys wrestling openers, Mandan (Dec. 1-2).
2 days: Stanley County wrestling invitational (Dec. 2).
2 days: Sully Buttes girls/boys wrestling openers, Rapid City (Dec. 2).
4 days: Stanley County high school/middle school Christmas concert (Dec. 4).
5 days: Stanley County girls basketball opener (Dec. 5).
5 days: Sully Buttes girls basketball opener (Dec. 5).
7 days: Stanley County boys basketball opener (Dec. 7).
7 days: Blunt elementary Christmas concert (Dec. 7).
8 days: Hosanna Dance’s “Nutcracker” (Dec. 8).
8 days: Pierre girls/boys basketball openers (dec. 8).
10 days: Sully Area Singers Christmas cantata, Pierre and Onida (Dec. 10).
11 days: Stanley County elementary Christmas concert (Dec. 11).
11 days: Holiday Jam with the Hegg Brothers concert (Dec. 11).
12 days: Sully Buttes boys basketball opener (Dec. 12).
14 days: Sully Buttes High/Onida elementary Christmas concert (Dec. 14).
15 days: FCS national semifinal games (Dec. 15).
18 days: Riggs High band/choir concert (Dec. 18).
19 days: Georgia Morse Middle School band/choir concert (Dec. 19).
25 days: Christmas Day (Dec. 25).
27 days: “Kennedy Center Honors,” CBS-TV (Dec. 27).
32 days: College football national semifinals (Jan. 1).
38 days: Golden Globe awards, CBS-TV (Jan. 7).
39 days: College football national championship game (Jan. 8).
44 days: NFL playoffs begin (Jan. 13-15).

FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS ROUNDUP

Augustana (Jett Lamb): The Vikings were eliminated from the NCAA Div. II playoffs with a second-round loss at the nation’s #1 team, Colorado Mines, after having beaten Minnesota State-Mankato in the first round.

Northwestern (Iowa) (Morris Hofer): The defending national champion Northwestern team, the #1 national seed again this year, won by 7-0 over rival Dordt College in its NAIA playoffs opener. Northwestern plays at home Saturday against St. Xavier (Ill.) in the national quarterfinals.

USD: The Coyotes, given the #3 national seed, had a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs. They start their playoff run Saturday at home against Sacramento State.

SDSU: The defending national FCS champion Jackrabbits had a first-round bye as the #1 national seed. Their first game in the postseason is at home Saturday against Mercer (Ga.).

NDSU (Grey Zabel): Their long championship run usually gave the Bison nothing but home games in the FCS playoffs. Now, however, they have to go on the road to #4 national seed Montana State this Saturday after winning over Drake at home last Saturday in the first round.

COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP

Dakota State track-field (Houston Lunde): The Trojans begin their indoor season at SDSU’s meet Saturday and Sunday.

Minnesota State-Mankato women’s soccer (Mackenzie Rath): In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Mavericks lost to Central Missouri in Topeka, Kan., 2-0. Mackenzie played all 90 minutes as goalkeeper, making three saves. The winners scored their goals in the 63rd and 80th minutes. During their 11-4-5 season, Minnesota State outscored their opponents 33-9. Mackenzie started 19 of the 20 games, giving up only seven goals and making 77 saves.

South Dakota State track-field (Rylan McDonnell, Jessica Lutmer): The Jackrabbit teams begin their indoor season at their home meet this weekend.

University of Sioux Falls women’s wrestling (Toby Bryant): Toby’s first-year program won the first-ever dual between two women’s teams in South Dakota, defeating Dakota Wesleyan, 39-10. The Cougars wrestle at home tonight vs. Minot State. They stay at home Sunday to wrestle duals against Augsburg and Morningside.

Gallaudet football (Kyle Albertson): The Gallaudet team in Washington, D.C., for whom Kyle was a starting offensive lineman, shared the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference championship with two other schools. Unfortunately due to tie-breakers Alfred State earned the berth into the FCS playoffs.

South Dakota State swimming (Morgan Nelson): At the Augustana invitational Morgan placed eighth in the 100-meter breast stroke event in 1:05.53. She also swam on State’s 200 medley “B” team, which placed eighth in 1:46.18. The SDSU women placed second behind USD in the team standings. SDSU swims Friday at Omaha.

Mary women’s basketball (Chloe Lamb): The Marauders lost a conference game to Northern, 77-64. Now 2-5, Mary plays Saturday at MSU-Moorhead.

Augustana swimming (Ella Ward=Zeller): At the Augustana invitational meet, Ella placed 19th in the 100 backstroke in :59.59. She also swam on Augie’s “B” team in the 200 medley, placing 12th in 1:47.64. The Augie women placed fourth behind USD, SDSU and Minnesota State. The next meet for the Vikings is Friday and Saturday at Rochester, Minn.

Dakota Wesleyan wrestling (Tyson Johnson, Aric Williams): The Tigers won a conference dual over Northwestern (Iowa), 26-21. At 157 pounds Tyson won his match by technical fall, 16-0. At the Dakota Showcase meet in Brookings, DWU lost to SDSU 46-9, to Augustana 52-6 and to Northern 53-0. Against SDSU Tyson lost his 157-pound match by decision. At the GPAC duals DWU won twice, beating Concordia 24-18 and Hastings 35-15. Against Concordia Tyson lost a 12-0 decision. In the Hastings dual Tyson won by fall in 1:18. DWU wrestles Saturday at the Doane Open.

Ohio State football (Lincoln Kienholz): The Buckeyes lost to Michigan for the third straight year, 30-24. Their record is now 11-1, pending their bowl game to be announced. The previous week Ohio State overwhelmed Minnesota, 37-3, and Lincoln was inserted into the game for the second time this season. On his first possession as quarterback he handed off the ball on two downs, then completed a short-right pass good for two yards. In the next possession he again handed off twice, then completed another pass to the right good for five yards and a first down.

Augustana football (Jett Lamb): The Vikings won their first-round playoff game over Minnesota State-Mankato, 51-24, at home for an 11-1 record. But then they had to go to the home field of #1 Colorado Mines in Golden, and there Augie lost 56-10, ending the season at 11-2.

Northwestern (Iowa) football (Morris Hofer): The #1 Red Raiders won their playoff opener over next-door neighbor and rival Dordt College, 7-0. A touchdown at 5:38 of the first quarter held up through the defensive struggle. Northwestern, guaranteed home field throughout the playoffs until the national title game, will be home this Saturday in the national quarterfinals against St. Xavier (Ill.).

North Dakota State football (Grey Zabel): In their regular-season finale the Bison defeated Northern Iowa, 48-27. In the first round of the FCS playoffs NDSU dominated Drake, 66-3. Now 9-3, the Bison have to make a rare trip away from home in the playoffs to play the #4 national seed Montana State in Bozeman. It is interesting that the Bison are unbeaten against teams outside the Dakotas—their three defeats in a 9-3 season so far have been to UND, USD and SDSU.

South Dakota State wrestling (Regan Bollweg): At the Dakota Showcase meet at SDSU, the Jackrabbits won duals over Dakota Wesleyan 46-4, Augustana 37-4 and Northern 33-6. In the DWU dual Regan won by fall in 4:05 at 285 pounds. At SDSU’s Daktronics Open, Regan won by major decision 14-4 over an Iowa State wrestler; lost by technical fall 16-1 and by another technical fall 18-2 to fellow SDSU teammates and lost his fifth-place match. On Sunday SDSU lost a dual at Minnesota, 19-13, but Regan did not wrestle there. Now 3-1 in duals, SDSU sends wrestlers to the Keen Las Vegas Invitational this weekend.

University of Sioux Falls men’s wrestling (Josh Rydberg): The Cougars will be home Friday for a dual with Northern.

Northern women’s basketball (Katie Bourk): The Wolves beat South Dakota Mines 77-64; beat Black Hills State 58-52; beat Mary 77-64; beat USF 53-49 and lost to Parkside 70-61. Now 5-2, Northern is home tonight vs. MSU-Moorhead.

Black Hills State men’s basketball (Jackson Edman): The Yellowjackets lost to Augustana, 76-70, as freshman Jackson got in for 14 minutes and went 2-of-3 and 0-of-1 for four points with a rebound. In an 86-72 loss to MSU-Moorhead, he played 17 minutes and was 1-of-3 for two points with six boards. In a 78-67 win over Montana State-Billings, Jackson did not score in four minutes of play. On Monday BHSU lost to South Dakota Mines in RMAC play, 77-67, as Jackson played for 12 minutes and was 2-of-2 for four points with five rebounds and a blocked shot. Now 2-4, BHSU goes on a conference road trip to Regis Friday and on to UC-Colorado Springs Saturday.

South Dakota men’s basketball (Max Burchill): The Coyotes beat VMI, 85-81 as Max, continuing as a starter, went 2-for-4 (0-for-1 in threes) and 2-for-4 for six points with three rebounds, an assist and three steals. In an 83-81 loss to Purdue-Fort Wayne, he was 6-of-8 (3-of-4 in three-pointers) and 3-of-3 for a season-high 18 points with four rebounds and three assists. In a 58-57 loss to Air Force, Max was 1-of-5 (0-for-2 in threes) for two points with three boards and two steals. On Tuesday USD beat Waldorf, 93-71, as Max was 2-for-5 (0-for-1 in threes) and 3-of-4 for seven points, with a steal, eight rebounds, three assists, and a block. Now 5-3, USD plays Sunday at Western Illinois in Summit League play.

Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball (Nick Wittler): The Tigers beat Doane, 64-46, and Nick didn’t score in four minutes of play. In a 75-74 loss to Hastings he was 1-of-3 in field goals for two points with two rebounds and an assist. He didn’t play in an 83-80 loss to Briar Cliff. In an 89-77 loss to Columbia (Mo.), he was 2-of-2 in three-pointers for six points with an assist. DWU then beat Hannibal-LaGrange in Missouri, 81-71 and Nick was 1-of-1 in threes for three points. After a game vs. Jamestown last night, DWU goes to Midland Saturday and to Northwestern next Wednesday.

Georgia Tech women’s basketball (Caleb Currier): The Yellowjacket women beat Rice 78-75, beat Kennesaw State 77-38, lost to Creighton 57-46 and beat New Mexico 66-55 After a game against Florida last night, Tech plays at Nebraska Saturday and at home vs. Mercer Tuesday.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

NFL live games on local TV this week (games subject to change on local stations by networks):
— Thursday: Seattle at Dallas, 7:15 p.m., Prime Video.
— Sunday: Denver at Houston, noon, CBS.
— Sunday: Detroit at New Orleans, noon, Fox.
— Sunday: San Francisco at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m., Fox.
— Sunday: Kansas City at Green Bay, 7:20 p.m., NBC.
— Monday: Cincinnati at Jacksonville, 7:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN.

Midco Sports Network live games this week:
— Saturday: Men’s basketball, SDSU vs. Towson, 7 p.m. (MS2).
— Saturday: Men’s hockey, UND vs. Denver, 8 p.m.
— Monday: Women’s basketball, UND vs. Eastern Michigan, 1 p.m.
— Tuesday: Women’s basketball, SDSU vs. Washington State, 6 p.m.
— Tuesday: Men’s basketball, SDSU vs. Kent State, 8:15 p.m.

Ohio State football: Maybe when Lincoln Kienholz becomes quarterback (if they don’t bring in somebody from the transfer portal to fill that spot), Ohio State will be able to beat Michigan. Lincoln has been in a pair of games so far this season so still has four years of eligibility remaining. Here is next fall’s Buckeyes schedule:

OHIO STATE 2024 SCHEDULE
Aug. 31: Akron.
Sept. 7: Western Michigan.
Sept. 21: Marshall.
Sept. 28: at Michigan State.
Oct. 5: Iowa.
Oct. 12: at Oregon.
Oct. 26: Nebraska.
Nov. 2: at Penn State.
Nov. 9: Purdue.
Nov. 16: at Northwestern.
Nov. 23: Indiana.
Nov. 30: Michigan.

Other college football update (teams not already mentioned in College Sports Roundup above):
— SDSU (11-0): Defeated Missouri State, 35-17.
Next: home in FCS playoffs second round at 1 p.m. Saturday vs. Mercer (Ga.).
— USD (9-2): Defeated Western Illinois, 48-6.
Next: home in FCS playoffs second round at 1 p.m. Saturday vs. Sacramento State.
— UND (7-5): Defeated Illinois State 22-21; lost in FCS playoffs first round to Sacramento State 42-35.
— Minnesota (5-7): Lost to Ohio State 37-3; lost to Wisconsin 28-14.
— Nebraska (5-7): Lost to Wisconsin 24-17 (overtime); lost to Iowa 13-10.

Denver Broncos: Denver won its fifth straight game over Cleveland, 27-12. Now in the playoff hunt, the Broncos play another potential playoff team at Houston at noon Sunday on CBS.

Minnesota Vikings: Despite their poor play and four interceptions thrown by Josh Dobbs (three of them on deflections), the Vikings had a 10-9 lead over Chicago with a couple minutes of play, but the defense allowed the Bears to move down the field and win in the final second, 12-10. Chicago won without scoring a single touchdown. The previous week the Vikings had lost another gut-wrencher, 21-20, at Denver. The Vikings are still clinging to mild hope of getting into the playoffs but stand at 6-6, 2 1/2 games in the division behind Detroit against whom the Vikes have two games remaining. Minnesota won’t spoil our weekend this week since they have a bye. The next game is at Las Vegas on Dec. 10.

Nebraska football: The Cornhuskers missed becoming eligible for a bowl game again, extending the streak to seven years. Of their seven defeats in a 5-7 season, two of them were big losses, one to Michigan and one to Colorado. But the other five were all in games that could just as easily been wins—a last-second field-goal loss at Minnesota 13-10 in a game the Huskers led throughout; a 20-17 loss to Michigan State; a 13-10 loss to Maryland; a 24-17 overtime loss at Wisconsin, and last Friday’s devastating 13-10 loss to Iowa on another last-second field goal.

FOOTBALL CONTEST #17

Two weeks ago, when there were several favored teams upset, most of our contestants had losing records. But Jason Noyes earned 10 points with his 8-2 entry. At 7-3 for 9 points was Jon Boer. At 6-4 for 8 points each were Eric James, Kyle Richards and Seb Axtman.

Last week we had two contests due to the number of holiday games. In Contest #15 for games on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, there were no upsets in the college games, and only the Lions’ loss to the Packers messed up our entries. All of these people went 9-1 for 10 points each—Jon Boer, Kyle Richards, Mikal Kern, Dawn Magee, Levi Neuharth, Seb Axtman, Randy Pool, David Ludwig, Beth Rinehart, Randy Pool, Brad Cruse, Thomas Voeltz. At 8-2 for 9 points each were Dave Potter and Nathan Vetter. That was far too easy.;

In Contest #16 for games last Saturday and Sunday, Debra Bollinger missed only the UND and Texans losses for an 8-2 mark worth 10 points as the week’s best entry. At 7-3 for 9 points each were Brad Cruse, Jason Noyes, Christian Hess and Thomas Voeltz. At 6-4 for 8 points each were Jon Boer, Seb Axtman and Levi Neuharth.

This week’s games (send your 10 winners to parkerhome16@hotmail.com by FRIDAY afternoon because one of the games is Friday night):

Contest #17:
(1) PAC 12 championship: Washington vs. Oregon.
(2) Big 12 championship: Texas vs. Oklahoma State.
(3) SEC championship: Alabama vs. Georgia.
(4) AAC championship: SMU at Tulane.
(5) ACC championship: Florida State vs. Louisville.
(6) FCS second round: NDSU at Montana State.
(7) FCS second round: Mercer at SDSU.
(8) FCS second round: Sacramento State at USD.
(9) NFL: Detroit at New Orleans.
(10) NFL: Kansas City at Green Bay.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey and enjoy every idle hour.
— John Boswell

PARKER’S PERSONAL NOTES

• One of the dumbest things that keeps getting repeated on Facebook is the statement that goes something like this: “December has five Mondays, five Saturdays and five Sundays this year. This happens only once every 823 years.” And if you do something or other, good financial luck is going to come away. Any bit of intelligence would tell a person that December has 31 days every year, not a few more than that. Any time Dec. 1 falls on a Saturday, there are five Saturdays, five Sundays and five Mondays. That is true. But it happens every five or six years. Duh!
• I am happy to be here at home typing this today (Wednesday) instead of being in the hospital after coming within two feet (yes, two feet!) of being hit by a car while I was crossing a street on a pedestrian walkway Tuesday. I didn’t see him coming off a side street in a hurry to get into the traffic on busy Soo San Drive, and obviously he didn’t see me in the crosswalk. It was cold and windy so I had the hood of my hoodie pulled up over my head, so I didn’t hear his car either. He slammed on his brakes at the same moment I saw his car, and his car stopped two feet from my left side. So on we go!

BASKETBALL UPDATE

Other college basketball besides what is listed above in College Sports Roundup:
— SDSU men (3-4): Lost to UCF 83-80; lost to George Mason 73-71; beat Southern Mississippi 65-54; beat Mount Marty 92-70.
Next: Friday vs. Towson at Sanford Pentagon; Tuesday home vs. Kent State.
— SDSU women (4-2): Beat Tennessee-Martin, 55-38; lost to #1 South Carolina, 78-38; beat South Carolina State, 782-42, and beat Washburn, 95-58.
Next: Tuesday home vs. Washington State.
— USD women: Beat DePaul 83-71, lost to Michigan 70-52, lost to Arizona 61-52, beat South Carolina State 72-52.
Next: Tonight at Loyola Marymount.

Minnesota Timberwolves: After a 133-115 loss to Phoenix, the Wolves won three in a row—121-120 over New Orleans, 117-100 over New York and 112-99 over Philadelphia. Then they lost to Sacramento in an in-season tournament game, 124-111; beat Memphis, 119-97, and won their last in-season tournament game over Oklahoma City, 106-103. Minnesota went 3-1 in the group stage of the in-season tournament but missed out in advancing to the knockout stage due to tie-breakers. Regular-season games go on with the Wolves at home tonight vs. Utah and on the road to Charlotte Saturday and to New Orleans Monday.

NBA in-season tournament: All 30 teams started play in the group stage, but we are down to the eight quarterfinalists. Games Monday and Tuesday will have Phoenix at the Lakers and New Orleans at Sacramento in the West and Indiana vs. Boston and the Knicks vs. Milwaukee in the East. Semifinals next Thursday and the championship game next Saturday will be in Las Vegas.

Sioux Falls Skyforce: The Force beat Grand Rapids, 100-94; split with Wisconsin, losing 123-121 and winning 117-106; lost to Windy City, 141-125; split with Iowa, winning 102-97 and losing 103-86, and beat Motor City 145-127. Sioux Falls plays at Cleveland Friday, at home vs. Indiana Tuesday and at home the next night against Grand Rapids.

HOCKEY UPDATE

Rapid City Rush: The Rush won two of three over Wichita, losing 4-2 but winning 3-2 and 7-5. Then the Rush lost all three to Idaho by scores of 5-3, 4-1 and 6-3. In the Western Conference of the ECHL the Rush stand 10th of 14 teams with a record of 6-10-1-0. Rapid City plays Saturday at Wichita.

Sioux Falls Stampede: The Herd lost to Sioux City 4-3 in a shootout; lost to Waterloo 6-4; beat Des Moines 4-0 and lost to Lincoln 7-3. With a record of 10-8-1-1, Sioux Falls plays at Waterloo Friday, at Cedar Rapids Saturday and at home vs. Sioux City Tuesday.

Augustana men’s hockey: The Vikings lost twice in a home-and-home series against Omaha, 2-1 and 5-2. Now 4-7-1, Augie plays Friday and Saturday at Northern Michigan.

Badlands Sabres: The Sabres split with Butte, winning 5-2 and losing in overtime 4-3, then lost twice to Gillette, 5-3 and 4-1. Badlands is fifth of eight teams in the Frontier Division of the NA3HL with a record of 9-7-2-2. The Sabres go to Sheridan Friday and Saturday.

Aberdeen Wings: The Wings split with Austin, winning 7-3 and losing 6-1, then split with Minot, losing 4-2 and winning 4-1. Aberdeen is fifth of six teams in the Central Division of the NAHL with a record of 9-12-1-2. Aberdeen is home Friday and Saturday against Minot.

Oahe Capitals boys varsity: In their season opener the Caps lost to Mitchell, 8-6, on the road after holding leads of 3-0 and 6-2 earlier in the game. Devin Dodson, Dylan Dodson and Luke Miller scored early goals for the 3-0 advantage. Later Jarron Beck scored twice and Devin Dodson once again for a four-goal lead, but it didn’t hold up. Spencer Anderson recorded 26 saves in goal. The Capitals go to Huron for a 7 p.m. faceoff Saturday.

Oahe Lady Capitals girls varsity: The girls opened their season with a 4-4 tie against Mitchell after the teams went through an overtime period with no further scoring. Sophia Bales and Brenna Ullman each had a goal while Brylee Kafka lit the lamp twice. Sophia Peschong was kept busy making 30 saves. On Sunday the girls won at Watertown 4-2, as Kafka had a hat trick with three goals and Cameron Larson scored once. Peschong made 15 saves. The Lady Capitals play Saturday and Sunday at Sioux Center.

Minnesota Wild: The Wild’s losing streak reached seven straight with losses to Ottawa, 2-1 after a shootout; to Toronto, 4-3 in overtime; to Colorado, 3-2, and to Detroit, 4-1. That got their coach fired. Then Tuesday the Wild beat St. Louis, 3-1. Minnesota goes to Nashville tonight, returns home vs. Chicago Sunday, and goes up to Calgary Tuesday.

BASEBALL UPDATE

Oahe Zap: The local collegiate summer team announced that outfielder Tyler Hoffman will return to Pierre for another season. He attends Iowa Lakes Community College, and his hometown is Aberdeen.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Thursday, Nov.. 30:
Todd Palmer, Chris Boom, VeaBea (Bourk) Thomas, Lynsey (Meyer) Anderson, Robbin (Volmer) Figge, Joanna Peterson, Holly (Byrum) Jacobs, Robyn (Bramblee) Bothwell, Cole Hoelscher, Michael Gardner, Jake Stewart, Mary (Storsteen) Dieken, Elizabeth Heidelberger, Jay Vogt.
— 49th anniversary, Rodney/Janice Haag.

Friday, Dec. 1:
D.J. Stars, Kristin (Rau) Hayward, Lena (Burtts) Hammell, Shawn Englund.

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

Sunday, Dec. 3:
Kyler Gabriel, Hannah Harmon, Shawn Ludemann, James Lee, Amy Stotts, Heath Olson, Brandon Cruse, Louise Snodgrass, Porter Hunsley, Landen Lizotte, Trey Redetke, Nolan Ortbahn, Jake Imsland, Brad Heckenlaible, Hallie Holden-Wright, Don Gaarder (#90).
— 7th anniversary, Rip/Heather (Schreiner) Ray.

Monday, Dec. 4:
Carmen Ziegler, Mandy Bartels, Deb (Raue) Evans, Diana Carson, Andrea Calkins, Kristen (Colestock) Pittman, Kayson Boyer, Jesse Boyer, Wanda Boyle, Calvin Bumann, Chad Harris, Glenda Woodburn, Matthew Dial, Scott Senftner, Zack Weinheimer.
— 24th anniversary, Mike/Ann Shoup.

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

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

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

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS

The state oral interpretation championships take place Friday and Saturday at Harrisburg High School. These are the students from local students who will be competing:
— Riggs High School
Non-original oratory: Conner Lehr.
Serious reading: Chloe Bowers.
Readers’ theatre: Gavin Black Bear, Lillie Kellar, Maren Houdyshell, Lanie Stulken, Ashlyn Pitlick.
Humorous reading: Maren Houdyshell.
Storytelling: Lanie Stulken.
Duet interpretation: Maren Houdyshell, Lillie Kellar.
Poetry reading: Harper Reichling.
— Stanley County High School
Serious reading: Emily Hanson.
Poetry reading: Karly Reiter.
— Sully Buttes High School
Readers’ theatre: Stevie Wittler, Sheridan Voorhees, Olivia Olson.
Non-original oratory: Natalie Miles.

Aaron Zimmerman, 79, died in Sioux Falls on Nov. 27. His funeral service is planned for 11 a.m. next Friday, Dec. 8, at Faith Lutheran Church, preceded by visitation beginning at 10 a.m. Aaron grew up at Hebron, N.D., and attended Capital Commercial College in Bismarck. He married Joyce Buckley in 1965. He was a manager for the Bostwick’s clothing store, which brought them to Pierre where they raised their family. After Bostwick’s closed, Aaron worked at Furniture Barn and Slumberland. He was an avid bowler and fisherman, a Boy Scout leader and Kiwanis member and part of the board of elders at Faith Lutheran Church. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Buckley; his children, Beverly of Bloomington, Minn., Kevin of Rapid City, Kim Dan) McRae of Black Hawk and Erin (Brad Like) of Pierre; six grandchildren, and his sister, Norma Hirning of Dickinson, N.D. Among those preceding him in death were his parents and his son, Kelly.

At Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, a group of students, each one representing his or her academic program, were named student ambassadors, who represent their programs at campus events and activities. Among the selected students were Anthony Hatlestad of Pierre in precision machining and Mallory Wiley of Onida in medical assisting.

Dennis Reiprich, 79, Webster, died Nov. 12 at Sun Dial Manor in Bristol. He was a life-long farmer near Webster. Among his survivors are his daughter Susan (Chad) Simon of Tea; his son, Mike (Dana Garry) Reiprich of Summerset; their mother, Anita Reiprich of Webster; eight grandchildren, and many other relatives.

Pierre native Tate Uecker was married to Sammi Amidei of Walsenburg, Colo., on Oct. 21 in Pueblo. The newlyweds live in Oregon but held their wedding in Colorado to make it easier for family members from Colorado and South Dakota to attend.

A memorial service for Sylvia Sack, 92, Spearfish, a native of Sully County, will be held at 1 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 1, at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel in Spearfish. Inurnment will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery. The daughter of Wallace and Selma Fritz grew up six miles east of Onida and graduated from Onida High School in 1948. She attended secretarial school in Denver and worked at the state treasurer’s office in Pierre. She and Paul Sack were married in 1950. They became parents of four children—Shari, Mike, Paula and Kelly. Sylvia was administrative secretary for the Sully County Conservation District for 24 years. She is survived by her daughter, Paula (Mark) Mowry; her sons, Michael Sack and Kelly (Annie) Sack; 10 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; brothers-in-law Don and Dan Sack; sisters-in-law Carol Sack and Joyce Sack, and many other relatives. Among those who preceded her in death were her husband; her daughter, Shary (Jim) Kennedy; a granddaughter; a great-grandson; her parents; her sister, Dorothy Bloom, and many other relatives.

Riggs High senior Jared Lutmer, the Class “AA” state cross country champion, has signed a letter of intent to attend South Dakota State and run cross country and track for the Jackrabbits.

The South Dakota High School Baseball Hall of Fame now has two former Pierre Governor players among its honored inductees. Peyton Zabel learned last week of his induction this year. In 2022 Landon Badger was inducted.

Pierre Players auditions for the first show of 2024, “Clue Onstage,” are scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11, at Grand Opera House.

Crowned as Sully County Snow Queen two weeks ago was Sully Buttes High senior Lilly Paxton. The new Sully County Junior Snow Queen is SBHS freshman Tomi White. Both girls will represent the county at their respective state competitions in Aberdeen in January.

Kathleen “Kathie” Allison, 63, died Nov. 13 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. A memorial service took place Nov. 21 at the Isburg Funeral Chapel. Born at Long Beach, Calif., Kathie married Thomas Iaquinta in 1982, and they had two children. Kathie worked at Happy Jack’s Casino. She is survived by Thomas Iaquinta; her daughter, Nicole; her son, Thomas (T.J.); five grandchildren, and her brother, Jeff Allison, and his family.

The annual Christmas cantata sung by the Sully Area Singers based in Onida will be performed twice on Sunday, Dec. 10. The chorus will be at Edgewood in Pierre at 3 p.m. and at the Presbyterian church in Onida at 5 p.m.

Stacey Stofferahn, an alumna of Riggs High who has lived in the Kansas City area for many years, was one of the soloists who sang at Carnegie Hall in New York City, accompanied by the New York Chamber Players Orchestra in a laureate gala. An organization called Progressive Musicians showcased some of the finest musicians from around the world. Stacey, a soprano, sang “Longing” by Lowe Finney.

Former Pierre resident Gary Fiala, 80, died Nov. 16 in Rapid City. His funeral was held Nov. 22 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Rapid City. Born in Geddes, Gary served with the U.S. Marine Corps. He worked for Bell Telephone in Rapid City and married Carol Riley in 1968. They raised their family in Aberdeen where he continued working for Bell. Later he owned his own businesses, P&C Construction and F&S Communications. The Fialas moved to Pierre where Gary opened Outdoors Unlimited and Carol worked for BankWest. Gary closed his business in March 2020 and two years later moved to Rapid City. He is survived by his daughter, Debra (Mark) Wixon; his son, David (Kristie) Fiala, and three grandchildren. Among those preceding him in death were his wife; an infant son, Darrin; his mother, Beverly and his stepfather, Milo Fiala.

Fort Pierre native Ben Kramer, whose Hot Springs team won the Class 11B state championship three weeks ago, had four of his players on the All-State team for their class.

Since 2020 Larissa FastHorse and artist Ty Defoe have been working with Macy’s department store in New York to make their Thanksgiving Day parade event more respectful of the Native American communities. The opening float of Tom Turkey used to have him dressed as a pilgrim, but now he wears a black top hat and bow tie and is surrounded by showgirls and cheerleaders.

On Nov. 21 Larissa was a guest on National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air” afternoon program. She talked about her satirical comedy, “The Thanksgiving Play,” and about bringing Native American voices to the theater. “The Thanksgiving Play” was one of the most produced plays in America. This year Larissa became the first Native American woman known to have a play produced on Broadway.

Velma Becker, 86, died Nov. 23. A time to gather to remember her life will be announced. Velma grew up near St. Onge and graduated from Belle Fourche High School in 1955. She attended Northern State College, earning a degree in education in 1959. She married Elwin Becker in 1958. As they farmed at Bath, Velma taught at Columbia and Groton. She later taught at Newell, Littleton Colo., and then Medford, Wis., for 27 years. In 1997 the Beckers retired and moved to Pierre. She was a teaching assistant in the Pierre school system for 3 1/2 years and was a substitute teacher until November 2015. She is survived by her husband, Elwin Becker; her son, Michael; her sister, Grace (Rodney) McElroy of Portland, Ore.; her brother, Robert (Marva) Ryther of Belle Fourche, and many other relatives.

Sully Buttes High School will host “An Evening at the Arts” at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at the gym in Onida. There will be oral interpretation performances, songs by music groups and soloists, and a performance by the sixth grade music class.

Jay Mickelson, accompanied by his wife Beverly, will sing songs of the holiday season and talk about the songs’ origins in a program at Rawlins Library at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7. Pre-registration is requested by calling 773-7421 or showing up in person at the library.

Ron Merriman, 85, died Nov. 21 at home. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, at First United Methodist Church. Burial will take place at Howard at a later date. Ron graduated in 1956 from Howard High School where he was part of their state “B” championship basketball team. He attended South Dakota State College and married Myrna Kay Bamsey in 1962. He worked as an engineer with the state Department of Transportation his entire career, retiring in 1999. He also owned Dakota Striping Service. Survivors include his wife, Kay Merriman; his son, Paul (Judy) Merriman of Pierre; his daughter, Kathy (Chris) Stevens of Sequim, Wash.; three grandchildren, and his brother, Lyle (Margie) Merriman of Holland, Mich. Preceding him in death were his parents and his twin sister, Bonlyn Gudahl.

The usual Sunday morning breakfast at the Blunt Community Center this weekend will include a visit from Santa Claus. Breakfast will be served from 7 to 10:30 a.m., and there will also be a bake sale and photo opportunities with Santa.

Madison Bradbury of Onida was part of the Great American Marching Band that performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.

Jason Knox’s 50th birthday, which is next week on Dec. 6 will be celebrated this Friday, Dec. 1, downstairs at the Independent Ale House on St. Joseph Street in downtown Rapid City. Anyone is welcome to stop by any time after 6 p.m. This is no longer a surprise party. Relatives (close or distant), his theater and work friends, and anyone else is welcome.

Melvin “Mel” Cunningham, 95, died Nov. 15. A memorial service was held Monday at Lutheran Memorial Church. He grew up south of Blunt and graduated from Canning High School in 1946. He married Elaine David in 1949, and they raised four children. Mel worked for the Standard Oil station on Euclid Avenue from 1946 to 1953 and served with the National Guard from 1946 to 1951 He bought the Little Chef cafe, and he and Elaine ran it from 1953 to 1957. During that construction period of the Oahe Dam, they never closed the Little Chef, keeping it open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for four years. After selling the cafe Mel went to work for Pierre National Bank, now BankWest, and was there for 30 years in the loan department until retiring in 1989. He is survived by his son, Keith Cunningham of Greeley, Colo.; his daughter, Sherrie (Pat) Murphy of Pierre; 12 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren and many other relatives. Among those who preceded him in death were his wife; his sons, Michael and Ricky; his parents; three sisters, Rose Russell, Bobbi Maher and twin Marjorie Small, and three brothers-in-law.

Dr. Monty Bechtold, after 42 years as a local dentist, has his last day at Pierre Dental Clinic today (Thursday).

After living in Pierre for 38 years during part of which he was pastor at Lutheran Memorial Church, Don and Alta Gaarder moved to Sioux Falls in 2017. Alta has been living in the Good Samaritan Village in long-term care since earlier this year. Don is still living in the Good Samaritan Prairie Creek Lodge. Don volunteers at Sanford Health, which he continued from Pierre where he helped promote the air ambulance program for Sanford. He was chosen Volunteer of the Month three years ago, and this past spring he was chosen for the Spirit of Volunteerism award and represented the Volunteers of Sanford at the city-wide breakfast event for volunteers. Don also received his 30-year pin for years served in November. Don was on the board of trustees of Augustana University back in the 1970s and 1980s. In Sioux Falls he has continued his interest in and support of the school. This past homecoming, along with 22 others including three presidents, he was selected to be a member of the newly formed Augustana Honorary Alumni Association. And in his golf game Don scored his second hole-in-one last June. Alta turned 90 in October, and Don will be 90 this Sunday, Dec. 3. The Gaarders observed their 67th wedding anniversary this past August.

PONDER THIS

May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and may every window open to good possibility.
— Mary Anne Radmacher