August Special Moments

Aug. 1: Drew Nester, 21, of Sioux Falls advanced through the semifinals in Los Angeles of the TV show “America Ninja Warrior.” He was one of about 50 competitors (400 started the season) who competed for $1 million at the finals in Las Vegas. Nester, however, lost in the early rounds of the finals.
Aug. 1: The University of Sioux Falls will add men’s and women’s wrestling as its 18th and 19th sports teams with competition to start in the fall of 2023. Later in the month, the Cougars announced former Aberdeen Central coach Toby Bryant will be the school’s first women’s coach.
Aug. 4: Former MLB and Post 22 players Dick Green and Mark Ellis were reunited at the American Legion Baseball Central Plains Regional Tournament at Fitzgerald Stadium in Rapid City. Green (who played MLB from 1963-74) and Ellis (2002-14) combined to play about 1,600 pro games as the starting second baseman for the Oakland Athletics.
Aug. 10: In the second-round of the Class B State Amateur Baseball Tournament in Mitchell, Winner/Colome defeated Lake Norden 4-3 on a two-run walk-off single by Luke Bamberg in the bottom of the ninth. W/C started the inning with two outs, but then loaded the bases on a hit by pitch (Chandler Bakley), fielding error (Austin Calhoon) and a walk (Austin Richey). Bamberg followed with his heroic hit.
Aug. 12: Pierre native Brandon Cruse officiated his first NFL game, a preseason game featuring Cleveland at Jacksonville. The former football and basketball standout for the Governors started his career officiating junior high and high school games while attending the South Dakota School of Mines. His first officiated football game at age 19 was a junior varsity game between Spearfish and Rapid City Central. He had been serving as an official in the Big 12 Conference and was the referee for the 2018 Peach Bowl, 2019 and 2020 Rose Bowls, 2021 National Championship Game and 2021 Big 12 Championship Game. He is one of 10 new NFL officials in 2022.
Aug. 14: Timber Lake native and SDSU tight end Tucker Kraft told the Argus Leader he has turned down numerous six-figure Name, Image and Likeness deals from some of the top DI programs in the nation to stay and play for the Jackrabbits. Kraft, an NFL Draft prospect who is ranked by many as one of the top five tight ends in the nation, has three seasons left with the Jacks if he so chooses. Kraft told the Argus Leader he is loyal to SDSU and he feels like the Jacks can help him attain his professional goals.

Aug. 15: National pollsters have faith in South Dakota’s Division I football programs just as do Jackrabbit and Coyote fans. SDSU is third in the national FCS poll (NDSU is first) while USD is the top vote-getter (basically 26th in the nation) just outside the top 25.

Aug. 16: Among Augustana hockey’s opponents in its inaugural season in 2023-24 will be a Dec. 30-31 series against Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. The Irish were the first opponent the Vikings announced for its first season.
Aug. 18: After being named head coach of the Sioux Falls Stampede 21 days ago, Rob Rassey is moving on to take the assistant coaching position at the University of Michigan. With the pre-season opener only about three weeks away, the Stampede named Eric Rud as their head coach.
Aug. 19: Warner opened its new $1.3 million turf football field with a 50-0 win over North Central. The new field is the last of the overhauled facility’s improvements as the grandstand and lights were redone in 2019 and the track was expanded to eight lanes in 2021.
Aug. 19: In one of the more exciting 2022 South Dakota high school football season openers, Rapid City Christian nipped Lead-Deadwood 36-30 in triple overtime in Deadwood. RCC quarterback Simon Kieffer threw a five-yard, walk-off TD to Elijah Hoyt for the winning score.
Aug. 19-21: Former Aberdeen resident and Olympic gold medalist Michael Andrew helped lead Team USA to a 309-283 win over fellow swimming superpower and rival Australia in the Duel in the Pool in Sydney. Andrew of Encinitas, CA, was one of 27 men and women who represented the U.S. at the meet.
Aug. 21: Yankton native and Texas A&M men’s golf coach Brian Kortan caddied for one of his players at the 122 nd U.S. Amateur Championship Aug. 15-21 in New Jersey. It turned out to be a winning combination as Sam Bennett won the title. Bennett will be a senior this fall for Kortan.
Aug. 22: The New York Jets are 2-0 in the preseason thanks to former USD quarterback Chris Streveler. On Aug. 12 against the Eagles, Streveler came into the game into the fourth quarter to rally the Jets to a 24-21 win, including throwing the game winner to Calvin Jackson with 16 seconds left. The 27-year-old threw another TD earlier in the quarter. The following week, Streveler entered the game in the second half against the Falcons with his Jets trailing 16-3 on Monday Night Football. Streveler ran (33 yards) and passed (119) his team to the comeback 24-16 win.
Aug. 23: In Watertown’s 4-0 boys’ soccer win over Tea Area, Jaxson Fiechtner set his school all-time record for goals as he netted two to push his career total to 42. His brother, Jayden Fiechtner, set the record of 41 in 2018.
Aug. 25: Vandalism in the form of someone driving on a rainy night on the Noordermeer Field soccer complex caused the relocation of several Rapid City Stevens games over the weekend.
Aug. 25: Two small-town South Dakotans who grew up 17 miles apart were the stars in the South Dakota college football season-opener as host Dakota State defeated Dakota Wesleyan 29-19. DSU sophomore Tyce Ortman (Canistota) led the Trojans with two touchdowns, 73 yards receiving and 63 yards rushing. DWU sophomore Jamin Arend (Emery) led the Tigers with one TD, 105 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving. DSU has won six straight games in the rivalry that started in 1908 (DWU won 6-0), but the Tigers still lead the overall series 39-36-1.
Aug. 25: Mount Marty defeated Presentation College 42-10 in Aberdeen to give the Lancers their first football win in program history. MM went 0-10 in their first football season last year. The Saints have now lost 23 games in a row, with their last win (51-35 over Mayville) coming on Nov. 2, 2019.
Aug. 25: Mitchell junior Mia Mullenmeister made Mitchell soccer history when she became the first Kernel to commit to play at a Division I program, Utah State of the Mountain West Conference.

Aug. 26: Rapid City native and the Las Vegas Aces’ Becky Hammon was named 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year in her debut season. She is the first former WNBA player to win the award.
Aug. 26: A school record volleyball crowd of 2,774 watched their Coyotes fall 3-0 to the nation’s No. 4 Louisville Cardinals in the USD season opener in Vermillion. Sioux Falls Washington graduate and Louisville junior Phekran Kong was one of the leaders for the winners.
Aug. 26: Howard nipped host Canistota 21-20 in a wild battle of nine-man powers. Howard led 7-6 at the half and the end of the third quarter. With 6:28 to play, Tage Ortman threw a 58-yard TD pass to Noah Kleinsasser as the Hawks took a 14-7 lead. Howard’s Taiden Hoyer answered immediately with an 81-yard TD run, which helped tied the game at 14. Canistota made it 20-14 with 2:34 to play when Ortman hit Kleinsasser for a 32-yard TD. With 14 seconds left, Howard’s Karsyn Feldhaus tied the game with a one-yard TD run, and then won it with his point-after-TD kick.
Aug. 26: Auto racer Kent Arment won both Modified and Late Model titles at his home track of Brown County Speedway. He now has a whopping 27 track championships in Aberdeen (16 Modified titles since 1994 and 11 Late Model titles since 2001). Arment has won four WISSOTA national championships, two each in Modifieds and Late Models.
Aug. 27: The Sturgis football team won its first season opener since 2017, thumping Rapid City Central 38-0. It also was the Scoopers’ first win over the Cobblers since they beat them 35-21 in 2010.
Aug. 27: Kittie “Miss Kittie” Weston-Knauer of Des Moines was among the hundreds who competed in the Hub City Nationals in Aberdeen. The 74-year-old is the nation’s oldest BMX rider and is one of the sport’s most well-known athletes.
Aug. 27: Rapid City Stevens defeated Sioux Falls Washington 26-21 to open the football season. It was the Raiders’ first season-opening win since they defeated host Brookings 42-14 on Aug. 28, 2010.
Aug. 27: While multi-touchdown nights are common in the lower classes of football, extremely rare are the nights when a player will score four or more TDs in a game in South Dakota’s biggest class. Such as the case when Sioux Falls O’Gorman junior Ryland Satter caught five TDs passes (his QB Bennett Dannenbring threw six) in the Knights’ 55-20 win over Brandon Valley.
Aug. 28: The USD volleyball team took down Missouri 3-2 on its home court at the Coyote Invitational. Missouri defeated USD 3-0 in the first round of the 2020 national tournament. It also made USD coach Leanne Williamson the school’s all-time winningest volleyball coach as she is now 165-77 in her ninth season with the Coyotes.
Aug. 28: The New York Jets ended the preseason 3-0, thanks to former USD quarterback Chris Streveler. He rallied his team for the third week in a row, throwing two TDs in the final 12 minutes of the Jets’ 31-27 win over the New York Giants. His last TD pass came on fourth and goal at the Giants’ five with 22 seconds left to wide receiver Calvin Jackson. “Streveler had one of the greatest preseasons in the history of football,” said Jets coach Robert Saleh. “He’s been awesome.” Streveler finished the preseason with 277 passing yards, a 72.7 completion percentage, five touchdowns and a 120.9 passer rating. He also led the Jets in rushing with 71 yards in the three games. He was cut a couple of days later, but was then signed to the Jets’ practice squad.

Aug. 29: Bridgewater-Emery-Ethan senior quarterback Sam Hofer broke his tibia/fibula in his right foot last weekend in a game against Flandreau. After weekend surgery and returning on crutches to support his teammates on Monday, Hofer was greeted at practice by Sen. John Thune. Hofer, who was entertaining offers from area colleges, hopes to be back for the basketball season.
Aug. 30: Jerry Quickel of Olathe, KS, has one of the biggest, if not the biggest, college football helmet collections in the world. His social media accounts showed him happily getting a Northern State Wolves helmet to add his collection of 448 lids. The NSU helmet was the 92nd Division II one of his collection.
Aug. 31: Warner native Derrek Tuszka (NDSU) made the Pittsburgh 53-man NFL roster while Dallas Goedert of SDSU and Britton-Hecla HS is back with the Philadelphia Eagles. Others with ties to South Dakota to make NFL rosters were Christian Rozeboom (SDSU/LA Rams); Trey Pipkins (University of Sioux Falls/LA Chargers); C.J. Ham (Augustana/Minnesota); Riley Reiff (Parkston/Chicago); Matt Farniok (SF Washington/Dallas); Dennis Gardeck (USF/Arizona); and Pierre Strong (SDSU/New England). Also USD graduate Tom Compton will start the season with Denver on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to a back injury, but the NFL veteran offensive lineman is expected to join the team later this season. Signed to NFL practice squads were the SDSU trio of Don Gardner (Tampa Bay), Cade Johnson (Seattle) and Chris Oladokun (Kansas City) and the USD trio of Chris Streveler (NY Jets), Jack Cochrane (Kansas City) and Kameron Cline (Indianapolis Colts). Also, veteran NFL kicker Brett Maher was signed by the Cowboys; Maher’s dad, Brian Maher, is the executive director of the SD Board of Regents and the former superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District.
Aug. 31: One year after opening and hours from the 2022 home opener, NSU officials announced problems with its new $33 million football stadium. The lowest section of the main grandstand needs work because it is settling. “The university is collaborating with the Office of State Engineers, the facility architect and construction manager on the issue, which does not impact facility safety,” according to a statement from Northern State. “A solution is being implemented that will not cause any changes to the fall schedule.”
Email us at dave@sdsportscene.com if you think we missed something or if you have an event you would like us to consider for this feature: