A look back at some of the sports happenings during the week of Nov. 16-22, 2025:
Last year on Nov. 19, 2024: Former NSU standout Parker Fox scored a Minnesota career-high 18 points, including a 40-foot three-pointer — his first three as a Gopher — to end the first half, to lead the Gophers past Cleveland State 58-47. Teammate Dawson Garcia added 13 points, seven rebound and four assists. Garcia (Savage, MN) is the son of Dave and Stacey (Nelson) Garcia, who were former standout athletes at Black Hills State. Dave Garcia threw for 6,093 career yards as the Yellow Jackets’ South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference-MVP quarterback. He also played basketball at BHSU. Garcia’s mom Stacey helped Milbank win the 1987 girls’ basketball State A championship. She was a track and basketball standout at Black Hills.
10 years ago on Nov. 21, 2015: The Aberdeen Central volleyball team claimed its first state title since 2009. The Golden Eagles swept Brandon Valley 25-13, 25-17, 25-23 in the championship match. In other state tournament action, Warner was denied its seventh state championship by Chester Area in Class B. In Class A, Sioux Falls Christian defeated Mt. Vernon-Plankinton.
20 years ago on Nov. 19, 2005: Coach Nora Groft and her Northwestern volleyball team won its sixth state title in eight seasons. The Wildcats got great matches from Alyssa Fischbach, Amy Clemensen, Teri Smith and Diedra Artz.
30 years ago on Nov. 18, 1995: Sioux Falls O’Gorman entered the girls’ basketball State AA Tournament 9-12, but the eighth-seeded Knights won the title 44-41 in overtime against Mitchell.
40 years ago on Nov. 16, 1985: Tripp defeated Montrose 22-14 for the State 9B football championship. Darren Hartman, Jeff Hieb and Chuck West led Tripp to its third straight championship. Montrose registered a 10-1 record with 5-foot-11, 155-pound sophomore Jim Hayes starting at center most of the season. The 15-year-old has cerebral palsy.
50 years ago on Nov. 22, 1975: Lyle Grate won three gold medals and one silver at the Pan American Games for the Deaf in Venezuela. Grate, 17, is a Lake Andes native and a junior at the South Dakota School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls. Grate anchored Team USA’s winning 100-meter and 400-meter relay teams, won the 200 meters and finished second in the discus. Grate won the third most medals among Team USA’s 40 athletes.
