SD SportScene interviews hundreds of coaches and athletes each year. They bring stories to life and give readers a unique perspective on the events that we cover. The following is a list of the most memorable things said in 2025. Relax and enjoy. Merry Christmas from us at SD SportScene.
“No. I know I wouldn’t come out on top there, so I tend to stay away from that.” – Aberdeen Central’s 113-pound Esten Foss on wrestling his 285-pound brother Joran at home
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“We knew it was going to be a grind. It doesn’t matter how good you play or how poor you play, it’s going to be a close game down the stretch, and that’s what it was tonight.” – Groton boys’ basketball coach Brian Dolan on basketball games against rival Aberdeen Roncalli
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“We were scrambling and then she threw me and I landed on my head. My teeth hit. Two of my top teeth are chipped and one on the bottom. They’re still hanging on, but they’re kind of a little crooked now.” – Aberdeen Central’s Allison Neitzel following a match during the Lee Wolf tourney
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“When you bleach your hair, you kind of put that statement out that you kind of put that target on your back.” – Aberdeen Central boys’ wrestling coach after everyone on the team bleached their hair after qualifying all 14 members for the state tournament
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“Yes, she’s my friend. Yes, she was in our room last year. Yes, I’ve taught her a lot of stuff and helped her throughout the summer, but when I step on the line with them, they’re still my opponent, and they’re not my friend anymore.” – Groton’s Liza Krueger on facing former teammate Madison Little in the semifinals of the state wrestling tournament
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“I said the combine’s broke and a storm’s coming. What are you going to do? And if you know Ashley Haven, she is a farmer, farmer, farmer, and she’s proud of it. And she looked at me and said ‘I’ve got this.’ And you see what she did.” – Northwestern girls’ basketball coach Jason Sparling on what he said to his standout player in a timeout before she went on to score 10 second-half points in a SoDak 16 game
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“It’s like holes in a boat. You put gum in one hole and four more open up.” – Ipswich boys’ basketball coach Stewart Bohle on trying to stop a potent Castlewood offense during a SoDak 16 game
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“I don’t want to be biased here, but I think that’s the craziest, nicest dunk I’ve seen at the state tournament. I mean that was ridiculous. We all were like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna do it, he’s gonna do it,’ and then he did it. It was crazy, he was up there by his elbow. I thought I was watching Vince Carter for a second there.” – Aberdeen Christian boys’ basketball coach Matt Rohrbach describing a dunk by Brooks Jett during the State B tournament
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“A field event you get break in between all your stuff most of the time. A running event is as hard as you can for as long as you can, until you finish or pass out or something.” – Great Plains Lutheran’s Lucas Johnson comparing field events to running events
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“We want these young people to feel like, no matter their talent level, no matter how far they can jump, or throw or how fast they can run, that no matter any of those numbers in this program, they’re valued for who they are and what they bring to this place.” – Roncalli track and field coach Mark Stone on his athletes
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“That whole match, I was just thinking just how close me and Gannon have been throughout the years, and how we eventually found our way to playing each other at our last home match of our high school careers. That’s just really, really cool. It was definitely a big moment.” – Aberdeen Central tennis player AJ Prehn on facing former teammate Gannon May of Aberdeen Roncalli
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“We are in the same boat, and if it don’t quit raining, we’re going to have to build a boat.” – Roncalli boys’ track and field coach Mark Stone after teams across the state had to deal with three straight days of rain
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“I wish I could do that. I could probably throw it a lot better than I can hit it with a club.” – Jarrett Erdmann, Groton baseball player and golfer when asked if he could pick up his golf ball and throw it if he didn’t like his drive
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“It’s one of the most humbling sports you can have. There’s not a lot of other sports where you go out there and your main event you’re competing against 24 other teams. That’s essentially what it is. Think of the odds. It’s not like playing baseball against one other team, you’ve got a 50-50 chance of winning. Like no you don’t. It’s one of 24.” – Late Model driver Thomas Weisgram on trying to win a feature race at Brown County Speedway
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“I was looking at my Apple Watch and it was 144 beats per minute in some of those situations. I was like ‘Oh my gosh, it’s probably gonna ask me if I’m working out or something,’ and I’m just sitting in my comfy chair.” – Aberdeen Smittys coach Nathan Gonnelly on watching his team score 15 runs in a win
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“I started thinking about stuff, and then I was just like alright, I got to stop thinking, I got to stop thinking. I tried to get a song in my head and I couldn’t do that. And then I actually took a little nap while I was sitting there waiting. I just dozed off for a little bit. I don’t know what it is. I can always nap in a race car for some reason.” – Street Stock driver Justin Vogel of Brooten, Minn., on waiting for a feature race to resume during a long delay
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“A game played against Roncalli is never forgotten.” Groton’s Jerica Locke on the rivalry between Aberdeen Roncalli and Groton
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“We want to try to train in the jungle. We don’t want to train in the zoo. We want to train in the jungle so that we’re ready to hunt on Saturdays.” Northern State football coach Mike Schmidt on setting the tone during the week before games on the weekend
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“Our feelings only have as much power as we give them.” – Miller volleyball player Jolie Palmer on the emotions of playing in her senior season
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“I was dead. I crossed that finish line and it was the worst thing I ever felt. It was awful.” What is worth it? “Oh, it was definitely worth it.” Frederick’s Titus Kippley after winning the boys’ race at the Lake Region Conference Cross Country Meet
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“Like coaches said before the game, it’s going to be 100 plays of line up in front of a brick wall and run into it headfirst.” Warner senior Chays Mansfield after playing Howard in a physical playoff football game
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“In middle school I served in my backyard with a tree branch. Serving is one of the things that I have worked on endlessly.” Webster’s Madison Block on how she developed her volleyball serve
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“It was crazy, but it was really fun, because the rowdy crowdy really brought the energy and all the fans that came to support, so it was really fun.” Warner’s Keira Steger on the atmosphere at the Region 1B volleyball match against Hitchcock-Tulare
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“She knows what work is and she’s not afraid of it.” Northwestern coach Nora Groft on the work-ethic of Ashley Haven
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“They’re an engine that just keeps going. I feel like it’s kind of like one kid after another. One kid is on the bench that just replaces a kid that’s just as fast, maybe just a little slower, and it’s like dang, there’s no off switch.” – Herreid-Selby Area coach Ryan Yackley after his girls’ team faced Aberdeen Roncalli
