Sept. 1: The Florida State football team has several South Dakota connections. Mitchell native Jeff Culhane is the voice of the Seminoles while Rapid City Central graduate Josh Storms and Sioux Falls Washington graduate Tom Farniok are part of the FSU strength and conditioning staff.
Sept. 1: As its season approached, the NFL was distributing clips of the league’s greatest moments on social media. One involved Rapid City Central and SDSU graduate Adam Vinatieri, the New England kicker. The Patriots beat the Bills 25-21 on Nov. 29, 1998, when they threw a touchdown on the final play of the game. Buffalo, upset over a call on New England’s final drive, went into the locker room before the extra point. So, Vinatieri jogged into the end zone for two points rather than kicking the PAT.
Sept. 2: In the opener for Harrisburg volleyball, its sophomore setter Josalyn Samuels surpassed 2,000 set assists. That is rare air for a sophomore. Harrisburg, coached by Webster native Ronnette Costain, has won 79 straight matches and the last three State AA championships.
Sept. 4: A Britton-Hecla and SDSU graduate played a big role in the defending NFL champions 2025 season-opener. Veteran tight end Dallas Goedert made seven important catches for 44 yards as his Philadelphia Eagles defeated Dallas 24-20.
Sept. 4: Tom Rudebusch started his 50 thyear of sports broadcasting. He is the voice of the South Dakota Tech Hardrockers.
Sept. 4: A total of 43 alums from current Missouri Valley Football schools made NFL opening-day rosters in 2025, including five from USD and six from SDSU. The USD players are Jack Cochrane and Joey Lombard (Chiefs), JJ Galbreath (Steelers), Myles Harden (Browns) and Mike Ried (Panthers). The SDSU players are Isaiah Davis (Jets), Britton’s Dallas Goedert (Eagles), Timber Lake’s Tucker Kraft (Packers), Sioux Falls Roosevelt’s Mason McCormick (Steelers), Christian Rozeboom (Panthers) and Isaiah Stalbird (Saints). Other players with South Dakota connections on rosters were Augustana’s C.J. Ham (Vikings); USF’s Dennis Gardeck (Jaguars) and Trey Pipkins (Chargers); Sioux Falls O’Gorman’s Tip Reiman (Cardinals), and Pierre’s Grey Zabel (Seahawks). On practice squads were SDSU’s Chris Oladokun (Chiefs), Dalys Beanum (Saints) and Amar Johnson (Chargers) and USD’s Mike Reid (Panthers), J.J. Galbreath (Steelers) and Jeremiah Webb (Patriots) as well as Chamberlain’s Nash Hutmacher (Buccaneers).
Sept. 3: Dean Berry resigned as the NSU baseball coach to become the NSU associate athletic director for external operations. Berry coached the Wolves for 16 seasons with 252 wins, the second most by a coach in program history. His former standout player and assistant coach, Brandon Kusler was promoted to interim head coach. Kusler is an Aberdeen native.
Sept. 5: The Huron football team defeated Pierre for the first time since 2011. Coach Dru Strand and his Tigers got an interception from Jeremy Hofer in the final minute and Hofer returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to give Huron a 13-7 win. Before that, the Governors had won 15 straight from the Tigers.
Sept. 6: In a game that drew national attention, No. 2 SDSU defeated host No. 3 Montana State 30-24 in double overtime in the Football Championship Series. In the second overtime, the Jackrabbits got a 25-yard touchdown from Chase Mason to Brayden Delahoyde. SDSU linebacker Kytan Fyfe then stopped Bobcat running back Julius Davis short of the four-yard line and a first down on a fourth-and-one to seal the win.
Sept. 6: College and NBA coach Billy Donovan was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. During his speech, he recalled going to South Dakota to recruit Mitchell native and Florida Gator great Mike Miller, a two-time NBA champion. Donovan, Miller and their Gators were the national runners-up in 2000.
Sept. 7-8: It was a big weekend for the SDSU volleyball team as it beat Ole Miss from the SEC Conference 3-0 on Friday and then Wyoming 3-1 on Saturday. The Ole Miss match was the second Power Four Conference win of the season for the Jackrabbits as they beat Illinois from the Big Ten Conference to open the season.
Sept. 8: Hoven High School, which has been a part of three different cooperatives in the past 25 years, is back on its own for sports. Of the 37 students in high school, 33 of them are out for sports. All of the 26 middle school students are currently out for a sport this year.
Sept. 8: Former SDSU standout Pierre Strong was signed to the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad. He is now the 21 st player with South Dakota connections in the NFL.
Sept. 9: USA Swimming has named 121 athletes to its 2025-26 National Team, including some of the greatest swimmers in the world and two former Aberdeen swimmers. Olympic gold medalist Michael Andrew is on the team as is Aberdeen native Gena Jorgenson. Andrew spent about 10 years growing up in Aberdeen. Jorgenson will be a senior for the Nebraska Cornhuskers this fall where she is a two-time All-American and holds a multitude of school records.
Sept. 12: Two-time PGA major champion John Daly made history in Sioux Falls. The 59-year-old shot a 19 on one hole to set a PGA Tour Champions record. Daly shot his historic 19 on the par-5 12th hole at Minnehaha Country Club during the first round of the Sanford International. He finished the round with an 18-over-par 88 and in last place by nine shots.
Sept. 12: Hamlin defeated Great Plains Lutheran 48-0 to earn its football coach a place in school history. The win improved coach Jeff Sheehan’s record at Hamlin to 119-22 in his 13th season, making him the winningest coach in school history. Arlin Likness was 118-40 in 15 seasons at Hamlin with three state titles. Hamlin has two state titles and two state runner-up finishes under Sheehan.
Sept. 12: Timber Lake and SDSU graduate Tucker Kraft made plenty of national headlines after leading his Green Bay Packers past Washington 27-18. The third-year NFL tight end had a career night with six catches, 124 receiving yards and his second touchdown of the season. He also was featured in the New York Times under the headline: Meet Packers’ Tucker Kraft, the NFL’s next star tight end: ‘He’s one of the best.’
Sept. 13: Established in 2021, coach John Michaletti and his Mount Marty football team got the biggest win in its young history. The Lancers are now 3-0 after defeating seventh-ranked Northwestern of Iowa 24-14.
Sept. 13: ESPN’s massive popular College Football GameDay had South Dakota written all over it. The crew was in Knoxville (TN) as No. 15 Tennessee was hosting No. 5 Georgia. Not only were there South Dakota signs in the crowd, Aberdeen native and Volunteers’ coach Josh Heupel was interviewed. Later, Milbank native and Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer was interviewed and questioned about his rural South Dakota upbringing.
Sept. 13: Iowa defeated Massachusetts 47-7 to make Kirk Ferentz the winningest coach in Big Ten football history. Former SDSU standout and Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski threw for two touchdowns and ran for another one. Ferentz now has 206 wins (vs. 124 losses) at Iowa to pass former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes’ record.
Sept. 14: South African Retief Goosen won the eighth annual 2025 Sanford International PGA Champions Tour event in Sioux Falls. Three-time defending champion Steve Stricker was injured and did not play in the event. The purse for the Sanford tourney was $2.2 million, with Goosen earning $330,000. Stricker won the first title in Sioux Falls in 2018 followed by Rocco Mediate (2019); Miguel Angel Jimenez (2020); Darren Clarke (2021); Stricker (2022-24); and now Goosen (2025).
Sept. 17: Langford native Ady Dwight has earned another honor from the DWU volleyball team. The four-time All-American had her number 2 retired following her historic career. She was a four-time All- American for the Tigers (2020-23) and is the first DWU volleyball player to have her number retired.
Sept. 18: Auto racer Chad Becker of Aberdeen won his third prestigious WISSOTA 100 title of his career at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls (MN). The Late Model driver earned $10,000 for the win. He also won that title in 2017 at Huron and 2019 at I-94.
Sept. 20: Three-time defending volleyball state champion Harrisburg played in a tourney in Las Vegas against some of the best high school teams in the nation. The Tigers hadn’t lost a match since Oct. 4, 2022, but their winning streak came to an end at 87 games when they dropped a 2-0 decision versus Torrey Pines, a powerhouse program in San Diego (CA) that has a 6-foot-4 outside hitter in Penn State commit Finley Krystkowiak. Harrisburg is coached by Webster native Ronette Costain.
Sept. 20: The Dakota State football team made history by flying to its first game in school history. The Trojans flew to Glendale (AZ) where they defeated Arizona Christian 44-27.
Sept. 20: Two 48-year-old world champions wrestled each other in the feature match of WWE Wrestlepalooza to kick off its new ESPN rights deal. Webster native Brock Lesnar, who has not wrestled in two years, defeated John Cena. Lesnar is 5-2 against Cena, who says he is retiring at the end of this year.
Sept. 26: Watertown quarterback Markus Pitkin led the Arrows to a 48-0 homecoming win over Douglas at its new Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex. It was Watertown’s first win in the new $11 million complex.
Sept. 26: Auto racer Chad Becker capped a memorable summer by winning the Winter Nationals Late Model feature at his home track at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen. It was his 18th feature win of the season. The Aberdeen driver won numerous big shows throughout the region.
Sept. 27: The AFLAC trivia question of the week on ESPN College GameDay was: Who was the runner-up to Chris Weinke of Florida State for the Heisman Trophy 25 years ago? All the hosts knew the answer: Aberdeen native and national champion Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel, now the Tennessee head coach.
Sept. 27: Wyatt Block of NSU broke a 20-year-old school record with his 96-yard touchdown run in a win over the University of Mary. NSU said that Johnny Bentley had held the Wolves record for longest scoring run with his 83-yard TD run against Mayville in 2005.
Sept. 30: The WNBA Finals best-of-5 series will start at 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN between Las Vegas and Phoenix. Las Vegas is coached by Rapid City native Becky Hammon and Phoenix is coached by Sioux Falls native and USD graduate Nate Tibbetts.
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.
