Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media, Author at Big Sioux Media Sports Network

Dell Rapids Legion Qualifies for State Tourney

July 20, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Needing to wait an extra day to play the championship game due to rain, Dell Rapids defeated Madison for the second game in a row to win the Region 2B championship and qualify for the 2018 Class B Legion State Tournament. Dell Rapids won 9-0 at Flynn Field in Madison on Thursday, July 19th.

Dell Rapids scored six times in the bottom of the second inning and never looked back. After back-to-back walks to start the inning, Elijah Story drove home the first run with an RBI single. Jake Rechtenbaugh brought home two more with a single. Tyson Dahler scored the fourth run on a wild pitch, and Josh Roemen scored on a double by JD Holm. Eddie Price hit an RBI single for the final run of the inning.

Dahler added an RBI double in the bottom of the third inning to give Dell Rapids a 7-0 lead. Rechtenbaugh drove home the final two runs on a single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Rechtenbaugh led the offense with two hits and four RBIs. Dahler, Story, and Holm all had two hits and an RBI. Price had an RBI hit, and Keegan Miller also had a hit.

Price was dominating on the mound. Price went 6 2/3 innings giving up no runs on just four hits while walking just one and striking out 14 Madison hitters. Lealand Randel pitched the final 1/3 of an inning allowing a hit.

The State B Tournament will be held in Redfield Friday, July 27th through Tuesday, July 31st. Dell Rapids will play their opening round game on Friday at 10:00 a.m.

Dell Rapids Sioux River Red Rock Trail Receives Grant

July 18, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Big Sioux River at the Scenic Overlook in Dell Rapids.

The Sioux River Red Rock Trail fund was recently awarded a grant from the Recreational Trails Program. South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard made the announcement on Wednesday, July 11th. The program, which is run through the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, awarded over $1.1 million to several cities, trail groups, and state parks for 2019.

The Sioux River Red Rock Trail was awarded $100,000 for expansion to the dam site. Plans for this grant will to connect to the trail at the intersection of 1st Ave and Hwy 115 then head west to where the bridge will cross Rocky Run just behind the lift station and run through the prairie grasses until it reaches Mill Ave. With the grant announcement, the engineering and design process will hopefully start soon with the expectation of construction bidding happening next year.

The other applicants that were awarded grants for trail construction and upgrades were Aberdeen (Moccasin Creek Recreational Trail, $95,800), Deadwood (Whitewood Creek Trail & Boardwalk Rehabilitation, $60,000), and Elk Point (Recreational Trail, $24,903).

“The sponsors of these projects have thoroughly demonstrated their commitment to improving our communities, parks and recreation areas. These funds will aid them in their efforts to benefit South Dakotans and future generations,” said Gov. Daugaard in the press release.

There are also two other Sioux River Red Rock Trail projects that are scheduled to be completed before the end of 2018. With the help of another South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Recreational Trails Program grant, the trail at the corner of Hwy 115 and Centennial Pl will be extended south to the picnic shelter and scenic overlook above the Dells. Also in conjunction with the Hwy 115 reconstruction project, a trail will be added across the new bridge will continue north to the four-way stop, then turn west past Veteran’s Park all the way to Golf View Dr.

Donations to the Sioux River Red Rock Trail are always welcome. Donations can be sent to:
Dell Rapids Trailway Fund
Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation
200 N. Cherapa Place
Sioux Falls, SD 57103

Funds are managed by the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Big Inning Sends Dell Rapids Legion to Region Championship

July 18, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

A nine-run sixth inning lifted the Dell Rapids Legion baseball team to a 12-5 regional win over Madison at Flynn Field in Madison on Tuesday, July 17th. The win puts Dell Rapids into the region championship game.

Dell Rapids scored first in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI double by Matt Gillogly. Madison tied the game in the top of the second on an RBI single. The two teams were held scoreless in the third inning, and the score was tied 1-1 after three innings of play.

Eddie Price scored on an error in the bottom of the fourth inning to break the tie and give Dell Rapids a 2-1 lead. Madison rallied for four unearned runs in the top of the fifth inning on three Dell Rapids errors to take a 5-2 lead. Price had an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 5-3.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dell Rapids offense exploded. Tyson Dahler scored on a wild pitch, Price had a two-run double, Gillogly smacked a three-run home run, Elijah Story added an RBI single and scored on a wild pitch, and Dahler scored the ninth run of the inning on another wild pitch. Dell Rapids then led 12-5 after the sixth inning and held on for the victory.

Gillogly finished 3-3 with four RBIs. Price was 2-3 with three RBIs. Story was 2-4 with an RBI. Josh Roemen, JD Holm, Keegan Miller, Logan Stone, and Dahler all collected hits in the game. Roemen pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up five runs, one earned, on six hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts.

The region championship game will be played at Flynn Field in Madison at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 19th.

Dell Rapids Legion Advances to Region Semifinals

July 17, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Legion baseball team advanced to the semifinals in their regional tournament after a 12-2 over Aurora in the opening round on Monday, July 16th in Madison.

Dell Rapids scored 12 unanswered runs after Aurora started the game with two runs in the top of the first. Dell Rapids cut the lead in half at 2-1 after the first inning on an RBI single by Matt Gillogly.

Dell Rapids took the lead for good in the bottom of the third inning on a three-run home run by Gillogly to make the score 4-2. Two more runs were scored in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI triple by Josh Roemen and an RBI double by JD Holm. Three more runs came home in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double by Jake Rechtenbaugh and RBI walks to Holm and Gillogly. The final three runs were scored in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Rechtenbaugh and a two-run single by Holm.

Roemen, Holm, Gillogly, and Rechtenbaugh all had two hits each in the game. Eddie Price, Keegan Miller, and Logan Stone also had a hit in the game. Gillogly and Holm both had four RBIs. Rechtenbaugh had two RBIs, and Roemen also had an RBI.

Elijah Story pitched 5 2/3 innings giving up two runs, both earned, on four hits while walking five batters and striking out eleven. Lealand Randel pitched the final 1/3 of an inning striking out the lone hitter he faced.

Dell Rapids will play Madison at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 17th in Madison at Flynn Field. The winner will advance to the championship game on Wednesday, July 18th at 8:00 p.m.. The loser of the game will face the winner of Aurora and Garretson on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

Dell Rapids 13/14 Teener Season Ends in Regions

July 13, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The 2018 season for the Dell Rapids 13/14 Teener team came to an end at the Class A Northeast Regional on Wednesday, July 11th. The regional tournament was held in Milbank Tuesday, July 10th through Thursday, July 12th.

Dell Rapids opened the tournament with a 12-2 win over Milbank on Tuesday afternoon. Dell Rapids jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning and cruised to the 10-run victory in five innings. Austin Henry pitched a complete game for Dell Rapids in the win.

Dell Rapids then faced a tough Volga team Wednesday afternoon. The game was close early. Dell Rapids led 3-2 after the first inning, but Volga scored four times in the bottom of the second inning to take a 6-3 lead. Dell Rapids pulled within a run after the top of the third at 6-5, but once again Volga responded. Volga scored six times in the bottom of the third to extend the lead to 12-5. Volga went on to defeat Dell Rapids 15-9 to advance to the championship game.

Dell Rapids had a short break and had to play Milbank again in the last game of the day on Wednesday. This time Milbank got out to an early lead. They lead Dell Rapids by four to six runs most of the night and even lead by eight runs at 12-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Dell Rapids rallied for five runs in the last inning and even had the bases loaded before the final out was recorded to give Milbank a 12-9 win.

Henry finished the tournament with a .600 batting average with a double and five RBIs. Landon Ruesink had an average of .545 with a double, triple and three RBIs. Brady Larson hit .300 with five RBIs. Brayden Pankonen collected three hits and an RBI. Charlie Holm had two hits and three RBIs. Josh Deknikker, Dylan Mathis, and Shane Ness all had a hit. Matthew Goeken drew four walks and scored two runs.

Volga went on to win the region championship over Milbank 17-7 to advance to the 13/14 Class A State VFW tournament in Flandreau July 19th-21st. The Northeast Region tournament teams were Volga, Dell Rapids, Milbank, Flandreau, and Sisseton.

The Dell Rapids 13/14 teener team that played in the regional tournament was a combination of two 13/14 Dell Rapids league teams. The league teams played in the I29 League. Dells-J league team was coached by Jeff Holm, Bill Goeken, and Matt Larson. Dells-J finished with a 5-9 league record. Dells-N league team was coached by Nate Henry and Fran Ruesink. Dells-N finished with a 6-6 league record. The I29 League consists of teams from Baltic, Canova, Dell Rapids, Elkton, Flandreau, Garretson, Hills-Beaver Creek, Madison, Parker, Salem-Montrose, Tea, Tri-Valley, Volga, and West Central.

Joel Stelzer

July 13, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Joel Stelzer, 62, passed away on Saturday, July 7, 2018 at his home in Sioux Falls SD. At his request, he did not want a funeral and we will be respecting his wishes.

Joel was born July 23, 1955 in Orange, CA, the son of Herbert and Beverly (Gerry) Stelzer. The family moved to Dell Rapids SD where he attended Dell Rapids High School until 1973. After high school, he began work for a water tower construction company and traveled throughout the Midwest and Southeast. You can see his handy-work in Baltic SD, Baxter MN, Pueblo CO, Paducah KY, Baton Rouge LA, Texas, Florida and South Carolina. He moved back to Dell Rapids and began work with LG Everist. He moved to Sioux Falls in 1980. While still employed with Everist, he attended Southeast Technical Institute and received his degree in HVAC/R in 1992. In 1996 he began work at Sanford Medical Center where he completed the Architectural Engineering/Construction Management program in 2002.

As a kid, Joel ran a trap-line along the Sioux River and checked it every morning before school. This love of the outdoors continued into adulthood with a passion for hunting, fishing and conservation. He went on many hunting trips for elk, antelope, deer and pheasant with his brother, Mark and/or friends Dan, Schulte and Cisco.

Joel is preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by his daughter, Melissa (Clint) Schull of Piedmont; his grandchildren, Bryanna of Dell Rapids, Jade and Ethan both of Sioux Falls; his sister, Vicki Kennedy of Dell Rapids; his brothers, Mark (Kim) Stelzer of Jackson, WY and Dana Stelzer of Dell Rapids.

There will be a memorial to remember Joel in the next couple months with music, food and refreshments.

www.kahlerfh.com.

LeBrun Officially Joins Dell Rapids School Board

July 13, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Newly elected school board member Jacque LeBrun officially began her three-year term at the school board’s regular meeting on Monday, July 9th.. The regular meeting also marked the end of service for Steve Stofferahn.

LeBrun and Troy Randall were elected to three-year terms on April 10th. Three total candidates were vying for two open spots on the board due to the end of terms fro Stofferahn and Randall.

Also during the school board meeting, the board elected a president and vice president and assigned members to committees. Matt Weiland was elected as the board president for another year. Randall was re-elected as the board’s vice president.

Jody Schumaker and LeBrun will serve on the Technology Planning and Wellness/Insurance committees. Jeff Traill and Schumaker will be on the Facilities and Policy committees. Weiland and Randall will serve on the Transportation and Negotiations/Personnel committees. Randall and Traill will head the Budget/Finance committee. LeBrun and Weiland will serve on the Teacher Leadership committee.

Dell Rapids Youth Baseball Season Comes to End

July 8, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids 10U and 12U baseball teams had their league season come to an end in the MinnDak “End of the Year” tournaments on Friday, July 6th through Sunday, July 8th. Six 10U teams and four 12U teams competed in this year’s tournaments held in Baltic, Garretson, Hills, MN, and Beaver Creek, MN.

A few of the local teams finished first or second in their respective tournaments. Dell Rapids Local Best took first place in the 12U Silver tournament. Dell Rapids County Fair placed second in the 12U Gold tournament, Dell Rapids T&C placed second in the 10U Silver tournament, and Dell Rapids ERC also placed second in the 10U Bronze division.

Dell Rapids Troys played in the 12U Gold tournament. Dell Rapids Jody’s Collision played in the 12U Silver tournament. Dell Rapids Minnehaha Funeral Home and Dell Rapids Nursing & Rehab Center played in the 10U Silver tournament. Dell Rapids Landmark and Dell Rapids 5Nines also played in the 10U Bronze tournament.

The MinnDak League is made up of teams from Baltic, Crooks/Colton, Dell Rapids, Flandreau, Garretson, Humboldt/Hartford, Hills/Beaver Creek, MN, and Sioux Falls. The teams compete in a 12-game regular season from mid May until the end of June. Teams are then split evenly into three different levels of tournaments. In 2018 there were a total of 17 teams that played in the 12U division and 25 teams that played in the 10U division.

Dell Rapids Citizens Asked to Remove Sump Pumps from Sewer Lines

July 4, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids City Council is asking the residents of Dell Rapids to remove sump pumps from pumping into the sewer lines. The issue was raised during the council’s regular meeting on Monday, July 2nd.

City Administrator Justin Weiland told the council that the city has seen a dramatic increase in the pumping rates to the new Waste Water Treatment Facility over the last few weeks after the heavy rains. Normal daily pumping from the main lift station is usually around 220,000 gallons daily in the summer months. That number spiked to nearly 700,000 gallons following the five-inch rain towards the end of June.

“The reason that we are getting those high flows is because of infiltration. We know we have infiltration into the system. When you got a big rain like that, you know everything’s coming in at once. That’s coming in because you have cracked sewer lines. You still have some man holes that have holes in the top of them. It’s just typical ways for I and I (intake and infiltration). Now when that rain goes away and that initial influx comes in, but you keep getting infiltration, that you can always identify as being sump pumps,” said Weiland.

The city was able to get away with sump pumps being pumped into the sewer because of the lagoons, and the city had the capacity to deal with that. However the city is now paying for energy costs associated with treating all of the infiltration from sump pumps at the treatment facility.

The city put a note on the latest water bills that were just sent to the residents asking for sump pumps to stop pumping directly into the sewer system. Administration will also be working on ways of finding and correcting sump pump violations

“When we’re now paying to treat all that, we got to try to eliminate as much of that as possible at this point,” Weiland noted.

According to city ordinance, depositing sump pumps into the sewer system is illegal.

Dell Rapids Grad Helps Design New Corn Palace Murals

July 1, 2018 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

A Dell Rapids graduate had a significant role in the new Corn Palace mural designs. Chloe Solberg, a sophomore at Dakota Wesleyan University, was part of a team from DWU’s Digital Media and Design department that helped design nine different murals for the Corn Palace in Mitchell. The new murals will be made out of corn and grain and will be installed this summer and fall. The designs were announced about a month ago.

Solberg, a Graphic Design major, just completed her freshman year at Dakota Wesleyan this past spring. During her freshman year, she did work study for Digital Media and Design Professor Kyle Herges. During her work study, she created sports posters, homecoming t-shirt designs, and club organization posters.

“I really loved being a part of the work study because he (Herges) put me right into Graphic Design projects that really exposed me to experiences I needed as a freshman to set myself apart from my peers,” said Solberg.

The other big project that Professor Herges assigned to Solberg was working on the Corn Palace murals. Solberg helped create three of the designs on the computer, Mt Rushmore, Iwo Jima, and Saluting Half-staff with the Sunset. Along with digitally working on those designs, Solberg also helped to other students, Isabelle Barraza and Liam LaFrance, by applying the big 10-foot by 30-foot designs on the mural paper.

“I helped grid out the designs and draw out some of the designs. IT was quite a big project, and it took a few months, but in the end when we were all done, we were so satisfied with our outcome. I hope our designs can hit home with our veterans, because we were very honored to take on this project to represent our country and veterans. I cannot wait to see them up outside the Corn Palace, and I hope the Dell Rapids community can take a drive to Mitchell to see my designs!” Solberg said.

Solberg was also involved in other campus activities. She’s involved as a Student Ambassador and campus ministries such as Monday Night Freshmen Ministry, Thursday Campus Chapel, and Worship Under the Stars.

« Previous Page