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

Second Half Surge by Trojans Send Quarriers to Loss

September 26, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

After being tied 7-7 at halftime, the West Central Trojans scored the game’s final 23 points in the second half and defeated the Dell Rapids Quarriers 30-7 on Friday, September 25th, in Hartford.

West Central scored the game’s first touchdown in the first quarter when Jordan Lueth scored on a three-yard run to put the Trojans ahead 7-0. The Quarriers answered in the second quarter on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Hansen to Sam White to tie the game at 7-7.

West Central received a gift from the Quarriers in the third quarter when Dell Rapids hiked the ball out of the back of their own end zone on a punt for a safety. The two points gave the Trojans the lead back at 9-7. West Central added another score in the third quarter on a 55-yard run by Noah Vettrus to put the Trojans ahead 16-7.

The Trojans scored two more times in the fourth quarter. The first score came on a 50-yard run by Vettrus. The final touchdown of the game was a three-yard run by Joseph Hanisch.

The Quarriers finished with 245 yards of total offense, 110 passing yards and 135 rushing yards. West Central finished with 352 yards of total offense, 49 passing yards and 303 rushing yards. Dell Rapids was just 3-16 on third down conversions and 3-10 on fourth down.

Hansen finished 9-19 passing for 110 yards and one touchdown. White had five receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. Jeffrey Schuch had two catches for 24 yards, and Ryan Geraets had two catches for 16 yards. White also led the ground attack with 10 carries for 51 yards. Jacob Faux had seven carries for 48 yards.

Anthony Miller had nine tackles defensively for Dell Rapids. Ross Wiebenga had five tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery. Nate McKee and Geraets both had five tackles apiece.

Dell Rapids falls to 1-4 on the year. The Quarriers will host Canton on Friday, October 2nd. The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.

Highlights

Badgers End Cardinal Football Winning Streak

September 26, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal’s winning streak ended at three games as the Arlington/Lake Preston Badgers defeated the Cardinals 19-8 on Friday, September 25th, in Lake Preston. The Badgers scored in three of the four quarters and held St Mary to just one touchdown in the game.

The Badgers scored the first touchdown with 7:27 to go in the first quarter on a three-yard touchdown pass from Luke Weber to Nicholas Fuhr. The extra-point was blocked and the Badgers led 6-0 after the first quarter. Arlington/Lake Preston scored again late in the first half when Weber ran the ball for a two-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was no-good, and the Badgers extended their lead to 12-0 at halftime.

The Cardinals were able to get the offense going in the second half, but a fumble, a penalty that negated a touchdown, and being held at the goal-line on fourth down all kept the Cardinals off the board and gave all the momentum to the Badgers. Arlington/Lake Preston turned a late fourth-quarter interception into a touchdown with 2:03 to go in the game. Weber scored for the second time on a 17-yard run to put Arlington ahead 19-0. St Mary picked up their only score with :21 remaining in the game on an 11-yard touchdown run by Casey Hansen.

The Cardinals finished the game with 237 yards of total offense, 197 rushing yards and 40 passing yards. The Badgers had 216 yards of offense. Josh Brown had 21 carries for 98 yards in the game. Weber led the ground attack for the Badgers with 34 carries for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Hansen finished 3-8 passing for St Mary with 40 yards and one interception. Christian Schnieders and Brown led the defense with 8.5 tackles each.

The Cardinals fall to 3-2 on the year. St Mary will travel to Elkton to take on the Elkton/Lake Benton Elks on Friday, October 2nd. The game can be seen on Big Sioux Media.

Highlights

Fliers Stun Quarrier Volleyball

September 25, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Trailing two games to none, the Flandreau Fliers won the next three games and stunned the Dell Rapids Quarrier volleyball team on Thursday, September 24th, in Flandreau. The Fliers won the match by scores of 22-25, 16-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-11.

Trinity Gordon led the Quarriers in the match with 13 kills, 11 service points, and 26 digs. Mikaela Stofferahn had 11 kills and one block. Chloe Solberg finished with 12 service points and 31 set assists. Hannah Welbig ended the night with 24 digs, and Sydney Stofferahn had three blocks.

The loss drops the Quarriers to 5-6 on the year. Dell Rapids will play in the SF Pentagon Classic on Saturday, September 26th.

Quarrier Cheer Second in Sioux Valley

September 25, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Quarrier competitive cheer team finished second at the Sioux Valley Competitive Cheer and Dance Invite on Thursday, September 25th. The Quarriers finished with 128.00 points. Sioux Valley won the cheer competition with 147.50 points. Arlington/Lake Preston finished third with 124.00 points. Faulkton was fifth, and Redfield/Doland was sixth.

Clark/Willow Lake was the only team that participated in the dance competition. They turned in a score of 90.50.

Elks Beat Cardinal Volleyball in Three Games

September 24, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Elkton-Lake Benton Elks defeated the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal volleyball team by scores of 25-10, 25-22, 25-6 on Thursday, September 24th, at Dell Rapids St Mary High School.

Kayla Scherff led the Cardinals with seven attacks on the night. Jackie Wolles added five, and Kennedi Mullaney had three. The Elks were led by Rachel Hegerfeld with eight attacks. Delsie Wiese finished with seven.

Cassey Geraets had 14 set assists for St Mary. Elkton-Lake Benton was led by Bobbi Huber with 26. Haley Michel led the defense for the Cardinals with seven digs. Adyn Heinricy had five digs, and Rhiannon Glazier finished with three digs in the match. The Elks were led by Abby Landsman with nine digs.

The Cardinals will travel to Elkton on Saturday, September 26th, to play in the Don Magnus Volleyball Tournament.

Donald Johnson

September 24, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Donald Jerome Johnson, 78, Garretson, passed away on September, 21, 2015 in his home surrounded by his family. Services will be at 1:30 pm Friday, September 25, 2015, at Zion Lutheran Church, Garretson. Visitation will be 6-8 pm Thursday at the church. Condolences may be left at

Donald was born December 8th, 1936 to Agny (Sagness) and Leroy Johnson. He graduated from Dell Rapids High School, class of 1955, a class he was very proud of and where many lifelong friends were made. He married his high school sweetheart Janice Bowles on September 8, 1955 and just recently celebrated their 60th anniversary. This marriage was blessed with 6 children. Don and Jan moved to Garretson when the kids were little, where he owned the barber shop on Main Street. Later on, he would go on to work at John Morrell’s before finally buying and owning the Silver Bullet in Sherman, SD where he spent many years doing what he loved most, meeting new people and making new friends.

Don had many hobbies that he loved including hunting, fishing, playing pool with the “Old Farts”, golfing, playing cards, and telling a good story like only he could. But more than anything, he enjoyed time spent with family, he was always very proud of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. His grandkids have wonderful memories of “whisker rubs”, singing “Jimmy Crack Corn”, stove top popcorn, Grandpa’s specha murr, and fishing trips in his boat. One thing his family will always treasure is his inspiring life lessons which began with a push of his glasses, a point of his finger and “Let me tell you something…”.

He continued to cut hair in his home barber shop for many years after his retirement, never passing up the chance for a good conversation with great customers! Proud of his Norwegian heritage, he struggled with his family’s inability to acquire the taste for lutefisk. Uffda!

He is survived by his wife Janice, his children, Rick (Cindy) Johnson, Valley Springs SD, Darcia (Dan) Hansen, Jasper MN, Laurie (Glenn) Johnson-Newell, Lincoln NE, Jodie (Mark Dorn) Ahlers, Wentworth SD, Jennifer (Ron) Rouse, Lincoln NE, Amie (Randy) Hemmer, Dell Rapids SD, two sisters, Shirley Gannon, Sioux Falls SD, and Arlene (Pete) Grav, Huntington Beach CA., two sisters-in-law, Jean Berge, Baltic SD, and Joann Park, Sioux Falls SD, 23 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, and many more family and friends

He is preceded in death by his parents, one grandson, Cody Johnson, and one great grandson, Tayden Grohs.

Don will be deeply missed by his family and friends but they will continue to carry his love, his stories, and his memories with them wherever they go. They are grateful for the time they had with him and they are thankful for all those who shared his life with him.

Dell Rapids Cross Country Invite Results

September 24, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Both the Dell Rapids Quarrier and Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal cross country teams ran in the Dell Rapids Invite at Rocky Run Golf Course on Wednesday, September 23rd.

The Cardinal girls finished third with 47 points. The Quarrier girls finished fourth with 48 points. Flandreau won the girls varsity team title with 20 points. Garretson finished second with 27 points.

The Quarrier boys finished third with 53 points. Flandreau Indian finished first with 31 points. Flandreau was second with 34 points. Elkton-Lake Benton placed fourth with 72 points.

Varsity Girls Individual Results:

DRSM – Christina Vogel (6th) – 21:08.68
DRSM – Ella Heinitz (14th) – 22:22.31
DRHS – Shaylee Hoff (15th) – 22:37.76
DRHS – Avery Pankonen (16th) – 22:44.99
DRHS – Aspen Hansen (17th) – 22:49.16
DRSM – Tana Harrington (19th) – 22:56.44
DRHS – Shaina Visser – 23:06.71
DRSM – Catherine Vogel – 24:49.00
DRSM – Paige Bunkers – 25:16.07

Varsity Boys Individual Results:

DRHS – Caleb Kirschenmann (11th) – 18:45.63
DRHS – Carter Wynja (13th) – 19:00.82
DRHS – Brett Mogen (18th) – 19:15.23
DRHS – Ted DeLange – 19:41.42
DRHS – James Lueders – 20:29.40
DRHS – Dominic Holmes – 21:06.63
DRSM – Drew Wood – 22:32.62

JV Girls Individual Results:

DRHS – Katie Jaycox (4th) – 18:39.22
DRHS – Raigan Schmidt (10th) – 19:18.45
DRHS – Amanda Tomes (14th) – 20:21.69
DRHS – Emily Dorn (19th) – 21:11.56
DRHS – Sydney Eighinger – 21:37.73
DRHS – Ella Lueders – 23:15.32

JV Boys Individual Results:

DRSM – Connor Libis (1st) – 15:05.50
DRHS – Gabe Skonseng – 17:05.99
DRHS – Evan Schmidt – 18:07.67
DRHS – Micah Gleason – 20:43.45

7/8 Girls Individual Results:

DRHS – Kathryn Fletcher (2nd) – 12:45.48
DRHS – Olivia Downs (6th) – 13:40.08
DRHS – Olivia Stelzer (11th) – 14:06.21
DRHS – Rebecca Dorn (12th) – 14:07.84
DRHS – Sammie Schmidt (14th) – 14:17.86
DRHS – Ceara Shellum – 16:25.58
DRHS – Anna Symens – 16:57.15
DRHS – Abby Stauffenecker – 21:02.64

7/8 Boys Individual Results:

DRHS – Mitchell Heinemann (5th) – 12:03.00
DRHS – Logan Millman (9th) – 12:15.00
DRHS – Logan Anderson (11th) – 12:19.00
DRHS – Ryan Keener (12th) – 12:21.00
DRSM – Thomas Eining – 13:39.00
DRSM – Hunter Griffin – 13:50.00
DRHS – Seth Clement – 14:46.00
DRHS – Logan Visser – 17:03.00

New Student Assessment Test Results for Dell Rapids

September 23, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The first Smarter Balanced test scores and district report cards were released on Tuesday, September 22nd, for school districts across the state of South Dakota. Testing was based on the Common Core State Standards, which has been adopted by South Dakota. The exams that were administered to the students are measuring how prepared a student is for life after high school. The report card for each district includes performance information, including results from the Smarter Balanced test.

Dell Rapids Superintendent Dr. Summer Schultz said, “I’m pleased South Dakota schools again have access to standardized achievement data in English Language Arts and Math. The infancy of Smarter Balanced Assessments leaves districts little opportunity to determine student growth or school improvement, therefore, it’s difficult to generalize a district-wide response to our data. At this time, building administrators and teachers will dig into student and grade level data. Focus areas will be determined and building level goals will be created.”

58.30% of all Dell Rapids students who took the test last spring tested at or above the benchmark for reading, compared to 50% of all the students in South Dakota. 44.98% of all Dell Rapids students tested at or above the benchmark for math, compared to 41.29% of all the students in South Dakota. 72.13% of students received an ACT score of 20 or higher for math, and 73.77% of students received an ACT score of 18 or higher for English at Dell Rapids.

Schultz also said, “I am very pleased to congratulate our Elementary on being labeled a Status School. This means that they earned School Performance Index (SPI) value ranks in the top five to 10 percent of all schools in South Dakota. I believe this is a reflection of the hard work our staff displays each school day and the quality implementation of new standards.”

The full report and breakdown by class can be found by clicking here.

Report cards from other districts can be found on the Department of Education’s website.

The South Dakota Board of Education voted to adopt the new standards in English language arts and math on Nov. 29, 2010. While the Common Core standards were adopted, each school district within the state of South Dakota is still allowed to set their own curriculum.

Quarrier Volleyball Evens Record with Win

September 23, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Quarrier volleyball improved their record to 5-5 with a win over the Garretson Blue Dragons 22-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 on Tuesday, September 22nd, in Dell Rapids.

Mikaela Stofferahn led the offense with 11 points, 13 kills, and three blocks. Emma Paul added 11 kills. Chloe Solberg finished the night with 31 set assists. Hannah Welbig anchored the defense with 21 digs on the night.

Head coach Dale Solberg said, “We came out flat, but bounced back nicely because of a total team effort. We are still developing our depth and taking a look at different lineups. It is nice to see everyone contribute one way or another.”

The Quarriers travel to Flandreau on Thursday, September 24th, and then will play in the SF Pentagon Classic on Saturday, September 26th.

JV Results

In the JV match, the Quarriers posted a 25-9 and 25-19 win against the Blue Dragons. Leaders on the night included Trinity Gordon (four kills, 10 digs, and five points), Brooke Klein (five digs and 10 points), and Arial Hoffman (six points and three kills). Tiffanie Dorale finished with seven set assists.

DRHS School Project Being Rebid

September 22, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

A plan by the Dell Rapids High School to make improvements to the building will be going out for rebid in December. Mark Aspaas of Architecture, Inc presented revised plans to the Dell Rapids School Board during their regular meeting on Monday, September 14th.

The improvement plans for the school include adding a science room addition, moving the office area location to near the front door where the current distance learning room is located, and renovating the locker rooms. The plan was estimated to cost about $1.5 million and was put out for bids in June. The bids came back at over $2 million. The school board decided to reject the bids at that time and re-evaluate the plans.

Aspaas presented the board with updated plans that included $100,000 of savings from the original plan. He also mentioned to the board that comparable projects in the area coming back with lower bids than earlier in the year.

The specifications of the project are expected to be completed in October for December bidding. If the project moves forward after bidding, construction could potentially start in the spring.

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