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

Quarrier Girls Move on to Region 3A Championship

March 1, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids Quarrier girls basketball team advance to the Region 3A championship game with a semi-final win over the Flandreau Fliers on Thursday, February 26th, at Tea Area High School. The Quarrier defense was intense all game long as they held Flandreau to single-digit scoring in three of the four quarters. The Quarriers held Flandreau to just six points in the first quarter helping Dell Rapids get out to a 16-6 lead. It was a lead Dell Rapids would never lose. The Quarriers added on to the lead in every quarter.

Dell Rapids led 27-14 at halftime. Flandreau scored 13 points in the third quarter, but Dell Rapids was able to score 14 and pushed the lead to 41-27 at the end of the third quarter. Flandreau scored the first few points of the fourth quarter, but were shut down by the Dell Rapids defense for the remainder of the quarter as the Quarriers pulled away for a 58-34 win.

The Quarriers shot 36% (17-47) from the field and 63% (17-27) from the free-throw line. Dell Rapids turned the ball over 16 times and out-rebounded Flandreau 28-26. Arial Hoffman led Dell Rapids with 18 points and two assists. Mikaela Stofferahn added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Emma Paul finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and three steals.

Dell Rapids will face Madison in the championship game on Thursday, March 5th, at Lennox High School. The game will be webcast on Big Sioux Media.

	1	2	3	4	Final
Flandreau	6	8	13	7	34
Dell Rapids	16	11	14	27	58

Highlights

Rick Decker

February 28, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Rick Decker, 58, Mitchell, died Thursday, February 19, 2015, at his home under hospice care. Services will be Tuesday, February 24, 2015, 10:30 AM, at the Bittner Funeral Chapel in Mitchell. Condolences may be left at www.bittnerfuneralchapel.net

Ricky Lyn Decker was born July 29, 1956, at Sioux Falls, to Marvin and Alice (Heiman) Decker. He grew up in Dell Rapids and graduated from Dell Rapids High School in 1975. On October 17, 1985, he married Rhonda Hermandson. He was employed at various trucking companies, retiring from Yellow Freight. He owned Decker Sales and Certified Recovery for many years.

Rick loved fishing, hunting and riding his motorcycle and horses. He enjoyed going to coffee with friends and fencing with his son. The light of his life were his children, who he raised and his grandsons. He teased and joked with his family and loved to visit with relatives. He was loved and will be greatly missed.

Grateful for sharing his life are his daughter, Raquel (Matt ) Decker and their sons, Graysen and Hudsen, and his son, Tyler (Caitlyn) Decker all of Mitchell, SD; his brother, Randy (June) Decker of Dell Rapids, SD and sisters, Robin Henslee of Durham, NC; Renee (Terry) Nielsen and Ronda (Randy) Haak both of Dell Rapids; his step-son, Travis (Angie) Hermandson of The Woodlands, TX; his aunts, Jean Nelson and Judy Kirkpatrick both of Sioux Falls, SD; and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and a step-son, Troy Hermandson.

Dell Rapids Student to Serve Over Spring Break

February 26, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

ORANGE CITY, Iowa—Megan Timmer is one of 183 students from Northwestern College who will travel across the United States and overseas for the college’s annual Spring Service Projects (SSP) Feb. 28 through March 9.

This year’s teams will serve at 14 sites. International destinations include the Netherlands, Haiti and Nicaragua. In Amsterdam, students will live and work at two Christian youth hostels, sharing their faith with guests from around the world. The team in Haiti will teach children and provide manual labor, while those in Nicaragua will do construction work, distribute food and help lead a vacation Bible school in the impoverished area of Bluefields.

Teams in the U.S. will travel to Minnesota, California and throughout the South. A new U.S. partner for Northwestern College is Mount Olive Ministries, a Christian community development organization in Mount Olive, Miss. Students on that SSP team will serve as classroom, after-school and writing workshop tutors. They will also paint, do manual labor and help with office projects.

In Minnesota, one group will join Urban Ventures in Minneapolis, where they will conduct three health fairs, participate in work projects, serve as tutors, and help with a street patrol ministry and youth events. Another team will travel to the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, where they will interact with community members, and spend time in Duluth, assisting a Habitat for Humanity renovation project.

In California, students will partner with Emmanuel Reformed Church of Paramount, Calif., to paint homes and build relationships in a nearby gang-ridden community.

Additional U.S. service opportunities include tutoring and recreational programs in Jonesboro, Ark.; home repair in the Appalachian community of Annville, Ky.; after-school programs and construction projects in New Orleans; and construction, tutoring and community cleanup in Opelousas, La.

Still other Northwestern students will assist with after-school programs, home visits and a thrift store in Cary, Miss.; volunteer in local schools and after-school programs in Jacksonville, Fla.; and serve with a ministry to ex-prisoners in Lindale, Texas.

Timmer is a senior and an art/graphic design major at Northwestern College. She will serve with United Christians International in Haiti. Timmer is the daughter of Rick and Julie Timmer of Dell Rapids.

Northwestern College is a Christian college of more than 1,200 students in Orange City, Iowa. Rated the nation’s eighth-best baccalaureate college by Washington Monthly and a top-10 Midwestern college by U.S. News & World Report magazine, Northwestern provides an education committed to academic rigor and a Christ-centered worldview.

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by Anita Cirulis, acirulis@nwciowa.edu, 712-707-7369

Cardinal Girls Season Ends with District Loss

February 25, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team had their season come to an end on Tuesday, February 24th, after a 58-40 loss to the Baltic Bulldogs in the first round of the District 7B tournament at Dell Rapids St Mary High School.

St Mary got off to a slow start and could never recover as the Bulldogs outscored the Cardinals in every quarter. Baltic took a 12-8 lead after the first quarter, and then extended their lead to 23-16 by halftime. St Mary was held to nine points in the third quarter and trailed Baltic 37-25. Baltic outscored St Mary 21-15 in the final quarter.

The Cardinals finished the night shooting just 17% (10-59) from the field, 14% (3-21) from three-point area, and 77% (17-22) from the free-throw line. Baltic shot 44% (20-46) from the field in the game. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Bulldogs 38-34. St Mary also had 22 turnovers in the game.

Ally Mullaney finished the game with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Jackie Wolles had eight points and five rebounds. Lindsey Wolles added five points, and Kaitlyn Vortherms and Lexi Klein each had four points a piece.

The St Mary Cardinals finished their season with a record of 5-16.

	1	2	3	4	Final
Baltic	12	11	14	21	58
Dell Rapids St Mary	8	8	9	15	40

James Gednalske

February 25, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

James K. Gednalske, 80, of Sioux Falls, passed away peacefully on February 24, 2015, with his wife by his side. Mass of Resurrection will be 11:00 am Monday, March 16, 2015 at St. Mary Church, 2109 S. 5th Ave. On Sunday, March 15, there will be family present visitation at Miller Funeral Home, 507 S. Main Ave. from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm with a Scripture Service at 4:00 pm. Condolences may be left at www.millerfh.com

Jim was born on July 25, 1934 in Dell Rapids to Louis and Viola Gednalske. He graduated from Dell Rapids High School in 1952. He attended Augustana College on scholarship, where he excelled in football and basketball while majoring in math and physical education. Jim was chosen Honor Athlete his senior year by his teammates. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1956 and later received his Master’s degree and Specialist in Education from the University of South Dakota. Jim served 40-years in education as a coach, athletic director, teacher, principal, and superintendent.

He spent his first two years of teaching and coaching in Philip, followed by three years in DeSmet.

On October 24, 1959, Jim married his college classmate, Janice Dolan, in Sioux Falls. They were blessed with three children; Ann, Craig and Steven.

When O’Gorman High School opened in 1961, Jim was the first football coach and athletic director. He taught math at O’Gorman and was athletic director for 10 years, followed by employment as high school principal for 10 years at Baltic High School, and five years at Lennox High School. In 1986, Jim and Janice moved to Minnesota, where Jim served seven years as principal and then superintendent.

In semi-retirement, they spent seven years in the Gulf Coast area of Texas, enjoying their grandchildren, tutoring at the local college, and traveling.

An avid outdoorsman, Jim loved hunting and fishing with his brothers, sons and friends. Summer travel with family and friends brought a great deal of pleasure. He supported his children and grandchildren in their academic and career pursuits, and never missed an opportunity to cheer them on in their athletic endeavors. Jim will be remembered by his family for his strength, loyalty and character. He was a peerless mentor not only to his family, but to countless students and colleagues across South Dakota, Minnesota and Texas. Jim epitomized the best of a great generation: hardworking, determined and selfless, with tremendous integrity.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife of 55 years, Janice Dolan Gednalske, Sioux Falls; daughter, Ann (Ray) Vande Weerd, Spring, TX; sons, Craig (Clarkfield, MN) and Steven (Sarah) St. Louis Park, MN; and eight grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers, LeRoy, Dell Rapids, Robert (Betty), Sioux Falls, Ronald, Harrisburg, and sister, Diana Rogers of Dell Rapids, brother and sister-in-law James and Sharon Rallis, sister-in-law Shari Dolan and 22 nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death are his parents, brother, Richard Gednalske, mother-in-law, Gladys Dolan, and brother-in-law Jack Dolan.

Memorials may be directed to Bishop Dudley Hospitality House. The family especially thanks all the nurses and staff at Dells Nursing and Rehab Center for their loving care of Jim.

Quarrier Boys Roll to Victory on Senior Night

February 24, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The four Dell Rapids Quarrier boys basketball team seniors ended their regular season careers at Dell Rapids in style with an 84-44 win over the Deubrook Dolphins on Monday, February 23rd. The defensive efforts in the second and fourth quarters paved the way for the victory for Dell Rapids.

Both teams came out of the gates on fire combining for 38 first quarter points. Zane Schumaker hit a shot at the buzzer to give Dell Rapids a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Quarrier defense held Deubrook to just five points, while the offense scored 26, and Dell Rapids went into the locker room at halftime ahead 48-21. Both teams again combined for 38 points in the third quarter, each scoring 19, and Dell Rapids maintained their 27-point lead at 67-40. However, Dell Rapids held Deubrook to only four points in final quarter for the win.

Dell Rapids had another night of a 50%+ shooting percentage. The Quarriers were 52% (33-64) from the field, 33% (7-21) from three-point area, and 82% (9-11) from the free-throw line. The team had a total of 56 rebounds in the game, 19 assists, six steals, and six blocked shots.

Four players finished the game in double figures, and two players nearly had double-doubles. Ty Hoglund had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Quarriers. Riley Schmidt added 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Ben Hammer had 12 points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots. Schumaker ended the night with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists. Adam Karst tossed in nine points and had 10 rebounds. Tanner Heim had eight points and nine rebounds. Giacomo Vantini led Deubrook with 20 points.

The Quarriers finish the regular season with an 18-2 record. The Region 3A tournament will begin on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Quarriers will receive a first-round bye and will play in the semi-finals on Friday, March 6th.

	1	2	3	4	Final
Deubrook	16	5	19	4	44
Dell Rapids	22	26	19	17	84

Highlights

Dells FFA Chapter “Goes All Out”

February 24, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Each year, FFA chapters around the country celebrate National FFA Week. The week-long tradition began in 1947 when the National FFA Board of Directors designated the week of George Washington’s birthday as National FFA Week in recognition of his legacy as an agriculturist and farmer. The first National FFA Week was held in 1948. Today, FFA Week always runs Saturday to Saturday and encompasses Feb. 22, Washington’s birthday.

This year National FFA week will be held February 21-28 and the theme is Go All Out. FFA asks its members to Go All Out as they live their lives. All agriculture students need to have courage and conviction in making choices that will lead to success for themselves, their schools and their communities. Members need to motivate themselves and put everything they have into everything they do. They need to be determined, know no bounds and take action.

National FFA Week is an opportunity for FFA members, alumni and sponsors to advocate for agricultural education and FFA. It’s a time to share with local, state and national audiences what FFA is and the impact it has on members every day.

Today’s FFA members are the innovators and leaders of tomorrow. Through agricultural and hands-on learning, they are preparing for more than 300 career opportunities in the food, fiber and natural resources industry.

The activities planned by the Dell Rapids FFA Chapter will consist of a scavenger hunt for various FFA symbols in the high school and a trivia question related to the FFA on Monday. The activities for Tuesday will be drive a tractor to school and a new FFA trivia question. The FFA chapter will provide muffins for the high school staff members as a sign of appreciation for all they do to support the program, a dirty vehicle contest and another FFA trivia question on Wednesday. On Thursday, a short activity will be conducted during a pep rally along with another FFA trivia question. To finish out the week, agriculture Olympic games will be set up in the shop for agriculture students to compete in and a final FFA trivia question.

**Submitted by Tom Wolff

Cardinal Boys Fall to Chester in Final Game

February 24, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal boys basketball team fell to the Chester Flyers 74-32 in Chester on Monday, February 23rd. It was the final regular season game for the Cardinals.

St Mary was on fire offensively in the first quarter, knocking down a few three-pointers in the opening quarter. The Cardinals held 13-11 lead with about 3:30 to play in the quarter, but the Flyers went on a 14-5 run to close out the quarter, including hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer, to take a 25-18 lead at the end of the quarter. The Cardinal offense could not get going again as they were held to just two points in the second quarter and trailed the Flyers 43-20 at halftime. Chester was able to extend the lead to 53-29 at the end of the third quarter, and the Cardinal offense was held to just three more points in the fourth quarter.

St Mary ends the regular season with a 1-19 record. The Cardinals will play in the first round of the District 7B tournament on Monday, March 2nd. The game will be webcast on Big Sioux Media.

	1	2	3	4	Final
Dell Rapids St Mary	18	2	9	3	32
Chester	25	18	10	21	74

Highlights

Rezone Request Passes 2nd Reading

February 24, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Ordinance 816, Rezone Request for 608 E 6th St, passed the second reading during the Dell Rapids City Council meeting held on Tuesday, February 17th. The request is to have the property owned by Paul Roemen to be rezoned from an R2 Two Family Attached Residential to a B2 General Business District with the intent to sell the property to an interested buyer. After the sale of the property, the intended use for the property is for a contractor’s shop.

Chris Gross, a Dell Rapids resident that lives in the neighborhood, was in opposition of the rezone request and said, “I’m opposed to it. We take great pride in our home. We restored it. We have received an award from the historical society for the preservation of it. It to me is encroaching on a historical neighborhood in town that should be respected and kept in tact as such.”

After hearing other residents speak for and against the rezone request, the council held more discussion on the matter. Councilman Mark Crisp asked Councilman Chad Andrews why he was not in favor of this rezone. “Chad, let me ask you this…you were the only one on this board supporting Argonne doing what they were doing. Now you are sitting here opposing….same thing. You were the only one supporting that at that time, so what’s changed your mind?”

Andrews responded, “They were going to run a business out of a stone structure that they could afford to maintain…one person. They weren’t going to build a shop. They weren’t going to store equipment on it. I look at it as I would have loved to live next door to that because I know they were going to maintain it. Here…who knows what could happen. We rezone this lot, like he said, anybody could buy it after they want it and do whatever the heck they want with it as a B2, and there’s no stopping them.”

Crisp made the motion to pass the second reading of the rezone request. Councilman Paul Miles seconded the motion. The rezone request passed by a 5-3 vote. Councilmen Andrews, David Sommerfeld, and Craig Lauritzen voted no.

Even though the council passed the second reading, residents still have an opportunity to stop the rezone from happening. If 40% of the property owners within 250 feet of the property are opposed, they can bring a protest to the council.

Two Quarrier Wrestlers Advance to State

February 23, 2015 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Two Dell Rapids Quarrier wrestlers will be participating in the 2015 State A Wrestling tournament on Thursday, February 27th, and Friday, February 28th, in Sioux Falls. Austin Eulberg and Ben Cavigielli earned their way to the state competition by placing in the Region 3A tournament on Saturday, February 21st.

Eulberg placed third in the 160-pound weight class. He won his first match by pinning Justin Brockel of Sisseton. Eulberg was then pinned by Jake Anderson of West Central, but earned his way back with a pin of Cole Eidem of Brookings. Eulberg then placed third by pinning Dylan Mitzel of Watertown to qualify for state.

Cavigielli placed third in the 182-pound weight class. Cavigielli pinned Patric Sproles of Sioux Falls O’Gorman in his first match. Cavigielli was then pinned by Wyatt Resmen of Brookings. Cavigielli then won a 5-3 decision over Jared Mettler of West Central before placing third with a 5-2 decision over Sean Muilenburg of Sioux Falls Roosevelt to advance to state.

Sioux Falls Roosevelt won the Region 1A team title with 240.5 points. Brookings was second with 168.0 points, and West Central finished third with 159.0 points. Dell Rapids finished 8th as a team with 38.0 points.

Click here for entire Region 1A bracket results.

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