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West Central Baseball Wins Season Opener

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The West Central Trojan baseball team won its season opener against the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers in Renner on Monday, April 4th.  West Central scored the first four runs of the game, scored in five of the seven innings, and only allowed one hit in an 11-3 victory.

The Trojans got a run in the of the first inning and held just a 1-0 lead through two innings of play.  West Central then got an RBI single from Andrew Zimmer, who later scored on an error, and an RBI single by Dominick Chandaswang to take a 4-0 lead.

The Chargers got two runs back in the bottom of the third inning on wild pitches, but West Central added two more runs in the top of the fourth.  Zimmer drove home two runs with a double, and the Trojans led 6-2.  Sioux Falls Christian got their final run in the bottom of the fifth on a hit batter after the bases were loaded with three straight walks.

Dalton Mulder had an RBI bases-loaded hit by pitch, and Camden McDonald had an RBI bases-loaded walk in the top of the fifth inning.  Grafton Stroup had an RBI ground out in the top of the sixth inning, and Zimmer brought home two more runs with his second double of the game.

Zimmer had three hits, including two doubles, and five RBIs in the game.  Stroup had three singles and an RBI.  Mulder had two hits and an RBI.  Duece Sherrard had two hits.  Chandaswang had a hit and an RBI.  Ben Sebert had a single, and McDonald finished with two RBIs.

Braden Herr pitched 3 1/3 innings allowing three earned runs on a hit with seven walks and recorded six strikeouts.  Brodie Herr pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing three walks and had six strikeouts.  Stroup pitched the final inning allowing three walks with a strikeout.

West Central Track Returning Many Key Athletes from Last Season

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The West Central Trojan track teams enjoyed great success.  The girls team took home the 2021 state title and the boys team finished ninth as a team.  Both teams will be returning many key athletes from those squads.

The girls team will be returning last year’s 4x200m state runner-up relay team, returning three of the four members of the state champion 4x100m relay team, long jump runner up, and fourth place finisher in long jump from last year.  The team will look to seniors Keighlor Nolz, Missy Anderson, Lily Sidel, Peyton Meadors, and, Rylee Haldemann and juniors Cambell Fischer, Emma Goehring, Molli Thornton, and Tessa VanOverbeke.

“Every coach knows coming back after winning a state title is both fun and challenging. We now have a target on our back and everyone knows these girls’ names and what to expect from them. However, we also know we have a lot to prove with the graduation of our seniors. I believe we have a team that is capable of defending their state title if we stay focused and are healthy come May. More than anything, I am just excited to see all of these ladies out there competing and having fun again. I love spending my afternoons and evenings helping these girls progress from the start of their season, to the end. These athletes become my second family and I truly just want them to enjoy our time together and competing knowing they are growing their confidence and becoming better people…and if all of that translates into winning events or meets, that’s an added bonus and makes our moments and memories even better!” said head coach Janel Merkwan.

The boys team had six place winners at last year’s state meet.  This year the team will be led by seniors Tommy Berg, Gunnar Cuka, and Brayden Diericks; juniors Mason Berens and Justin Zirpel; and sophomores Layton Johnson, Jude Jarding, and Ben Strunk

“We have 48 male athletes out for Boys Track.  Many of them are returning from last year.  We expect to compete highly at every meet this year.  Our goal is to reach the podium at the state track meet in Sioux Falls,” said head coach Brian Voss.

The Trojans will host the West Central Early Bird meet on Tuesday, April 5th.

West Central Girls Golf Young, but Excited for Season

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The West Central Trojan girls golf team will be young in 2022 with no seniors on the team, but head coach Tony Lanham is excited to see what the team can do.  Last year the Trojans finished third at the Dak XII Conference meet, third in regions, and eighth at state.

“We will be young.  The six girls on varsity all love golf and played a lot last summer, so I’m excited to see what we can do.  Our conference, region, and state will be tough though,” said Lanham.

Kaylee Olson (46th at state in 2021) and Dakotah Larson (51st at state in 2021) are the only returning varsity players from last year.  The other members of the varsity team are Morgyn Driscoll, McKenzie Jurgensen, Lauren Prchal, and Lyric Riepma.

The Trojans will play O’Gorman at Elmwood Golf Course on Thursday, April 14th.

Trojan Track Competes at Preseason Meet

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The West Central Trojan track team competed in a preseason meet on Thursday, March 17th.  The meet was the DWU High School Showcase Series at the DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex in Mitchell.

Six teams competed in the preseason meet.  They were West Central, Dell Rapids, Madison, Mt Vernon/Plankinton, Hanson, and Bridgewater-Emery.

The Trojans will host the West Central Early Bird on Tuesday, April 5th.

Individual Results

Girls

4x800m Relay

  • 1st:  Clara Nelson, Ellie McDonald, Hadley Larson, Aubrey Borns – 12:00.66

400m Dash

  • Ryenn Caffrey (4th) – 1:14.35

1600m Run

  • Drew Caffrey (1st) – 6:34.51

60m Dash

  • Lily Sidel (1st) – :8.34
  • Emma Goehring (2nd) – :8.37
  • Rayna Goehring (3rd) – :8.52
  • Melissa Anderson (6th) – :8.94
  • Taya Brown (10th) – :9.22
  • Holly Berg (11th) – :9.28
  • Tehya Hoey (13th) – :9.46

800m Run

  • Cambree Ideker (4th) – 2:47.82
  • Aubrey Borns (7th) – 2:53.09
  • Hadley Larson (10th) – 3:04.43

200m Dash

  • Emma Goehring (1st) – :28.01
  • Rayna Goehring (2nd) – :28.73
  • Lily Sidel (3rd) – :28.93
  • Melissa Anderson (4th) – :30.67
  • Tehya Hoey (7th) – :32.47
  • Taya Brown (9th) – :32.75
  • Holly Berg (10th) – :33.66

4x400m Relay

  • 2nd:  Melissa Anderson, Ellie McDonald, Clara Nelson, Ryenn Caffrey – 4:59.96

Long Jump

  • Lily Sidel (1st) – 16’4.75″
  • Clara Nelson (2nd) – 14’2″
  • Holly Berg (3rd) – 13’2.75″

Boys

4x800m Relay

  • 1st:  Xzavian Ferris, Jude Jarding, Evan Jaton, Jonathan Roth – 10:22.46

400m Dash

  • Layton Johnson (1st) – :56.91
  • Patrick Hammond (2nd) – :59.61
  • Aiden Bartmann (3rd) – :59.80
  • Liam Schmeichel (4th) – 1:01.66
  • Kennith Rolfson (5th) – 1:02.26
  • Carson Garry (6th) – 1:06.23

1600m Run

  • Jacob Peterson (4th) – 5:28.10
  • Griffin Stallman (5th) – 5:45.16
  • Blake Stark (6th) – 5:49.98

60m Hurdles

  • Carson Berens (1st) – :10.35

60m Dash

  • Layton Johnson (1st) – :7.35
  • Justin Zirpel (6th) – :7.71
  • Aiden Bartmann (7th) – :7.86

800m Run

  • Evan Jaton (3rd) – 2:42.81

200m Dash

  • Layton Johnson (2nd) – 24:33
  • Wyatt Nielsen (3rd) – :24.86
  • Justin Zirpel (7th) – :26.19
  • Aiden Bartmann (8th) – :26.42
  • Jonathan Roth (10th) – :28.05

4x400m Relay

  • 1st:  Xzavian Ferris, Jude Jarding, Kennith Rolfson, Patrick Hammond – 4:04.58

High Jump

  • Liam Schmeichel (1st) – 5’4″
  • Wyatt Nielsen (2nd) – 5’2″

Long Jump

  • Gunnar Cuka (1st) – 20’6″
  • Xzavian Ferris (5th) – 16’2″
  • Patrick Hammond (6th) – 15’6.5″
  • Samuel Handberg (7th) – 15’0″

Triple Jump

  • Gunnar Cuka (1st) – 39’8.5″
  • Samuel Handberg (3rd) – 32’1″

Shot Put

  • Brayden Eisenbeise (4th) – 31’11”
  • Werner Fajardo (5th) – 28’6″
  • Cain Grocott (6th) – 28’4″

West Central Lands Seven on Dak XII All-Conference Teams

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The West Central Trojan basketball teams had a total of seven players get Dak-12 All-Conference mentions for the 2021-2022 season.

Four players from the girls team were honored.  Rylee Haldeman and Addy Kramer were both first team all-conference selections.  Tabor Teel was second team all-conference, and Jossin Jarding was a third team all-conference selection.

For the boys Dillon Jackson and Grafton Sttoup wre second team all-conference selections.  Jacob Krempges was an all-conference honorable mention.

West Central Girls Finish Third at State A Tournament

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Photo taken and used with permission by Sara Stadem

The West Central Trojan girls basketball team took home third place at the 2022 South Dakota Class A Girls State Basketball Tournament held in Brookings Thursday, March 10th through Saturday, March 12th.

West Central 65, Dakota Valley 52

The Trojans faced a familiar Dak-12 opponent in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday.  West Central, the #2 seed, played #7 Dakota Valley.   The Panthers had an early 6-3 lead after a two-point basket by Jorja Van Den Hul, but that lead was short lived.  The Trojans went on a 6-0 run and led 9-6 with 5:31 to play in the opening quarter.  The Panthers pulled within one point, 12-11, with 2:03, but that was as close as they would get.

West Central finished the first quarter on a 6-2 run for an 18-13 lead.  The Trojans were able to push the lead to 11 points, 32-21, after a three pointer by Addy Kramer with 1:59 to go in the first half.  West Central led 35-23 at halftime.  The Panthers were only able to get within seven points, 47-40, with 1:13 in the third quarter.  The Trojans won the opening-round game 65-52.

Tabor Teel had 18 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.  Addy Kramer also had 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists.  Rylee Haldeman finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.  Cambell Fischer had six points and four rebounds.

Hamlin 52, West Central 38

West Central then faced #3 Hamlin in the semifinals on Friday.  The game was back and forth through three quarters of play.  The Chargers had the an 11-9 advantage after the first quarter.  The Trojans outscored Hamlin 13-9 in the second quarter for a 22-20 halftime lead.  Hamlin had the scoring advantage in the third quarter.  The Chargers led 33-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

Haldeman scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to give West Central a 34-33 lead with 6:02 to go in the game.  That’s when things completely went the way of the Chargers.  Hamlin went on a 16-0 run for a 49-36 lead with 1:15 to go in the game.  The Chargers took the win 52-38.

Haldeman led the Trojans with 14 points and three rebounds.  Teel added 10 points and seven rebounds.  Kramer finished with seven points and seven rebounds.  Josslin Jarding also finished with seven points.

West Central 62, Wagner 54

The Trojans met up with #1 seed Wagner Red Raiders in the third/fourth place game on Saturday evening.  The two teams played to a 9-9 tie after the first quarter.  Wagner had a three-point advantage, 24-21, at halftime.

West Central made their run in the second half.  The Trojans opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run for a 27-24 lead just :57 into the half.  Wagner eventually tied the game, 31-31, with 3:57 to go in the third quarter.  West Central responded with a 7-0 run and led 38-31 after a three pointer by Fischer with 2:16 to go in the quarter.  Wagner cut the lead to 40-38 heading into the fourth quarter.

The game was tied 40-40 and 42-42 early in the fourth quarter.  West Central was leading 49-48 with 4:44 to play and then went on another run.  The Trojans went on a 9-0 run and led 58-48 with 2:30 to go in the game.  Wagner cut the lead to four points, 58-54, but the Trojans ended the game on a 6-0 run for the 62-54 win.

Kramer had 20 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.  Haldeman finished with 16 points and three assists.  Teel had 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Fischer had seven points and two rebounds.  Jarding added six points, four rebounds, and four assists.

Tournament Awards

Besides taking home the third place trophy, West Central had some more tournament awards.  The Trojan cheerleaders were awarded the “Spirit of Six” winners.  Kramer and Haldeman were also All-Tournament selections.

Madison Upsets #1 West Central in Region Play

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The #5 seed Madison Bulldogs upset the #1 West Central Trojans in the Region 3A tournament on Friday, March 4th at the Elmen Center.  The Bulldogs led for most of the game in a 75-69 win to advance to the SoDak 16.

The Bulldogs built a 17-8 lead in the first quarter and ended the quarter leading 20-13.  That lead doubled to 30-16 with 5:30 to play in the half.  West Central then finished the quarter on a 17-9 run to cut the lead to 39-33 by halftime.

Madison was able to keep the lead in the six-to-10 point lead throughout the third quarter.  The Bulldogs ended the third quarter leading 60-52.  Braden Dierickx hit a three pointer for the Trojans to cut the Bulldog lead to 61-55 with 6:36 to go.  West Central pulled within three points, 72-69, after two free throws by Dillon Jackson with :44 left in the game.  The Bulldogs, however, made three free throws to seal the victory.

West Central shot 34% (22-64) from the field, just 18% (5-28) from three-point area, and 83% (20-24) from the free-throw line.  Madison finished the game shooting 55% (24-44), 47% (9-19) on three pointers, and 69% (18-26) from the free-throw line.

Four players finished in double figures.  Grafton Stroup had 20 points and four rebounds.  Jackson had 14 points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and three assists.  Jacob Krempges had 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists.  Wilson Droge finished with 11 points and three rebounds.  Dierickx added eight points, five rebounds, and three steals.

The Trojans season ends a record of 17-5.

Trojan Girls Qualify for State, Haldeman Hits 1,000

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It was a big night for the West Central Trojan girls basketball team on Thursday, March 3rd.  The Trojans played the Crow Creek Chieftains in Madison in the SoDak 16 with the winner advancing to the state tournament.  Not only did the Trojans punch their ticket to the state tournament with a 54-40 win, but Rylee Haldeman hit her 1,000 career point in the game.

It was clear from the start the Trojans were on a mission.  West Central wasted no time on the offensive end of the court and started the game on a 10-0 run.  That lead grew to 14 points, 24-10, at the end of the first quarter.  Their defensive pressure caused problems for Crow Creek in the second quarter, and West Central built a 35-14 lead by halftime.

Things continued to go in the favor of the Trojans throughout much of the third quarter.  West Central had a game-high 23 point lead, 41-18, with 2:39 to play in the quarter.  Crow Creek, however, started to make a run from that point.  The Chieftains ended the quarter on an 8-2 run and cut the lead to 43-26 heading into the fourth quarter.  They were able to get the lead down to 13 points, 48-35, but Haldeman’s 1,000 point with 1:17 to play in the game on a layup ended the Crow Creek run and sealed the victory for the Trojans.

West Central shot 39% (19-49) from the field, 20% (5-25) on three-point shots, and 42% (11-26) from the free-throw line.  Crow Creek was 25% (13-53) shooting overall, 16% (3-19) from beyond the arc, and 61% (11-18) from the free-throw line.

Two players had a double-double for the Trojans.  Tabor Teel had 17 points and 12 rebounds along with four blocked shots.  Addy Kramer finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and two assists.  Haldeman’s night ended with 10 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals.

The Trojans will enter the 2022 South Dakota High School Class A Girls State Tournament as the #2 seed.  They will play #6 Dakota Valley in the opening round at Frost Arena in Brookings on Thursday, March 10th, at 6:00 p.m.

West Central Boys Cruise to Region 3A Win

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The #1 seed West Central Trojans cruised to a 70-45 win over #8 seed Baltic Bulldogs in the opening round of the Region 3A tournament on Tuesday, March 1st.

The Bulldogs had an early lead, 9-7, with 3:17 in the first quarter, but the Trojans finished the quarter on a 10-2 run for a 17-11 lead.  West Central cruised from there.  The Trojans outscored Baltic 22-15 in the second quarter for a 39-26 halftime lead.  The Trojan defense held the Bulldogs to just seven points in the third quarter while building a 66-33 advantage heading into the final quarter.

West Central shot 41% (25-61) from the field, 28% (10-36) on three pointers, and a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line.  The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 40% (17-42) overall, 58% (7-12) from three-point area, and 4-6 from the free-throw line.  The big difference in the game came down to turnovers.  Baltic committed 21 turnovers while the Trojans committed just four.

Grafton Stroup had 25 points, two rebounds, two steals, and two assists.  Jack Linneman finished with 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists.  Jacob Krempges added nine points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.  Wilson Droge had seven points, and Dillon Jackson had six points.

The Trojans will play the #5 seed Madison Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 4th at the Elmen Center.  The winner will advance to the SoDak 16.

Trojan Wrestling Team has Six Place at State

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Six wrestlers for the West Central Trojans placed at the 2022 South Dakota Class A State Wrestling Tournament in Sioux Falls Thursday, February 24th and Friday, February 25th.

Alexis Bryant placed third in the G-132 class.  Bryant finished 4-1 in the tournament with a pin and three decision wins.  Bryant defeated Carly Ballinger of Canton in the 3rd/4th place match by a 5-4 decision.

Chet Carda went 4-2 and placed fifth.  Carda had two major decision wins and a pin.  The the 5th/6th place match, Carda defeated Carson Holt of O’Gorman by a 3-0 decision.

Karson Vessells placed sixth in the 106-pound class.  Vessells finished 2-3 with a major decision win and a 4-2 decision win in his first two matches.  Justin Zirpel also placed sixth in the 152-pound class also with a 2-3 record.  Zirpel had a pin and a decision win.  Orlando Whiting placed eighth in the 113-pound class finishing 2-3 with a 12-9 decision win and and a pin.  Allison Foote was also eighth in the G-285 class.  Foote finished 1-3 with a pin.

Chandler Carda (126-pound) and Jesse Jost (132-pound) both finished 1-2.  Jude Jarding was 0-2 in thee 145-pound division.  Gabe Gebhard (195-pound) and Abram Maras (220-pound) also finished 0-2.  Hailey Fortney (G-142) finished 1-2 in the tournament.

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