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West Central Track Looking to Build on Successful First Meet

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It had been 668 days between the last meet of the 2019 season and the first meet of the 2021 season for the West Central Trojan track team.  The Trojans were able to get back to competition on March 23rd.  If how they performed at the Lancer High School Opener is any indication, the Trojans will have a very strong team this year.

Girls Head Coach Janel Merkwan said, “Our girls team is very deep this year, and we have a lot of talent, both young and old. I am very excited to see what we put together as team this year. I expect our girls to battle with the best. West Central has so many strong female athletes, which is evident when you see how they have competed all year in their other sports, and I am happy to have them back on the track and see them working towards their goals. These young ladies are competitors and I would put our girls up against any team in the state is most any sport!”

The Trojans are led by a group of senior girls that have been with the program for four-to-six years. Those ladies include: Abbie Cain and Sayda Rolfson who are looking at finishing off their successful six year distance careers at West Central, Aysia Hall and Josie Koch who are looking at being in the top 10 in the state in their respective throwing events, Shaw Nelson who is coming off an ACL injury from this fall and is ready to get back out in competition and finish her senior year with a bang, Paige Pilker who is hopping for chance at contending in the high jump, Averi Schmeichel who is already a multi-event state track champion looking to defend some titles before she heads off to run D1 track at USD, Shelby Sherard who is looking at trying some shorter distances this season for some more experience, and Jada VanOverbeke who is a all state soccer player that has been a strong leg on the state placing sprint relays for the last five years.

The boys team will be led by seven seniors this year.  Those seniors are Barden Traub-Jensen, Justin Schumacher, Caleb Schulte, Jacob Nelson, Josh Livermore, Derek Eidsness, and Isaiah Colon.  The Trojans will also look to underclassmen Wyatt Nielsen (Sophomore), Layton Johnson (Freshman), Dylan Stromer (Sophomore), Ben Strunk (Freshman), Tommy Berg (Junior), Jude Jarding (Freshman), Erik Setten (Sophomore), and Dylan Sherard (Sophomore) who all had top eight finishes at the opening track meet on March 23rd.

The Trojans will be hosting the West Central Early Bird meet on Tuesday, April 6th.

West Central Girls Golf Returns One from 2019 Championship Team

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The 2021 West Central Trojan girls golf team will have one returning member from the 2019 state championship team.

Jordyn Driscoll is the only returning varsity member from the 2019 team.

With the 2020 season cancelled last year, head coach Tony Lanham said that the rest of the varsity spots will be up for grabs this year.  Lanham mentioned that the JV team from 2019 did well in the few JV meets they had, but a lot has changed since then.  Coach Lanham said that he honestly isn’t sure what to expect this season.

The Trojans are scheduled to have a dual against Sioux Falls O’Gorman on Thursday, April 15th.

West Central Track Season Gets Started in Yankton

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The West Central Trojan track team had their first meet since the end of the 2019 season on Tuesday, March 23rd.  The Trojans traveled to Yankton for the Lancer High School Opener meet held indoors at Mount Marty University.

The Trojans had several top eight finishers in both the girls and boys events.

West Central will host their Early Bird meet on Tuesday, April 6th.

Individual Results

Girls

60m Dash

  • Emma Goehring (5th) – :08.45
  • Rylee Haldeman (8th) – :08.64
  • Melissa Anderson – :09.06

200m Dash

  • Sadie Berg (3rd) – :27.80
  • Molli Thornton (4th) – :27.92
  • Emma Goehring (7th) – :28.85

400m Dash

  • Keighlor Nolz (4th) – 1:08.80
  • Melissa Anderson – 1:11.84
  • Molly Anderson – 1:16.01

800m Run

  • Clara Nelson (8th) – 2:50.78
  • Peyton Meadors – 2:51.39
  • Shelby Sherard – 3:53.22

1600m Run

  • Drew Caffrey (6th) – 6:19.41
  • Elizabeth Johnson – 6:29.25
  • Abbie Cain – 6:49.26

3200m Run

  • Sayda Rolfson (4th) – 14:17.24

4x400m Relay

  • 3rd (Molli Thornton, Rylee Haldeman, Stormee Klien, Sadie Berg) – 4:32.85

4x800m Relay

  • 3rd (Ellie McDonald, Jazelle Jarding, Reagan Stallman, Tyenn Caffrey) – 11:44.28

Shot Put

  • Aysia Hall (2nd) – 31’6.25″
  • Josie Koch – 25’9.5″

Long Jump

  • Sadie Berg (3rd) – 15’2.75″
  • Stormee Klien (7th) – 13’10.75″
  • Clara Nelson – 12’2.75″

Boys

60m Dash

  • Gunnar Cuka – :07.84
  • Isaiah Colon – :07.89
  • Braden Diericks – :09.62

200m Dash

  • Wyatt Nielsen (4th) – :24.76
  • Braden Diericks – :25.60
  • Carson Berens – :28.23

400m Dash

  • Layton Johnson (4th) – :58.02
  • Tommy Berg – 1:01.73
  • Owen Heath – 1:01.81

800m Run

  • Dylan Stromer (7th) – 2:21.98
  • Cade VanderWoude – 2:23.71
  • Xzavian Ferris – 2:34.81

1600m Run

  • Blake Stark – 5:41.79

3200m Run

  • Ben Strunk (5th) – 11:28.17
  • Austin Brookfield – 14:44.98

4x400m Relay

  • 4th (Derek Eidsness, Justin Schumacher, Tommy Berg, Jude Jarding) – 3:53.21

4x800m Relay

  • 4th (Justin Schumacher, Erik Setten, Dylan Sherard, Ben Strunk) – 9:13.22

Shot Put

  • Josh Livermore (2nd) – 44’11.5″
  • Braden Traub-Jensen – 35’6.5″
  • Jacob Nelson – 35’6.5″

High Jump

  • Derek Eidsness (1st) – 6’4″

Long Jump

  • Braden Diericks (5th) – 17’5″
  • Isaiah Colon (7th) – 17’4″
  • Caleb Schulte (8th) – 17’1.5″

West Central Has Season Start and End in Dell Rapids

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After opening up the 2020-2021 boys basketball season in Dell Rapids on December 11th, the West Central Trojans saw their season come to an end in Dell Rapids on Friday, March 5th in the Region 3A tournament.

The Quarriers got out to a very quick lead in the first quarter and built it to a 16-point advantage at the first quarter break, 21-5.  That deficit was too much to overcome for the Trojans.  Dell Rapids added to the lead in the second quarter and led 36-19 at halftime.

West Central made a valiant come-back effort in the second half.  The Trojans held Dell Rapids to just seven points in the third quarter and trimmed a 17-point halftime deficit down to six points heading into the final quarter, 43-37.  The boys in blue got within four points at 47-43 with 5:27 to go in the game, but Dell Rapids made one more run.  They went on a 5-0 run to get the lead back to nine points 52-43, with 3:30 to play.  The Quarriers then finished the game on a 13-9 advantage for the 65-52 victory.

The Trojans finished the game shooting 39% (18-46) from the field, 28% (7-25) from three-point area, and 64% (9-14) from the free-throw line.

Hunter Hagerty finished with 14 points to lead the Trojans in scoring.  Grafton Stroup added 11 points that included three made three-pointers.  Derek Eidsness had seven points, eight rebounds, and three assists, while Kasan Abedi had seven points, three assists, and two rebounds.  Jaxon Skinner finished with four points and four rebounds.

West Central’s season ended with an overall record of 14-8.

Second Half Surge Lifts West Central to Region 3A Win

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The #3 seeded West Central Trojan boys were able put a shaky first half behind them and took a 64-35 win over the #6 seeded Baltic Bulldogs in the opening round of the Region 3A tournament at home on Tuesday, March 2nd.

The Trojans got out to a quick eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 14-8, but then hit an offensive snag in the second quarter.  West Central only scored nine points, and the Bulldogs took advantage to pull within five points, 25-20, by halftime.

The halftime period was enough for the Trojans to hit the reset button.  West Central went on a 14-5 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter and eventually outscored Baltic 28-9 throughout the entire quarter for a 53-29 lead heading into the fourth quarter.  The Trojans outscored the Bulldogs 11-6 in the final quarter for the win.

Three players finished in double figures for the Trojans.  Wilson Droge had 19 points and four rebounds.  Kasan Abedi had 10 points, five assists, and three steals.  Zane Crawford also had 10 points in the game.  Hunter Hagerty  had a team-high eight rebounds, and Jacob Krempges had three assists.

West Central improves to 14-7 on the season.  The Trojans will travel to Dell Rapids to play the Quarriers in a SoDak-16 qualifying game on Friday, March 5th.

West Central has Four Place Winners at State Wrestling

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The West Central Trojan wrestling team had four wrestlers place at the 2021 South Dakota State A Wrestling Tournament in Rapid City February 25th – 27th.

Chandler Carda had a fourth place finish in the 106-pound division.  Carda won his first two rounds, but then fell to Hayden Schroeder (Vermillion) in the semifinal round.  Carda won his next consolation match over Nolan Miles (Brookings) to advance to the 3rd/4th place match.  Rayden Zens (Aberdeen Central) got a 6-4 decision win over Carda.

Robby Edberg also had a fourth place finish in the 145-pound weight class.  Edberg won his opening round match, but lost to Tyson Johnson (Pierre) in the quarterfinals.  Edberg won three straight consolation round matches over Blessing Taniah (SF Washington), Soren Aadland (Harrisburg), and Bryan Roselles (RC Stevens).  Edberg fell to Zach McKee (Dell Rapdis) in the 3rd/4th place match.

Justin Zirpel had an eighth place finish in the 160-pound class.  Zirpel had an opening round win over Graydon Bakke (RC Central), but lost in his quarterfinal match to Wren Jacobs (Sturgis).  Zirpel won his first consolation round match, but last his second one to put him in the 7th/8th place match.  Graydon Bakke (RC Central) got an 11-4 decision win in their second meeting of the tournament.

Allison Foote took fourth place in the inaugural girls state tournament in 2021.  Foote started the tournament with a win over Danica Miller (Harrisburg).  Brooke Otte (Lennox) pinned Foote, but she bounced back with a pin of Madison Holmes (Aberdeen Central) to put her into the 3rd/4th place match.  Maria Larson (SF Lincoln) got the win over Foote in that match.

Jude Jarding, Chet Carda, Wyatt Nielsen, and Gabe Gebhardt all finished 1-2 on the weekend.  Keaton Vessells finished 0-2.

The Trojans finished 15th as a team with a total of 50.0 points.

Individual Results

A-106:  Chandler Carda (30-8) placed 4th and scored 15.0 team points.

  • Champ. Round 1 – Chandler Carda (West Central) 30-8 won by fall over Wiley Elwood (Chamberlain) 11-20 (Fall 1:34)
  • Quarterfinal – Chandler Carda (West Central) 30-8 won by major decision over Evan Eckholm (RC Stevens) 23-12 (MD 17-6)
  • Semifinal – Hayden Schroeder (Vermillion) 36-2 won by decision over Chandler Carda (West Central) 30-8 (Dec 8-3)
  • Cons. Semi – Chandler Carda (West Central) 30-8 won by decision over Nolan Miles (Brookings) 30-7 (Dec 10-4)
  • 3rd Place Match – Rayden Zens (Aberdeen Central) 38-7 won by decision over Chandler Carda (West Central) 30-8 (Dec 6-4)
A-113:  Jude Jarding (18-19) place is unknown and scored 2.0 team points.

  • Champ. Round 1 – Jack Schoenhard (RC Stevens) 36-2 won by fall over Jude Jarding (West Central) 18-19 (Fall 0:17)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Jude Jarding (West Central) 18-19 won by major decision over Jacob Johnson (Milbank) 15-16 (MD 11-3)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Mason Schrempp (Aberdeen Central) 29-14 won by decision over Jude Jarding (West Central) 18-19 (Dec 6-2)
A-126:  Keaton Vessells (16-10) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

  • Champ. Round 1 – Trason Oehme (Brandon Valley) 26-0 won by fall over Keaton Vessells (West Central) 16-10 (Fall 0:51)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Isaac Henry (Madison) 30-10 won by tech fall over Keaton Vessells (West Central) 16-10 (TF-1.5 5:00 (16-0))
A-145:  Robby Edberg (29-7) placed 4th and scored 18.0 team points.

  • Champ. Round 1 – Robby Edberg (West Central) 29-7 won by fall over Kaiser Ruth (Huron) 20-10 (Fall 1:03)
  • Quarterfinal – Tyson Johnson (Pierre) 31-4 won by fall over Robby Edberg (West Central) 29-7 (Fall 5:20)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Robby Edberg (West Central) 29-7 won by major decision over Blessing Taniah (SF Washington) 24-9 (MD 13-2)
  • Cons. Round 3 – Robby Edberg (West Central) 29-7 won by major decision over Soren Aadland (Harrisburg) 28-25 (MD 11-0)
  • Cons. Semi – Robby Edberg (West Central) 29-7 won by injury default over Bryan Roselles (RC Stevens) 30-13 (Inj. 1:00)
  • 3rd Place Match – Zach McKee (Dell Rapids) 30-6 won by decision over Robby Edberg (West Central) 29-7 (Dec 9-4)
A-152:  Chet Carda (18-17) place is unknown and scored 1.0 team points.

  • Champ. Round 1 – Bailey Badwound (Spearfish) 36-10 won by fall over Chet Carda (West Central) 18-17 (Fall 1:26)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Chet Carda (West Central) 18-17 won by decision over Jess Englert (Madison) 8-24 (Dec 7-0)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Tucker Vilhauer (Mitchell) 30-12 won by fall over Chet Carda (West Central) 18-17 (Fall 2:23)
A-160:  Justin Zirpel (30-9) placed 8th and scored 8.0 team points.

  • Champ. Round 1 – Justin Zirpel (West Central) 30-9 won by fall over Graydon Bakke (RC Central) 28-15 (Fall 3:07)
  • Quarterfinal – Wren Jacobs (Sturgis) 25-1 won by decision over Justin Zirpel (West Central) 30-9 (Dec 6-0)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Justin Zirpel (West Central) 30-9 won by fall over Tyson Hage (Vermillion) 23-16 (Fall 3:57)
  • Cons. Round 3 – Tyson Degen (Mitchell) 30-8 won by major decision over Justin Zirpel (West Central) 30-9 (MD 15-5)
  • 7th Place Match – Graydon Bakke (RC Central) 28-15 won by decision over Justin Zirpel (West Central) 30-9 (Dec 11-4)
A-170:  Wyatt Nielsen (16-14) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points.

  • Champ. Round 1 – Samuel Calvert (Aberdeen Central) 33-14 won by fall over Wyatt Nielsen (West Central) 16-14 (Fall 3:10)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Wyatt Nielsen (West Central) 16-14 won by fall over Gunnar Geib (Belle Fourche) 15-31 (Fall 2:10)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Ryan Hirschkorn (Harrisburg) 44-7 won by fall over Wyatt Nielsen (West Central) 16-14 (Fall 2:30)
A-182:  Gabe Gebhardt (18-16) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points.

  • Champ. Round 1 – Hunter Stambach (Cheyenne-Eagle Butte/Dupree) 27-6 won by fall over Gabe Gebhardt (West Central) 18-16 (Fall 4:38)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Gabe Gebhardt (West Central) 18-16 won by forfeit over David Miller (RC Central) 13-24 (For.)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Nolan Archer (Brookings) 27-9 won by fall over Gabe Gebhardt (West Central) 18-16 (Fall 0:24)
Girls A – 275:  Allison Foote (2-2) placed 4th and scored 0.0 team points.

  • Quarterfinal – Allison Foote (West Central) 2-2 won by fall over Danica Miller (Harrisburg) 0-2 (Fall 0:56)
  • Semifinal – Brooke Otte (Lennox) 2-1 won by fall over Allison Foote (West Central) 2-2 (Fall 1:07)
  • Cons. Semi – Allison Foote (West Central) 2-2 won by fall over Madison Holmes (Aberdeen Central) 0-2 (Fall 1:24)
  • 3rd Place Match – Maria Larson (Sf Lincoln) 3-1 won by fall over Allison Foote (West Central) 2-2 (Fall 3:13)

Mustang Girls Send Class A into Madness with Upset Win over West Central

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The Tri-Valley Mustangs finished the regular season with an 11-9 record and was the #4 seed in the Region 3A tournament.  The West Central Trojans finished 18-2, ranked #2 in the latest media poll, and was the #1 seed in the tournament.  West Central defeated the Mustangs 67-51 on February 2nd.  None of that mattered when it came to the SoDak 16 qualifying game in Hartford on Thursday, February 25th.

The Mustangs executed their plan all game long and were step-for-step with the Trojans.  Neither team had a lead of more than six points in the game.  The first quarter ended in an 11-11 tie.  Tri-Valley trailed 16-14 early in the second quarter and then went on a 7-0 run to lead 21-16 with 5:25 to go in the half.  The Trojans responded with a 5-0 run and tied the game at 21-21.  The two teams traded baskets in the back half of the second quarter with the Mustangs holding a 31-29 halftime lead.

The third quarter continued to be back-and-forth.  The two teams traded basket after basket with each other, and the game was tied 42-42 heading into the final quarter.  Josslin Jarding struck first for West Central in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to give the Trojans a 45-42 lead.  Rylee Haldeman followed with a layup to push the Trojan lead to 47-42 with just under 6:00 to go in the game.  Paige Jewett ended the 5-0 run with a free-throw for the Mustangs with 5:45 to go.

With the Trojans leading by four points with under 5:00 to go in the game, momentum appeared to be headed to the West Central side.  A technical foul on the Mustangs give the Trojans two free throws and possession of the ball.  Both free throws were made by Cassidy Siemonsma to give West Central their largest lead of the night at 49-43.  The Trojans were unable to score on the offensive possession, and that slim opening was all Tri-Valley needed.

Tabor Teel took control for the Mustangs.  Teel made a three-pointer on the Mustangs ensuing possession to cut the lead to 49-46 with 4:15 to go.  Forty-five seconds later, Teel hit another three-pointer to tie the game 49-49 with 3:30 to play.  Each team was only able to make one free throw in the next two minutes, and the game remained tied 50-50 with 1:25 on the clock.

Teel wasn’t done yet.  With 1:00 to go, Teel made her third three-point of the quarter, and game, to give the Mustangs a 53-50 lead.  Teel made two free throws with :18 to push the Mustang lead to 55-50.  Haldeman made a tough shot in the paint for West Central with :06.3 to go, but Teel put the game away with two more free throws with :05.5 to give Tri-Valley the 57-52 upset victory.

Haldeman led the Trojans with 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists.  Siemonsma had 13 points and 13 rebounds.  Addy Kramer also had double figures with 10 points along with six rebounds.

Teel led all scores in the game with 24 points and also had 12 rebounds and two steals.  Kaitlyn Mohnen had 11 points and five rebounds.  Jewett finished with eight points, three rebounds, and two assists.

West Central’s season comes to an end with an 18-3 record.

Tri-Valley improves to 13-9.  The Mustangs will be the #15 seed in the “SoDak 16” and will play #2 Winner at Wagner High School at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 4th.

Tea Ends West Central Boys Winning Streak

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The Tea Area Titans spoiled the final regular season home game and ended five-game winning streak for the West Central Trojans with a 63-54 win in Hartford on Tuesday, February 23rd.

Tea scored the first three points of the game and led by as many as six points, 15-9, with 2:20 to go in the first quarter.  West Central held the Titans scoreless in the final 2:00 and was able to tie the game 17-17 by the end of the quarter.  The Titans returned the favor and held West Central scoreless until the 3:40 mark of the second quarter.  The Titans led 23-17 until a made basket by Grafton Stroup.  Tea Area ended the half leading 31-25.

West Central chipped away at the lead and got it down to four points, 44-40, after a buzzer-beater layup by Kasan Abedi.  The Titan lead remained at four points, 50-46, with 4:00 to play in the game.  Tea Area, however, ended the game on a 13-8 advantage to hang on for the win.

Derek Eidsness led the Titans with 17 points and five rebounds.  Hunter Hagerty had 12 points and four rebounds.  Jaxon Skinner finished with eight points and four rebounds.  Abedi ended with six points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

The Trojans end their regular season with a 13-7 record.

West Central Boys Win Fifth Straight

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The West Central Trojan boys basketball team continued their longest winning streak of the season and extended it to five games after a 75-51 win over the Elk Point-Jefferson Huskies at home on Monday, February 22nd.

It didn’t take long for the Trojans to build a lead in the first quarter.  West Central hit a double-digit lead at 14-3 with 3:15 to play in the quarter.  The Huskies got the lead down to nine points by the end of the quarter at 17-8.  The Trojans were able to double the lead to 16 points by halftime at 36-20.

Elk Point-Jefferson started to make a run in the third quarter.  The Huskies got the lead down to nine points, 44-35, with 3:00 to play in the quarter.  The Trojans were able to stop the momentum and led 51-40 heading into the final quarter.  The West Central defense locked down the Huskies in the fourth quarter and outscored Elk Point-Jefferson 24-11 in the win.

West Central finished shooting 50% (32-64) from the field, 29% (7-24) from three-point area, and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line.  The Trojans had 29 team rebounds and 23 team assists.

Four players were in double figures in scoring.  Hunter Hagerty scored 14 points and four rebounds.  Grafton Stroup also had 14 points and two rebounds.  Derek Eidsness finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and three assists.  Wilson Droge had 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists.  Zach Crawford had nine points, and Jacob Krempges added five points, seven rebounds, and five assists.  Kasan Abedi had a team-high six assists.

West Central (13-6) will finish the regular season at home against Tea on Tuesday, February 23rd.

West Central Wrestling Sends Eight to State

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The West Central Trojan wrestling team qualified eight wrestlers for the state tournament after the Region 1A tournament in Watertown on Saturday, February 20th.

Robby Edberg won the 145-pound weight class.  Chandler Carda (106) and Justin Zirpel (160) both placed second.  Jude Jarding (113), Keaton Vessells (126), Chet Carda (152), Wyatt Nielsen (170), and Gabe Gebhardt (182) all placed third in their respective weight classes to qualify for state.

Rayce Whiting (120) and Jesse Jost (132) both finished 0-2.  Abram Maras (195), Logan Brunick (220),  and Gavin Pischke (285) all finished 1-3 on the day.

The 2021 South Dakota State A Wrestling Tournament will be held in Rapid City at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on February 25th – 27th.

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