The Base of St Mary’s
Hungry. That’s the word that describes the 2025 Dell Rapids St Mary’s Cardinals football team. Especially after their heartbreaking loss in last season’s 9B semi-finals. The Cardinals are determined to improve on their impressive 9-2 record with a new sense of leadership and determination flooding St Mary’s Football.
The team returns nearly its entire roster from a season ago, losing only three seniors to graduation. This year’s core is anchored by senior standouts Lincoln Lebrun, Trimmier Hanson, and Carlo Pica. These seniors are eager to guide a talented junior class featuring Logan Bauer, Jacob Flemmer, Kade Lutt, Jake Heinitz, Josh Leibl, Jaxon Baumberger, Thomas Lavoy, Joe Bares, Gavin Pica, and Alex Lindeman. Each of these players held pivotal roles in last season’s success.
Adding depth to this already talented roster is an up-and-coming Freshman class of 9 athletes looking to contribute wherever needed.
St Mary head football coach Ross Flemmer comes in at the helm for yet another season. Flemmer will be entering his 26th year coaching the Cardinals, and I had a chance to speak with him.
“Our seniors have really stepped up”
“Depth is looking really good, I think we have a lot of guys who are ready to play at a high level, our seniors have really stepped up in their new leadership role, we just look for them to lead and the underclass to continue to progress”
said Flemmer when asked about how this transformed roster looked.
A championship isn’t the only thing on Coach Flemmer’s mind this season though. When asked what he hopes to teach his players beyond the field, he said,
“I think football teaches kids the value of hardwork, you need to be persistent and tough. It teaches you to work hard and work together in a team setting”
When asked about what the team learned from last year’s playoff run, Flemmer was direct:
“The biggest thing is anytime you don’t succeed, you either quit and tuck your tail, or you work harder. Last year they really had to work hard and that seemed to really motivate them, not retract them, which is what we like to see.”
There is no reason not to be excited about this team. Fans and players alike are ready to see how far these young men can go, not just this season, but how this team can impact the future of St Mary Football.
Dell Rapids St Mary’s Football has been a prominent contender at the 9B level for years now. This season will be another opportunity to prove to themselves and the state that they belong at the top.
The season for the Cardinals will start at 7 P.M. in Rutland on Friday, August 22nd where they will face off against the Oldham-Ramona-Rutland Raiders.
The full schedule for St Mary’s is on SDHSAA at https://gobound.com/sd/sdhsaa/football/2025-26/dellrapidsstmary/v/schedule
