Homecoming Kings and Queens Crowned
Both Dell Rapids St Mary and Dell Rapids held their coronation ceremonies on Monday, October 11th as part of the homecoming week. Both schools crowned their Homecoming King and Queen during the ceremonies.
The Dell Rapids St Mary Homecoming King is John Pica, and the Homecoming Queen is Courtney Brown.
The Dell Rapids Homecoming King is Weston Mason, and the Homecoming Queen is Yazmin Garcia.
The week will continue with activities at both schools. The homecoming parade will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 15th downtown Dell Rapids. The Cardinals will host De Smet for their homecoming football game, and the Quarriers will host Dakota Valley. Both games will kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
33rd Annual 3-Class Shootout – March 27th
Four local athletes will be participating in the 33rd Annual First Dakota National Back 3-Class Shootout on Saturday, March 27th at McCook Central High School in Salem.
Ella Heinitz (“B” girls), Connor Libis (“B” boys), Colin Rentz (“A” boys), and Connor Rentz (“A” boys), who was added as an injury replacement after the release of the roster, will all play in the games.
The Class “B” girls will play at 3:00 p.m., the Class “A” boys will play at 5:15 p.m., and the Class “B” boys will play at 7:00 p.m.
2019 Fall Sports Awards
Several Cardinal and Quarrier student athletes received recognition for their seasons during the 2019 fall sports season.
Eli Longville, Weston Geraets, Logan Wolles, and Connor Libis were Dakota Valley Conference All-Conference selections for the football season. Payton Park was an honorable mention selection. Longville was named Co-MVP for the conference this season. Head coach of the St Mary Cardinals Ross Flemmer was named the 2019 DVC Coach of the Year. Longville and Libis were also honorable mentions for the Argus Leader Elite 45 team.
Courtney Brown was a DVC All-Conference selection in volleyball this year. Ella Heinitz was an honorable mention.
Paige Bunkers, Maggie Klein, and Brown were 2019 South Dakota All-State Cheer team selections.
For the Dell Rapids Quarriers, Logan Ellingson, Brayden Gee, Mason Goeken, Coby Maeschen, Noah Randall, Colin Rentz, Cody Schultz, Drew VanRegenmorter, and Tyler Wood were 2019 Dak-12 Conference All-Conference selections. Carter Rentz and Landon Ruesink were honorable mentions. Ellingson was also named to the Argus Leader Elite 45 team. Maeschen was an honorable mention for the Elite 45 team.
Gabi Rus was a 3rd Team Dak-12 Conference selection in volleyball. Mallory Haak was an honorable mention.
Hannah Heiberger, Olivia Godwin, and Katelyn North were 2019 South Dakota All-State Cheer team selections.
Busy Weekend for Cardinal and Quarrier Sports
It was a busy weekend of events for the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals and Dell Rapids Quarriers varsity sports teams. The Cardinals volleyball and cross country teams were in action on Saturday, September 7th, while the Quarrier cross country, competitive cheer, and soccer teams all competed on Saturday.
The Cardinal volleyball team went to Estelline for the Estelline Tournament. St Mary finished 2-2 at the tournament to see their season record move to 5-2. St Mary’s boys cross country team won the 12-team Deubrook Invite. Jacob Vogel placed second individually with a time of 18:12. Thomas Eining was 15th with a time of 19:59, and Seth Roemen placed 19th at a time of 20:14.
The Quarrier cross country team was in Luverne on Saturday. Adisen 
Stadem finished 9th with a time of 22:19.80. Aspen Hansen finished in a time of 23:53.60, and Hannah VanOverbeke had a time of 25:06.90. Logan Anderson was 3rd for the boys with a time of 18:32.90. Canyon Lowman had a time of 20:01.60, and Mitchell Heinemann had a time of 20:23.20. The Quarrier competitive cheer team took first place at the Dakota Valley Invite. The Garretson/Dell Rapids Blue Dragon girls soccer team won their third match of the season after a 7-1 win over Worthington, MN during their annual Kick Out Cancer game.
Cardinal and Quarrier Athletes Earn Post Season Awards
Several Dell Rapids St Mary and Dell Rapids athletes have earned post season awards for the 2018 fall sports season.
Carly Maxwell was named to the Dakota Valley Conference All-Conference team for volleyball. Veronica Beck was an Honorable Mention. Eli Longville and Connor Libis were DVC All-Conference team selections for football, while Weston Geraets and Ethan Geraets were Honorable Mentions. Maddie Schwebach earned a Class A Competitive Cheer All-State selection this year.
For the Dell Rapids Quarriers, Hannah Fletcher was a Dak-12 All-Conference 1st Team selection. Jayda Knuppe earned a 2nd Team nomination, and Brooke Klein was an Honorable Mention. Eddie Price, Nick Boever, Kenyon Shellum, Logan Ellingson, and Coby Maeschen were all Dak-12 Football All-Conference selections. Tayte Gleason and Tyler Wood were Honorable Mentions. Emily Dorn, Katie Jaycox, and Carter Wynja were Cross Country Academic All-State members this year.
Dell Rapids High School Eligibility Policy Changes
Student athletes at Dell Rapids High School will be met with a new eligibility policy starting this fall for the upcoming school year. The new policy was explained by Dell Rapids High School Principal Drew Bunkers during the Dell Rapids School Board regular meeting on Monday, July 9th.
Prior to this change, Dell Rapids followed the eligibility guidelines of the South Dakota High School Activities Association. Those guidelines state that the student athlete needs to pass two credits the semester prior to the current sport season to be eligible.
“We looked at a situation if you played just volleyball or just football, you could realistically get to the end of your senior year with six credits and never miss a game. You would be not even close to any where near graduating, and you would have played every football game or every volleyball game as long as you passed two credits in the spring. You could flunk every thing in the fall, it wouldn’t matter, you’d play every game. You’d be ineligible for the spring, which you don’t participate in anything. You’d pass (in the spring), it resets, you play,” said Bunkers.
The new policy that was proposed by Bunkers and approved by the school board is as follows:
- Grade/Eligibility for activities will be determined at the midterm and end of each quarter/semester. In order to be eligible, a student must pass all of his/her academic courses. Should a student become ineligible at midterm by receiving a failing grade in one or more courses, he/she won’t be allowed to participate in activities for a period of one week or one contest, whichever is greater, effective the Monday after midterm grades have been submitted. If he/she is still receiving a failing grade after one week, he/she will become ineligible for an additional week or contest. Ineligibility will continue until a student can maintain a passing grade in all courses. Students can regain eligibility by showing evidence of a passing grade to the principal or activities director. Students will then become eligible the following Monday after proof of passing all courses. The minimum requirement for ineligibility is one full week or one contest. If a student receives a failing grade in a course(s) for a quarter or semester, he/she will become ineligible for two weeks or two contests, whichever is greater. All SDHSAA requirements and policies must also be met. Students will still be allowed to practice during a period of ineligibility.
During the school board meeting a question was raised about the possibility of students who might be in school just for the sports and what will those students be told.
Bunkers answered, “You’re number one job here is to get an education. That’s what we’re charged with is educating you. If you want to play sports and that is your main motivator, we need to do it in the classroom for you to play the sports. It’s completely up to that student if they are eligible or not. If they put in the work in the classroom, they will remain eligible, and they’ll get to play their sports.”
Seventeen Students Attend Music Festival
A total of seventeen students from Dell Rapids and Dell Rapids St Mary junior high schools participated in the 2017 Celebration of Music Festival. The festival was held on Wednesday, March 1st at Brandon Valley High School. The festival had both an honor band and an honor choir consisting of 7th and 8th graders.
Dell Rapids St Mary participants included Maggie Klein for band. Julie Saude, Rebecca Geraets, April Hof, Hunter Griffen, and Jon Bares participated in the choir portion.
Dell Rapids public participants included Desirae Horton, Katy Pulscher, Taylor Hansen, Nychole Steineke, Winston Strauss, and Peyton Gleason for choir. Kat Fletcher, Cara Rice, Michaela Witte, Eli Griebel, and Andrew Weiland participated for band.
Dell Rapids Jr Track Results from Dak-12 Meet
The Dell Rapids Quarrier 7th and 8th grade girls and boys track teams participated in the Middle School Dak-12 Conference meet on Tuesday, May 10th, at Tea. The 8th grade girls finished first with 99 points. The 7th grade girls, 8th grade girls, and 8th grade boys all finished fourth at the meet.
Individual 7th Grade Girls:
100m Dash
- Natalie Vlietstra – :15.38 (6th)
- Rachel Vietor – :15.44
- Sadie Schmitt – :16.40
- Kiya Miller – :17.00
200m Dash
- Olivia Prasek – :31.90 (6th)
- Rachel Vietor – :32.50
- Katy Pulscher – :32.60
- Sadie Schmitt – 33.00
400m Dash
- Becky Dorn – 1:12.70 (6th)
- Natalie Vlietstra – 1:15.60
800m Run
- Nychole Steineke – 3:08.10 (5th)
1600m Run
- Kat Fletcher – 6:14.13 (2nd)
100m Hurdles
- Sam Price – :19.39 (3rd)
4x100m Relay
- 2nd – :59.20
4x400m Relay
- 3rd – 4:55.30
800m Sprint Medley Relay
- 2nd – 2:14.80
Long Jump
- Becky Dorn – 11’10.5″ (4th)
- Katy Pulscher – 11’7.5″ (5th)
- Rachel Vietor – 10’9.5″
- Olivia Prasek – 10’2.5″
Shot Put
- Ellie Fiddelke – 22’8″ (5th)
- Ella Schmidt – 18’2″
Discus
- Ellie Fiddelke – 61’6″ (4th)
- Ella Schmidt – 56’2″
Individual 8th Grade Girls:
100m Dash
- Anaka Hemenway – :13.8 (1st)
- Jenna Miles – :15.7
200m Dash
- Anaka Hemenway – :28.9 (1st)
- Stephanie Geraets – :29.5 (3rd)
400m Dash
- Olivia Stelzer – 1:16.5
- Ceara Shellum – 1:21.2
800m Run
- Cydney Lee – 3:01.0 (3rd)
1600m Run
- Kyra Graham – 6:45.95 (4th)
4x100m Relay
- 1st – :56.60
4x200m Relay
- 5th – 2:08.9
800m Sprint Medley Relay
- 2nd – 2:08.60
High Jump
- Hannah Heiberger – 4’11” (1st) – **DR Middle School Record**
- Kyra Graham – 4’2″ (4th)
Long Jump
- Hannah Heiberger – 14’6″ (1st)
- Zoe Mortrude – 11’8″
Shot Put
- Ceara Shellum – 31’6″ (1st)
- Jessica Schoeberl – 26’3″ (6th)
- Dezi Rus – 25’7″
- Zoe Mortrude – 23’8″
Discus
- Ceara Shellum – 63’4″ (3rd)
- Jessica Schoeberl – 59’3″ (5th)
- Dezi Rus – 58’11” (6th)
Individual 7th Grade Boys:
100m Dash
- Logan Anderson – :14.32 (6th)
- Jacob Letsche – :14.40
- Coby Maeschen – :14.40
- Riley Nyman – :18.30
200m Dash
- Danek Hilmar – :27.80 (2nd)
- Connor Rentz – :30.40
- Asher Lensing – :31.40
- Jacob Letsche – :31.50
400m Dash
- Brayden Gee – 1:03.60 (3rd)
- Logan Anderson – 1:06.10 (5th)
- Jacob Letsche – 1:10.60
800m Run
- Colin Rentz – 2:38.60 (4th)
- Logan Anderson – 2:54.80
- Dayton Andersen – 3:22.30
- Aiden Moore – 3:30.60
1600m Run
- Canyon Lowman – 5:29.02 (1st)
- Riley Nyman – 7:27.89
110m Hurdles
- Trevon Cross – :21.80 (4th)
- Riley Nyman – :30.50
4x100m Dash
- 5th – :55.40
4x400m Dash
- 4th – 4:30.90
800m Sprint Medley Relay
- 3rd – 2:05.80
High Jump
- Carter Nelson – 5’1″ (2nd)
- Danek Hilmar – 4’8″ (6th)
- Asher Lensing – 4’4″
Long Jump
- Brayden Gee – 14’10” (6th)
- Coby Maeschen – 14’8″
- Asher Lensing – 13’4.5″
- Colin Rentz – 13’2.5″
Shot Put
- Zach Schreier – 31’5″ (6th)
- Cody Schultz – 27’7″
- Lincoln Richeal – 25’7″
- Dayton Andersen – 20’4″
Discus
- Lincoln Richeal – 73’1″
- Cody Schultz – 71’4″
- Zach Schreier – 64’0″
- Dayton Andersen – 52’10”
- Tate Flaskey – 47’4″
Individual 8th Grade Boys:
100m Dash
- Brandon Geraets – :12.95 (2nd)
- Dillan Frantz – :13.70
- Thane Hilmoe – :14.80
200m Dash
- Dillan Frantz – :28.00 (3rd)
- Carter Rentz – :35.30
400m Dash
- Logan Millman – 1:10.40
800m Run
- Karsen Welbig – 2:32.80 (4th)
- Mitchell Heinemann – 2:37.70
- Logan Millman – 2:40.20
1600m Run
- Mitchell Heinemann – 5:39.45 (6th)
- Logan Millman – 5:55.76
110m Hurdles
- Avery Welbig – :19.70 (3rd)
- Zeb Schumaker – :20.90 (5th)
4x100m Relay
- 5th – :53.50
4x200m Relay
- 1st – 1:50.40
4x400m Relay
- 4th – 5:18.60
800m Sprint Medley Relay
- 6th – 2:04.60
High Jump
- Drew VanRegenmorter – 5’0″ (4th)
Long Jump
- Zeb Schumaker – 15’4″ (3rd)
- Avery Welbig – 14’5.5″ (6th)
Shot Put
- Cade Schumacher – 33’6″ (5th)
- Noah Randall – 33’6″ (5th)
- Thane Hilmoe – 29’3.5″
- Joe Tisher – 27’3″
Discus
- Cade Schumacher – 98’10” (3rd)
- Ethan Riswold – 86’0″
- Joe Tisher – 75’2″
- Noah Randall – 69’8″
Fall Sports Awards for Dell Rapids Athletes
Several Dell Rapids athletes earned post season recognition for their performances in the 2015 fall sports season.
Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal Volleyball:
- Junior Kennedi Mullaney – Dakota Valley Conference All-Conference Team Selection
- Junior Jackie Wolles – Dakota Valley Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention
- DRSM Awards Night Offensive MVP: Kennedi Mullaney
- DRSM Awards Night Defensive MVP: Haley Michel
Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal Football:
- Josh Brown – 9B All-State Selection
- Jacob Frost – 9B All-State Selection
- Christian Schnieders – 9B All-State Selection
- Noah Fiegen – 9B All-State Honorable Mention
- DRSM Awards Night Hustle Award: Logan Gaspar
- DRSM Awards Night Most Improved: Tate Hansen
- DRSM Awards Night Offensive MVP: Josh Brown
- DRSM Awards Night Defensive MVP: Christian Schnieders
- DRSM Awards Night Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Jacob Frost
- DRSM Awards Night Outstanding Defensive Lineman: Noah Fiegen
Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal Girls Cross Country:
- DRSM Awards Night Most Valuable Runner: Christina Vogel
- DRSM Awards Night Most Improved Runner: Ella Heinitz
Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal Boys Cross Country:
- DRSM Awards Night Most Valuable Runner: Connor Libis
- DRSM Awards Night Most Improved Runner: Hunter Griffin
Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal Competitive Cheer:
- DRSM Awards Night Coach’s Award: Bridget Dunn
- DRSM Awards Night Most Improved: Courtney Geraets
Dell Rapids Quarrier Volleyball:
- Senior Mikaela Stofferahn – Dak-12 Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention, 2015 SDHSAA Academic All-State Team
- Junior Chloe Solberg – Dak-12 Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention
- Senior Hannah Welbig – 2015 SDHSAA Academic All-State Team
- Senior Kiah Schumacher – 2015 SDHSAA Academic All-State Team
- Senior Megan Miles – 2015 SDHSAA Academic All-State Team
Dell Rapids Quarrier Football:
- Junior Hunter Hansen – Dak-12 Conference All-Conference Team Selection
- Junior Tanner Heim – Dak-12 Conference All-Conference Team Selection
- Junior Dawson Kerzman – Dak-12 Conference All-Conference Team Selection
- Senior Sam White – Dak-12 Conference All-Conference Team Selection
- Senior Griffen Ellison – Dak-12 Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention
- Junior Anthony Miller – Dak-12 Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention