South Dakota
Behind The Numbers: North Dakota State Upsets South Dakota State 13-9 In Dakota Marker
After each week of the 2024 FCS football season, we take you behind the numbers on some of the most important games of the week, but this week, we had to take an even deeper look at one of the season’s biggest games.
The Dakota Marker returns to Fargo for the first time since 2019. No. 2 North Dakota State ended a five-game losing streak to the Jacks, defeating No. 1 South Dakota State 13-9 on Saturday night.
Success Rate is a statistic that tracks how often a team is ‘successful’ on a down-to-down basis. It looks at how a team consistently performs. The Average Success Rate for a college football program is about 40%, while closer to 50% is considered excellent, and anything under 30% is deemed poor.
We want to compare these statistics to the results because chaotic things happen in college football. Weird turnovers, excessive penalties, and lucky plays can all skew the perception of a game and make the final score a poor indicator of overall performance. Success rate is a highly effective predictive measure for how a team will play in the future, rather than just evaluating the box score.
We take a look behind the numbers from North Dakota State’s massive win over South Dakota State below.
North Dakota State 13, South Dakota State 9
Success Rate: NDSU (47%), SDSU (35%)
The No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup lived up to the hype on Saturday night. It was a defensive slugfest that came down the wire, with the Bison winning their first Dakota Marker since 2019.
North Dakota State was the more consistent, efficient offense down-to-down with a success rate of 47%, while South Dakota State only posted a success rate of 35%. Despite the low success rate, the Jackrabbits stayed in the game due to stellar play on third and fourth downs. South Dakota State converted on 8-of-16 of its attempts, while North Dakota State was only 5-for-13 in those situations.
Before the game, we discussed that the Bison were more efficient offensively, but South Dakota State was the more explosive offense. The Jackrabbits had the game’s most explosive play as Chase Mason scored on a 66-yard touchdown run. Outside of Mason’s touchdown, the Jacks struggled to produce explosive plays on the ground, averaging only 4.3 yards per carry. North Dakota State’s longest run was only 17 yards, as the Bison averaged 3.5 yards per carry.
The difference in this game was Cam Miller and North Dakota State’s passing attack. Miller only passed for 163 yards but completed 74% of his passes and was efficient throughout the game. He conducted a magnificent game-winning touchdown drive, going 7-for-7 for 74 passing yards and one touchdown.
On the other side, Mark Gronowski struggled once again. He only completed 59% of his passes and the Jacks averaged less than 4.0 yards per attempt. That ranks among the worst yards per attempt in the nation. In the second half, Gronowski only completed 6-of-15 passes for 55 yards and a costly interception.
Another interesting note is that the defenses appeared to utilize similar strategies on Saturday night. Both teams were going to limit explosive plays and keep everything in front of them without being too aggressive. Neither team generated more than two tackles for loss, while linebacker Adam Bock recorded the game’s only sack.
The Bison generated more pressure, finishing with a 42% pressure rate, contributing to Gronowski’s poor performance. The Jacks failed to replicate the same success, posting a 23% success rate and allowing Miller to stand comfortably in the pocket. North Dakota State linebacker Logan Kopp had an outstanding game, finishing as the Bison’s highest-graded defensive player. He also recorded the game-winning interception late in the fourth quarter.
Week 8 FCS Football Top 25 Scoreboard
Week 8 FCS Football Preview & Predictions
Behind The Numbers: SDSU vs. NDSU Preview
FCS Football Playoff Picture: Oct. 15 (Week 8)
Follow all of FCS Football Central’s coverage throughout the season on X, Facebook, and YouTube.
South Dakota
SD Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 20, 2025
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
08-21-30-41-47, Lucky Ball: 15
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
09-12-34-45-50, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
04-15-17-23-35
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
South Dakota
With discretion left to agencies, police video releases rare in South Dakota
South Dakota’s weak open records law gives police agencies full discretion on whether to release footage from body or dashboard cameras, and in most cases, the videos of officer conduct are never shown to the public.
South Dakota News Watch made formal public records requests to obtain video footage of use of deadly force incidents from eight separate law enforcement agencies in November, and all of the requests were quickly denied.
On a few occasions, South Dakota law enforcement agencies have released video footage of their own accord but not necessarily in cases where officer conduct is in question.
The Watertown Police Department released a video on Facebook in early November showing officers responding to a possible break-in with their guns drawn only to find a whitetail buck that had made it into a bedroom.
In 2016, the Rapid City Police Department posted a dash cam video to its public Facebook page showing the chief’s nephew proposing to his girlfriend in a mock traffic stop. “This one is too good not to share,” the Facebook post noted.
(Watertown Police Department Facebook page)
The Rapid City Police Department rejected News Watch’s request for videos of a May 30, 2023, incident in which an officer fatally shot 25-year-old Kyle Whiting, who brandished a fake gun during a foot chase. A bystander inside a nearby home was also shot in the abdomen by the officer and survived. The state ruled the
shooting was justified
.
Some police agencies will occasionally release still images from body or dashboard camera videos, typically when the screenshots show an officer facing a clear threat that appears to justify use of deadly force.
In August, the state released an image from video of a July 5, chase in which a Sioux Falls police officer shot and wounded 24-year-old Deondre Gene Black Hawk in the 100 block of Garfield Avenue.
One still image released to the public shows the gun Black Hawk fired at police. Another image shows Black Hawk pointing the gun toward a pursuing officer prior to the shooting, which
was ruled justified
by state investigators.
In a move that appeared to have political overtones, videos were released in 2021 showing former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg being pulled over by officers for suspected traffic violations. The videos and audio showed Ravnsborg informing officers of his status as attorney general during the traffic stops, some of which did not result in tickets.
The videos were released during a period when Ravnsborg was facing possible removal from office for striking and killing a pedestrian in September 2020.
Ravnsborg was eventually impeached, an action supported by then-Gov. Kristi Noem, whose office also made the unprecedented move of releasing videos of Ravnsborg being interviewed by detectives during the investigation into the 2020 fatal accident.
(Screenshot of 2021 state video)
Video of a June 2023 police-involved shooting in South Dakota was released by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. In that incident, 39-year-old James Schneider of Watauga fired a weapon and then led authorities on a vehicle chase that ended at the Bullhead Community Center parking lot.
According to the dashboard video, Schneider was waving his arms and holding a handgun in an area where people were present. After he turned to flee into a residential neighborhood, he was shot in the back by an officer. Schneider was found guilty in August of assault and weapons charges after a jury trial and is awaiting sentencing.
In releasing
the video
, the BIA said it was doing so to be transparent in its operations. To protect the privacy of all involved, faces were blurred in the video.
McPherson County Sheriff David Ackerman, president of the South Dakota Sheriff’s Association, said body and dash cameras are important tools for police agencies in both urban and rural areas, even though his camera program costs about $60,000 a year, roughly 10% of the overall departmental budget.
“These are very valuable tools, and it’s something that in this day and age, every office and agency needs to have,” Ackerman said. “I’m glad where we are today because they’re for the protection of the public as well as the officers.”
Monty Rothenberger, assistant police chief in Yankton, said he supports the use of dash and body cameras as a way to increase accountability for officers and to aid in resolving public complaints.
“I wouldn’t do this job without a body camera, and I enjoy wearing it,” Rothenberger said. “I don’t have anything to hide. And because everything is on video, I feel like Big Brother is watching and I support that.”
— This story was originally published on southdakotanewswatch.org.
South Dakota
State medical board reprimands 2 M.D.s
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Two people licensed to practice medicine in South Dakota have received official reprimands for unprofessional conduct.
The South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners took the actions against Phinit Phisitkul, a foot and ankle surgeon for CNOS in Dakota Dunes, and Sheena Rippentrop, an OB/GYN who specializes in reproductive medicine for Sanford Health.
The South Dakota reprimands came after Phisitkul was officially punished by the Iowa Board of Medicine and after Rippentrop was officially punished by the North Dakota Board of Medicine.
Phisitkul admitted that he sexually harassed a medical student in 2017 while he was employed by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he practiced for 10 years.
Phisitkul agreed in a May 16, 2025, settlement with the Iowa board to take “live Board-approved courses on the subjects of professional boundaries and medical ethics,” have “a chaperone present during all examinations and consultations with female patients” for one year, and to pay a $2,500 civil penalty to the Iowa state treasurer.
Phisitkul signed a separate settlement agreement with the South Dakota board on June 26, 2025, and the board voted to accept it on September 11, 2025.
Rippentrop, meanwhile, was reprimanded by the South Dakota board earlier this year for “falsely documenting in a patient’s medical records that two IUI procedures were performed on the patient.”
The North Dakota medical board opened an investigation of Rippentrop in 2024 and considered an official complaint alleging that Rippentrop “falsely documented in a patient’s medical records that two intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedures were performed when Dr. Rippentrop did not complete an IUI on either occasion.”
The North Dakota complaint specifically said:
“(Rippentrop) established a physician patient relationship with Patient A. Patient A carried
the BRCA2 gene and wanted to proceed with in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, Patient A’s insurance required that Patient A go through three intrauterine inseminations (IUI) before
insurance would cover IVF. (Rippentrop) saw Patient A on August 17, 2024, and September 23,
2024 for an intrauterine insemination (IUI). On both dates, (Rippentrop) documented in Patient A’s chart that the IUI procedure was done without difficulty even though (Rippentrop) did not complete the IUI on either occasion.”
Rippentrop signed a stipulation on October 29, 2024, agreeing “the allegations in the Complaint are true and are grounds for disciplinary action by the North Dakota Board of Medicine.” The North Dakota board on January 31, 2025, approved its order that Rippentrop receive a reprimand.
The South Dakota board in turn approved its reprimand of Rippentrop on June 12, 2025.
Neither Rippentrop nor Phisitkul appeared at their hearings held by the South Dakota board.
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