South Dakota

Zimmer: With rivalry clashes behind them, South Dakota State begins stretch run by routing Murray State

Published

1 year ago

November 3, 2024

Zimmer: With rivalry clashes behind them, South Dakota State begins stretch run by routing Murray State

BROOKINGS — After consecutive weeks of hard-fought, down-to-the-wire, heart-pumping, nationally-televised thrillers against rivals North Dakota State and South Dakota, the third-ranked Jackrabbits had something of a reprieve on Saturday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium when they faced Murray State.

The Racers came in winless in Missouri Valley Conference play this year and with a 5-25 record over the last three seasons. The Jacks were 42.5-point favorites.

So nothing about SDSU’s 52-6 victory in front of 16,376 fans (the Jacks’ first non-sellout of the season) was surprising or especially outstanding. They did what they were supposed to do against an inferior team.

A defense that has been dominant continued to be so. An offense that had scored just 23 points in regulation in their last two games got on track and racked up nearly 600 total yards. They did not turn the ball over and had just 35 yards in penalties.

So while this win was expected to come easily and did, there’s still value in it, and not just in that coaches were able to empty the bench and give meaningful reps to players who hadn’t seen many.

With the Jackrabbits’ most challenging games behind them, this win should set the tone for the rest of the regular season.

SDSU (7-2, 4-1 MVFC) finishes up at North Dakota, at home against Southern Illinois and at Missouri State. None of these games should be easy, especially the finale against a 7-2 Bears squad. But the Jacks will be favored in all three of them, and none will have the hype or rivalry attachments that the last two games did.

SDSU’s Levi Vanden Bos (57) puts the pressure on Murray State quarterback Jayden Johannsen (7) during the Jacks’ win over the Racers on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Jenn Kenyon/Sioux Falls Live

If the Jacks can replicate the formula from Saturday’s comfortable victory over the season’s final month, they’re probably going to end up right where they want to.

“It started on Monday in practice,” said center Gus Miller. “You can never (disrespect) an opponent because the game will disrespect you. Our coaches are always talking to us, making sure in these kind of games we focus on ourselves, focus on basic techniques and make sure we’re not overlooking anything.”

In that regard, the Jacks certainly took care of business.

They accumulated 595 yards of total offense — 343 of them on the ground. Angel Johnson, Amar Johnson, Chase Mason, Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees all had rushing touchdowns. Mason and Mark Gronowski each threw touchdown passes. The defense kept Murray State out of the end zone and limited them to a mere 236 total yards.

Davin Stoffel (87) watches as Hunter Dustman’s extra point sails through the uprights in SDSU’s win over Murray State on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

There wasn’t much evidence of the Jackrabbits taking it easy or coming out flat, but coach Jimmy Rogers said even though his team largely executed well, they didn’t have the same pregame fire and excitement to play that he’s used to.

“I’ll watch the film when it comes to the execution, because it felt like there was a lack of energy, just in the entire stadium,” Rogers said. “Just looking at (the players), I see them so much in practice that I kind of know what to expect when I watch them and their energy level. I was happy with how we played but there’s plenty to clean up. We need to be crisper and better next Saturday.”

That will be against a UND squad that looked strong early in the season but has lost consecutive games, against Youngstown State and, on Saturday, lowly Indiana State. Those two were both on the road, however, and the Hawks are a different team in the Alerus Center, where they’ll host SDSU next week. UND beat No. 8 Montana at home earlier this year.

It’ll be SDSU’s third game against one of their Dakota rivals in the last four weeks, but getting Saturday’s low-stress tussle with the Racers in between should help them.

110224 SDSU Murray Kirby TD Gus.JPG — From left, South Dakota State’s Kirby Vorhees celebrates with Gus Miller after a Vorhees touchdown during a college football game on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

“It was a physical couple of weeks and very close games,” safety Tucker Large said of the games against NDSU (a 13-9 loss) and USD (a 20-17 overtime win). “So this is definitely a confidence booster for our team. It was good for our offense to get those yards and good to see our defense get some young guys in there and flying around, having fun and being themselves.

“Coach Rogers does a great job of making it the Jacks vs. the Jacks, every game, no matter who our opponent is,” Large added. “We want to be our best selves. We know our standard and if we execute that good things will happen.”

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.

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South Dakota

DOC officials touch on state of prison reform in South Dakota

Published

9 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

DOC officials touch on state of prison reform in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The governor’s Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force, which aims to determine the best path forward for expanding services, will hold its second meeting on Wednesday.

The meeting will continue the dive into what programming should look like for the new prison. Officials in the Department of Corrections say they appreciate the attention to the issue shown over the year.

“The focus is in the right place. I think people are asking the right questions. I think that it’s being noticed that reentry in totality is a group effort,” Justin Elkins, DOC Chief of Behavioral Health, said.

Sitting at 43%, lawmakers and the Rhoden administration have dedicated a substantial amount of time to addressing recidivism in the state.

“I think people are starting to see that reentry is something our department needs help within terms of collaboration and relationships. Because we only determine part of the equation when it comes to reentry,” Elkins said.

Corrections Reentry Program Manager Scott Day says this change in perspective regarding inmates is needed.

“95% of these individuals are going to come back into your community. They’re going to be your neighbors. They’re going to work at your local fast-food restaurant or at your local store. You’re going to see them walk down the street. We just need to see as a culture that these aren’t bad people; these are just people who need an opportunity to show that they can succeed.”

The prison reset task force, which focused on the structure of the new prison, ensured that programming space increased from what is currently available, even when the location changed from Lincoln County to Sioux Falls.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t constantly think about what we could do more. And the new prison is needed. We need the space, we need the opportunity to get more programming in there,” Day said.

Day says the investment into programming space is not a matter of being soft on crime but rather smart on public safety.

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South Dakota

Recent Farmland Sales in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota

Published

21 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Recent Farmland Sales in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota

Link to the listing: https://www.frrmail.com/…

For more information, contact: Cory Busse, Farm & Ranch Realty, Inc., at 785-332-8345 or frr@frrmail.com

KENTUCKY, Hopkins County. Five tracts of river-bottom cropland totaling 597.9 acres sold at auction for $5.39 million, or $9,015 per acre. Tracts ranged from 16 to 255 acres, with much containing drainage tile. Soil types were primarily Karnak silty clay and loam with some Belknap and Robbs silty loam. Structures included a tool shed and a 5,000-bushel grain bin. Tracts ranged in price from $7,800 to $11,500 per acre.

Link to the listing: https://www.kurtzauction.com/…

For more information, contact: Joseph Mills, Kurtz Auction & Realty Co., at 800-262-1204 or jmills@kurtzauction.com.

SOUTH DAKOTA, Dewey County. A contiguous, 1,529-acre farm sold to a single bidder at auction for $2,600 per acre, or $3.98 million. The property was offered in four parcels, two of which were historically in crop production (wheat, oats, corn and sunflowers) and boasted Soil Productivity Indexes of 70 or higher. Another highly productive parcel was planted in grass and alfalfa but could be converted to row crops. The remaining parcel included a blend of cropland, pasture and an updated home with a steel barn, shop, two Quonset-style buildings, continuous panel corrals and water tank.

Link to the listing: https://glcland.com/…

For more information, contact: Kristen Gill, Gill Land Company, at 701.934.2732 or 605.848.4502 or kristen@glcland.com.

— These sales figures are provided by the sources and may not be exact because of rounding.

— Submit recent land sales to landwatch@dtn.com

Katie Dehlinger can be reached at katie.dehlinger@dtn.com

Follow Katie on social platform X at @KatieD_DTN

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South Dakota

Former South Dakota National Guard adjutant general announces bid for state house of representatives

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Former South Dakota National Guard adjutant general announces bid for state house of representatives

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) -The former top official of the South Dakota national guard under former Governor Kristi Noem has announced his campaign to become a state representative for district 33.

Jeff Marlett’s bid makes him a contender in the Republican primary for the district.

Marlett served for 36 years in the South Dakota National Guard which included combat service in Iraq and most recently spending three years as the commanding general of the national guard from 2019 to 2023.

“I’ve always considered that job, it’s not about me, it’s about the great men and women who served in the South Dakota national guard, and I got the opportunity to serve with them so, it was an honor to serve with them,” said Marlette.

Marlette also worked as the west river director under Senator Mike Rounds and served for numerous years as a superintendent of schools for districts in South Dakota. Now Marlette wants to spend his next chapter as a state representative. He explained that he thinks people are “tired of the noise” with politics. He blamed that exhaustion on people stepping away the two major parties.

“They want people that are willing to go, and, and not think they have all the answers and not be wrapped up about, well I’m more Republican thank you are or you’re a dem o.. no, it’s not about that. It’s about looking at meaningful policy, laws if needed, but governing by what’s really truly necessary and best for South Dakota,” said Marlette.

According to a press release for Marlette, he says he will support sensible restructuring of the property tax system, a strong education system and a vibrant environment for business. Marlette said during our interview that he has mixed reviews on the 19 property tax relief proposals out of the property tax task force.

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