South Dakota
Area honorees among nine to be inducted into S.D. Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame

SIOUX FALLS — Tim Steffensen of Watertown, Gene Brownell of Aberdeen, Greg Lanners of Clear Lake, former Redfield standout Eugene Hoffart and former Doland standout Jon Madsen are among the nine men set to be inducted into the South Dakota Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The group will be honored on Saturday afternoon prior to the championship matches in the State High School Indivdiual Wrestling Championships in the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
Other honorees included Timothy Lloyd McMahon of Miller, Jeff Heumiller of Salem, Bob Graf of Onida and former Freeman standout Greg Sayler.
Here’s the biographies for the area inductees:
Tim Steffensen, Watertown
The Arlington native placed fifth in both the 1978 and 1980 state Class B tournaments before wrestling in college at Dakota State and Northern State.
After graduation, he coached for Aberdeen Roncalli, Lyman and Deuel and also spent 10 years coaching youth wrestling. Steffensen also officiated for 28 years and earned the National Federation of High Schools Wrestling Official of the Year Award in 2011-12. He officiated the All-Star Wrestling Match in Aberdeen in 2011, 19 state tournaments as well as many district, regional and state youth tournaments.
Steffensen is still involved today in wrestling, serving as the Northeast Conference and Region 1B wrestling chairman and also has served as the official scorekeeper for the South Dakota State wrestling team since 2012.
Tim and his wife Heidi have a son, two daughters and six grandchildren.
State Wrestling Pairings: Boys and girls state tournaments run Thursday through Saturday in Sioux Falls
Eugene Hoffart, Redfield
Hoffart, now of Mankato (Minn.) was a two-time state Class B champion at 105 pounds for Redfield in 1981 and 1982 and also finished third in another state tourney.
He went 29-0 in 1980-81, scored the most points in the state and recorded the fastest pin (46 seconds). In April of 1981, Hoffart competed on the AAU Cultural Exchange Central All-State Team that wrestled a squad from Hesson, West Germany. He won his match at 114 pounds 7-0.
Hoffart is the father of a son and a daughter.
Gene Brownell, Aberdeen
Brownell is a graduate of Henry High School and Northern State University and spent 49 years in public school education as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator.
During his tenure as the athletic director of the Aberdeen Public Schools, he managed 14 state and numerous region wrestling tournaments. He started the Lee Wolf Tournament, which has become a popular single-day event for both South and North Dakota teams.
Brownell was named Coach of the Year and Athletic Director of Year twice, was a finalist for National High School Athletic Director of the Year and served on the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s Board of Director. He has been inducted into the S.D. High School Coaches Association, S.D. High SChool Cross Country and Track and Aberdeen Central High School halls of fame.
He is a United States Army veteran, serving from 1969-71, and maintains membership in the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He and his wife Julie Ann have three grown children and three grandsons.
Region Wrestling: Twenty-six area grapplers capture region titles, 93 boys punch their tickets to state
Greg Lanners, Clear Lake
Lanners was a four-time State B place winner with two championships (1979 and 1980) and two third-place finishes for Clear Lake. He was named the school’s oustanding wrestler in 1979 and made the National Interscholastic Honor Roll and Scholastic All-American Wrestling Team in 1980.
Lanners coached at Hamlin High School for five years (1982-86) and Deuel High School for anotehr five years in the early 2000s, earning Region Coach of the Year honors in 2004.
His son Brett and daughter-in-law Bailey are the parents to his two grandchildren.
Jon Madsen, Doland
The 1998 Doland High School graduate wa a five-time state qualifier and four-time state B place winner as a heavyweight (1994-1998), winning state titles in 1997 and 1998. He also finished third in 1995 and second in 1996.
After his senior season, he dropped down to 215 pounds and competed in the National High School Coaches Association Senior Nationals at Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1998 and advanced to the finals before losing in overtime.
Madsen continued his wrestling career at South Dakota, becoming a three-time NCAA Division II All-American, winning a national title as a freshman. he also added second and seventh-place finishes.
He later competed on television on season 10 of UFC’s Ultimate Fighter where he was part of 11 episodes and later secured a contract with UFC. Madsen’s exhibition and professional Mixed Martial Arts Record was 9-3.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

South Dakota
SD Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for June 9, 2025
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at June 9, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 9 drawing
30-33-40-43-52, Powerball: 25, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from June 9 drawing
03-07-17-29-46, Lucky Ball: 15
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 9 drawing
06-14-35-44-49, Star Ball: 05, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America 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
Komet Caisen Thome Commits to South Dakota

The major local, regional and national news events, sports, weather conditions and traffic are examined and reported by the ABC 6 News Team.
(ABC 6 News) — After a strong senior campaign with the Kasson-Mantorville Komets, Caisen Thome will continue to play football at the Division I level, joining the University of South Dakota.
Thome originally signed with Iowa Western, but switched to follow in his father’s footsteps as a coyote. Caisen was featured as a Prep Athelte of the Week this past football season, you can watch his story here.
South Dakota
A strictly free market would make businesses free to ignore South Dakota | Opinion

South Dakota Republicans could be choosing from a crowded field when they make their choice for governor in the 2026 primary. With as many as five candidates in the race, would-be governors will need to find a way to distinguish themselves from the pack.
The first announced candidate for that race was Speaker of the House Jon Hansen, a Dell Rapids attorney. He declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination in April.
Hansen was the first candidate for governor to come from the new MAGA wing of the South Dakota Republican Party—referred to as “grassroots patriots” in his announcement speech. His campaign platform contains many of the topics his wing of the party has made a priority: cutting government spending, allowing school choice, protecting private property rights, opposing abortion and tightening election laws.
Another topic that Hansen touched on was ending “corporate welfare.” That’s the name he has given to the practice of using taxpayer dollars to boost private business. His example of corporate welfare gone bad was Tru Shrimp. The company was given a $6.5 million loan of state and local funds six years ago to build a facility in Madison. While the company did manage to change its name to Iterro, it has yet to break ground.
“I think it’s just unnecessary government mingling, and it’s risky business, and they’re wasting our taxpayer dollars to do it,” Hansen said in a South Dakota Searchlight story. “It’s the sort of stuff that we want to say ‘no more’ to. Let’s get back to the free market, low tax and low regulation.”
South Dakota got serious about using state dollars to entice and build business in 1987 when Gov. George Mickelson helped to create the Revolving Economic Development and Initiative Fund. Mickelson was able to convince the Legislature to implement a 1% sales tax increase that would sunset once it had raised $40 million for the REDI Fund. Since then the Governor’s Office of Economic Development has made loans and grants worth millions of dollars to new and existing businesses and industries in the state.
Taking state government loans and grants out of the marketplace would certainly be one way Hansen could approach his new role if he were elected governor. That tactic, however, fails to consider the fact that a financial boost from the state is sometimes what it takes to get the free market interested in investing in South Dakota.
Putting an end to low-interest government loans would certainly put the state at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with other states for business and industry.
A recent news release from the GOED showed just how invested the state has become in helping businesses grow. The news release noted a $3.4 million grant for the Big Stone Energy Storage Project thermal energy facility, a $2.6 million grant for a Bel Brands expansion and a $250,682 grant to Dakota Line Energy for a lagoon digester.
The news release said the grants would result in $419 million in capital expenditures and create 180 full-time jobs. In essence, the state is betting $6 million in hopes of getting a $419 million payoff. That kind of “government mingling,” as Hansen called it, seems to offer pretty good odds. It is, however, as he noted, “risky business.”
At its heart, investing in economic development will always be a bit of a gamble. That’s why we expect government officials to place safe bets, though there is always the chance for a bust like Tru Shrimp. That’s the nature of any gamble.
Hansen won’t be the only “patriot” in the Republican primary for governor, with Aberdeen businessman and political influencer Toby Doeden also declaring his candidacy. If “corporate welfare” is going to be an issue in the GOP primary, the people who like to use state loans and grants to boost their local economies have got to do a better job of telling about the benefits of government investment.
One way to do that would be to keep telling their story after the initial news release has been issued. Beyond the cliched photo of local officials with hardhats and shovels for a groundbreaking, taxpayers deserve regular updates on capital expenditures and job creation. This would add a layer of government transparency to the use of tax dollars. It would also soften the criticism from people like Hansen when an outfit like Tru Shrimp is slow to pay off on its state investment.
Politicians often like to tout the benefits of the “free market.” By curtailing state grants and low-interest loans, that market will be free to invest in states that are more financially welcoming.
In 1987, the state’s economy was badly in need of a jump-start, and it got one from Gov. Mickelson and the REDI Fund. Since then, that gamble has paid off more often than it’s gone bust. What Hansen calls “corporate welfare” has been a usually sound investment for South Dakota.
Dana Hess spent more than 25 years in South Dakota journalism, editing newspapers in Redfield, Milbank and Pierre. He’s retired and lives in Brookings, working occasionally as a freelance writer.
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