South Dakota

From Brookings to Frisco: The story behind getting South Dakota State football to Texas

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

From Brookings to Frisco: The story behind getting South Dakota State football to Texas

After taking one look at South Dakota State football’s equipment truck, you can only imagine the hours of loading and preparation necessary to get everything in that truck from Brookings to Frisco, Texas, the site of Sunday’s FCS national championship.

The trailer that dons the Jackrabbits’ signature blue and gold helped transport extra helmets, shoulder pads, the coaching communication system and practice equipment, among other things. The team brought everything they’d need on a typical away trip but more of everything, just in case.

After all, SDSU did practice in Texas a couple of times leading up to Sunday’s game. So all the practice gear had to make the trip too.

“We’d rather overpack for a trip like this than underpack,” South Dakota State equipment manager Aaron Crowell said.

Surprisingly, Crowell said the actual loading took only a combined two hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Crowell has been the team’s equipment manager since 2022, so this was his second time planning and making the trip to Frisco with the team.

Crowell originally wanted to be a college football player after enjoying playing in his senior year of high school, but opted to look for a manager position instead. He reached out to Southeast Missouri State and was later hired as a student assistant. Being on campus and at practices made him quickly realize he was nowhere near the level of the athletes on the team.

He considered pursuing coaching and was even a student assistant for the defensive line but he quickly realized equipment was his calling.

“The more and more I was working, the more and more I fell in love with equipment,” Crowell said. “Just getting to work on the helmets, getting to interact with the players, just getting to be around the team. Like I just love that aspect of it, that I realized this was what I want to do.”

Before accepting the equipment manager position with SDSU, Crowell worked as an intern at Louisiana Monroe and then as assistant equipment manager at James Madison.

Crowell’s first trip to Frisco, during his first year on the job, was understandably stress-filled. It was his first time having to plan a trip of that magnitude, but he received plenty of help and guidance from Jonathan Shaeffer, SDSU’s director of football operations.

“It’s a whole new experience trying to plan for multiple days of travel and practice, outside of just, you know, you’re not preparing for a normal away game,” Crowell said. “So, my stress levels were kind of high because I’ve never done something or experienced something like that but luckily, we have a lot of great people on the staff that were able to help me along as well, and help me kind of understand it, and really kind of helped put my nerves to ease.”

Although it’s different from a regular season road game, Crowell said he and his team approached loading the truck in a pretty similar way, which helped them load everything pretty quickly. Between him and five others, they got everything in the truck in no time.

Now in his second year with the Jackrabbits, Crowell is still stressed about everything the trip entails with his work but with the year of experience under his belt, he’s trying to take in how special it is to be on this journey with the team.

“For the most part, my stress level, since we’ve been here, has been pretty low. Everything has been nice and smooth,” Crowell said. “Last year, I was so stressed about everything and worrying about everything, I didn’t really get to soak in the moment. It’s felt really good to enjoy this experience for what it is and so that’s something that I’ve tried to try to focus on.”

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for May 9, 2026

Published

3 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at May 9, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from May 9 drawing

15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from May 9 drawing

08-12-13-27-42, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 04

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from May 9 drawing

01-02-04-08-18

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 9 drawing

08-11-17-29-49, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life 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.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

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.

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South Dakota

Human trafficking survivor advocate to speak at Rapid City church event

Published

15 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Human trafficking survivor advocate to speak at Rapid City church event

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A Rapid City church is hosting a free community event Thursday to raise awareness about human trafficking, with organizers saying the danger may be closer than people think.

The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League at Bethlehem Lutheran Church is opening the presentation to the entire community because organizers say awareness alone can save a life.

“If we can get 20 people to understand what to look for — if we can get 20 people to understand that this organization exists — then we can start shining light into every corner, and suddenly it’ll be a better world,” said Alexandra Loverink, co-president of LWML Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Event details

The free presentation is Thursday, May 14 at 6 p.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Rushmore Street. The speaker is Reverend Tess Franzen, founder of Freedom’s Journey, a Rapid City-based ministry that has assisted hundreds of trafficking survivors over more than a decade.

Franzen said the problem in South Dakota is far more widespread than most people realize.

“We see mostly sex trafficking, but much of what we see is — some people might call it homegrown or familial,” Franzen said. “We see trafficking here where young people are being trafficked out, their family members are selling access to them when they’re children. And in many cases, they don’t really even realize there’s anything wrong with it.”

Organizer Cari Garwood-Beard said Franzen’s presentation changed how she sees her own neighborhood, and she wants others to have that same wake-up call.

“She told a story about her neighbor one time — just a good old guy — and found out that he was a trafficker. Her neighbor, who she thought was above boards,” Garwood-Beard said. “And it really hit home. My next-door neighbor could be.”

A freewill offering will be collected for Freedom’s Journey at Thursday’s event. Bethlehem Lutheran Church is at 1630 Rushmore Street.

Resources

If you suspect trafficking, dial 9-1-1 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

For more information about Freedom’s Journey, visit their website or call 805.380.8009.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for May 8, 2026

Published

1 day ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at May 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing

37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing

14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life 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.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

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.

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