South Dakota

South Dakota football rolls past Drake, 42-3, in final non-conference game

Published

1 year ago

September 21, 2024

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South Dakota football rolls past Drake, 42-3, in final non-conference game

This story was updated to add new information

VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota football closed out its non-conference schedule with a bang on Saturday afternoon, defeating Drake 42-3.

The Coyotes (2-1) took control of the game almost immediately as Keyondray Jones-Logan ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. It marked his second score from a kickoff return in three games.

“It was pretty electric,” South Dakota football coach Bob Nielson said. “I’m not sure how many teams are going to kick the ball to us from here on after those two returns.”

After that first touchdown, USD never looked back, scoring another touchdown before Drake (1-1) scored its only points of the game, a field goal. South Dakota added 28 unanswered after that to effectively end the game.

“From the opening kickoff, our guys showed that they were ready to go. After last week, you get concerned about getting out of routine and the frustration of not playing,” Nielson said. “And as I said after last Saturday, our guys handled the announcement with maturity, and I thought they played hungry today.”

The Coyotes’ offense looked solid in this one, amassing 219 passing yards and 192 rushing yards. On defense, USD didn’t allow a single touchdown and helped the offense outgain the Bulldogs by 200 total yards.

South Dakota quarterback Aidan Bouman completed 18 of his 24 pass attempts for 219 passing yards and a touchdown while Travis Theis paced the Coyotes in rushing yards with 94 and also had a pair of touchdown runs.

Here are a few takeaways from South Dakota’s second win of the season.

Knocking off the rust

This was South Dakota’s first game since the Portland State fiasco last weekend. Last Saturday’s football game between the Coyotes and Portland State was called off due to illness within the Portland State football program.

A case of pertussis (whooping cough) got into the Viking team, according to a release. Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection that affects the lungs, and many members of the Viking football program had been exposed to the disease which led to the cancellation.

“Going into this year, we had 12 guaranteed opportunities, and that got shrunk down to 11,” South Dakota quarterback Aidan Bouman said. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t piss us off that we missed an opportunity. So you know, we prepared that much harder.”

South Dakota didn’t look like they had much rust to knock off, scoring 42 points and amassing a total of 413 yards on offense while also holding Drake to zero touchdowns. The only aspect of this game they will want to clean up is their penalties. USD had a total of 14 penalties called against them, which could cost them against better teams.

Keyondray Jones-Logan has been a game-changer for USD

Keyondray Jones-Logan wasn’t surprised to see Drake kicking to him to open the game.

“I think some people kind of think the first time was just luck,” he said postgame.

Well, if they thought it was luck they won’t think that after tonight. Jones-Logan returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, the second time he’s done that through three games this season.

His first came in South Dakota’s season opener against Northern State when the sophomore returned the kickoff 97 yards for the Coyotes’ first touchdown of the season. And on Saturday he actually outdid that return, running back the opening kickoff for a total of 99 yards.

Nielson and Jones-Logan both attributed the touchdown returns to the blocking on the play, but the sophomore has made USD a significantly more dangerous team on special teams.

This is a solid confidence booster for USD ahead of their Valley opener

This wasn’t expected to be a very close game, and to its credit, South Dakota held up its side of the bargain. Although they were expected to win this game pretty easily, the Coyotes can leave tonight pleased with their performance. They looked as good as they have all year on both sides of the ball. Their performance in the passing game was especially encouraging.

“Getting the pass game going is going to be a big area of focus for us,” Bouman said. “And I think we did a decent job of that today.”

This is as good as South Dakota could’ve hoped to play heading into what’s likely to be a highly competitive matchup against a ranked team in Southern Illinois next weekend.

Up next

South Dakota will host Southern Illinois in their conference opener next Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.

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

A day in South Dakota history

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4 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – On Jan. 7, 1995, William Janklow began his third of four terms as governor. From statehood until 1972, governors served two-year terms. Voters then approved a constitutional amendment in 1972 allowing governors to serve two consecutive four-year terms.

Janklow served from 1979 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 2003. His 16 years are the longest stint of any governor in South Dakota history

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South Dakota

As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

Published

16 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

As South Dakota’s student population shrinks, more choose homeschools

South Dakota’s K-12 population dropped slightly this year, along with public and private school enrollment, but enrollment in alternative instruction grew once again.

That’s according to headcount numbers taken Sept. 26, 2025, and released by the South Dakota Department of Education by Dec. 31.

All totaled, there are 163,053 K-12 students across the state, with 83% of those students attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 8% in alternative instruction.

There are 934 fewer K-12 students across the state than last year’s count of 163,987, a 0.5% decrease.

Public school enrollment decreased by 1,736 students statewide. Across 147 public school districts, there were 135,577 K-12 students this fall, down from 137,313 in last year’s fall count, a decrease of slightly more than 1%.

Private school enrollment decreased by 142 students statewide, totaling 15,043 students in nonpublic schools accredited by the SDDOE across the state, down from last year’s count of 15,185, a decrease of 1%.

Nonpublic school enrollment includes 9,462 students in private schools, 5,072 in tribal/BIE schools, 268 in special population schools, 175 in coop/multi-districts, 26 in community-based service providers, 21 in the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and 19 in alternative schools.

Alternative instruction enrollment increased by 944 students statewide, totaling 12,433 students in alternative instruction or homeschooling this fall, up from 11,489 in last year’s count, an increase of 8%.

In the Sioux Falls metro area, there are 52,325 K-12 students, with 85% attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 6% in alternative instruction.

Sioux Falls area public schools

The state’s largest public school district, the Sioux Falls School District, shrunk by 171 students this fall, down from last year’s count of 24,221 K-12 students to this year’s count of 24,050.

Sioux Falls’ neighboring public K-12 school districts saw the following enrollment changes this year:

Harrisburg, the state’s third-largest district, grew by 173 students, from 6,182 last year to 6,355 this year.
Brandon Valley, the state’s fourth-largest district, grew by 82 students, from 5,073 last year to 5,155 this year.
Tea Area grew by five students, from 2,509 last year to 2,514 this year.
West Central shrunk by 32 students, from 1,418 last year to 1,386 this year.
Lennox grew by 14 students, from 1,119 last year to 1,133 this year.
Tri-Valley grew by 41 students, from 952 last year to 993 this year.
Dell Rapids shrunk by 32 students, from 965 last year to 933 this year.
Canton shrunk by 23 students, from 888 last year to 865 this year.
Baltic grew by three students, from 539 last year to 542 this year.
Garretson shrunk by 10 students, from 468 last year to 458 this year.

All totaled, there are 44,384 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area public schools, a growth of 50 students or 0.1% from last fall’s count of 44,334.

Sioux Falls area private schools

Sioux Falls’ three largest private K-12 school systems saw the following enrollment changes this year:

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, the largest private school system in the state, shrunk by two students, from 2,224 last year to 2,222 this year.
Sioux Falls Christian School shrunk by nine students, from 1,447 last year to 1,438 this year.
Sioux Falls Lutheran School grew by 41 students, from 336 last year to 377 this year.

Other local nonpublic K-12 school enrollments include:

221 students at St. Mary’s School in Dell Rapids;
130 students at Children’s Home Society of South Dakota;
125 at East Dakota Educational Cooperative;
119 at LifeScape;
49 at McCrossan Boys Ranch;
45 at Good Shepherd Lutheran School,
43 at Westside Christian School,
23 at Bethel Lutheran School;
Four at Southeastern;
Three at Baan Dek Montessori;
One at 605 Prep;
One at DakotAbilities.

All totaled, there are 4,801 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area nonpublic schools, a growth of 24 students or 0.5% from last fall’s count of 4,777.

Sioux Falls area alternative instruction

Though it’s the second-largest public school district in the state, Rapid City Area Schools saw the largest number of students opt out of public school and into alternative instruction and homeschooling once again this year, with 1,839 students, followed by the largest district, Sioux Falls, with 1,793 students.

Sioux Falls-area schools had the following alternative instruction enrollment shifts this year:

1,793 in Sioux Falls, an increase of 131 from last year’s count of 1,662;
379 in Harrisburg, an increase of 78 from last year’s count of 301;
350 in Brandon Valley, an increase of 67 from last year’s count of 283;
111 in Tea, a decrease of four from last year’s count of 115;
105 in Lennox, an increase of two from last year’s count of 103;
97 in West Central, an increase of six from last year’s count of 91;
87 in Dell Rapids, an increase of 11 from last year’s count of 76;
79 in Canton, a decrease of two from last year’s count of 81;
73 in Tri-Valley, an increase of seven from last year’s count of 66;
42 in Garretson, an increase of 10 from last year’s count of 32;
24 in Baltic, a decrease of one from last year’s count of 25.

All totaled, there are 3,140 students in alternative instruction in the Sioux Falls metro area, an increase of 305 students or 10.7% from last year’s count of 2,835.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Mega Millions, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 6, 2026

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 6, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

09-39-47-58-68, Mega Ball: 24

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 6 drawing

10-13-24-27-31, Lucky Ball: 08

Check Lucky 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.

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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