South Dakota
South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for Feb. 16: Spartans surge back to No. 5 in Class B boys rankings
As the biggest riser in the South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls this week, Wessington Springs is back in the top five of the Class B boys rankings.
Ranked No. 8 last week, the Spartans took down then-No. 2 Viborg-Hurley 55-47 at the DWU Classic on Saturday night. The victory boosted Springs back into the top-five for the first time since Jan. 19. Meanwhile, Viborg-Hurley slipped from No. 2 to No. 4 this week.
The Class B rankings were also shaken up by another top clash at the DWU Classic as Freeman dominated Wall 72-48. As a result, the Flyers climbed to No. 3 in the poll with two first-place votes, only behind No. 1 Castlewood and No. 2 De Smet. From No. 5 last week, Wall dipped to No. 8 this week.
Freeman and Wessington Springs are joined by two more Mitchell-area squads in the top 10: No. 7 Parkston and No. 9 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, which entered the top-10 for the first time this season. Lyman is also receiving votes.
In the Class B girls rankings, Lyman and Parkston held firm at No. 1 and No. 2 following the Raiders’ 60-50 head-to-head win at the DWU Classic. Ethan moved up one spot to No. 4 on the heels of a 76-48 rout of then-No. 3 Bennett County, the reigning Class B champions. The Warriors slid to No. 5 this week, with No. 3 Colman-Egan rounding out the top five.
Here is a breakdown of the latest rankings.
The South Dakota Prep Media basketball polls for the week of Feb. 16, 2026, are listed below. First-place votes are indicated in parentheses and teams are ranked by total points received.
1. Sioux Falls Lincoln (20), 16-0, 100; 2. Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 14-2, 64; 3. Tea Area, 12-4, 45; 4. Huron, 13-4, 40; 5. Watertown, 13-3, 27.
Others receiving votes: Harrisburg 22, Spearfish 2.
Moved up: No. 3 Tea Area (from No. 5), No. 5 Watertown (from receiving votes).
Moved down: Harrisburg (from No. 3).
1. West Central (19), 18-0, 199; 2. Sioux Falls Christian (1), 15-1, 181; 3. Clark/Willow Lake, 15-2, 159; 4. Hamlin, 15-2, 137; 5. Lennox, 11-5, 110; 6. St. Thomas More, 12-5, 92; 7. Groton Area, 13-4, 78; 8. Vermillion, 13-5, 50; 9. Stanley County, 14-2, 39; 10. Mahpiya Luta, 15-3, 36.
Others receiving votes: Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 11, Sioux Valley 4, Pine Ridge 3, Dakota Valley 1.
Moved up: No. 7 Groton Area (from No. 9), No. 9 Stanley County (from No. 10).
Moved down: No. 8 Vermillion (from No. 7), No. 10 Mahpiya Luta (from No. 8).
1. Castlewood (17), 16-2, 197; 2. De Smet, 12-5, 169; 3. Freeman (2), 16-2, 165; 4. Viborg-Hurley (1), 15-3, 131; 5. Wessington Springs, 14-4, 110; 6. Aberdeen Christian, 14-2, 108; 7. Parkston, 15-3, 69; 8. Wall, 13-4, 66; 9. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, 14-3, 23; 10. Sully Buttes, 13-5, 21.
Others receiving votes: Estelline/Hendricks 19, Deubrook Area 11, Lyman 10, Leola/Frederick Area 1.
Moved up: No. 2 De Smet (from No. 3), No. 3 Freeman (from No. 4), No. 5 Wessington Springs (from No. 8), No. 9 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket (from receiving votes).
Moved down: No. 4 Viborg-Hurley (from No. 2), No. 8 Wall (from No. 5), No. 10 Sully Buttes (from No. 9), Estelline/Hendricks (from No. 10).
1. Brandon Valley (20), 16-0, 100; 2. O’Gorman, 16-1, 80; 3. Sioux Falls Washington, 12-3, 60; 4. Rapid City Stevens, 13-4, 32; 5. Aberdeen Central, 11-5, 26.
Others receiving votes: Mitchell 1, Spearfish 1.
Moved up: None.
Moved down: None.
1. Mahpiya Luta (20), 180, 200; 2. Hamlin, 16-1, 178; 3. Lennox, 15-3, 150; 4. Wagner, 15-2, 140; 5. Sioux Falls Christian, 15-4, 121; 6. Sioux Valley, 15-2, 97; 7. Clark/Willow Lake, 15-2, 85; 8. Aberdeen Roncalli, 14-4, 39; 9. West Central, 14-4, 36; 10. St. Thomas More, 13-5, 21.
Others receiving votes: Rapid City Christian 19, Mobridge-Pollock 12, Lakota Tech 2.
Moved up: No. 8 Aberdeen Roncalli (from No. 9), No. 9 West Central (from No. 10).
Moved down: No. 4 Wagner (from No. 3 tie), No. 10 St. Thomas More (from No. 8).
1. Lyman (19), 17-1, 197; 2. Parkston, 16-2, 159; 3. Colman-Egan (1), 18-0, 154; 4. Ethan, 16-1, 151; 5. Bennett County, 15-3, 111; 6. Centerville, 16-2, 108; 7. Chester, 15-2, 79; 8. Harding County, 17-1, 50; 9. Waubay/Summit, 17-2, 27; 10. Gayville-Volin, 14-3, 25.
Others receiving votes: Highmore-Harrold 13, Corsica-Stickney 10, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 10, Wall 6.
Moved up: No. 3 Colman-Egan (from No. 4), No. 4 Ethan (from No. 5), No. 9 Waubay/Summit (from No. 10 tie), No. 10 Gayville-Volin (from receiving votes).
Moved down: No. 5 Bennett County (from No. 3), Sanborn Central/Woonsocket (from No. 9), Corsica-Stickney (from No. 10 tie).
South Dakota
Republican businessman Toby Doeden advances to primary runoff in South Dakota governor’s race
Republican businessman Toby Doeden has advanced to a runoff in South Dakota governor’s race, NBC News projects.
Gov. Larry Rhoden, who replaced Kristi Noem last year when President Donald Trump nominated her to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was battling with Rep. Dusty Johnson and former state House Speaker Jon Hansen for a second spot in the July 28 runoff. The primary will go to a runoff because no candidate eclipsed 35% of the vote.
Trump did not issue an endorsement in the race. Doeden branded himself on his campaign website as “a total political outsider who’s tired of the government’s failure to deliver on its promises” and one of Trump’s “fiercest supporters.”
Rhoden, a former lieutenant governor, agriculture secretary and lawmaker, campaigned on property tax cuts and lowering crime in his bid for a four-year term.
Johnson is the state’s lone representative in the House, where he previously was chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus. Hansen, who was elected to the South Dakota House in 2010, held several leadership positions before he became speaker.
The Republican nominee will be the favorite to win the general election in the solidly red state this fall. A Democrat has not served as governor in South Dakota since the 1970s, and Trump carried the state by 29 points in 2024.
News
Agronomist: eastern South Dakota crops hit and miss
An agronomist in eastern South Dakota says corn and soybeans are hit and miss as the growing season begins.
Steven Zemlicka with AgTegra Cooperative tells Brownfield, “We’ve got corn anywhere from V1 all the way up to V4. Biggest stuff’s maybe touching V5. Corn’s coming right along, looks pretty good. A little bit of hail here too, but I don’t think it’s going to be much of an issue. Stands for the most part are pretty good, pretty solid.”
Zemlicka says soybean emergence has been slow due to the wet, cool conditions, and there are a few fields that still need planted.
“People were still working on planting soybeans when we got the recent rain.”
He says recent rain totals ranged from a half inch to as much as four inches in the northeast part of South Dakota; the southern part of the state has been drier.
South Dakota’s corn is rated 61 percent good to excellent, with soybean conditions rated 57 percent good to excellent, according to USDA’s first condition ratings of the season.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The South Dakota Community Foundation is encouraging nonprofits to apply for funding this June.
Beth Massa and Ginger Niemann joined us live with what you need to know before applying.
Watch the full interview above.
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