Connect with us

South Dakota

South Dakota State football: 5 areas to watch in spring practice

Published

on

South Dakota State football: 5 areas to watch in spring practice


BROOKINGS — When virtually the entire roster returned from the 2022 South Dakota State national championship in 2023, coming up with storylines to watch in spring practice was not easy.

That won’t be the case this year.

The Jackrabbits have said goodbye to a virtual all-star team worth of talent since winning their second consecutive FCS title, so the spring practice season that marks the unofficial beginning of Jimmy Rogers’ second year at the helm will have plenty of intrigue.

SDSU kicked off their spring workouts on Sunday and will conclude it with the Spring Game on April 13.

Advertisement

Here are five areas worth keeping close tabs on as the Jacks begin their initial preparations for a potential three-peat.

1. Is Gronowski back?
Walter Payton Award-winner Mark Gronowski is practicing with the team, set to return as the starting quarterback. All indications are that his intention is to remain a Jackrabbit for at least another year. But he could still leave as a grad transfer. He has two years of eligibility, and many have connected the dots between Gronowski and Northwestern. He’s from the Chicago area and his offensive coordinator for the last two seasons, Zach Lujan, is now in that role for the Wildcats. The Northwestern head coach is former NDSU defensive coordinator David Braun. NIL money would be tempting.

All that said, Gronowski being in uniform for the Jacks right now is certainly encouraging. Expect clarity on his final status for the 2024 season sooner than later.

2. What about Chase Mason?
The former multi-sport star from Viborg-Hurley stepped into the role of QB2 last year and looked dangerous every time he took the field, rushing for 187 yards and three touchdowns and completing 16-of-27 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown. He should get the majority of the reps this spring and will be ready to step in as the starter if Gronowski isn’t available.

Advertisement
South Dakota State’s Chase Mason celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown against the Western Oregon Wolves on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, at the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic

Assuming Gronowski returns, expect the Jacks to devise some packages for Mason or perhaps an expanded role that can make use of his size and talents. He’s too good to spend all his time holding a clipboard.

3. New playcallers
With Lujan gone, the Jacks will have their third offensive coordinator in the last four years. Offensive line coach Ryan Olson has had a tremendous impact on the offense since joining the staff in 2021 and seemed like the easy choice to replace Lujan as the primary playcaller. But the addition of quarterbacks coach Danny Freund, who spent the last several years as offensive coordinator at North Dakota, gives the Jacks another experienced offensive coach, one who should figure prominently in the gameplanning and play-calling.

4. Rebuilding the line
The Jackrabbits had what was undoubtedly one of the best offensive lines in FCS history in 2023. Gus Miller won the Rimington Award as the best center in the nation. Right guard Evan Beerntsen was honorable mention all-conference. Right tackle John O’Brian was a dominating presence, while the left side was incredible — guard Mason McCormick and tackle Garret Greenfield were both All-Americans who just crushed it at the NFL Draft Combine.

Advertisement

SDSUvsUAlbany_FCSplayoffs-71.jpg

South Dakota State offensive lineman Quinten Christensen (69) motions to the crowd to cheer during the final moments of a Football Championship Subdivision playoff semifinal victory over UAlbany on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic

Only Miller and Beerntsen return in ’24. That’s a good foundation to start with, and 6-foot-5, 290-pound junior Quinten Christensen saw significant action last year that should give him an inside track on a starting role.

That still leaves two open spots that need to be filled. That competition starts now.

Advertisement

5. Who gets the ball?
Running back Isaiah Davis is off to the NFL, and wide receivers Jadon and Jaxon Janke and tight end Zach Heins hope to follow him. That’s roughly 4,000 yards of total offense the Jacks need to replace, in addition to underrated H-back Mike Morgan.

Amar Johnson has been electric as the secondary running back and should be a capable replacement for Davis, while Angel Johnson can help carry the load.

SDSUvsUAlbany_FCSplayoffs-65.jpg

From left, South Dakota State’s Griffin Wilde and Devon Cole celebrate a touchdown in the FCS national semifinals on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic

Advertisement

At receiver, Griffin Wilde is clearly a star-in-the-making after catching 20 passes for 399 yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman, but if the Jacks don’t get other pass-catchers to step up defenses will double-team Wilde whenever they can.

Grahm Goering shows promise at wideout and Kevin Brenner should be able to fill Morgan’s role, but tight end and the third-and-fourth wide receiver spot are both open for the taking.

Matt Zimmer

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.

Advertisement





Source link

South Dakota

Competition for Nebraska’s ‘Carhenge’ rises near South Dakota’s Badlands

Published

on

Competition for Nebraska’s ‘Carhenge’ rises near South Dakota’s Badlands


KADOKA, S.D. (Nebraska Examiner) — Nebraska’s quirky replica of England’s prehistoric Stonehenge, “Carhenge,” is about to get some new competition in a neighboring state. And a former Nebraskan is behind it.

Rising from a dusty, prairie ridge along Interstate 90 near this Badlands-area town is a collection of firetrucks dubbed “Firehenge.”

Its creator, an Omaha Burke High School grad who runs a Rapid City brewery, said the ring of 10-ton firetrucks vertically arranged in a circle is more about promoting his Firehouse Brewery Company than trying to lure away visitors from Alliance, Nebraska’s popular Carhenge, about 200 miles to the south.

The new South Dakota version of the roadside attraction, which sits just off I-90, also includes a collection of buried fire hydrants called “Doghenge.” By next summer, the new henges will include a gift shop where visitors can purchase brewery souvenirs and canned beer and wine from the Firehouse Brewing Co., South Dakota’s first and oldest brewery.

Advertisement

“We are just having a ton of fun out here. Just come out and see it,” said Bob Fuchs, the co-owner of the brewery who graduated from Burke in 1981. And, he adds, bring your dog.

A city official in Alliance, which took over ownership of Carhenge in 2013, said she doesn’t expect local residents to mount a monumental fuss over a competing “henge” in the general vicinity.

“I think all of these things are fun,” said Shana Brown, the director of cultural and leisure services for Alliance.

As it turns out, both Carhenge and Firehenge have plenty of competition in tourism’s Carhenge-replica category.

There’s a “Foamhenge” (made out of foam) in Virginia, a “Truckhenge” near Topeka, Kansas (made out of farm trucks), a “Phonehenge” (made out old telephone booths) in South Carolina, and a “Strawhenge” (made out of bales) in Bavaria, Germany.

Advertisement

Years ago, a “Twinkiehenge” was built during a Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. There was once a “Snowhenge” in Michigan and a “Fridgehenge” (made out of old refrigerators) once graced the plains near Santa Fe before complaints caused its demise.

A couple decades ago, a reporter was summoned to Chadron, where a suspected “Hayhenge” had been built northeast of town. Round hay bales had been arranged in a circle at a local ranch.

In the kinda-old-henge category, there’s a full-size concrete replica of Stonehenge in Maryhill, Washington, that was built in 1918 to honor people lost in World War I.

And near Carbury, North Dakota, there’s a circle of granite walls that serves as a 21st Century solar calendar, which is the suspected purpose of Stonehenge, a prehistoric circle of stones aligned for ceremonial purposes to indicate the summer and winter solstices, and the spring and fall equinoxes.

Carhenge was built in 1987 by Jim Reinders and his relatives as a memorial to Reinders’ father, who had lived on the farm north of Alliance where the collection of 39 American cars – arranged to align with the solar calendar – now sits.

Advertisement

The off-beat attraction draws about 100,000 visitors a year, according to Brown, and features a staffed gift shop from May through September. An estimated 4,000 people gathered there for the solar eclipse in 2017.

Carhenge has appeared in films, commercials, television shows and in song. Last summer, it hosted a group of muralists, who painted murals on the grey-painted cars, providing a new look for the motorcar monument.

Fuchs, the Firehenge creator, said he’s not haunted by henges but had visited Carhenge shortly after it was first created.

The inspiration for his firetruck circle came during a recent marketing meeting for his brewery, which was established inside a former Rapid City firehouse built in 1915.

Fuchs has long parked old firetrucks, purchased from all corners of the Midwest, next to his brewery billboards to draw more attention to his business. He says that he often hears that visitors to Rapid City’s downtown area ask “where’s the Firehouse?”

Advertisement

“It’s guerilla marketing,” Fuchs said during a recent visit to Firehenge. “It’s very effective.”

At the marketing meeting, one of Fuchs’ aides was playing with a toy firetruck. Once she set it on end, vertically, an idea was born.

He said he has no plans to hoist a firetruck so it sits horizontally across two vertical trucks — like the stones at Stonehenge and cars at Carhenge. Too many liability concerns, Fuchs said. More firetrucks may be planted this spring, though, he said. And a YouTube video, featuring a visit by aliens to Firehenge, is in the works, Fuchs adds.

Over the din of a front-end loader smoothing out a gravel parking lot, he said it’s been a lot of fun.

“I get to explore my artistic side by planting fire trucks in the prairie,” Fuchs said.

Advertisement

Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Aaron Sanderford for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com.

Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Nov. 29, 2025

Published

on


The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 29, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Nov. 29 drawing

19-22-30-32-59, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 29 drawing

04-08-09-34-39, Lucky Ball: 13

Advertisement

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Nov. 29 drawing

01-15-18-21-46, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Nov. 29 drawing

11-13-20-21-28

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Continue Reading

South Dakota

Is South Dakota State vs New Hampshire football on TV today? Live stream, FCS playoffs preview

Published

on

Is South Dakota State vs New Hampshire football on TV today? Live stream, FCS playoffs preview


If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

The NCAA FCS College Football Playoffs get underway today as the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8-4) take on the New Hampshire Wildcats (8-4) in a first round showdown. This game is streaming only, and won’t be on regular broadcast TV. Kickoff takes place on Saturday, November 29 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MDT) with a live TV broadcast only with ESPN Plus.

You can watch New Hampshire vs. South Dakota State football streaming live on ESPN+ (now called ESPN Select) today.

Is the South Dakota State vs New Hampshire NCAA FCS college football playoff game on TV today, or streaming only?

When: Saturday, November 29 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MDT)

Advertisement

Where: Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, SD

TV channel: This game is not available on traditional broadcast TV, and is only streaming on ESPN’s live sports streaming platforms available on the ESPN App with one of the “ESPN Select” or “ESPN Unlimited” subscription plans. (This is the streaming service formerly known as ESPN Plus. Here’s a look at the breakdown of ESPN streaming plans, what they cost and include.)

Where to watch streaming live on TV, or online: You can watch a live stream of this game for less than $12 on ESPN Select (It’s just $11.99/month or $119.99/full year subscription, and you can cancel anytime. Just choose the “ESPN Select” plan in the drop down to sign up for the cheapest version of the service.).

  • The best deal: If you sign up for ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/month), you will get all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN+, ESPN on ABC, SEC Network+, ACC Network Now and ESPN3.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending