South Dakota

South Dakota State football non-conference report card

Published

1 year ago

September 23, 2023

South Dakota State football non-conference report card

SIOUX FALLS — The Jackrabbits are right where they hoped and expected to be heading into Missouri Valley Football Conference play and their bye week, or as former coach John Stiegelmeier coined it, ‘Improvement Week’.

The top-ranked and defending national champions are 3-0, having won two buy games against Division II Western Oregon and non-scholarship Drake, sandwiched around a major victory over No. 3 Montana State.

Has it been perfect? No, but expecting perfection is unrealistic, especially for a team working under a rookie head coach and having not yet enjoyed the services of perhaps the best player on their defense.

The goal for this season is obviously to win another national championship, and the Jacks did what they needed to prior to conference play to be in position to accomplish that goal.

So as they prepare to host No. 14 North Dakota let’s get out our red pens and grade the Jacks through the first month.

Offense
Mark Gronowski has been excellent. Sharp as a passer, effective (and smart) as a runner with the same leadership qualities that have made him so important to the entire program. And Chase Mason has been (unsurprisingly, when you think about it) a revelation as the backup quarterback. SDSU has a weapon at QB2.

The Jacks have mostly protected star running back Isaiah Davis and the Janke twins, but with the emergence of freshman Griffin Wilde the passing game has excelled anyway.

The offensive line has been good, with center Gus Miller playing the best football of his career, but it feels like they can still reach another level.

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

The first half against Montana State showed this offense can still be slowed down when they lose focus or face some adversity, but their response in the second half was impressive and important.

Grade: A-

Defense
The Jacks have allowed only 30 points in three games, which includes holding the No. 3 team in the country to 16 points. Hard to argue with that, especially with star middle linebacker Adam Bock having not yet taken the field due to a foot injury.

But there are some causes for concern. They have not recorded a sack. Not one. Zero, even with two of their three opponents being essentially sub-Division I teams. That’s a red flag. Illinois State has 18 sacks. USD has 12.

They also gave up more than 200 rushing yards against Montana State, at times being unable to stop the Bobcats even when they were basically holding up a sign before every play saying ‘We’re running quarterback power again’.

The Jacks’ use of a deep rotation to turn their defensive line into a dominant unit has been one of the most important keys to their rise from fringe contender to national champion, but they’ve also graduated some really good ones in recent years, and now they need someone to step up the way Caleb Sanders and Reece Winkelman did last year.

090923.SouthDakotaStateFootball20.JPG — Action from a Football Championship Subdivision game between the No. 1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits and No. 3 Montana State Bobcats on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

The back half has been more consistent, as it appears the depth at linebacker and the secondary is going to be a major strength again this season, though the near-catastrophe on the final play against Montana State gave fans some nightmares about another last-second pass play from their recent history.

Grade: B

Special teams
Head coach Jimmy Rogers was openly excited about his staff featuring a full-time special teams coach for the first time in program history this year, so when the Jacks had a brief-but-crucial special teams meltdown against Montana State that almost cost them the game it was a glaring development.

Laying that at the feet of Pat Cashmore would be premature, however, as he’s only a few weeks into his new job, and Rogers has made reference to the ongoing process of figuring out personnel for the Jacks’ various coverage and return teams. It’s a process that figures to continue to come into focus, and while major mistakes on special teams are always magnified, they’ve perhaps overshadowed how dynamic the Jacks’ return game has been. SDSU averages 23.2 yards on punt returns and 30.8 yards on kickoff returns, and while yes, they accumulated most of those in the blowout wins, they’ve shown their Valley opponents that they’re dangerous in the return game.

Hunter Dustman has gotten the job done on punts and kickoffs, and the hunch here is that he’ll be get into a rhythm as a placekicker with a more consistent workload.

Grade: C+

Coaching
The transition from Stiegelmeier to Rogers has been seamless. The spirit and culture of the program remains the same, though Rogers’ more intense and hard-edged personality is palpable. That’s universally regarded as a good thing within the program. Rogers’ no-nonsense style and willingness to hold his team accountable shows maturity beyond his 35 years, while the young staff he’s assembled hasn’t looked ill-prepared for the pressure of taking over a team where anything short of a return to Frisco will feel like a disappointment.

The Jacks have appeared to improve incrementally in each game so far and the staff pushed all the right buttons in their non-conference games when it came to getting their starters enough reps while still shielding them from injury. That also enabled them to give important experience to younger and inexperienced players.

SDSU’s second-half rebound against Montana State indicates this is still a staff well-equipped to make mid-game adjustments and lead the players through adversity.

Grade: A

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.

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South Dakota

South Dakota Company Recycles Plastic Into Fence Posts | Aberdeen Insider

Published

3 hours ago

January 20, 2025

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South Dakota Company Recycles Plastic Into Fence Posts | Aberdeen Insider

Many farmers are frustrated with all of the plastic that clutters their farmyards.

Tarps from silage piles, plastic containers, net wrap, totes and drums pile up. It is estimated that 12.5 million tons of agricultural plastic are used annually in the U.S.

A company near Lennox transforms the plastic generated on farms and from other sources into something that every farm needs — 4-inch and 6-inch fence posts. It’s a brilliant example of waste reimagined.

Billy Pollema, vice president of sales for ZahnTech, said the company transforms waste plastic into a product needed by the ag market.

“We sell these posts nationwide, and some have gone to Florida and the Caribbean islands. In those places, they struggle with wood posts rotting due to the salt water and humidity, so this is a good fit for them,” Pollema said.

Bags and other types of plastic are recycled into fence posts by ZahnTech in Lennox. Courtesy photo.

MORE: New agricultural business program will start next fall at Northern State

“Currently, the company processes 30,000 pounds of plastic daily,” he said. “We take it in, shred it, melt it and turn it into something useful. Our goal is to triple what we can process.”

People are thinking more about being sustainable and many want to get to zero waste. The company wants to rebrand recycling and change the way the world views garbage.

ZahnTech is eager to keep plastic out of the landfill.

“We encourage people to bring plastic to us from all over South Dakota. We are even getting some from Wyoming. Our company is partnering with farmers plus different industries. We take it all in as long as it is plastic. There are seven types of plastic in our formulation,” Pollema said.

Trucks constantly pull up to drop off their loads, he said.

“We take chemical jugs as long as they’ve been properly rinsed. We get thousands of barrels from ag companies during the summer and fall, plus plastic pallets,” Pollema said. “We’ve partnered with the city of Beresford to take their curbside pickup materials. Every two or three weeks, it comes to us in bales. They’ll dump it in our shed and we’ll take it from there. We do not accept liquids, glass, metal or hazardous chemicals.”

In addition to ag plastic, ZahnTech is getting semi loads of plastic waste from many industry partners, including Glanbia Nutritionals, which has locations all over the country. Recently, 10 semi-loads of Walmart bags were dropped off. That’s 500,000 pounds of bags waiting to be shredded.

The process uses a primary shredder and a secondary shredder, reducing the plastic to three-eighths inch. Then the material goes through the hot melt extruder and flows into molds for the 4-inch and 6-inch posts.

MORE: Latest 2024 farm income forecast shows overall decrease from 2023

There’s strong demand for the posts.

“We price them to be competitive with the wood market as farmers don’t want to pay more than they have to. ZahnTech is one of the few companies using this process. In addition to the company in New Zealand, there is one in Canada and one in Pennsylvania,” Pollema said.

He was at the recent Dakota Farm Show in Vermillion showing people the pros of using the posts and explaining what the company does. The plastic posts can replace the green-treated posts or posts treated with creosote to prevent rot. Wood posts normally need to be replaced every 10 years or sooner. ZahnTech information said testing shows their posts will last 100 years.

Business sparked by frustration from lack of plastic scrap recycling options

A fence post made from recycled plastic by ZahnTech in Lennox. Courtesy photo.

The owner, Avery Zahn, started the process, and Pollema shared Zahn’s story.

Zahn has owned a pipeline business. His frustration stemmed from the lack of plastic scrap recycling options, forcing him to take the materials to the landfill. After he sold his business, Zahn noticed the railroad ties around his horse arena were rotting and needed to be replaced. Remembering the unrecyclable plastic, he searched for a way to make something usable from it, such as fence posts. He found that in New Zealand, a company developed a process to do that.

“He bought his first extrusion machine from New York, brought it to South Dakota and started figuring out a way to melt the plastic and turn it into fence posts,” Pollema said “Avery tried different formulations and produced a composite to get the posts to the needed strength. After a year and a half of research and development, the company started making and selling products. That was a year and a half ago. It all started with Avery looking at the posts and deciding, ‘I’m going to come up with a better way.’”

The biggest cost for ZahnTech is electricity, with 3,000 amps of service coming into the production facility.

“It’s our major cost and it would be great if we could reduce that, maybe by using some solar power,” Pollema said.

MORE: Invenergy plans 250 megawatt wind farm in Frederick area

While the electricity is expensive, the plastic is free.

“People are looking for places to get rid of their plastic,” he said. “We are diverting as much from the landfill as possible. It’s a great selling point for our posts as people can see we are doing something good for the environment. For years, people buried plastic, and it will take years to degrade. Many people get behind what we are doing.”

ZahnTech produces 300 plastic fence posts per day

The company produces 300 posts a day with six people in the production line who do the shredding, bundling, receiving material and fabrication. In all, there are 11 employees.

Avery Zahn founded and owns ZahnTech, a Lennox business that recycles plastic of all sorts into fence posts. Courtesy photo.

The goal is to handle 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of plastic a day with the two main lines. When ZahnTech adds another line, it will be able to handle 60,000 to 70,000 pounds a day.

Currently, ZahnTech is transforming 98% of waste into sustainable products,” Zahn said.

“We’re not far from achieving our goal — 100% waste conversion. The company wants to build a greener, cleaner world, one fence post at a time,” he said.

On its website, ZahnTech claims its posts are 10 times stronger and 20 times more durable than wood. They are flexible and can be post-driven, cut, drilled, nailed, screwed, bolted or stapled. The posts are fire-resistant, non-conductive, won’t split or rot and are impenetrable by water, frost and pests, per the website. They can also be pulled up and repositioned.

Connie Sieh Groop of Frederick is a veteran journalist and writer who has focused on all aspects of the agriculture industry during her career.

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South Dakota

Mizzou wins double header against South Dakota, Northern Illinois

Published

10 hours ago

January 20, 2025

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Mizzou wins double header against South Dakota, Northern Illinois

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South Dakota

Sunday Forecast: Western South Dakota in for a Frigid MLK day

Published

18 hours ago

January 19, 2025

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Sunday Forecast: Western South Dakota in for a Frigid MLK day

BLACK HILLS REGION, S.D. – Many folks have a three day weekend in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day! And it will be a good day to stay inside and stay warm. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Warning for portions of western South Dakota and northeast Wyoming. Wind chills are expected to be as low as -45° especially in the Northen Hills. Other offices have followed suit with Extreme cold Warnings covering most of the Northern Plains.

This extreme cold is unusual and potentially dangerous, with the National Weather Service forecasting “the coldest wind chill readings of this outbreak”. The Extreme Cold Warning for our region is in effect from 7pm this evening to 11am tomorrow, with a Cold Weather Advisory until 8am Tuesday.

Expect a high around 9°F in Rapid City with an overnight low of -14°F. Wind chills will bottom out around -30°F just after sunrise. The Deadwood area will see similar conditions, with an overnight low around -19°F and wind chills potentially plummeting to -45°F or even lower! Winds will be relatively calm tonight at 5 to 10 mph but will pick up to 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph by tomorrow morning. This is why the wind chill will be coldest around sunrise rather than in the midnight hours.

Monday Morning Wind Chill

Per Lundquist

There is still some slight flurries falling over northeastern Wyoming, which could lead to icy and partially snow-covered roads, but things will be clear by this evening. Clear skies at night typically help cool temperatures even further, because the surface of the Earth radiates off infrared radiation into space, which is a loss of energy and causes temperature to fall. With no sunshine to replenish that energy and no cloud cover to keep it from escaping, we’re going to cool off quite a bit.

It’s important to remember that frostbite can occur quickly in extreme cold, and with wind chills, it can happen even faster. According to University of Colorado Health, when the temperature is 5°F and the wind speed is 30 mph, frostbite can develop in just 30 minutes. At -5°F with the same wind speed, it may set in within 10 minutes. With wind chills expected to reach -45°F in some areas, frostbite can occur on exposed skin even sooner. Symptoms of frostbite usually begin with the affected parts feeling cold and painful. If exposure to the cold continues, you may feel pins and needles before the area becomes numb as the tissues freeze. If you think you or someone else may have frostbite, seek immediate medical attention.

We should see some relief on Tuesday with temperatures warming back up to the low 30s under partly to mostly cloudy skies. The next clipper type system will bring low chances for light snow Tuesday night through Wednesday night along with breezy to windy northwest winds.

Rapid City 7 Day

Per grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from South Dakota Mines. He found his passion for weather reporting by the impact it has on the community, both in how people work and how it brings people together through severe weather preparation. He also has a passion for preventing health issues with Air Quality Index awareness. Per can be found enjoying outdoor activities in the Black Hills when the weather allows.

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