Monthly Archives: January 2017

Tom Eliason, 75

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Thomas Dale Eliason was born on July 29, 1941 in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was the youngest of three children born to Arthur and Vivian (Nelson) Eliason. He began elementary school at the Catron Country School and graduated from Gettysburg High School. Tom attended the Brigham Young University in Utah. He married JoAnn Martin in 1963. To this union, eight children were born. The family moved to Gregory in 1977. Tom had a special place in his heart for Gregory. He enjoyed being active in the community and was never hesitant to lend a hand to a neighbor. Tom supported organizations such as Gregory athletics, the commercial club, and 4-H. He also served as a State Farm agent for 39 years.

Tom’s first passion was a good horse. Tom learned most of his horsemanship skill from his father. He always said his dad was the best horseman he ever knew. Through this mentorship, Tom grew into one of the most successful horse trainers in South Dakota history. He judged many prestigious horse shows in the US and Canada, including the Cow Palace and Congress. One of his most memorable accomplishments was winning the AQHA World Championship in 1977. Tom trained and rode Mr. Flintrock to the world title in the Heeling competition and was top 10 in the Working Cow Horse.

Tom had a knack for discovering talented horses. He was especially proud of Wilywood, who he acquired in the late 80s. Tom and three of his children competed on Wilywood and his colts. Their success led to another important phase of his career. Tom was responsible for breeding numerous horses that were outstanding on many levels. He was a mentor to many aspiring horsemen.

Those who knew Tom knew of his strong faith. He was devoted to serving his church and took on many leadership positions. He loved studying, discussing, and teaching scripture with his family and friends.

Two Champions Crowned in Wrestling Tourney

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Winner Area wrestling team had two champions at the McCook Central/Montrose Invitational in Salem on Friday.

Kayleb Brozik won the 170 pound championship and Tre Doren won the 285 pound title.  As a team, the Warriors took fourth place with 152.5 points.

Other placers for Winner were: Trevor Peters, 2nd; Wyatt Turnquist 3rd; Kaden Keiser and Jayden Schroeder both 4th; Chet Bryan, 6th and Avery Gilchrist, 7th.

The next action for the Winner Area wrestling team will be Friday and Saturday at the Mid Dakota Monster tournament in Presho. Wrestling on Friday starts at 11 a.m. and on Saturday at 10 a.m.

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Winner Picks Up Victory in Snowball Classic

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Winner boys basketball team used hot shooting to defeat Hill City 67-46 in the Snowball Classic Friday in Winner.

Drew DeMers led the scoring with 18 points followed by Cameron Kuil with 11, Wyatt Ewing, 8, Luke Engel 7 and Brandon Volmer, 5.

It was an interesting coaching match up as Brett Gardner’s older brother, Blake, is the head coach at Hill City.

The next action for Winner will be the Gregory double header on Saturday, Jan. 7 in Winner.

Cowboys Split Weekend Games

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Hot Springs nipped the Colome boys basketball team 46-44 in the Snowball Classic in Winner o Friday.

Kolton Salonen led the Cowboys with 12 points and Jackson Kinzer added 10.

On Saturday, Colome rolled to a 74-32 victory over Wessington Springs in Colome.  The Cowboys led 29-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Kolton Salonen scored 18 points, Will Cahoy, 14; Beau Bertram, 13 and Layton Thieman, 8.

Warriors Defeat Bon Homme

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Winner High School boys basketball team defeated Bon Homme 54-44 last Tuesday in Tyndall.

Drew DeMers and Cameron Kuil both scored 12 points. Luke Engel added 8, Brandon Volmer, 7 and Wyatt Ewing, 5.

The next action for Winner will be Jan. 6 when they host Bennett County and on Jan. 7 there will be a boys and girls double header with Gregory in Winner. On Jan. 10, Winner will travel to Valentine, Neb., for a double header.

Lady Warriors Defeat Hill City

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Winner Lady Warriors defeated Hill City 75-50 in the Snowball Classic in Winner on Friday.

Bella Swedlund led the scoring for Winner with 15 points followed by Chloe Bartels with 11 and Madyson Frazier with 10.

The Lady Warrior shots 44 percent from the field making 24 of 55 shots.  From the free throw line, Winner made 20 of 26 shots for 77 percent.  Rachel Sherman pulled down 8 of Winner’s 31 rebounds. Morgan Hammerbeck grabbed 4 rebounds.

The Lady Warriors, 4-2, will travel to Todd County on Jan. 5 and will be at home on Saturday, Jan. 7 for a boys and girls double header with Gregory.

Cowgirls Fall to St. Francis

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Colome girls basketball team was defeated by St. Francis 74-44 in the Snowball Classic in Winner.   Callie Heath led Colome with 15 points and Rayne Hermsen added 11 points.

In a New Year’s Eve game, the Colome Cowgirls fell to Wessington Springs 46-40.  Callie Heath scored 14 points, Abby Kortan, 9 and Kaydee Heath, 8.

Lady Warriors defeat Bon Homme

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Bella Swedlund and Morgan Hammerbeck combined for 26 points as the Winner girls basketball team defeated Bon Homme 62-36.

Winner led 48-19 at the half.

Winner shot 40 percent (24-60) from the field and hit five 3 pointers.  At the free throw line, Winner was 9 of 13 while the Cavaliers shot 11 of 18.  Bon Homme out-rebounded Winner 25-22 but the Warriors came away with 24 steals.

BankWest Scholarships

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For more than 125 years, BankWest has remained committed to the communities, businesses and people it serves. In keeping with this core value, the bank will award $27,000 in college scholarships this spring. BankWest Chairman, President and CEO Charles H. Burke III said 18 scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors and undergraduate college students for the 2017-18 academic year. The $1,500 scholarships may be used to fund tuition at any accredited, post-secondary educational institution. Involvement in community activities, personal character and academic integrity are the three primary areas of consideration during the selection process.

“This is the 24th year BankWest has provided scholarships to our area youth,” Burke said. “Some of the brightest and most community-involved students come from South Dakota and this is one way that BankWest encourages them to pursue their academic dreams.”

To apply for a 2017 BankWest Scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:

• Be a BankWest deposit account holder for a minimum of six months preceding the application deadline.

• Be a United States citizen.

• Be a high school senior or full-time undergraduate student currently attending an accredited post high school educational institution.

• Have not previously received a BankWest Scholarship.

The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. Online applications may be found at: www.bankwest-sd.bank and hard copies will soon be available at all BankWest branch locations. Scholarship finalists will be invited to BankWest’s corporate office in Pierre for a personal interview on March 6 or 7, 2017. Awards will be announced in April. Students who are not currently BankWest deposit account holders are invited to visit any BankWest branch and discuss opening an account and/or eligibility for next year’s scholarship program.