Author Archives: Rita Pravecek

By Dan Bechtold/Editor

The Colome High School football team has a lot of experience returning from last year’steam.The Cowboys only lost three seniors and have nine returning starters. The three seniors who graduated are Jacob Beckers, Adam Cole and James Brumbaugh.

There are 19 Colome athletes out for football this year.The returning lettermen are: Riley Shippy, Allan McKenzie, Kaden Pechota, Billy Looking Cloud, A. J. Davis, Sully Shippy, Jordyn Harter, Taitin Ringing Shield, Michael Supik, Kash Heath, Nathaniel Hansen, Casey Assman, Rhet Bertram, Gavin Tucker, Brayden Seegers, Tate Luedke and Aidan Muller.

Colome was to have opened the season on Aug. 21 at Corsica/Stickney but that has been changed and they will open a week later on Aug. 28 at home with Tripp Delmont Armour/ACDC.

Michael Supik will be the starting quarterback. Riley Shippy will be the running back with Rhet Bertram and Kash Heath also playing running back. Nathaniel Hansen was moved from guard to center. Athletes working hard on the offensive line are Hansen, Sully Shippy and Allan McKenzie. Head coach Gene Bertram says who will play ends is up in the air with some younger players stepping into that role.

Casey Assman will be one of the ends with three others battling for a spot. On defense, Colome will not change much from last year as the team only lost two starters. Linebackers will be Riley Shippy, Michael Supik and Billy Looking Cloud. Defensive ends will be Assman and Bertram. On the defensive line will be Hansen, McKenzie and Shippy.

Last year the Cowboys ended the season with a 1-7 record. “They are upset about only winning one game last year. They wantto prove they are a good football team,” said Bertram. He noted it was hard to go from an undefeated season and being state champs to a 1-7 season.

Along with every other team in the state, Colome is dealing with COVID-19 and making sure everyone is safe. Bertram says it is tough to social distance in football. He stresses if anyone is feeling sick do not come to practice. He advises the players to take their temperature at home and if they have a fever do not come to practice. Everyone brings their own water bottle. “It has not been hard for them to keep track of their own water bottle,” said the coach. “The kids have really bee good.

I stress to the them that I am not as worried about them getting COVID as I am of you passing it along to other people more vulnerable to the illness. They know they have to protest their older family members,” said Bertram.“What scares me is if we get one outbreak by a team and we may have to all shut down like the colleges,” said Bertram.

The coach says he knows the team is ready for football. There is more experience this year and a lot of senior leadership. The team has been working on a lot of fundamentals. Bertram is excited how much these kids have grown. He has coached some of these kids since they were in junior high school. “It is amazing how their coordination and fundamentals have gotten better. This year we are really working on foot work.” Bertram said last year things did not go the team’s way. “This year if we can put of lot of those things behind us and play football it will be a fun year,” said the coach.

Assistant coaches will be Terrance Kinzer and Chase Hrabanek. Bertram hopes the new principal Dustin Christensen will be able to help with the team. The 2020 Colome football schedule includes:

Aug. 28—Tripp-Delmont/Armour/ACDC inColome

Sept. 4—Platte-Geddes at Platte

Sept. 11—Homecoming– Irene-Wakonda

Sept. 18—Burke, home

Sept. 25—Corsica-Stickney at Corsica

Oct. 2—Hitchcock-Tulare, away

Oct. 9—Wolsey-Wessington at Wolsey

Oct. 16—Conference championship week

Oct. 22—First round of playoffs

Oct. 29—Quarterfinals

Nov. 6—Semifinals

Nov. 13—State Championship in Vermillion

By Dan BechtoldEditor

Winner High School football team is happy to be preparing to play football during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are following certain rules put in place by the South Dakota High School Activities Association. The team’s first game will be Aug 21 when they play Stanley County in Ft. Pierre. The Warriors finished last year with a perfect record in the regular season and made it to the state championship game with Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan.

In an exciting state championship, Winner fell 21-14 after the score had been tied at 14-14. The Warriors ended last year with an 11-1 record. That loss left a bitter taste in the team’s mouth and one they would like to erase and turn their fortunes around this year. “Our juniors and seniors are pretty motivated to work hard and try and get back to that spot and see something different,” said coach Dan Aaker, who is starting his 19th year at the helm of the Warriors.

There are 44 athletes out for football this year including 10 seniors. Returning lettermen for the Warriors will include: Aaron Monk, Aaron Gilchrist, Michael Olson, Tayden Mathis, Owen Duffy, Zach Bohnet, Achilles Willuweit, Kaleb Osborn, Jack Kruger, Ethan Bartels, Jack Peters, Evan Farner, Bosten Morehart, Jackson Hanson, Charlie Pravecek, Kaden Keiser, Jace Brazelton, Riley Orel, Blake Volmer, Dalton Peterson, Kaden Bennett, Landon Thieman, Preston Norrid, Jackson Vesely, Adam Bohnet, Brady Fritz, Sam Kruger, Ashton Klein, Joey Cole, Owen Monk, Hunter Osborn and Finn Bartels.

The Warriors lost 10 seniors due to graduation including four all-state players in Phillip Jorgensen, Trevor Peters, Oscar Pravecek and Joren Bruun. The Warriors will return six starters on both sides of the ball. Winner has three linebackers returning, Preston Norrid, Landon Thieman and Sam Kruger. When Aaker looks at his offensive line he has most everyone back with the exception of Oscar Pravecek who graduated.

Senior Brady Fritz will be in his third year as the starting quarterback. “He is a good athlete and brings some things to the table with his running and throwing ability. He has good athleticism,” explained Aaker.

Lost in the backfield are Trevor Peters and Phillip Jorgensen who both had great seasons a year ago. The team is heavy on running backs and lots of people for Fritz to hand off the ball. Sam Kruger had a good year last year carrying the ball and will be called on this year. Norrid may play some fullback. He played that position as a sophomore and then was moved to guard. Currently, he is working at both positions.“There may be times he is on the line and the next series he is fullback. He is a power guy who can moved pretty good,” said the coach.

Evan Farner has played a lot at running back and started a couple of games last year when Sam Kruger was injured. Aaker says younger guys like Kaden Keiser, Aaron Gilchrist and Riley Orel can also carry the ball. He says there are six guys the team can shuffle in and out at running back.

Some of the players battling for a position on the team are Zach Bohnet, Jackson Hanson and Ashton Klein. Aaker says Ethan Bartels has looked good at tight end.“I feel we have good depth already and we have to continue to build on that.”

The Warriors will again be strong on defense. The front seven have a lot of returners.The secondary is a little different with the loss of Trevor Peters at strong safety and Bruun as an all state corner.

The coach says one place where the defense is in-experienced is in the secondary. Fritz, Farmer, Orel, Keiser and Blake Volmer are good athletes who the coaches can rotate in and out in the secondary.

Aaker likes the numbers on the team with 35 athletes sophomores on up. “We are excited. Some years you have to build a team from scratch but this is one of those veteran years where I feel we are ahead of where we would be most other years because so many kids have experience,” said Aaker.

Winner will be competitive from the very first game as the Warriors have a lot of quick hard running guys. Aaker says if there was one Achilles heal last year, especially in the playoffs, it was big plays over the top. He wants to eliminate that this year.

Football will be different this year with COVID-19. “The whole COVID thing is a challenge. I look at it this way: we are playing and a lot of things were taken away from these kids last year. I remind our guys that we are playing now and I remind them to take advantage of every day they have.” Each day before practice the temperature is taken of each player.

When they get on the bus to travel to out of town games they will have their temperature taken and they will wear masks and have assigned seats.

There is no sharing of water bottles and no driving out of the water fountain during practice breaks. Each player brings their own water bottle.

Assistant coaches will be Trent Olson, Kevin Keiser, Austin Calhoon and Sam Olson with Glenn Carlson helping from time to time.

The 2020 Winner High School football schedule includes:

Aug. 21—at Stanley County

Aug. 28—at St. Thomas More in Rapid City

Sept. 4—Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central, home

Sept. 11—Wagner, home

Sept. 18—Valentine, Neb., away

Sept. 25—Mt. Vernon/Plankinton, away

Oct. 2—Chamberlain, home (Homecoming)

Oct. 9—Miller/Highmore-Harrold, home

Ten shooters from Tripp County competed in the South Dakota State Youth Trap Shooting championship in Mitchell on Aug. 2. The senior team was comprised of Katie Welker, Jesse Larson, Elijah Everette, George Clark and Austin Olson. The junior team included Faith Covey, Hunter Osborn, Hunter Shippy, Cole Rank and Jack Anderson.

The youth competed as a team and also as individuals. The individual placers were Katie Welker, 1st in senior girls singles, handicap and doubles and was also named the high overallgirl.

Covey placed first in junior girls singes and handicap. Jack Anderson was the runner up in the junior boys singles.This year was the largest number of shooters to compete at the youth open. There were 143 shooters from South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota.

Winner/Colome amateur baseball team took their first winning step in the state Class B amateur baseball tournament Friday in Mitchell. The Pheasants defeated Flandreau 6-2. With the win, Winner/Colome played Garretson in the second round on Monday, Aug. 10.

Connor Hopkins was powerful on the mound as he pitched the Pheasants to victory. “We scratched a couple across early and my defense played well behind me,” said Hopkins in a story in the Mitchell Republic.Winner/Colome did not commit a error during a sound defensive performance. Hopkins struck out the side twice as he fanned 11 batters.The Pheasants hit the ball well.

Zach Harter, the No. 8 hitter, finished 2-3 with an RBI and No. 9 hitter Lakin Neugebauer drive in two runs Neugebauer hit his second RBI in the fourth inning to give the Pheasants a 5-0 lead. “The bottom half of our order really did it for us,” said manager Austin Richey.Harter said it was a complete team win and Hopkins was awesome on the mound.

Saydee Heath of Colome put together multiple first place finishes at the Central South Dakota 4-H Rodeo in Ft. Pierre. She won the senior girls all-around on Aug. 1. She won the senior girl breakaway roping in 2.99 and also won the senior girl ribbon roping in 8.35. Heath teamed up with Weston Vander Pol for a championship in senior team roping in 8.01. Colome’s Seth Heath won the junior boys all around on Aug. 1. Heath was fourth in junior boys breakaway in 4.02. He placed third in goat tying in 11.19 and Roper Moore took second in goat tying in 10.87.Heath took third in junior boys flag race in 9.6.

In the rodeo on Aug. 2, Heath was second in junior boys flag race in 8.633. First place in flag race went to Moore in 8.44. Linkyn Petersek won the senior boys calf roping in 9.36.On Aug. 2, Petersek was named the senior boys all around. He won the senior boys calf roping in 9.67. In steer wrestling, Petersek placed third in 7.48. Denton Good and Petersek teamed up in team roping and took second place. Other Tripp County 4-Hers placed in the rodeo in Ft. Pierre. Athena Willuweit took fourth in junior girls flag race in 10.167. Saige Schuyler was fourth in senior girls pole bending in 21.368.