Category Archives: Sports

John Halverson and Anthony Husher were the champions of the Frontier Motors Open at the Winner Country Club on Saturday.

Second place in the championship flight went to Fisher and Larson with Godel and Godel taking third.

Winners of the first flight were Benedict and Goodell with Aaker and Gardner taking second and Calhoon and Neugebauer taking third.

Winners of the second flight were Beehler and Kaiser. Second place went to Miller and Schmidt with Cahoy and Mathis taking third.

The champions of the third flight were Haley and Haley. Second place went to Cahoy and Witt with Berg and Schlomer taking third.

It was a busy weekend for the Winner Junior Teeners as they hosted the annual Father’s Day tournament at Leahy Bowl.

On Saturday, Winner defeated Onida 5-3.

Winner scored four runs in the third inning.

Leading hitters were Aiden Barfuss, 1-3; Owen Duffy, 1-2; Adam Bohnet, 1-2.

Justin Hausmann was the pitcher for the local team.

Sunday morning, Wagner nipped Winner 6-5.

Winner took an early 3-0 lead with Wagner coming back to tie the game at 3-3.

Leading hitters for Winner were Pierce Nelson, Aiden Barfuss, Charlie Pravecek, Adam Bohnet, all 1-3. Justin Hausmann was 1-1.

Pitching for Winner were Pierce Nelson, Coy Brickman and Charley Pravecek.

In the third and fourth place game Sunday afternoon, Winner fell to Platte-Geddes 12-1 in the third and fourth place game of the Father’s Day tournament in Winner.

Winner’s run came in the second inning.

Aiden Barfuss was 1-2 at the plate and Adam Bohnet was 1-1. Barfuss had a double.

Pitching in this game were Barfuss, Silas Chasing Hawk and Ashton Klein.

Winner Junior Teeners defeated Mission 10-4 in a game Thursday in Mission.

Winner’s big inning was in the third when they scored five runs.

Leading hitters were Pierce Nelson, Ashton Klein, Riley Orel, Kaden Bennett and Adam Bohnet, all with one.

Pitching for Winner were Nelson, Orel and Coy Brickman.

Winner Junior Legion defeated Hamlin 8-4 Thursday at Leahy Bowl.

On offense, Kameron Meiners was 1-2 with two walks and an RBI. Fred Whiting was 1-4 with 2 RBIs and Phil Jorgensen was 1-4 and scored three runs.

Joren Bruun started on the mound and pitched 5 inning giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run to go along with 6 strikeoutsKameron Meiners pitched the last 2 innings, allowing one hit and 3 runs (0 earned).

“Our pitchers did a nice job tonight, only allowing 4 hits total, but our defense really struggled and that allowed Hamlin to make it a game late,” said coach Kory Foss. “The errors we had were basic mistakes too, things you expect to improve upon as the season moves forward. These kids know how to field, and they know what they need to do in most situations, so it’s just a matter of putting it all together. We’re 7-2 now, but I don’t think we’ve played close to our best game yet, which tells me that this group has a lot of potential. Now we just need to get our offense and defense on the same page at the same time. So far, when the offense puts up runs the pitching seems to struggle, and vise-versa. We’re not to the halfway point of our season yet, so there is still plenty of time left, but you want to bring your best each time you step on that field,” said Foss.

Winner Junior Legion baseball team lost 5-4 to Wagner on June 12.

On offense, Fred Whiting ws 3-4 with 2 RBIs, Oscar Pravecek was 1-4 with an RBI.
Winner had six hits for the game.

Jacob Beckers started on the mound and pitched 4 1/3rd innings giving up 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and had 6 strikeouts. Evan Farner and Fred Whiting finished the game on the hill in relief, neither giving up an earned run.

“Our offense had a hard time getting going,” said coach Kory Foss.

“After a 3-run, 3-hit 1st inning we only had 3 hits the rest of the way. I credit Wagner’s two pitchers who kept us off balance for the most part, with an effective combination of fastballs and off-speed pitches. We didn’t play particularly well in the field, and some basic mistakes led to 4 unearned runs.

“I thought all three of pitchers threw well and gave us a chance to win, we just didn’t capitalize on it. We led the entire game and had a 1 run lead with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, but a hard grounder to shortstop that could have ended the game took a nasty hop and the tying and winning runs scored from 2nd and 3rd when the ball kicked away. It’s a tough way to lose a ball game, but I told the kids we should have never been in that position in the first place, had we played a solid game on offense and defense.

“In the end, I think it’s a good learning situation for our players, as they hopefully discover that anyone can beat anyone on any given night if you don’t come ready to play your best. But we’ll be okay. We’ll bounce back,” said Foss.

Jr. Legion Nipped in Championship Game lost to Gregory 3-2

Joren Bruun 2 for 2 with an RBI and Fred Whiting 1 for 2 with a walk.

Kameron Meiners started on the mound and threw 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 10 hits while striking out 3.
Fred Whiting threw a scoreless 7th inning allowing no hits and striking out one

“We had played Gregory earlier in the year and beat them 9-7, but it was a tough game and we know they’re a solid ball club with some talented players, so it was going to be a good battle. It was close from the get-go as it was tied 2-2 in the 2nd inning. They got a run in the 4th off a couple of our miscues and that was it, neither of us could muster a run the rest of the way. Their guys did a nice job of shutting down our offense which has been putting up some runs recently. Kameron Meiners just battled on the hill for 6 innings for us, and I give him a lot of credit. He didn’t strike out a lot of guys or anything, but he made pitches when he needed to and gave us a chance to win,” said the coach.

“All-in-all, i think it was a great tournament for our kids. We won a big game on Saturday night and then had another close one in the championship game. That’s where you want to be in your home tourney I told the kids, playing in the championship game, and we were able to do that.”

The loss to Gregory was the team’s first loss on the season, as they move to 6-1 on the year.

Winner Junior Legion won by the score of 15-4 over Stanley County. Game ended in the 5th inning due to 10-run rule.

Phil Jorgensen was 2 for 3 with 3 RBI’s.  Jesse Colson was 2 for 2 with an RBI.  Eight different players had at least 1 hit in the game.

Evan Farner started on the mound and threw 2 scoreless innings striking out 3. Aaron Gilchrist and Phil Jorgensen both had scoreless relief appearances.

“We had a pretty good idea going into this one that Stanley County was going to be a bit shorthanded so it was one of those games where you want to try to keep the score at a respectable level while getting in as many of your own subs as possible. We came out and played well, scoring 10 runs in the first inning. From that point on we just wanted to get some game time for subs and we were able to do that so it was a nice way to start the tournament,” said coach Kory Foss.

Winner Junior Legion beat Parkston by a final of 8-7.

Phil Jorgensen was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s, Kameron Meiners was 2 for 4 with an RBI, Oscar Provecek was 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Evan Farner was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s.

Joren Bruun started on the hill and threw 6 innings giving up 5 runs on 5 hits and struck out 6.  Jacob Beckers threw the last inning, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits.

“This was a fantastic game to be a part of,” said Foss. “Parkston is a very good ball club and we knew it was going to be a battle going in. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but we battled back to tie it in the bottom of the 6th. Parkston scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th to take the lead and sent their ace out the mound to close down the game. We knew it was going to be a challenge against their guy, as he’s had some pretty big success at the high level this season, and really has a live arm. We put some guys on with a walk and a couple hustle plays and then Evan Farner had just a huge hit down the line that scored 2 runners and tied the game. We had the winning run on 3rd and Joren Bruun drove him in with a 2-out single up the middle for the walk-off win. It was really just a fun atmosphere as the crowd was into the game and the kids were fired up knowing it was a big win and that we did it against the toughest pitcher we’ve faced so far this year,” said Foss.

(Photo Courtesy of Mitchell Daily Republic)

Winner/Colome amateur baseball team used an eight run sixth inning to fuel a 19-14 Sunshine League win over Parkston Mudcats on Sunday.

Dillon Lambley, Reed Harter and Kelly O’Bryan powered the Pheasants offense with three hits each. Lambley drove in five runs which Harter had four RBIs. O’Bryan knocked in two runs.

In the sixth inning, Harter capped off the scoring with a three run double.

The Pheasants scored two more runs in the seventh inning and three in the eighth.

Parkston scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

J. J. Farner earned the win on the mound striking out six batters.

Winner/Colome 16, Wagner 6

Winner/Colome Pheasants defeated Wagner 16-6 in a Sunshine League amateur baseball game on Thursday. The game was called after the seventh inning.

Drew Weber earned the win after striking out six batters and giving up six runs in six innings of pitching.

Kelly O’Bryan and Reed Harter had three hits each and three runs scored. Winner/Colome scored nine runs in the first inning.

Winner/Colome will host Mount Vernon on Thursday in Winner.

Winner Area girls golf team took 10^th place at the state tournament in Dell Rapids. The team shot a 817 in the two day tournament June 4-5.

Winner’s Ronae Klein and Wagner’s Caitlyn Simpson tied for 11^th place with a 176.

Addy Root tied for 44^th with a 201.

Cheyenne Dougherty tied for 65^th with a 219.

Sam Marts tied for 68^th with a 221.

Rylee Root tied for 72^nd with a 228.

Winner/Colome Legion baseball team was nipped by Gregory 8-7 in nine innings on June 6.

“We had one bad inning in the field where our pitchers struggled to throw strikes and that killed us,” said coach Drew Weber. “We also struck out too much at the plate to win games like these.”

At the plate, Riley Calhoon had 3 singles and a triple and Jackson Kinzer had a 2 RBI triple.

The Royals used four pitchers in this game. Chase Dufek pitched 3 innings giving up one run, 2 hits, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts; Calvin Ringing Shield pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up 4 runs, 1 hit, 5 walks; Cale Meiners, pitched 1 1/3 inning giving up 2 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts and Kinzer pitched 3 2/3 innings with 1 unearned run, 2 hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts.

“We are still moving guys around and have some missing for other activities but we need to play more sound baseball in order to start getting some wins,” said Weber.

Winner/Colome Legion baseball team played in a tough tournament this weekend in Aberdeen.

In the first game, Huron defeated the Royals 16-6.

Calvin Ringing Shield had 2 hits, Dalton Baker, a double and two RBIs; Chase Dufek and Baker combined to give up 5 earned runs on 7 hits.

In the second game, Aberdeen defeated Winner/Colome 10-7.

Riley Calhoon had a double and single, Ringing Shield, 2 singles, Carter Brickman, RBI double.

Brickman pitched five innings with 7 runs and 5 strikeouts.

In the third game, the Royals defeated Warner, 9-6.

Chase Dufek had a double and a single, Jackson Kinzer, triple and 2 RBIs, Riley Calhoon and Levi McClanahan, a single, 2 runs scored each.

McClanahan pitched five innings with 5 strikeouts.

Milbank nippedWinner/Colome 7-6 in the fourth game for the Royals.

Dufek had 2 singles, 2 RBIs, Calhoon and Baker, both a double; Kinzer, single and 2 RBIs.

Dufek pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing one earned run and 3 strikeouts.

“This was a difficult tournament for us defensively,” said coach Drew Weber. “Our pitchers were a little wild at times and we just didn’t make enough plays in the field to give ourselves a chance to win a close game,” said Weber.

The coach added: “Offensively, we did a really good job of putting the ball in play and had solid production from the entire lineup. We need to get back to our style of play that limits mistakes and throws strikes but we have some time to get things in order,” explained the coach.

The Winner Jr. Legion team defeated Gregory June 4 at Leahy Bowl by a score of 9-7.

After trailing 6-0 early, Winner battled back with a 4-run bottom of the 3rd, and took the lead for good with a 5-run 5th inning.
The offense had a big night, belting out 13 hits, including a 3 for 4 night from Kameron Meiners. Joren Bruun was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s, while Phillip Jorgensen added 2 hits (both triples), and 3 RBI’s.

Joren Bruun got the start on the mound and went 4 innings, giving up 6 hits and 7 runs (4 earned), while striking out 3. Jacob Beckers pitched 3 strong innings in relief, giving up just one hit, no runs, and striking out 5.

“The defense struggled early, committing 4 errors, leading to 3 unearned runs. After that, the boys played well in the field, and the offense really picked us up,” said coach Kory Foss.

“ We put a lot of good swings on the ball and found some gaps. It’s always nice when the offense clicks because it seems to pick everyone up and that then carries over to the defensive side,” said Foss.
With the victory, Winner Jr. Legion moves to 3-0 on the year.

Winner Junior Legion baseball team won a high scoring battle June 2 in Platte with an 18-10 victory.

On a day when the winds were swirling, every ball hit in the air was a challenge for fielders and as a result each team committed five errors.

After falling behind 9-6 early, Winner stormed back to outscore Platte 12-1 over the next four innings.
Kameron Meiners got the win on the mound after coming in relief for starter Phillip Jorgensen. Aaron Gilchrist closed the door pitching the final three innings while only giving up one run on three hits.

Winner racked up 13 hits for the day led by Colby Kaiser who was 4-4.

Oscar Pravecek had a big game at the plate as well going 2 for 2 with a two run home run to left while walking three times and scoring five runs.

Fred Whiting was 2-3 with 4 RBI’s including a big double in a four run fourth inning.

Jorgensen went 3-5 with an RBI.

Winner Junior Legion beat Bennett Counties Legion team by a score of 14-4 in 6 innings on June 6. The game was called due to the 10-run rule.

Kameron Meiners was 3 for 5 at the plate with 3 RBI’s. Philip Jorgensen was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s. Oscar Pravecek was 2 for 3. Landon Theiman added a hit and an RBI.

Kameron Meiners started and pitched 4 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 5. Fred Whiting pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one.

Overall, it was a good game for our offense with 13 hits said coach Kory Foss. “We’re getting contributions from all parts of our order, as 9 different players had at least 1 hit. Kameron did a nice job on the mound, and didn’t give up a hit until the 4th inning. Fred threw well in his inning of relief, which was nice to see as it was his first time on the mound this summer. The defense played well, and didn’t commit an error, which was encouraging because we’ve struggled with that at times early this season,” said Foss.

With the win Winner moves to 4-0 on the year.

Winner/Colome amateur baseball team snapped Alexandria’s 28 game win string with a 1-0 victory Thursday in Winner.

The Pheasants snapped the win streak which dates back to May 26, 2017 when Winner/Colome also defeated Alexandria, 5-4.

Connor Hopkins, who pitched for Winner/Colome,

fanned 15 batters in a no hitter.

In the fifth inning, Zach Harter scored the go-ahead run on a Trever Vermeulen wild pitch.

Offensively, Harter had a double, Austin Richey recorded two hits and Austin Calhoon had a double.

Winner/Colome amateur baseball team defeated Corsica/Stickney 10-1 Sunday in Corsica.

Winner/Colome outhit Corsica/Stickney 13-7.

Austin Richey hit a two run home run in the fourth inning. The Pheasants scored another run in the fifth, four in the sixth and three in the seventh.

Reed Harter and Austin Calhoon were 3-5 with two RBIs which Zach Harter had two hits.

Derek Graesser got the win on the mound. He struck out nine batters and allowed four hits and two walks.

Winner/Colome, 7-1, will host Wagner on Thursday, June 14, for an 8 p.m. game.

Winner Area girls golf team took second place at the Region 3A tournament in Mitchell on May 29.

Winner Area had a team score of 401.

Winner’s Ronae Klein was the medalist as she beat Parkston’s Tylee Neugebauer by one stroke. They were tied at 43 after nine holes and each had scores of 83 heading into the hole No. 18. Klein recorded five strokes on the final hole to win and had a score of 88. Neugebauer had a score of 89.

Also placing for Winner Area were Addy Root, 8^th; Rylee Root, 10^th; Sam Marts, 18^th; Cheyenne Dougherty, 21^st.

All members of the Winner Area team competed at the state meet which started June 4 in Dell Rapids.

There was a nice turnout for the Warrior basketball camp held May 30-31.

There were 25 boys and 24 girls entering 8^th to 12^th grade at the camp.

NBA boys division

Brandon Volmer, regular season free throw champ, one on one champion

Brady Fritz—regular season free throw runner up, tournament free throw champion and hot shot champion

Joren Bruun—one one one runner up

Kameron Meiners—Hot shot runner up
College boys division

Jackson Vesely—regular season free throw champion

Fred Whiting—one on one champion

Elijah Peterson—one on one runner up

Evan Farner—Regular season free throw runner up

Kolbie Osborn—Hot shot champion, tournament free throw champion

Blake Volmer—hot shot runner up

NBA girls division

Kalla Bertram—regular season free throw champion, one on one runner up

Bella Swedlund—Regular season free throw runner up, one on one champion and hot shot runner up

Madison Thieman—Hot shot champion

Madi Kerner—Tournament free throw champion

College division girls

Kelbi Meiners—regular season free throw champ

Shannon Calhoon—Regular season free throw runner up, hot shot champion, tournament free throw champion

Jenna Hammerbeck—one on one champion

Josey Kludt—one on one runner up

Mackenzie Levi—hot shot runner up