Category Archives: Sports

Several Winner wrestlers placed at the state AAU tournament this weekend in Rapid City.

First place went to Cooper Craven, Ryken Orel, Maxton Brozik and Kaleb Osborn.

Taking second were Apollo Willuweit, Bailey Shelbourn, Kiersten Fryer, Owen Duffy and Riggin Shippy.

Others placing were: Remmingtyn Robbins and Riley Shippy, both 4th; Stetson Shelbourn, 5th; Konnor Osborn, 6th; Roukyn Robbins, 7th and Rylan Robbins and Joey Cole, both 8th.

The state meet was Saturday and Sunday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City.

Winner/Colome club baseball team will open the season March 30 at home when they host Mission. The junior varsity game will start at 5 p.m. followed by the varsity game.

There are 13 returning lettermen on the team. The lettermen are Holden Thieman, Drew DeMers, Kelly O’Bryan, Ty Bolton, Riley Calhoon, Nick Lantz, Levi McClanahan, Dalton Baker, Carter Brickman, Jeremiah Yeaman, Andrew Laprath, Phillip Jorgensen and Joren Bruun.

There are 35 players on the team which includes 22 high school students and 13 junior high students.

The Royals are the defending Class B state champions and coach Drew Weber says the team is looking to defend its state title. Weber is starting his fourth year as head coach with Jon Hanson going into his fourth year as assistant coach. Helping until May will be J.J. Farner.

The only losses from last season’s state championship team are Reed Harter and Cameron Biggins.

Weber says the team’s biggest strengths are they have a lot of depth in pitching and have a lot of speed.

The main pitcher will be O’Bryan along with Ty Bolton, Carter Brickman, Holden Thieman, Riley Calhoon and Nick Lantz. Lantz will be the main catcher for the team.

“We have a lot of guys who can play a lot of spots and that is going to be a big help,” said the coach.

Weber says the team is able to put the bat on the ball and are really aggressive on the bases.

“We will miss having Reed at the top of the line up because he was so good at getting on base. We have other guys who we will look to and we expect Levi McClanahan to take up a big share along with Joren Bruun, Dalton Baker, Phillip Jorgensen, Jeremiah Yeaman and Andrew Laprath,” said Weber.

The coach added Drew DeMers will be a big key for the team as he is the team’s most consistent hitter and a great outfielder.

In practice the team has been working on a little bit of everything and have been working on a lot of hitting. There have been times they have been able to get outside for practice.

“You can tell we are motivated and excited about this season,” said Weber.

He noted this is a big year for the Winner/Colome team as Winner will be hosting the State B Legion tournament in July.

Weber says the goal is to win the regional and defend their state title.

Numbers are strong for the Winner High School track teams this year.

The WHS boys and girls team competed in Gregory on Monday but will have their first home meet on Saturday, April 1 when they host the Bill Pistulka Invitational. The field events will start at 11 a.m.

Coach Larry Aaker says there are 14 returning letterwinners for the Lady Warriors. They include: Meagan Blare, Katherine Jankauskas, Saige Schuyler, Samantha Schuyler, Alexis Richey, Aryn Meiners, Charlotte Shopene, Janee Gregg, Morgan Hammerbeck, Gabby Kocer, Chloe Bartels, Kyran Meek, Madison Thieman and Tedra Vrbka.

There are three seniors: Chloe Bartels, Sam Schuyler and Kyran Meek.

Lost from last year’s team are Hayley Halverson and Calah Covey.

Last year at the state track meet the Lady Warriors took 8th place in the medley. Runners were Halverson, Sam Schuyler, Richey and Bartels.

Aaker says of the 14 letterwinners most of them competed at state last year.

Bartels and Sam Schuyler are middle distance runners and Meek will throw the shot put and discus.

“Our strength will be in the middle distance,” said the coach.

He hopes the younger girls can come around and help the team. Hurdlers are Vrbka and Hammerbeck. Hammerbeck qualified for state in the hurdles.

Also in the field events, Hammerbeck qualified for state in the long jump.

Gregg as an 8th grader last year qualified in the discus. “Hopefully she can keep improving,” said Aaker.

Added to the team this year will be 7th grader Sidda Schuyler as a long distance runner along with Aryn Meiners.
“We look for big things from both Sidda and Aryn,” said Aaker.

Also middle schoolers Blare and Jankauskas both qualified for state a year ago.

Aaker says goals for the girls are to win both conference titles (Big Dakota and SESD) and repeat as regional champions.

In practice, the coach says the team has been fighting the weather which has forced them inside more than they have liked. The distance runners have been putting on miles.

On the Winner boys side there are 15 lettermen. They include: Isaac Naasz, John Kludt, Tre Doren, Luke Engel, Phillip Jorgensen, Brady Fritz, Drew DeMers, Riley Calhoon, Izak Moleterno, Casey Stickland, A. J. Roubideaux, Colton Schroeder, Kaleb Brozik, Jayden Schroeder and Cameron Kuil.

There are 10 seniors on this year’s team.

The only loss from a year ago was Jonas Brill, a foreign exchange student from Germany.

Last year at the state track meet Kuil received four medals and is the defending 400 meter champion. He was second in the 200and third in the 100.

The medley relay team took second with runners Calhoon, Kuil, Engel and Kayleb Brozik.

Aaker says senior Brozik is a good half miler and qualified for the open 800 a year ago but did not run the open event at state to put all his energy into helping the Warriors get a second place finish in the medley.

The Warriors have so much depth in the shot put and discus. Jayden Schroeder, John Kludt and Tre Doren all qualified for state. Throw in Krockett Krolikowski, a SDSU football recruit, who will be tossing around the weights this year.

Younger throwers are Levi McClanahan and A. J. Roubideaux. “They push each other in practice,” said Aaker.
A new comer this year is senior Trace Larson who will also compete in shot put and discus and may long jump.
Junior Calhoon is a strong runner and helped the team a year ago in the medley. He will also run the 4×200 and the 4×400.

Brady Fritz will help the team in field events and sprints. Last year he qualified for state in the long jump and triple jump.

Atlas Willuweit will be an addition to the team as he will be a sprinter and will run the 100, 200 and 400 and be in some relays.

Joren Bruun will be on the team and will help the Warriors in relays.

Kade Watson, a 7th grader, will help in distance races.

Like the girls, the goals for the boys are to win both conferences, repeat as regional champs. And in addition, Aaker would like to see the Warriors be in the top four at state meet. “We have the pieces to do it this year,” he said.

Assistant coaches are Glenn Carlson, Jaime Keiser, Brett Gardner, Lindsey Foster, Robin Curtis and Jayd Schuyler.

The 2017 track schedule includes:
April 1—Bill Pistulka Invitational in Winner
April 6—Todd County Invitational
April 11—Miller Quad
April 13—Corn Palace Relays in Mitchell
April 18—Big Dakota Conference meet in Winner
April 21—Pierre Invitational
April 27–Cecil Johnson Invitational in Presho
May 2—Meet of Legends in Burke
May 5-6—Howard Wood Relays in Sioux Falls
May 9—SESD Conference meet in Mt. Vernon
May 18—Region at Martin
May 26—State meet at Tea
May 27—State meet at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls

Matt Campbell of Colome won the shot put in the Class B division of the Dan Lennon track meet in Vermillion on March 21.

The senior had throw of 49-08.25.

Kelly O’Bryan placed 4th in the triple jump and Jaclyn Laprath was 12th in the 3200 meter run.

There are 11 returning lettermen on the Colome High School track team.

The letterwinners for the girls are: Abby Kortan, Saydee Heath, Hayley Krumpus, Kaydee Heath, Callie Heath and Jaclyn Laprath.

There are five lettermen on the boys team. They are: Andrew Laprath, Holden Thieman, Kelly O’Bryan, Matt Campbell and Jackson Kinzer.

Others on the girls team are Carleen Burger, Grace Campbell and Matrix Noteboom.

The others on the boys team are Chase Dufek, Calvin Ringing Shield, Beau Bertram, Adam Cole and Layton Thieman.

The Colome team competed in the Gregory meet on Monday.

Colome will compete in the Bill Pistulka Invitational in Winner on April 1.

Drew DeMers of Winner has been named to the all conference team of the SESD. DeMers has been named to the first team.

Four Winner kids wrestled at Black Hills Nationals on March 17 in Spearfish.

Maxton Brozik won first place in novice at 70 pounds, Kaden Keiser won first place in school boy at 100 pounds, Owen Duffy won third place in schoolboy at 150 pounds and Kaleb Osborn won 4th place in schoolboy at 80 pounds.

University of Sioux Falls baseball player Austin Richey of Winner is seeing key playing time for the Cougars at the designated hitter early in the season.

Richey has appeared in seven of the Cougars nine games in the season including five starts at DH. The redshirt senior from Winner also plays first base.

Richey had a two hit game Feb. 26 against Metro State Denver including an 11th inning RBI triple to help USF to a 7-4 win. For the season at this point, Richey is hitting .286 with four RBIs and six walks and two stolen bases.

Sydney Hollenbeck has been named to the first team of the SESD all conference girls basketball team.

Named to the second team were Madyson Frazier and Bella Swedlund.

Morgan Hammerbeck was named to the third team.

Winner had a record of 7-0 in the conference.

Little Wound defeated the Winner boys basketball team 81-54 Thursday in Kyle in the Region 7A semifinals.  The Mustangs advanced to the Sweet 16 game which was played in Winner on March 7 as they took on Tea Area.

Drew DeMers had a big night as he scored 33 points.  Trevor Bertram scored 6 points and Wyatt Ewing, 4.

Wyatt Ewing pulled down 8 rebounds.