WEDNESDAY SPORTS, OCTOBER 7, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell senior Asher Dannenbring finished in a tie for third at the Class AA boys state golf tournament in Aberdeen on Tuesday. Dannenbring entered the day tied for the lead at -1, but finished with a 73 for a two-day total of 143. He finished with a double bogey on 17 and a bogey on 18. O’Gorman’s Drew Simon won the individual title in a playoff against Tyson Blom of Sioux Falls Lincoln. As a team, Mitchell improved by 15 strokes Tuesday, shooting a 304 to finish tied for 10th at 623. Jordan Meyerink shot a 75, Eli Konrad a 76 and Jack Gillen an 80 for the Kernels.
— Mitchell Kernel football will be at No. 2 Tea Area on Friday night at 6 pm. The Kernels are coming off a 23-22 double overtime win at No. 3 Watertown last Friday. Coverage starts at 5 pm with the KORNer Booth pregame show on KORN.
— Mitchell Kernels volleyball, 7-8 on the season, will be at Rapid City Central on Friday, followed by a Saturday afternoon match at Rapid City Stevens on Saturday.
— Mitchell Kernels girls soccer will face No. 3 seed Rapid City Stevens on Tuesday at 7 pm CST in the Class AA SoDAK 16. The Kernels, 4-8-1 on the season, will be the No. 14 seed.
— Mitchell Kernels girls tennis competes at the Class AA state tournament this week starting on Thursday in Rapid City.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN.
— Dakota Wesleyan’s Allison Meyerink finished second at The Statesmen Tournament in Moravia, Iowa. Meyerink shot a +7 (151) over the two rounds, to sit six shots back of the leader. Teammate Dakotah Larson finished fourth overall at +10, while Claire Crawford placed sixth at +13. The Tigers finished third in the 11-team field, shooting +72, behind first place Morningside. The Tigers compete at the Battle of the Dance tournament starting on Monday in Colorado.
— Dakota Wesleyan swept the GPAC men’s soccer weekly awards. Sophomore forward Evan Bolster was named Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight week after recording three goals and an assist in wins over Dordt and Hastings. Bolster scored both goals in the Tigers’ shutout win over Hastings. Senior goalkeeper Carter Hanson earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. The Sioux Falls native made eight saves in the two wins and allowed just one goal, including a two-save shutout against Hastings.
— Dakota Wesleyan football, 3-3 overall and 3-2 in the GPAC, host Concordia on Saturday at 1:30 pm for homecoming.
— No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan volleyball, 15-5 overall and 4-4 in the GPAC, hosts Doane Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Mitchell.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s soccer, 3-2-4 on the season, will be at Concordia on Saturday at 1 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s soccer, 4-3-1 on the season, will be at Concordia on Saturday at 3:30 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State has been picked second in the Summit League women’s basketball preseason poll. The Jackrabbits received eight first-place votes, finishing behind North Dakota State. SDSU went 27-7 overall and 14-2 in league play last season before winning its fourth consecutive Summit League Tournament title. Three Jackrabbits earned preseason All-Summit League second-team honors. Junior Emilee Fox averaged 9.3 points per game in league play last season, while sophomore Hadley Thul averaged 6.7 points and junior Katie Vasecka averaged 8.8 points. SDSU opens the season vs. Crieghton on Monday, Nov. 2.
— South Dakota State has been picked to finish third in the Summit League men’s basketball preseason poll. The Jackrabbits received seven first-place votes, trailing defending champion North Dakota State and St. Thomas. SDSU junior Joe Sayler headlines the preseason honors, earning first-team recognition and being named the league’s preseason Player of the Year. Sayler averaged 17.9 points per game in conference play last season. Senior Kalen Garry and junior newcomer Jesse Van Kalsbeek were named to the preseason second team. Van Kalsbeek led the NAIA in scoring last season at 27.8 points per game at Northwestern. SDSU opens the season Nov. 3 at Kansas State.
— South Dakota State volleyball, 6-8 overall and 2-1 in Summit League play, hosts Kansas City on Thursday 7 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s soccer, 6-2-3 overall and 1-0-2 in Summit League play, host Oral Roberts Thursday at 6 p.m. in Brookings.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD volleyball’s Sierra Pokharel has earned her second Summit League Defensive Player of the Week honor this season. Pokharel helped the Coyotes sweep St. Thomas and Omaha last week, averaging 5.1 digs per set with 31 total digs. Pokharel leads the Summit League with 4.4 digs per set through the first two weeks of conference play. USD hosts Oral Roberts Thursday at 7 p.m.
— USD football, 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, hosts Southern Illinois next Saturday at 1 pm.
— USD volleyball, 9-5 overall and 2-1 in Summit League play, host Oral Roberts on Thursday at 7 pm.
— USD women’s soccer, 4-4-3 overall and 1-1-1 in Summit League play, hosts Kansas City Thursday at 6 p.m.
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF
— Vermillion’s Rylan Moran is the Class A boys state golf champion after winning a playoff on Tuesday at Lakeview Golf Course in Mitchell. Moran and teammate Jeran Carr both finished at 142 after 36 holes, forcing an all-Vermillion playoff. Moran won the title with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Parkston’s Landon Weber, Chamberlain’s Chase McQuirk and Rapid City Christian’s Jaxon Remington tied for third at 143. Vermillion also won the team championship with a two-day score of 582, finishing 19 strokes ahead of Dakota Valley. It’s the Tanagers’ third team title in the past five years.
MLB PLAYOFFS – TUESDAY
— San Diego stays alive in the NLDS, beating Milwaukee 4-3 in Game 3 to cut the Brewers’ series lead to 2-1. Jake Cronenworth hit the go-ahead home run in the fifth inning, while Xander Bogaerts scored on a sixth-inning error. Michael King, who started Game 2, returned on one day’s rest and pitched the final two innings for his first postseason save. Game 4 is Wednesday night in San Diego.
—Yoshinobu Yamamoto dominated as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in Game 3 of the NL Division Series. Yamamoto struck out 10 and allowed just four hits and one run over seven innings. Kiké Hernández hit a two-run homer, while Freddie Freeman added a solo shot as the Dodgers built a 3-0 lead. Edwin Díaz worked around a ninth-inning double to earn the save. The Dodgers now lead the best-of-five series 2-1 and can clinch Wednesday night in Atlanta.
MLB PLAYOFFS – WEDNESDAY
Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians, 3 pm on TBS – Chicago leads the series 2-0
Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 5 pm on FS1- Series tied 1-1
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays, 7 pm on TBS – Tampa Bay leads the series 2-0
San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 9 pm on FS1 – Milwaukee leads the series 2-1
NFL
— Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro offensive lineman Lane Johnson is retiring after 14 NFL seasons. The 36-year-old announced Tuesday that his personal and family priorities have changed and it is time to step away from football. Johnson was a first-round pick in 2013 and became one of the NFL’s top right tackles, earning six Pro Bowl selections and first-team All-Pro honors in 2017 and 2022. Johnson also became an advocate for mental health after taking a leave of absence in 2021 while dealing with anxiety and depression.
— The NFL Referees Association says it will challenge the severity of suspensions handed down to two officials for unprofessional conduct. Line judge Jeff Seeman was suspended two games for swearing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, while referee Adrian Hill received a one-game suspension for yelling and gesturing at Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson. The officials union says the penalties go beyond appropriate punishment and are inconsistent with past discipline. The union plans to meet with the league about disciplinary standards and with the players’ union to address increasing confrontations between officials and players.
NBA
— The NBA is experimenting with new technology during select preseason games. The league says smart basketballs with Bluetooth sensors will collect data that could eventually help with real-time officiating decisions. The information will be used for research only and will not affect calls during the preseason games. Officials in some games also will wear wrist devices that allow them to communicate with the replay center during replay reviews, scoring changes and clock malfunctions. The wrist technology was tested successfully during the Summer League but will not be used during the regular season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
— Michael Jordan is giving $10 million to the University of North Carolina School of Social Work in honor of his mother, Deloris P. Jordan. It’s the largest single gift in the school’s history and will support the Global Social Development Innovations Center, which will be renamed in her honor. The gift also establishes the Jordan Family Scholars program, providing scholarships for Master of Social Work students facing financial barriers. Ten inaugural scholars will each receive $12,500.
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL – TUESDAY
Platte-Geddes 3, Parkston 1
Bridgewater-Emery 3, Sioux Falls Lutheran 0 – The Huskies improve to 18-2 on the season.
Parker/Marion 3, Hanson 1
Wagner 3, Scotland 0
McCook Central/Montrose 3, Howard 0
Mt. Vernon/Plankinton 3, Miller 1
Ethan 3, Wessington Springs 1
Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 3, Sunshine Bible 0
Freeman 3, Bon Homme 0
Avon 3, Burke 0
No. 4 Watertown 3, Tea Area 0
No. 5 O’Gorman 3, SF Roosevelt 0
SF Washington 3, SF Jefferson 2
Yankton 3, Huron 0
SOUTH DAKOTA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 7 – OCTOBER 9, 2026
CLASS 11AAA
1. SF Jefferson vs. SF Roosevelt
2. Brandon Valley vs. Rapid City Stevens
3. Harrisburg vs. Omaha North (Neb.)
4. O’Gorman at Rapid City Central
5. Lincoln vs. SF Washington
CLASS 11AA
1. Pierre vs. Spearfish
2. Tea Area vs. 5. Mitchell
3. Yankton vs. Brookings
4. Watertown at Aberdeen Central
Sturgis vs. Huron
CLASS 11A
1. SF Christian at Vermillion
2. West Central vs. 5. Madison
3. Lennox vs. Dakota Valley
4. Canton at Custer
CLASS 11B
1. Elk Point-Jefferson at Beresford
2. St. Thomas More at Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central
3. Clark/Willow Lake vs. McCook Central/Montrose
4. Winner
5. Deuel
Mt. Vernon/Plankinton vs. Chamberlain
CLASS 9AA
1. Parkston at Hanson – Q107.3
2. Platte-Geddes at Stanley Country
3. Hamlin at 5. Garretson
4. Britton-Hecla at Redfield
Baltic vs. Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan
CLASS 9A
1. Freeman vs. De Smet
2. Castlewood vs. Sisseton
3. Sully Buttes vs. 5. Timber Lake
4. Centerville vs. Viborg-Hurley
Canistota vs. Howard
Kimball/White Lake vs. Burke
Gregory vs. Corsica-Stickney
CLASS 9B
1. Dell Rapids St. Mary
2. Wall at Kadoka Area
3. Warner at Leola
4. Avon at Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian
5. Hitchcock-Tulare