WEDNESDAY SPORTS, SEPTEMBER 23, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels volleyball came back down 2-0 on Tuesday night to win at Brookings 3-2. The Kernels lost the first two sets 13-25 and 19-25 before winning the final three sets 26-24, 25-19 and 15-13. Nia Talley led Mitchell with 17 kills and 23 digs, while CeCe Morgan added 14 kills. Sloan Stoebner had 24 assists, while Bree Smart added 17 assists The Kernels improve to 3-7 and host Sioux Falls Roosevelt on Thursday at 7 pm on KORN News Radio.
— Mitchell senior Asher Dannenbring won the Watertown Invitational on Tuesday, earning his third tournament title of the season. Dannenbring shot a two-under 70 and defeated Tea Area’s Landon Baker in a three-hole playoff. Mitchell finished 10th as a team with a 318. Jordan Meyerink shot 76 to tie for 12th. The Kernels return to action Monday at the ESD Conference meet in Brookings.
— Mitchell Kernels girls tennis defeated Watertown 7-2 on Tuesday at Hitchcock Park. The Kernels won four of six singles matches, including three-set victories by Katie Morgan and wins from Ava Prunty, Elliot Smith, Charlee Cimpl and Taryn Bultje. Mitchell also won two of three doubles matches. The Kernels improved to 15-4 in duals and host Brandon Valley on Friday at 9 a.m. in their final home dual of the regular season.
— Mitchell Kernels girls soccer, 3-6-1 on the season, lost to Brandon Valley on Tuesday 1-0. Mitchell will be at Watertown on Thursday at 5 pm
— Mitchell Kernels boys soccer, 3-7-1 on the season, lost to Brandon Valley on Tuesday 3-0. Mitchell will be at Watertown on Thursday at 7 pm
— Mitchell Kernel football, 3-1 on the season, hosts West Central on Friday at 7 pm for Homecoming. Coverage starts with the KORNer Booth pregame show at 6 pm.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan’s Allison Meyerink won the Mt. Marty Invite on Tuesday with back-to-back rounds of even par (72) to win by seven strokes. Meyerink finished with four birdies on Monday, plus two birdies on Tuesday. Claire Crawford of DWU finished fourth overall with a two-round total of +11, while Dakotah Larson was one shot back at +12 to place fifth. As a team, DWU finished second overall at +87, 25 shots behind first place Doane.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s golf finished fourth at the Mt. Marty Invite on Tuesday with a team score of +45. Dakota Munger led the Tigers with a +7 over the two days to finish tied for ninth. Ben Wilber shot +9 to finish tied for 12th. Dordt won the event with a team score of +4.
— Dakota Wesleyan football, 3-1 on the season and 3-0 on the GPAC, visit Midland on Saturday at 1 pm.
— No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan volleyball, 13-3 overall and 2-2 in the GPAC, visits Waldorf on Wednesday at 6:30 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s soccer, 1-1-2 on the season, host Northwestern on Wednesday at 5 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s soccer, 1-2-1 on the season, host Northwestern on Wednesday at 7 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State football, 3-1 on the season, hosts Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 6 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s soccer, 5-2-1 on the season, opens Summit League play on Thursday at USD.
— South Dakota State volleyball, 4-7 on the season, opens Summit League play Friday at USD at 7 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD football, 3-1 on the season, opens Missouri Valley play at Youngstown State Saturday at 1 pm.
— USD volleyball, 7-4 on the season, opens Summit League play on Friday at home against South Dakota State at 7 pm.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— Minnesota’s Taj Bradley held the Giants to a run on three hits in six innings as the Twins defeated San Francisco 3-2 on Tuesday night. Bradley (12-6) struck out Drew Gilbert leading off the first for his 200th strikeout of the season. He became the ninth pitcher in the majors to reach the 200-strikeout plateau in 2026 and finished Tuesday’s game with six K’s, giving him 205 for the year. Walker Jenkins hit his 4th home run of the season in the seventh inning to give the Twins a 3-1 lead. The final game of the three game series is set for 2:45 pm on Wednesday.
NFL
— Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent has been placed in the NFL concussion protocol, adding to the team’s quarterback uncertainty for Monday night against Philadelphia. Bagent was expected to start after Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday. Williams is listed as week to week. If neither can play, the Bears could turn to veteran Case Keenum, who has 66 career starts but hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2023.
— New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart’s injured left knee is still being evaluated, with head coach John Harbaugh saying that no decision has been made on the severity or timetable. Dart left Monday night’s loss to the Rams after playing just five snaps. He initially was diagnosed with a sprained MCL, but further testing is underway. Jameis Winston is expected to start on Sunday against Tennessee.
NBA
— Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors have agreed on a two-year contract extension worth up to 115 million dollars, according to an AP source. The second season, 2028-29, is a player option. Leonard, 35, returns to Toronto after leading the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship. He averaged a career-high 27.9 points last season with the Clippers. Leonard was acquired by Toronto in a trade finalized earlier this month.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders says he dismissed several players following the Buffaloes’ first loss of the season, although the school says the process has not been finalized. Sanders did not identify the players, saying the dismissals were related to a pattern of conduct detrimental to the team. Colorado is 2-1 after a 41-7 loss at Northwestern last week.
MLB
— Yankees OF Aaron Judge is unlikely to play in the Wild Card Series after receiving an injection for a sore right calf. Manager Aaron Boone says Judge had a platelet-plasma injection on Monday after being placed on the injured list with a calf strain. Judge is eligible to return for Sunday’s regular-season finale but is not expected to do much activity this week. The Yankees are likely headed for a Wild Card Series against Boston.
— The New York Mets have hired interim manager Andy Green as their full-time manager on a three-year contract. Green took over in late June after Carlos Mendoza was fired. The Mets are 37-38 under Green and 71-85 overall this season. Green previously managed the San Diego Padres from 2016 through 2019 and joined the Mets front office in 2023.
— The Boston Red Sox have removed the interim tag and named Chad Tracy their full-time manager. Tracy signed a three-year contract through 2029. He took over in April after Alex Cora was fired and has led Boston to a 74-55 record and a playoff berth. The Red Sox went 27-3 over a 30-game stretch this summer and had a 15-game winning streak that tied a franchise record.
MLB
— Carlos Rodón allowed three hits in eight shutout innings as the New York Yankees prevented the Tampa Bay Rays from clinching the AL East title with a 2-0 victory in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. Tampa Bay ended up clinching the division in the night game, with a 6-1 victory. Drew Rasmussen allowed one hit in 6 2/3 innings. It’s the first time since 2021 that the Rays have won the AL East.
— Yordan Alvarez resumed his Triple Crown push with a home run and three RBIs as the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 7-0 to pull even with Texas atop the AL West. Both teams have five games remaining with the Astros holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
— Sean Manaea struck out nine in six innings, Francisco Alvarez doubled and scored twice while driving in two runs, as the New York Mets beat the Texas Rangers 6-3.
— Nathaniel Lowe had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning as the Cleveland Guardians maintained their one game lead over Chicago in the AL Central with a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
— Chase Meidroth hit a three-run homer and had a career-high five RBIs, while Randal Grichuk added a three-run shot among his four hits, as the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 14-11 to stay a game behind Cleveland in the AL Central.
— Tommy Edman and Will Smith homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers scored six runs with two outs to beat the San Diego Padres 7-0. The Dodgers (97-60) moved within one game of NL Central champion Milwaukee (98-59) for the best record in the big leagues and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. However, the Brewers own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Los Angeles needs one win or an Atlanta loss to clinch a first-round bye into a National League Division Series.
— Griffin Conine drove in Esteury Ruiz with a tiebreaking single in Miami’s six-run 12th inning as the Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in extra innings.
— Zack Wheeler struck 11, including a franchise-record seven in a row to start the game, as Bryson Stott hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the eighth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies inched closer to clinching a playoff spot with a 6-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
— Nolan Arenado had his team-leading 28th homer of the season among his three hits, Michael Soroka struck out nine in seven innings of one-run ball as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Colorado 7-2, sending the Rockies to their 100th loss of the season. The victory kept the Diamondbacks four games behind Philadelphia in the race for the third and final NL wild-card spot with five regular-season games remaining. The Rockies’ loss made Colorado the first franchise to lose at least 100 games in four consecutive seasons since the New York Mets from 1962-65.
South Dakota High School Football Week 5 – Friday, September 25
Class 11AAA
1. SF Jefferson at Rapid City Central
2. Brandon Valley at SF Washington
3. Harrisburg vs. SF Roosevelt
4. O’Gorman vs. Rapid City Stevens
5. SF Lincoln vs. Omaha Central
CLASS 11AA
1. Pierre vs. 2. Tea Area
3. Yankton vs. 4. Watertown
5. Huron vs. Aberdeen Central
Mitchell vs. 3A. West Central
Brookings vs. Spearfish
Sturgis vs. Douglas
CLASS 11A
1. SF Christian vs. 5. Dell Rapids
2. Lennox at Milbank
3. West Central at Mitchell
4. Canton at 5B. Winner
CLASS 11B
1. Elk Point-Jefferson vs. 3. Deuel
2. St. Thomas More
4. Clark/Willow Lake vs. Beresford
5. Winner vs. 4A Canton
Chamberlain vs. Wagner
Mt. Vernon/Plankinton vs. Parker/Marion
Flandreau vs. McCook Central/Montrose
Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central vs. Miller-Highmore/Harrold
CLASS 9AA
1. Parkston at Stanley County
2. Platte-Geddes vs. Gregory
3. Hamlin vs. Sisseton
4. Viborg-Hurley at Sioux Falls Lutheran
5. Bon Homme at Kimball/White Lake
Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian vs. Hanson
CLASS 9A
1. Freeman
2. Castlewood
3. Sully Buttes at Gettysburg
4. Philip at 2B. Wall
5. Centerville at Alcester-Hudson
Howard vs. Elkton-Lake Benton
De Smit vs. Scotland/Menno
CLASS 9B
1. Dell Rapids St. Mary’s at Gayville-Volin
2. Wall vs. 4A. Philip
3. Warner vs. 5 Hitchcock-Tulare
4. Avon vs. Corsica-Stickney – Q107.3
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL – TUESDAY
Bridgewater-Emery 3, Hanson 0 – The Huskies improve to 14-2 on the season.
Lennox 3, Mt. Vernon/Plankinton 0
Corsica-Stickney 3, Kimball/White Lake 0
McCook Central/Montrose 3, Flandreau 0
Wagner 3, Bon Homme 0 – Wagner improves to 10-2 on the season. The Red Raiders won the fifth set 30-28.
Tripp-Delmont/Armour 3, Andes Central/Dakota Christian 0
Wolsey-Wessington 3, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 0
Freeman 3, Scotland 0
Avon 3, Irene-Wakonda 0
No. 1 Harrisburg 3, No. 4 O’Gorman 0
No. 2 SF Lincoln 3, SF Roosevelt 1
No. 5 Watertown 3, Huron 0
Aberdeen Central 3, SF Jefferson 1
Yankton 3, Tea Area 1