Groovy
Saturday, September 4th, 2010
Last night Sturgis knocked off a game RC Central Cobbler ballclub 35-21. Early on it looked as though Sturgis would rout Central but the Cobblers pulled within 27-21 late in the third quarter after star tailback Clint Wilson went down with an apparent ankle sprain. Coach Rod Richardson turned to the passing game in the fourth quarter to move the ball and score the clinching touchdown. It’s a testament to the Scooper program that they were resillient enough to beat Central without its star running back. Sturgis has a number of good athletes and last night’s win proves that they are more than a one man band. Paired with Stevens blow out win of Spearfish, next weeks Sturgis vs Stevens matchup should be the highlight game of the week. It will be interesting to see Wilson’s status for next week’s marquee matchup. Evidently there was some swelling in Wilson’s ankle and his status for next week is up in the air. It appeared he was removed from the game last night for precautionary reasons but there is still a good chance he could be available for the Stevens game. Until it is checked out by the doctors, Wilson’s ability to play will be anybody’s guess. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I hope he can go. Either way it’s going to be a great matchup, but it will be an even better one with a healthy Clint Wilson.
Tags: Rapid City Central, Rapid City Stevens, Spearfish, Sturgis
Posted in Football | No Comments »
Groovy
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
It should be another interesting week of football in the AA ranks. Four of the five west river teams play schools on this side of the river. The other, Douglas, is idle until next week. The 4 GDC AA’s will square off with each other in the Rushmore Bowl. Unfortunately neither Friday night tilt includes Sturgis and Stevens playing each other which is the game I think everyone is interested in seeing. That being said it is still too early in the season to make assumptions of who is the real deal and who isn’t. I still believe that Stevens and Sturgis are the two teams to beat but only time will tell. Here are my picks for week 2.
RC Stevens vs Spearfish:
In the opener of the Rushmore Bowl Stevens rolls in convincing fashion. Spearfish just doesn’t have the depth or the athletes to hang with Stevens’ well balanced attack. Hayden Hast has a big night through the air and Stevens wins going away 52-14.
Sturgis vs RC Central:
This one is a little closer than a lot of people believe it will be. Central is stingy on defense and helps keep the game close. Too much Clint Wilson on the ground and Sturgis’ air attack helps loosen up Central’s backers. Sturgis wins 14-3.
Tags: Rapid City Central, Rapid City Stevens, Sturgis
Posted in Football | 2 Comments »
Groovy
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
In recent years St. Thomas More has owned the Black Hills Conference. Time and time again teams would come along and challenge their stranglehold on league supremacy. This was evident two years ago when Belle Fourche won the league. The celebration in Belle Fourche, however, was short lived when the Cav’s traveled to Belle Fourche a week later and upset an undefeated and talented Bronc team on their way through the playoffs. The league wasn’t always dominated by one team. The 1980′s were a great decade to be a fan of the Black Hills Conference. The BHC was arguably one of the toughest and most balanced leagues in the state. No year was more evident of that then 1983. At that time the BHC was a multi-level league that had a AA team (AAA at the time), many A (AA at the time) teams , and even a class B school competing. You had the traditional powerhouse in Sturgis that was the largest school in the conference and was a consistent state qualifier in the state’s largest classification. It was not unusual for the Scoopers to beat RC Stevens and RC Central during the regular season or playoffs. You also had the large Class A schools in Belle Fourche and Spearfish who were very competitive and a talented Lead squad who could beat anyone on any given night. The surprise team of the league during this time frame was the Newell Irrigators. Newell had a good run of athletes and competed night in and night out. Newell didn’t win a lot of league games but after playing such a difficult league schedule they were a tough out during playoff time. During the 1983 season the Black Hills Conference had two teams playing for a state championship in Vermillion. Belle Fourche beat Milbank, who was coached by the legendary Kim Nelson, 20-13 and the following night the Scoops lost a difficult game to a good Brookings team. What many people don’t remember about that year, though, is that Newell lost to the Gregory Gorrilla’s in the semi-final game in the Class 11B playoffs. Think about it, if Newell had gotten into the State Championship game that year the BHC would have been represented by three teams. Pretty impressive when you consider it was an eight team league. Belle Fourche won the championship that year but only after getting beat 21-0 the previous year to Lennox. It took that learning experience of playing in the dome and understanding the magnitude of a state title in order for them to walk away with the trophy. Sturgis didn’t have that luxury. They played hard that night but lost to team that probably wasn’t as talented as they were. I’m sure that loss is a huge regret to many of the players on that team. As a young boy I remember watching Brett Burditt swallow up running backs from his middle linebacker position for the Sturgis Scoopers. I also remember watching Chris Gadsden run the option behind Jody Grubb churning out yard after yard. Or watching Bob Hannah run over would be tacklers from his tailback position for the Belle Fourche Broncs or seeing Lenny “Freight Train” Jones bust loose for the Golddiggers. Not only did the BHC have great players but they also had great coaches. Belle Fourche was led by Rick Swenson. Swenson is still the only coach to win a state championship for Belle Fourche. Down the road Mick Wysuph was starting his very successful coaching career in Sturgis that would eventually lead him to his own state championship where he led RC Stevens to a title in the 90′s. Dave Broadie, who coached for over thirty years in Douglas was another coaching legend that the league cultivated. He won his title in the mid 90′s. Those were wonderful days for the Black Hills Conference. I sometimes wonder with the addition of Spearfish getting back into the league starting in 2012 that maybe the league will find a better balance. I also wonder if maybe letting Sturgis back in would improve the other teams in the league as well. Maybe I’m just a little nostalgic but somedays I miss the old BHC.
Tags: Belle Fourche, Douglas, Lead-Deadwood, Newell, Spearfish, St. Thomas More, Sturgis
Posted in Football | No Comments »
Groovy
Saturday, August 28th, 2010
5-0 ain’t too bad! After week one of the Fearless 5 Forecast I’m proud to say this Pigskin Prognosticator is 5-0. Following Sturgis’ beat down of Brandon Valley and RC Stevens’ thrashing of Brookings it appears that west river football is alive and well! Central struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball in there 9-0 loss to Yankton and Spearfish is well, Spearfish. I believe the Spartans will get better throughout the year but it must be a difficult pill to swallow to continuously get beaten down. Not to mention Douglas getting mauled by STM showed mixed reviews for the west river AA’s. That being said, this year’s AA schools should make for some fun conversations around the dinner table. I’m excited to continue the predictions and I am looking forward to next weeks picks. Bring on the comments because that’s what makes high school football fun. Let’s have some good old fashioned arguing!
Tags: Douglas, Rapid City Central, Rapid City Stevens, Spearfish, Sturgis
Posted in Football | 1 Comment »
Groovy
Friday, August 27th, 2010
It should be an exciting opening weekend in the AA ranks. Sturgis and RC Stevens appear to be the cream of the crop on the western side of the state. That’s not to say that the Cobbies won’t surprise. Being the biggest school in the state Central will always have depth on their side. Lets take a look at each game and see who has the edge.
Sturgis vs Brandon Valley:
Brandon Valley will get a taste of what life is like without all-state Quarterback Austin Sumner. Last year this was a competitive game throughout until Brandon Valley pulled away late for a 20-7 win. Sturgis returns a number of key players who have been on the field since their sophomore year and it appears this may be the year of the Scooper. The Joey Olson led Scoopers reverse last year’s heartbreaking 21-20 playoff loss to Pierre and beat the Lynx 21-20.
Spearfish vs Watertown:
H2O Town rolls to a 42-6 win. The outgunned Spartans compete early but Watertown’s strength upfront is too much for the Spartans. A late Monte Meyerink touchdown pass helps the Spartans avoid the shutout.
RC Central vs Yankton:
Central graduated an outstanding senior class and now must revamp their lineup. Central will be tough late in the year when they start peaking but early on Yankton is too much. The Bucks prevail 20-6.
RC Stevens vs Brookings:
Stevens upends Brookings 21-7 in the second AA victory of the weekend. Coach Ferdinand likes his senior class and for good reason. Stevens is better than they have been in years and expectations are high. Look for Stevens to be significant throughout the state.
Douglas vs St. Thomas More:
In the Buzzard game of the week Tommy More rolls 49-7. Coach Magic will instill new energy into his program but talent prevails and the Cavs have too much of it. Look for STM to be knocking on the door of the Dakota Dome come State Championship weekend.
Tags: Douglas, Rapid City Central, Rapid City Stevens, Spearfish, Sturgis
Posted in Football | 2 Comments »
Groovy
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
AA football in the Northern Hills is alive and well. Both Sturgis and Spearfish return a number of key athletes and are hopeful to improve on last season’s fortunes. Sturgis returns the majority of their key players, especially those in the skilled positions and are hungry to improve on last seasons dissapointments. The Scoopers heartbreaking loss to Pierre in the first round of the playoffs last year was a microcosm of their entire season. Sturgis competed with almost everyone on their schedule but too often came up just short. Key injuries throughout the season and the inability to take advantage of key opportunities proved to be there downfall. However…………… with many returning players that have had key roles the past two seasons things are looking up in Scooper-land. Sturgis boasts a stud running back in Clint Wilson, an experienced and dependable signal caller in Joey Olson and an athletic wide receiver in Seth Bachand. If other key returning athletes can stay healthy and live up to expectations Sturgis may very well have a stellar season. The key will be staying away from the injury bug. The 2010 season is no different than most years for Sturgis, staying healthy will factor into their success because depth will continue to be an issue.
Spearfish returns nearly all of their players from last year’s winless campaign. Monte Meyerink is once again penciled in as the Quarterback.
If he can stay upright he should have success throwing to what is now a veteran crew of receivers. The Spartans will miss Mr. Do Everything Gavin Cordell. If the Spartans can find a way to replace Cordell they should be much improved upon the 2009 season. If you think depth is a factor in Sturgis, it is a huge factor in Spearfish. The sixteenth largest, and smallest AA school, will have to stay healthy to have any chance for success. If they can stay healthy, they will have a punchers chance on any given Friday night. Once again, the Sioux Falls schools are expected to dominate the GDC but I believe the northern hills schools will be much improved.
Groove Daddy Out!
Tags: Spearfish, Sturgis
Posted in Football | 2 Comments »
Groovy
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
Just as I was poised to reveal the list of candidates to assume the Bronc post vacated by Jim Martin old BBFAN has to go and rain on my parade! Click Here for BBFAN revelation
Assuming BBFAN is correct (which he is), Mr. Nick Redden, currently the Assistant Coach of the Broncs will guide the team next year. The former Custer standout (3rd Team All State, 1998) is a logical choice for the Bronc job.
Way to go Nick! The Bronc top job comes on the heals of pending nuptials for Mr. Redden.
Should be a great year for Mr. Redden and the Broncs. Here’s a big old buzzard salute to you!
Tags: Belle Fourche
Posted in Basketball | 2 Comments »
Groovy
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Jim Martin has retired as the Broncs coach. Click Here for Details
Coach Martin will be missed on the sidelines, that is for sure.
Always the gentlman, always a great tactician. The big question is who will fill his shoes? That is a question only the buzzard will attempt to answer. Stay tuned for details……
Tags: Belle Fourche
Posted in Basketball | 1 Comment »
Groovy
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
A big congrats to Lucas Reller and his recent signing to play basketball at Dickinson State University. Reller had a stellar career at Lead-Deadwood, leading the ’Diggers in assists and steals. His ability to get the basket almost at will put tremendous pressure on defenses.
The Buzzard family would like to extend its congratulations and wish Lucas the best in his next endeavors!!!
Congratulations Lucas and good luck!!!!!
Tags: Lead-Deadwood
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Groovy
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
The Sturgis Scoopers!!!!!!! Yup, I said it. Football, basketball and I will throw wrestling in there cuz they are the defending champs!!
Sturgis football is heading in the right direction under the tutelage of Head Coach Rod Richardson. Posting a winning season two years ago and competitive last season watch for the Scoopers to be a handful in the GDC. Joey Olson back at the helm at QB throwing to a large target like Seth Bachand could cause some problems for secondarys. Clint Wilson will help balance that air assault with his power running style and that will allow Olson some time in the play-action passing game.
Obviously a disappointing year for the Scooper basketball team, high hopes under 1st year Head Coach Orion Thompson. But, after settling in they did put up some good numbers and beat some quality teams along the way. Having the nucleus back from last season in Joey Olson, Seth Bachand, and Laban Clement will definitely push the Scoopers into uncharted territory like a GDC championship!! With the help of some other out of this years junior class and another year under Coach Thompson’s system, the Scoopers could be title contenders in a usually inconsistent AA system.
I’m not much on wrestling but with the loss of some quality grapplers from around the area and the upcoming group in Sturgis, the Scoopers will be a handful when it comes to competing for the Class A crown in 2010-11!! Thus making for the first triple crown nominee in Sports Buzzard history.
Good luck Scoopers in next years events!!!!!!
Groove Daddy Out!!!
PS: Miss ya SB3!
Tags: Sturgis
Posted in Basketball | 1 Comment »
