This is our new series in which we provide you with a recap of South Dakota Sports from the day prior while you start your afternoon. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the stories.
Welcome to the first blog of February! It should be an exciting month with a lot of big games and we are happy to announce that we have reached 250 followers on Twitter! Thank you for supporting us!!
New Media Poll
I think the media did an excellent job with the new rankings. For the most part, our Top 10 matched the media poll this week, which is probably a first! We try to be transparent with our selections, and last week’s rankings were probably the most difficult to decide on. It’s nice to see that the other media sites agreed with us, as they are also very experienced and knowledgeable on South Dakota sports.
Girls: STM’s Schedule Difficulty
St. Thomas More has the best record in South Dakota, and their schedule has been ridiculously tough. First, they defeated two teams from Wyoming who have lost only 3 games combined, and then won by 27 against a good Scottsbluff team. Now let’s look at the South Dakota teams they have played. The following opponents all have a winning record:
- Hill City (9-3) 23 point win
- RC Christian (9-5) 40 point win
- Belle Fourche (11-4) 26 point win
- SF Washington (8-2) 5 point win
- Bridgewater-Emery (8-6) 36 point win
- Corsica-Stickney (14-2) 23 point win
- Belle Fourche (11-3) 48 point win
The Cavaliers have faced some of the toughest teams in South Dakota, including the #2 team in Class AA (SF Washington) and the #1 team in Class B (Corsica-Stickney). The schedule does not get any easier, however, as the Cavaliers will face Winner on Friday and Sioux Falls Christian on February 12…and then they have to travel to West Central. If this schedule doesn’t prepare a team for the state tournament, nothing will.
Boys: Viborg-Hurley’s Big Win
The Cougars have had a few tough losses this season, including back-to-back games against Vermillion and De Smet. The third loss was against Chamberlain, who is 12-1 this season. Those three teams are very good, so you can give Viborg-Hurley a break. However, when you are just looking at record, it is easy to look past the Cougars as a favorite to win Class B…until they defeated #3 Canistota on Tuesday by 22 points!
The win over Canistota might be the most impressive victory this season, and the Cougars showed that they can play with anyone this season. Reaching the Class B championship will not be easy for any team, but don’t count the Cougars out.
Boys: Vermillion is Good
Vermillion is good. The Tanagers are now #1 in the rankings, and deservingly so, as Vermillion is undefeated with wins against Viborg-Hurley and Sioux Falls Christian. But just because they are the top team right now doesn’t mean they have nothing left to prove. Vermillion will play Dakota Valley on February 9th and that game could be a preview for the Class A State Championship. Besides Dakota Valley, Sioux Falls Christian and Sioux Valley are also excellent teams that will be looking to reach the state championship, but for now, Vermillion is #1.
Final Thoughts
Support your community and have a great Wednesday!
As always, we do our best to include what we can, but we can’t include everybody. We enjoy the support you bring, and next week we will continue to have more analysis and recap on SD Sports!
