Q: How much of a benefit is it for Jefferson to have all 22 starters back?
A: I talked about it in a soccer preview, but one of the rare benefits of starting a new school is the lack of seniors, and when you don’t have many seniors, that obviously leads to a ton of experience.
Jefferson has some serious talent on both sides of the ball, and truthfully, these guys are going to be a favorite to reach the Dome. We’ll have more on this in the preview later, but in a lot of cases, experience is the greatest indicator of success.
Q: Should there be an enrollment modifier for success?
A: Yes….and no. I don’t feel as though there should be a modifier in South Dakota. In most states, this modifier is used to move private schools to a class that is more fair.
But in South Dakota, private schools aren’t a major player in the game. Yes, STM and SFC have had dynasties in their own right, but I don’t know how much it would help to move them. I would definitely like to see the Chargers compete in AA for volleyball, however.
With O’Gorman, they modify it themselves by moving up to AAA. And as for team’s like Pierre or Winner that have won a lot in the recent era, I don’t really see the need for a success modifier. For competition purposes, there usually is at least 3 teams that can win the state championship in AA, and last year, I would say even 4 could easily have made the Dome.
We already have oversaturated classes for football in South Dakota, so moving good teams to other classes will oversaturate those classes even more. I think playing those schools should motivate other teams to play even better, which in the long run, will be better for the classes.
I am, however, in favor of the enrollment modifier based on free and reduced lunch. I think that is a good move by the state, and I think it will affect a lot fewer teams than most realize.
Q: It seems more and more schools are switching to turf football and baseball fields these days. Do you guys prefer one type over the other? Do you think there is a greater risk of injury on turf?
A: I don’t have all the scientific facts, so I am going to stay away towards part 2 of this question. As for part 1, turf is better in a lot of ways. For collegiate baseball, it is huge to have a field that is available to play on in the early spring.
Field prep and post is super easy, and I don’t think a lot of people know how to properly take care of a grass baseball field. Turf is also useful for schools that feature soccer and football teams, as the wear and tear is less on the playing field.
However, there is something special about a grass baseball field when quality is the focus. Otherwise, I think turf is a great investment.
Q: Who is on the All-State legion list?
A: I thought about doing this one, but the truth is, it is impossible to do accurately and fairly. There simply isn’t enough statistics to make the list, and I will never give awards off of reputation. I might get into it later this week, or even at a future time, but it is important for the growth of sports in South Dakota to have complete stats available in some way. This is in all sports, not just baseball.
I know there are teams who put their stats on Gamechanger, which we use. However, I think until baseball is a state sponsored sport, and there are requirements to put your stats on a site like Bound, we are going to stay away from baseball awards.
Q: Which improvements are you looking for in SDSU’s offense and defense with the changes in coordinators for both sides?
A: I love this question. I think it is going to be very tough for the Jackrabbits to replace some talented players like Chris Oladokun and Pierre Strong. But even without those two, the offense has some great pieces, like Mark Gronowski, Tucker Kraft and Jaxon Janke to name a few.
Passing and rushing was pretty much even last season, with SDSU passing for 16 more yards per game than they threw. If SDSU wants to stick to that gameplan, Isaiah Davis had the most yards among returners from last season.
However, Zach Lujan has worked with the quarterbacks for sometime after being a Jackrabbit QB himself. I think when you got a QB like Gronowski, coached by a former QB who was a solid thrower, after losing an NFL running back, the signs point towards an offense that is going to rely on it’s passing. And with the options they have in the air, I don’t see a reason why they wouldn’t.
As far as defense, it’s really important to be flexible towards the offenses your facing. Jimmy Rodgers was Co-Defensive Coordinator last year, and the Jackrabbits had the third best defense in the conference but the eighth best pass defense. However, that could be deceiving, as SDSU had the fourth most efficient pass defense.
But looking at their losses, SIU and Montana State were both games in which they gave up 300+ yards. As for the UNI loss, they stopped the run (2.1 ypr) but gave up some big passes…21 yards per completion on just 11 catches. And we all know about the USD game, but in rivalries, sometimes it gets crazy.
Obviously losses are going to happen, and I won’t even say passing was a severe weakness, just that if there was an area of improvement, I would like to see it in the pass game.
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