Across the Black Hills, a new era of football is being ushered in.
Buy in from new head coaches at major schools.
High camp attendance this past summer.
Many can feel the changes beginning to take place and an excitement is beginning to build around what football in Rapid City can become.
And at the epicenter of this revival?
A program that is looking to host its first 11-Man state playoff game in school history.
Enter Rapid City Christian.
“We have all been working on Black Hills Academy where we brought in kids to learn football specific position skills,” Said 2nd Year Head Coach Matt McIntosh.
“80-ish kids signed up. That translated well for us for Black Hill Youth Football, as we hosted one night of it. They had 190 kids at that event.
“Then we host our own youth football camp. I had planned for 30 kids…We had 45 kids show up. That’s for our local small 11B school.”
That excitement and buy-in has led to a record-breaking roster size for the Comets, who will have 46 players competing this season.
And combining that depth with a group of talented upperclassmen, one can easily see the momentum that is building on the south side of hills.
“For first time since I’ve been here for sure, we have a number of fleets we can bring.”
Junior quarterback Simon Kieffer will look to lead the way offensively after a big sophomore season in which he threw for 21 touchdowns and over 1,600 yards.
“Simon has grown a ton as the leader. He has figured out how the offense works and how he can put us in better positions. He’s really just advanced. Even as a sophomore he played so much better than his age; he acts like a college kid the way he grabs the game and understands the schemes.”
The Comets also bring back explosive playmakers around Kieffer, including his cousins, Benson and Lars Kieffer, along with Daniel Jacobs and Wes Schalbach.
Schalbach returns the most yards from this core and looks to take his game to another level this season.
“Wes is going to be a leader in the wide receiver crew. He’s a really hard nosed kid. He fires off the ball blocking and he comes off the line hard.”
On the other side of the ball, Benson (3 FR) and Lars (4 INT) bring their playmaking ability to the secondary, while Drake Lindberg (90 tackles) and Braylon Marshall (92 tackles) headline a linebacker core that looks to be the centerpiece of the defensive unit.
“Braylon is amazing, he’s a hard-hitting kid. And to compliment him we’ve got Drake. Drake is the greatest kid in the world. A yes-sir, no-sir, ranch guy. He’s tough.”
Adding in senior DL Harm Straatmeyer (18.5 TFL) to the mix, the Comets defense has the makings of a group that can help take the program to new heights.
“Our goal this year is to host a playoff game. We want to host a first round playoff game.”
Rapid City Christian now looks to begin their path to the playoffs with an opening night matchup against Lead-Deadwood.
It’s one of the four guaranteed games this season at Hart Ranch.
But if the Comets have any say in the matter, that number will soon turn to five.
You can check out the Comets complete schedule below.
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