361 miles.
That’s the distance it takes to travel from the town of Herreid to the DakotaDome in Vermillion. Through Aberdeen and along Interstate 29 it can normally take over 5 1/2 hours to make the trip.
But for Herreid/Selby Area, the journey to this year’s state championship has been much longer than that.
Before any of the current players were in the program, the Wolverines won a total of 7 games scattered among three seasons. But the class of ’19 hoped to be an exception the rule, and Coach Clayton Randall’s program found a spark that ignited one of the best active runs in South Dakota.
“We had a group of kids that had 3 years of below average football results and before their senior season in ’19. They understood it was going to take a lot more work in the offseason.”
Those seniors lead the Wolverines to a strong offseason in the weightroom, and translated the work into wins, resulting in 9 victories and a trip to the 9B state championship in Brookings. Though the Wolverines fell to Colman-Egan, that run inspired a new generation of Wolverines to reach great heights, according to Coach Randall.
“Seeing the amount of work that put in, and the results that coincided with that [has created a culture change.] We are now on our fourth year of field a very competitive football team and our kids understand the expectations that come with that.“
That 2019 season also quietly started one of the best careers in South Dakota history.
As a freshman, Brenden Begeman found himself on a different side of ball than what would later become his legacy. The future star took on a role with the defense on and found himself right in the mix with the best of 9B.
“You could just see him develop that season and go from a freshman to a guy that can make plays in a varsity game. You could see early on what he could become and he was a kid that wanted to be a top level player. [Then] as a sophomore, he continued to develop and he’s doing some things now you don’t see very often.”
Begeman certainly has put himself in rare company, accumulating 6,618 yards in his career, putting him within 200 yards of the all-time record.
He is also surrounded by lots of talent that has allowed him to grow into the playmaker he become, including an offensive line that has earned the respect of many, including their coach, for their work in the record.
“Anytime you have a guy that chasing an all-time rushing record, it starts with guys upfront. For him to put the numbers up he has for the last three years, we’ve had some really good offensive lines.
Our two guards, Hunter Friend, and Collin Tisdall, our center, Kaden Sayler, tight end Trevor Gill and fullback Mason Vetter…Those guys take a lot of pride in getting their job done to do what he is doing.“
That combination of hard work and talent has resulted in 32 wins for the Wolverines since that 19′ season, included state championship appearances in 2021 and now, 2022.
H/SA fell short last season against a talented Howard team, but Coach Randall believes last year’s experience can turn into an advantage for the Wolverines.
“They know what it looks like, they know what the travel is. They are accumulated to what it’s like to play in the Dome, and you hope to see our team settle in and execute our game plan early cause we have had the experience of playing there.“
H/SA arrived in Vermillion on Wednesday night, making that long trip before their early 11 o’clock game.
But for the Wolverines, the journey began long before the bus started, and may not be complete until one last passenger comes home:
The Class 9B State Championship Trophy.