Turning question marks into exclamation.
That is what the Dell Rapid Quarriers have done this season.
“We didn’t have a lot of starting experience back from last year. So we had a lot of question marks coming into the season with experience, and guys just stepping in and doing their role,” Head Coach Jason Fersdahl said. “We developed some cohesion on the floor and it’s good to see because we had a challenging schedule.”
The Quarriers returned just two players who started for the 2019-2020 State Qualifying team, but this new version of Dell Rapids basketball carried on the tradition and picked up big victories early against West Central, Tea Area and cross-town rival Dell Rapids St. Mary.
“It was a tough deal last year making the state tournament but having it cancelled. It is especially difficult to make the state tournament,” Fersdahl said. “To miss out on that experience was kind of a heartbreak that may never go away. But we have pretty high hopes every year and we have been blessed with some really talented players for this year.”
Dell Rapids then lost by just 1 to Iowa Class 2A State Champion Western Christian, and lost to Sioux Fall Christian soon after. But even after those losses, and four more to Vermillion, Flandreau, St.Thomas More, and Dakota Valley, the Quarriers kept their heads up high. After all, they had played with some of the toughest teams in the state, in one of the toughest conferences, and gained the experience they desired.
“Year in year out in the Dakota XII you have to play well,” Fersdahl said. “We had to get better quickly early in the year, we had some tough tests.”
And those though battles prepared the Quarriers for the road to the state tournament. Dell Rapids picked up two more wins in the regular season against Lennox and Garretson before defeating two very tough teams, West Central and Rapid City Christian, in the playoffs.
Now, the Quarriers, 16-6 will take on a familiar foe. The Quarriers drew undefeated Vermillion in the first round. Dell Rapids has had the closest margin of loss by any team against the Tanagers this season, losing by two back on January 28th.
“Vermillion has had a great year undefeated. They are a senior lead group and we played them twice last year. We didn’t get out to the start we wanted to,” Fersdahl said of the Quarriers loss. “Our guys took a lot of confidence out of the first game, and we know the challenge at hand.”
But if any team, or city, is poised for any upset, look to Dell Rapids. After all, both the Quarriers and DRSM made the state tournament this season, and there may be no town that was more hyped for this tournament than Dells.
“It’s an exciting time in Dell Rapids for sure,” Fersdahl said.
