LOCAL SPORTS 1-9-23

The FCS National title game took place Sunday afternoon, as South Dakota State and North Dakota State battled to decide which football program was the best in the country. The Jackrabbits would come out victorious as they took a 45 to 21 victory over the Bison, as South Dakota State were crowned FCS national champions for the first time in school history, ending their season with a program record 14 wins and 1 loss.

SDSU Quarterback Mark Gronowski earned MVP honors for his performance in the title game as he threw for 223 yards, ran for 57 more, and tallied 4 total touchdowns in the victory.

The Mount Marty Lancers women’s basketball team were on the road over the weekend as they took a trip to Omaha, Nebraska for their game against the College of Saint Mary. KYNT Broadcaster Tehl Tanner broke down the action following the game on Saturday.

MMU gamewrap 1-9 (26 seconds) “… I’m Tehl Tanner”

            Coverage for the Lancer’s Wednesday night double-header can be found on KYNT and KYNTV. Pregame coverage will begin at 5:30 PM with Tehl Tanner on the call.

            The Yankton Bucks and Gazelles basketball squads hosted the Mitchell Kernels in a home double header on Friday that saw Mitchell take both games over Yankton.

            The Gazelles fell to the Kernels 45 to 27 in the opener as they are now (0-5) on the season, while a 2nd half rally from the Kernels led them to a 51 to 44 victory over the Bucks, as the Yankton boys now hold a (2-1) overall record.

            Next up for the Bucks and Gazelles are a pair of games against the Watertown Arrows. The Gazelles will host Watertown on Thursday night, while the Bucks will travel to Watertown to get their shot at the Arrows on Friday night. Both games are set to tip off at 7:00 PM on their respective nights, with coverage on KYNT and KYNTV for both contests.

            The Yankton Gazelles gymnastics team traveled to Brookings on Saturday as they took part in the Patty Jorgenson Invitational at Brookings High School.

            O’Gorman would take the overall top spot with a total score of 145, followed by Mitchell and Harrisburg on the podium. The Gazelles would finish i 10th place out of 12 teams with an overall score of 126.7.

            Allie Byrkeland secured the highest all-around score for Yankton with a 30.85, while Ava Koller had the highest single event score for the Gazelles, earning an 8.925 on her floor routine.

            The Yankton Bucks and Gazelles wrestling teams traveled to Brandon Valley on Saturday to participate in the Dan Pansch Invitational at Brandon Valley High School.

            Jaclyn Kyte and Naveah Leonard both earned top 3 finishes in their classes for the Gazelles as Kyte took 3rd and Leonard earned 1st place, winning all of her matches by pinfall.

            For the Bucks, 5 different wrestlers earned a top 5 place as Peyton Eustace earned a 5th place spot, while Devon Coke, Patrick Gurney, Damian Janish, and Dylan Sloan finished 4th in their classes.

            The South Dakota Coyotes men’s and women’s basketball teams squared off with the North Dakota State Bison on Saturday.

            The Coyote women hosted the Bison in Vermillion as NDSU escaped the Sanford Coyote Sports Center with a 79 to 76 victory despite a 30-point performance from Coyote guard Grace Larkins as USD is now (8-9) on the year .

            The USD men also fell in their matchup with North Dakota State up in Fargo as NDSU took a 73-61 home victory off the back of 4 separate Bison putting up double digit point totals.

            The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are the next team on the schedule for both the Coyote men and women in the SD Corn Showdown Series this Thursday. The Women will play in Brookings with a 1:00 PM tip-off, while the men will play in Vermillion. Tip-off for the men is set for 6:00 PM Thursday night.

            The South Dakota State men’s and women’s basketball teams swept the North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks over the weekend.

            The Jackrabbit women defended Frost Arena and secured a 33-point victory as they beat North Dakota 105 to 72. Myah Sellend led the way for SDSU as she scored 30 points and secured 4 rebounds in the victory.

            The SDSU men went down to the wire with the Hawks as they left Grand Forks with a tight 60 to 59 victory over North Dakota. Zeke Mayo stuffed the stat sheet for the Jacks as he put up 14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 assists on Saturday, leading the team in all 4 categories.

            Next up for both squads are the previously mentioned SD Corn Showdown Series games with the South Dakota Coyotes on Thursday. The women will tip off from Frost Arena in Brookings at 1:00 PM, while the men will play in Vermillion with a 6:00 PM scheduled tip.