2017: A great year to be a Brandon Valley Lynx

The success stories of Brandon Valley Lynx athletics have been plentiful since the Brandon Valley Journal began publication in August.  

 

August 2017

After breezing through their Region 2A opponents and capturing their first region title in several years, BV American Legion Post 131’s state baseball title dreams were dashed. BV defeated Aberdeen 9-5 before suffering losses to both Pierre and Mitchell. The team was led by nine seniors that included Isaiah Chevalier, Wilson Kolbeck, Ryan Meyer, Payton Livingston, Zach Felderman, Mitchell Hoover, Isaac Buteyn and Taylor Crow.

 

September

The Lady Lynx soccer team made program history by defeating a Sioux Falls team for the first time since it was sanctioned as a school sport in 2014. The Lynx shut-out the Roosevelt Rough Riders in early September, and coach Jacob Shoup described the feat as “a huge stepping stone for our program.”

Brandon native Howard Brown was inducted into the South Dakota Senior Games Hall of Fame. As a thrower, Brown has a 12-year history with the SD Senior Games and in that time, has garnered second, third, fourth and fifth places on two occasions at the national Senior Games level. He also owns two South Dakota State Senior Games records.

Brandon Valley Baseball Association broke ground Sept. 22 on First National Bank Field @ Aspen Park. Field A at Aspen Park is being transformed into a premier baseball facility that will feature new concessions, restrooms and grandstand seating for 500, a new backstop and netting system, dugouts, a turf infield, laser-leveled outfield with a state-of-the-art irrigation system, new game fences, a full bullpen renovation, walking paths and new lighting. 

At the time, the BVBA had raised $1.1 million in support of the project, and the first games to be played at the new complex are scheduled for spring 2018.

 

October

Brandon Valley’s girls’ soccer team came another step closer to securing a state championship and recorded another first for the program with their 2-0 defeat of Spearfish, their ninth consecutive victory. The Lynx girls had never won a post-season playoff game, and the victory gave the team the opportunity to host O’Gorman in the state semifinal game.

BVHS sophomores Sydney Pelletier and Tanna Lehfeldt captured the ESD Conference flight 1 doubles title in an amazing come-from-behind victory. Pelletier and Lehfeldt shocked the tennis crowd by delivering an 11-10(3) loss to Mitchell’s No. 1-seeded Avery Larson and Sammy Pooley.

“Despite being sophomores, they proved in that match that they are capable of handling big moments mentally and are poised for some great things the next couple years,” head coach Adam Rothenberger said.

Brandon resident and all-NCC basketball player Julia (Frie) Schlekeway was one of five athletes inducted into the University of South Dakota’s Henry Heider Coyote Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 13. Schlekeway was the third USD female athlete to receive the prestigious Stan Marshall Award (NCC Athlete of the Year) and was instrumental during USD’s 2002-03 run to the Sweet 16. That team finished with a 27-5 record and were the NCC champions.

Chad Garrow reached a football coaching milestone – his 100th win – when the Lynx shutout Watertown 34-0 Oct. 6. 

“This staff has been with me this whole time, and so I couldn’t do a lot of the things we do without the staff. And obviously, you can’t win games without great players, and we’ve had a lot of great players over the years,” Garrow said.

BV junior Krista Bickley was presented the Gatorade Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year award during half-time of Coach Garrow’s 100th win.

Although landing an 11th place team finish at the girls’ state tennis tournament may not be headline worthy, BV coach Adam Rothenberger said the team played its best tennis of the season at the end-of-the-year event.

Tanna Lehfeldt claimed fourth place in flight one singles, and teamed up with Sydney Pelletier to win fifth place in flight 1 doubles.

They say practice makes perfect, but three straight seasons of practice as Class AA state champion runner-up couldn’t help the Lady Lynx softball team take the state title from Sioux Falls O’Gorman. BV played four games in the tournament, which was pared down to a single day due to heavy rainfall on day one. The Lynx opened with an 8-1 victory over Yankton, followed by an 11-2 defeat of Sioux Falls Washington. BV took the first game against the eventual champs, 4-0, and fell short in the all-important 5-3 title 

loss to the Knights.

 

 

“I am just so proud of our kids. They deserve every bit of success that came their way, and unfortunately it just didn’t go our way in the final opportunity,” head coach Corey Christensen said.

The Lady Lynx competitive dance and cheer squads bought home ESD Conference titles from the league’s Oct. 12 event in Huron. It was the dance team’s sixth consecutive title and the cheer team’s fifth.

Oct. 21 was a prideful day for BV High’s cross country, cheer and dance programs. Within a few hours and a few miles of one another in Rapid City, the Lady Lynx cross country and cheer teams each captured state championships, and the dance squad secured state runner-up honors for the second consecutive year. The cross country win was a first for the program – boys and girls alike – while it was the second straight state title for the cheer team.

“It was a historic weekend at Brandon Valley – wow!” said Randy Marso, BV activities director. “Our Lynx pride was off the chart. Never before has BV had two teams win a state championship on the same day, and a runner-up title. This is a celebration of Lady Lynx athletics.”

 

November

Stingy defense was a key factor that led Brandon Valley to a 35-17 victory over Rapid City Stevens in the first round of the 11AAA football playoffs. The Lynx defense was front and center, containing the Raiders to 113 total yards on offense and intercepting a pair of passes for scores in the second half.

There’s a bright future for Brandon Valley football. Two Peewee division teams – both hailing from BV – squared off in the South Dakota Junior Football Division championship game played on the artificial turf at Howard Wood Field.

Despite Interstate Construction winning the 12-6 overtime outcome against MSH Architects, both teams came away from the experience as winners.

You can’t script endings like the one that unfolded Nov. 3 at Howard Wood Field. The 11AAA semifinal clash featured two teams determined to keep their seasons alive to play one more game: the all-important championship game.

But as life would have it, only one team can move on, and much to BV Lynx players and fans dismay, in this play for play, yard for yard, score for score game, the nail-biting, double-overtime 41-40 ending went the way of the Roosevelt Rough Riders.

“We’ll look back on the game and there will be a lot of different things, where we’ll say, ‘We could have done that better’ or ‘we could’ve done this better,’ just things like that. But the thing is, the kids played hard and gave it their all,” Coach Garrow said.

A local senior division S.D Jr. Football Association team won their respective state title, topping Billion 28-16 at under the roof of the USD DakotaDome. 

BVHS senior Hannah Hendrick was recognized for excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community with the Wendy’s High School Heisman award.

Six BVHS student-athletes solidified their collegiate futures during the fall signing process. Signing the paperwork were Josh Donahoe, track and field at South Dakota State; Liz Duncan, golf, University of South Dakota; Hannah Hendrick, track and field, Black Hills State University; Felicity Klinkhammer, basketball, Dakota Wesleyan University; Marya Schiltz, track and field, University of Sioux Falls; and Haylee Waterfall, Augustana University, track and field and cross country.

BV coaches Todd and Roxie Geerdes were recognized for coaching 33 and 30 years, respectively, during halftime of the 11AAA state football finals.

 

December

Brandon Valley Hockey Association founding member Bryan Seaver had the honor of dropping the puck Dec. 3. The ceremonial puck drop preceded the IceCats’ first home game on their new refrigerate outdoor rink at McHardy Park. 

BV junior Trinity Law couldn’t be stopped in the team’s 68-58 road win against Sioux Falls Washington on Dec. 19. Law scored 32 points and set a new school record, turning in a 13-fr-13 performance at the free throw line.

BV seniors Max Howard and Cade Terveer took advantage of the Division 1 college football’s first-ever early signing period. Both are headed to South Dakota State. Howard, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 320 pounds, will help out on the Jacks’ offensive line. Terveer, 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, will play defensive end for State.