Sports & Rec

The best South Dakota sports moments of 2024

SDPB Radio | By Nate Wek

Published December 31, 2024 at 1:52 PM CST

Another year of champions, memories, and moments. High school sports is what makes South Dakota special, and in 2024, it didn't disappoint. Here's our list of the top sports moments in South Dakota.

Top Moments

10. Centerville wins first girls hoops title2

The Centerville Tornadoes are your Class B State Champions!#SDHoops24 | @CentervilleGBB
pic.twitter.com/td4vUCaOt1
— Digital Z South Dakota (@DigitalZSD) March 10, 2024

Centerville's girls basketball team had a phenomenal ending to their 2023-24 season, taking down top seeded Arlington in dominating fashion to win the 'B' state title in March.

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9. Pine Ridge wins first football title in 2OT thriller

Pine Ridge joined the All-Nations Football Conference in 2024, and immediately made an impact. The Thorpes finished the season with a clash against Winnebago for the 9A title. The game would come down to a two-point conversion in the second overtime period that saw Pine Ridge rise to the occasion to clinch the championship.

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8. Aidan Hedderman breaks state record in 110m hurdles

Aidan Hedderman of Sturgis Brown is now the all-time state leader in the Boys 110m Hurdles.

The Scoopers senior finished the state meet with a time of 13.88, which broke the previous state record set by Talon Maxon (14.15) of Rapid City Central in 2015. #SDPreps #SDTrack24 pic.twitter.com/UtNycYn2RY
— SDPB Sports (@SDPBSports) May 25, 2024

“I was hoping for it. I’m not a cocky guy, but I was to myself very confident in winning both races and knowing I could go under fourteen (110m hurdles) if I put together a good race, so it was awesome to just come together and do it.”

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7. Berkeley Engelland caps prep career with twelve titles

Berkeley Engelland, a senior for Mt. Vernon/Plankinton, won two state titles at the state meet in 2024, the 800m run and the 400m dash. This put her at a total of twelve state championships for her high school resume. One of the truly great prep track careers in state track history.

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6. Giada Scherich makes history for Lakota Tech

Giada Scherich earns first State Girl's Wrestling title for her school - Lakota Tech #SDWrestling24 #SDPreps pic.twitter.com/bQFI0sINXI
— SDPB Sports (@SDPBSports) February 24, 2024

State tournaments are the perfect spot for historical moments, and for Giada Scherich, she rose to the occasion on the biggest stage. The Lakota Tech junior not only won her first ever state wrestling title for herself, but she’s also the first wrestler from her school to do it.

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5. Hanson’s Jim Bridge retires as winningest girls coach in state history

On January 26, 2024, Jim Bridge of Hanson became the winningest girls basketball coach in state history, topping Dawn Seiler's (Aberdeen Central) mark of 629 career wins. At the end of the season, Bridge announced he'd be stepping down and sat down with SDPB's Brad DeBeer at the state tourney to talk about his legendary career.

4. Thrilling boys basketball championships

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Aidan DeBoer / SDPB

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Craig Wollman / SDPB

All three boys state basketball championships ended in thrilling fashion. Howard topped De Smet 60-55 in overtime, Hamlin outlasted Sioux Falls Christian 53-50 in overtime, and Mitchell won their first title in 19-years with a 46-45 win over Brandon Valley. It was one of the most exciting nights for boys basketball in state history with all three title games coming down to the wire.

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A Story - Click Here
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3. Watertown ends Pierre’s streak with first title since 2001

STATUE OF LIBERTY!

Watertown uses a little trickery to convert the 4th down and ends up taking the lead. Spencer Wientjes takes the behind the back handoff 24 yards to the house. Arrows lead 14-7 with just under 4 mins to go.#SDPreps #SDFootball24 pic.twitter.com/MAVwyZRUNV
— SDPB Sports (@SDPBSports) November 16, 2024

Watertown won their first state football title in 23-years at the 2024 state football championships. Not only did the Arrows hoist the trophy, but the win ended the seven year streak held by the Pierre Governors.

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2. Beau Karst breaks state all-time pole vault record

Harrisburg's Beau Karst is the top boys pole vaulter in South Dakota prep history.

Karst reached a height of 16'4" at the state meet, which broke his own state record set eleven days ago (16'3"). He's now ranked 29th in the nation. pic.twitter.com/KdaDFKTCYI
— SDPB Sports (@SDPBSports) May 24, 2024

Beau Karst, a senior from Harrisburg, broke the all-time prep state record in the pole vault event in 2024. He broke the record first at a meet during the regular season, and then broke his mark again at the state meet with all eyes watching.

It was truly one of the most magical moments on the state's biggest stage.

1. USA Olympians – Miles Krajewski and Taryn Kloth

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Miles Krajewski of Yankton qualified for the Paraolympic Games in Paris for Badminton, while Taryn Kloth, an alum of O'Gorman, qualified in Beach Volleyball in the Olympic Games.

Miles and his teammate Jayci Simon ended up winning the silver medal. Taryn and her teammate Kristen Nuss, while they didn't medal, still had some impressive performances in Paris, making America and the state of South Dakota proud.

SDPB featured Miles Krajewski in its 'Tales from the Hardwood' program in 2024. His story is one that had all of us rooting for him.