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Roncalli football coach Terry Dosch, Ipswich runner Macy Heinz, Aberdeen Central swimmer Hannah Kastigar, Northern State wrestler Matt Meuleners, dirt-track auto racer Chad Becker of Aberdeen and (top) Timber Lake freshman Tatum Ward and her horse, Scooter, all had Rare Moments in sports in 2012. (American News Graphic by Tyler Oliver / January 2, 2013) |
June 19: Almost 4,000 fans nearly filled Fitzgerald Stadium in Rapid City to watch Post 22 defeat Post 320 8-3 in the first-ever regular-season meeting between the two rival American Legion baseball teams.
June 20: Recent Faith High School graduate Alana Gray and Faith senior teammate Tearnee Nelson played in four state tournaments during the 2011-12 season. They were mainstays on the Longhorns’ State B volleyball and basketball teams; they placed fifth and sixth in the pole vault in the state track meet, and both qualified for the high school state finals rodeo.
June 21: Mitchell native Mike Miller scored 23 points, making seven of eight three-pointers, as he helps Miami win the NBA title in the deciding Game 5.
June 24: Gary Brown Jr. of Brandon set a Huset's Speedway record for career wins in the Street Stock division with his 51st feature victory at the track in Brandon.
June 24: Drew Cowan of Highmore edged his cousin, Tate Cowan of Fort Pierre, by 9.5 points to win the 2012 boys’ all-around title at the South Dakota High School State Finals Rodeo.
June 24: In his last two outings in Sunshine League amateur baseball games for Alexandria, former South Dakota State pitcher Trever Vermeulen was one out away from back-to-back perfect games. He got two wins, threw one no-hitter, gave up only one hit and one walk and struck out 32 in the two games.
June 28: Retired veteran Rapid City Post 22 coach Dave Ploof was honored at the 51st annual Democrats vs. Republicans Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game in Washington at Nationals Park.
June 28: Pole-vaulter Derek Miles of Tea qualified for his third Olympics.
July 7: Three members of a Mitchell drag racing family each recently pulled off a rarity.
A perfect reaction time is .000 on the computer-generated stats that are produced after each race. So that means a driver would take off at the exact moment the Christmas tree lights that start a drag race turn green. The odds of doing so are 1 in 3,458, according to the National Hot Rod Association.
The father of the Mohr Family Racing Team, Dan, scored his perfect triple zero light June 23 at Oahe Speedway in Pierre. His son, Austin, accomplished the feat in the (age) 15 Junior Dragster division June 30 at the Western Conference Junior Finals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. Then 8-year-old Chelsey, daughter of Dan and sister to Austin, did it in the Junior Minor Shootout July 7 at Oahe Speedway — in just her fourth shot ever at the Christmas tree.
July 13: Lake Norden Lakers amateur baseball manager Burt Tulson got his 700th win in 37 years with the Lakers. It also was his first ever win by forfeit as the Watertown Lake Sox weren't able to field a full squad for a game against the Lakers.
July 13: A 19-year-old Pure Stock auto racer from Hecla, Ashley Wampler, won her third feature race at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen in four weeks after winning her first-ever feature June 22.
July 21: Drew Cowan of Highmore won the tie-down (calf) roping in the National High School Finals Rodeo. South Dakotans have now have won 50 national titles in the 64 years of the event.
July 26: Spearfish Post 164 defeated Post 22 14-11 for the Rapid City’s first lost in the Region 3A Tournament since 2004.
Aug. 1: The 80th annual South Dakota Amateur Baseball State B Tournament started without Dell Rapids Pabst Blue Ribbon, which qualified but was disqualified for accidently using an ineligible player. PBR had reached the state tournament 26 straight years, capturing nine Class B titles during that stretch.
Aug. 5: Brookings won its first American Legion Baseball state title ever.
Aug. 10: Dale Ames of Huron won the WISSOTA Modified feature at Miller Speedway. It is only the fourth time Modifieds have raced at the track. Lorin Johnson of Miller, who won the last time Modifieds raced there on July 4, 1988, finished sixth.
Aug. 17: The Aberdeen Central boys defeated St. Thomas More 4-0 in the first South Dakota High School Activities Association sanctioned high school soccer match.
Aug. 25: Watertown won its football opener 22-14 under Eureka native Steve Svendsen. The former Northern State standout is only the 11th head coach in Arrow school history since 1930.
