Over the past several weeks, we have witnessed some great basketball games at the high school and college levels. At the same time, there has been discussion to revamp the very system that makes it a great environment.
The NCAA is discussing expanding the 64 field. There have been some awesome games with incredible upsets this year. Would increasing the field of 64 change these great games, upsets, story lines, etc…? In the end this decision will come down to money with very little input from SD.
The great part of the Summit League Tournament is the winner gets an invite to the dance. The Summit League Tournament is exciting due to this fact. Would increasing the field of 64 make the Summit League Tournament less exciting or important? Probably not, as the Summit League would still only have one or two entrants to the big dance. However, the expansion would diminish the importance of the Minnesota Gophers needing to have a great conference tournament to get their ticket punched. The reality is the increased teams would be coming from the major conferences versus the Summit Leagues of NCAA.
This gets back to our own little world of SD. There is a push to change the post season for basketball and volleyball so the best two teams from some poll do not eliminate each other prior to the state tournament. This year it was Madison eliminating SFC prior to the State Tournament. This is nothing new. It has happened in the past, and will happen again. Is this a bad thing?
The BBB Region 1A Championship in 2005 had Clark rated number 1 and Milbank rated number 2 meeting up for the Region Championship game in what turned out to be a great game with a great environment. This happens every year in Class B Volleyball where NW and Warner battle it out thus creating some classic matches.
Does it need to change? Presently we are getting the best regional teams in Class A and B to make it to the State Tournament. We may not be getting the best 8 teams in the State Tournaments, but we do have a State Tournament with regional pride.
Last year, the NDSU MBB won the Summit League Tourney. Although I am not a Bison fan, I paid attention to that game and was cheering on NDSU when they were taking on Kansas. Likewise, the SDSU WBB has gotten great regional support over the past two years with both Dakotas cheering on the Jackrabbits in the NCAA tournament. I would even venture to say even some Sioux and Coyote fans were cheering for their arch rivals during those games.
If SFC would have been in the State Tournament, then a Crow Creek might not have made it to the State Tournament. There would not have been a regional game between Crow Creek and Mobridge-Pollock with the importance of the winner having their ticket punched to the dance. The reality is that Crow Creek had a slim chance of defeating Madison in the first round, but there was a chance. Had that region not been represented in the State Tournament, then that area of the state might become casual observers much in the same way the Dakotas were casual observers of the NCAA tournament prior to last year and this year.
Do we really want the Class A and Class B regional games to lose their importance? Do we really want to basically eliminate a region of the state from the state tournament experience just to make sure the best 8 teams from some poll gets into the State Tournament?
Do not fix something that is not broke.
That being said, football is a whole other issue, so let us just keep this discussion limited to basketball or volleyball. Comparing the proposed changes in football to basketball and volleyball is like comparing apples to oranges.
The Northeast (NE) Eagle was going to provide updates during the year, but ended up being grounded due to reasons beyond his control. I apologize to our leading buzzards for not providing better coverage of NE SD during the winter months. It has been a long winter.
The basketball season was fairly successful in the glacial lakes of NESD. The teams represented our little corner of SD very well. All the teams should be proud as we were provided with some very entertaining games throughout the year.
In the Boy AA ranks, a Northern recruit once again raised the Golden Eagles to the brink of success only to have their hopes dashed by one of those Sioux Empire teams. On the girls side, the AA teams had their successes throughout the year climbing up and down through the ranks proving they could play with the best within SD but came up short at the end of the year.
In the Boy A ranks, the Green Cavaliers made a good showing at the State A falling to their fellow Blue Cavaliers in the semi-finals. The NEC was very competitive this year between Roncalli, Clark-Willow Lake, Sisseton, and Milbank. The Redmen are the early favorites next year due to the fact they did not have any seniors. As usual, the Cavaliers and Bulldogs are not going to simply hand them the NEC title. Clark-Willow Lake will be the big unknown next year as Mr. Everything (D. Brown) heads down to USF.
In the Girl A ranks, Sisseton and Clark-Willow Lake teams made the NEC proud in the State A Tournament. The athletic and quick defenders of Elkton-Lake Benton were just too much for the NEC leaders. The NEC will be interesting next year. The Cyclones and Redmen had some great juniors with good underclass support. Milbank had a group of good freshmen that received valuable varsity minutes, so they could be a force once they learn to play at the varsity level.
In the Boy B ranks, Langford and Rosholt had some classic battles through the year with Langford coming out on top in the end. Unfortunately Langford had to go through Hitchcock-Tulare to get to the promise land.
In the Girl B ranks, Summit and Castlewood had the Watertown Civic Arena rocking to a nearly sold out crowd with the Warriors getting the best of the Eagles. Miss Kneeland put on quite the show after losing one of her main counterparts due to injury in the opening round. It will be interesting to watch her career develop as a senior next year as she contemplates where to further her education. We will see if those Grant County farmers can coach the Eagles to a 3rd consecutive title game.
One thing has become obvious after reading the blogs from the Western Buzzards. Those Blue Cavaliers of STM will not be proclaiming the Bulldog as their pet of the year after both their title attempts came up short against the Bulldogs of Madison and Milbank. However, I have a feeling the East River nest have not heard the last of those West River Buzzards. They will have plenty to talk about this spring and summer as traditionally they have ruled the flock when it comes to track and baseball.
The snow is rapidly melting. The Jim River is doing what it normally does this time of the year by roaring slowly down to the Missouri. The Sioux River appears to be calming and those on the lakes are hoping the worse is over.
In just a few weeks, the tractors will be rolling through the fields. Except of course for those fields that still have corn to be harvested. The snow geese will have plenty of feed.
The tracksters will be running around the track. The golfers will be hitting the balls. Who will come out on top? Can the CWL Cylclones repeat as Class B girl golf champs after graduating the Texas Tech recruit?
As dominant as the girls in NESD were in basketball last year, the boys of the glacial lakes were treading water. In 2009, Watertown brought home a 3rd place finish with Sisseton bringing home a 4th place finish.
There are some NESD teams getting some recognition in the polls, but it would appear the NESD teams are going to need to win a few Holiday Classic games before they get any respect from those Buzzards.
AA
Watertown made some noise in AA ranks over the past couple years by winning the State AA title in 2008 followed up by a 3rd place finish in 2009. Watertown lost some key players to graduation with the son of one of the SDSU legends opting to become a Coyote. This will create an interesting story line as the Jacks and Coyotes renew their rivalry during Summit League play in the 2011/2012 season. The Arrows also had some injuries at the end of this football season to some of their key players so it may take Brian Norberg time to get his team ready for March madness.
Aberdeen Central made the ESD proud on the gridiron proving that Mr. Hannigan and his fellow Golden Eagles can play football. It would appear, Mr. Hannigan favors basketball as he will be playing hoops for Northern next year. Until he becomes a Wolf , he will attempt to lead a talented group of seniors to the promise land in BBB. Aberdeen got off to a good start by winning the Norberg Classic giving Brent bragging rights over Brian.
A
It seems there was a lot of sharing going on in the NEC last year as just like on the girls’ side the NEC BBB title was shared in 2009. Sisseton, Clark-Willow Lake, and Roncalli shared the 2009 NEC BBB title, so look for one of these teams along with Milbank to contend in 2010. Redfield-Doland may become the spoiler team in the NEC as on any given night they have the potential to knock off the NEC favorites.
Roncalli made a strong statement by defeating CWL 73-50 on in Aberdeen. It was not surprising the Cavaliers defeated the Cylcones, but the convincing manner in which it was done makes them the early season favorite in the NEC. It has become apparent early in the season that the supporting cast for Mr. Brown will need to become more effective in order for the Cyclones to make a trip to Sioux Falls.
Sisseton was the NEC representative in the 2009 State A Tournament. The Redmen graduated some key players, but as we all saw on the gridiron there are still some very good athletes roaming around the humped floor of Ben Reifel Gymnasium.
Milbank has always been known for their defensive intensity, and as they say defense wins championships. As the Bulldogs proved in football, they just may be a team everyone is talking about at the end of the year.
The NEC has the potential to be represented by 2 teams in the State Tournament with 4 teams in Region 2 while the rest of the NEC resides in Region 1. Milbank moved back up to District 1 thus bringing back the Milbank/Sisseton rivalry spice to District 1A. The NEC will have a battle tested representative from Region 1A. It would appear the NEC teams in Region 2A will need to overcome Sioux Valley to make it to the State A Tournament.
B
The Class B ranks of NESD have been dominated by Langford the past few years. The Rosholt Raiders may give the Lions a challenge in District 1B as they have the most talented Class B player in NESD in Landon Braun. The 2009 Region 1B champ was the District 2B Champ, Hitchcock-Tulare, and they proved they have the athletes by winning the 2009 9B title.
District 3B has some other traditional NESD powers in Castlewood and Arlington. The Warriors and Cardinals will have to earn their way to the State B Tournament as there are some talented teams farther south in District 4B.
The Eagle will return in 2010 after all those Holdiay Basketball Classics determines who needs to work harder versus who simply needs to perfect their play.
NESD was home to 2 of the 3 2009 State Champions. Watertown won the AA crown, but their star player moved down I-29 to become one of AJ’s Jackrabbits. Summit won the B title; graduated some good players, but the cupboard is not bare.
Those West River buzzards tend to look towards the Sioux Empire to make their comparisons. When it comes to the girl sports, the glacial lakes area seems to be holding the cards. In the spirit of those buzzard trivia masters, there will be a trivia question hidden in this blog. Mike H gave the answer during one of his broadcasts.
AA
There are only two AA teams in the flight pattern of the Northeast Eagle, but the view is pretty good. One team is the defending champ and the other team is the number one rated team according to the latest KSFY/KWSN ratings.
Watertown is in the rebuilding stage after graduating their all-time leading scorer and her teammates. They only return two starters from the 2009 Championship team. The beginning of the Arrow season was not easy falling to ESD foes Huron and Aberdeen Central.
Top ranked Aberdeen Central looks to improve upon their 4th place finish in 2009. The Golden Eagles have senior leadership with good depth that should make them a factor in March. The ladies from Aberdeen Central put the rest of the AA teams on notice by knocking off the defending champs during their first game of the year.
A
Sisseton, Clark-Willow Lake, and Deuel all shared the 2009 NEC title, but sharing is something you do in kindergarten so look for one of these teams to want it all in 2010. The NEC jinx was in full force in 2009, as it was Britton-Hecla representing the NEC at the State A Tournament versus one of the champs.
The NEC Champion (no matter the sport) tends to be jinxed. History would suggest that winning the NEC is not necessarily an indication of who will be representing the NEC at the State Tournament.
The NEC will be wide open in 2010 with any team capable of winning the NEC crown. It would appear that Sisseton might have the edge over Britton-Helca, Clark-Willow Lake, and Deuel. Milbank was being discussed as one of the top teams, but their loss to Redfield leaves question marks for the Bulldogs.
The NEC has the potential to be represented by 2 teams in the State Tournament with 4 teams in Region 2 while the rest of the NEC resides in Region 1. Milbank was moved from District 3 back up to District 1.
B
Summit is the defending Class B Champion, but somebody forgot to tell that to Langford. Langford upset Summit 43-40 in the 1st game of the year that was held in Langford. It would appear Langford is not going to simply hand the District 1B title to Summit just because they are the defending champs.
We get it. Northwestern and Warner can play very good volleyball, but history would suggest they seem to struggle with the hoops. However, it seems NW has sent a basketball message to the rest of Region 1 by picking up some early season triumphs.
Region 1B could very well be one of the most competitive Regions in all of GBB. Summit is still the favorite to win Region 1B with a group of juniors led by the leading scorer of the 2009 Class B tournament. They also have a set of freshman twin sisters who are the daughters of a former Miss Basketball. Who is the mom formerly known as Miss Basketball?
Mike H answered this question during his broadcast of the 2009 State B Tournament. This is a test to see if anyone actually listens to Mike H during his broadcasts.
The NESD BBB – EARLY REVIEW is up next.
The NE Eagle is going to fly away from the NESD nest to provide a preview of the SD grappler world. The wrestling world is quite active at www.dakotagrappler.com should you be brave enough to venture into their territory.
The Sod Buzzard indicated he is going to plow into wrestling. Between the two of us, we might even educate those basketball buzzards of the Black Hills provided they have recovered from the East River poison left behind by the fall sports season.
Wrestling fans still live in the two class system of Class A and Class B. However, changes in the new wrestling alignments will have major impacts on the upcoming wrestling season in SD.
CLASS B
Canton has developed the best wrestling program in the Sioux Empire, but the C-Hawks will move their show from Class A to Class B. Canton had a very emotional 2008/09 season when a young man showed the rest of us that a positive attitude is simply amazing. Mr. Peterson battled through cancer treatments to meet his goal of participating in the State A Tournament setting up the most emotional state final ever experienced proving that even in defeat on the mat you are victorious in life.
Winner has moved from Class A to Region 3 of Class B, but it does not get any easier for the Warriors as they join perhaps the toughest region in Class B. It is safe to say the wrestlers making it out of this region will have a very good chance of placing at state.
Hot Springs moved out of a very difficult region in Class A to a much friendlier environment in Region 4 of Class B. There is no doubt the Bison will have an easier path to the State Tournament, which may give them some depth to become a factor in the Class B State Tournament.
The traditional Class B Powers are still going to have plenty to say as to who is going to get the gold in February of 2010. The 2009 State B Title came down to 0.5 point difference between Redfield and Wagner. Only time will tell if the Red Raiders can hold off the three new Class B contenders along with the other traditional Class B powerhouses.
CLASS A
This just in, Sturgis is very good. According to the 2010 preseason ranking of Amateur Wrestling News, Sturgis is ranked 38th in the nation and recently dominated the North Dakota teams in an early tournament held in Minot. The Scoopers will be challenged on January 8th and 9th when they travel to Rochester, MN to participate in The Clash featuring the top teams in the nation.
Region 4 of Class A may be the toughest Region in all of SD. For you buzzards, that would be the Black Hills Region. This is the chance for the Buzzards to claim West River dominance. East River #1 would lose any case to East River dominance in Class A wrestling even if he had an all East River jury.
As good as Sturgis looks on paper, in the end it is always decided on the mat. RC Stevens might be able to rain on the Sturgis parade. RC Central will make some noise. The strongest East River team may be Aberdeen Central, but do not count out Huron, Mitchell, and Watertown.
IMPORTANT DECEMBER TOURNAMENTS
There are many December wrestling tournaments, but there are two tournaments the buzzards should circle on their calendar. The RC Invite on December 11 and 12 features the top teams from SD, ND, and WY. The SF Lincoln Tournament held on December 28 and 29 will feature some of the top Class A and Class B teams in SD.
The NE Eagle will be back in January to give a more comprehensive update on the wrestling world once all the wrestlers figure out where they will land.
The Northeast (NE) Eagle will provide a little perspective from the glacial lakes of northeast SD (NESD). The flight pattern of this Eagle will be primarily north of the HWY 212 corridor extending west to HWY 281. This blog will not be limited to basketball like some other blogs, and will venture into other winter sports involving mats. Before moving onto winter sports, we need to get over a fall hangover caused by some very good NESD football and volleyball teams.
Congratulations to the gridiron version of the Aberdeen Central Golden Eagles and Milbank Bulldogs. Aberdeen proved the ESD can still play good football. Milbank came out of the toughest region in 11A football and dominated the “Best of the West”.
Not to be outdone, the volleyball teams of NESD once again proved they are the Queens of the Court. There were 4 NESD teams in the finals out of a possible 6 teams. Aberdeen Central dominated the AA ranks proving volleyball can be played outside the larger metro areas of SD. Milbank came up short to the Wagner Red Raiders in the A finals. NESD Class B teams simply proved they are the best.
The Class B championship volleyball match featured two NESD teams with Warner edging Arlington. It can be argued the state B Volleyball Championship occurs every year during the District 2B Championship between Warner and Northwestern. However, the 2009 Cardinals proved they were just as good as the Monarchs and Wildcats. They should have just had a round robin State B Championship between Warner, Arlington, and NW.
Onto the winter sports season, what should we expect from NESD? Can Aberdeen Central and Milbank carry over their fall sports success to the winter sports? Will Summit defend their GBB Class B Title? Can Watertown repeat in AA GBB given their star player is now a Jackrabbit?
Looking at the success of the fall season, it would appear NESD will have something to say before the dust settles in March. NESD is always full of surprises. However, you should not be surprised if you experience a roaring blizzard through them Summit Hills should you venture north up I-29.
It has been an interesting fall up here in the glacial lakes area as farmers struggle to get the crops harvested. The much needed cold weather has arrived to freeze the mud, but we did not need the white stuff to complicate matters. Here is hoping for a not so white Christmas.
On a side note, the buzzards should seriously consider expanding their territory. There are some experts that suggest the Jim River is the true dividing mark of SD from a geographical and economic aspect versus the Big Mo. What claims would this geographical shift give those west river buzzards, if they simply chose a different river?
This Northeast Eagle will attempt to provide a weekly blog, but like all flight plans there may be deviations from time to time. However, we will not miss the landing strip like those NW pilots that overshot MSP. Even a buzzard would be able to spot MSP from the air.
Why an Eagle? It is very simple; everyone knows an Eagle is a more glamorous scavenger than a Buzzard.