THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18:
Football:  Aberdeen Central @ Brookings (Live on KCountry 102 @ 6:30)
   Deubrook @ Arlington (Live on B93.7 @ 6:30)
   Yankton @ Brandon Valley
   Pierre @ Watertown
   Huron @ Mitchell
   Sioux Falls O’Gorman @ Sioux Falls Lincoln
   Sioux Falls Roosevelt @ Sioux Falls Washington
   Rapid City Central @ Rapid City Stevens
   Spearfish @ Sturgis
   Douglas @ Custer
   Chester @ Baltic
   Tri-Valley @ Beresford
   Estelline @ Castlewood
   Waubay/Summit @ Clark/Willow Lake
   Tea Area @ Dakota Valley
   Elkton-Lake Benton @ DeSmet/Iroquois
   Lake Preston @ Dells St. Mary’s
   Groton @ Deuel
   Parkston @ Garretson
   Wilmot @ Hamlin
   Pipestone Area @ Madison
   Dell Rapids @ Milbank
   Colman-Egan @ Oldham-Ramona/Rutland
   Flandreau @ Platte-Geddes/Dakota Christian
   Sisseton @ Redfield/Doland
   Sioux Valley @ Sioux Falls Christian
   Waverly-South Shore @ Tiospa Zina
   Great Plains Lutheran @ Tri-State
   Crow Creek @ Webster

BHS FB…Brookings can clinch home-field for the opening round of the football playoffs with a win Thursday night over Aberdeen Central in the regular season finale.  KCountry coverage starts at 6:30, with kickoff at seven. 
   The Bobcats fell to Sioux Falls Lincoln last week – assistant coach Scott Miller says Aberdeen Central throttled O’Gorman’s running game.  97623   :18   “of their own”.
   Miller says the Bobcats would like to establish the run as they did in Watertown.  97624   :15   “a whole lot”.
   Rain, wind and chill are in the forecast – Miller says that could affect a team mentally.  97625   :08   “keep on going”.
   Brookings comes in with a 3-5 record – Aberdeen Central is 2-6.  

SDSU MBB…A poll of Summit League coaches, sports information directors and media selected South Dakota State as the overwhelming favorite to win the 2012-13 Summit League Championship.
   The Jackrabbits received 30-of-31 first-place votes (coaches may not vote for their own team) after claiming the 2012 Summit League Tournament title and representing the league in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Scott Nagy returns four starters and 8-of-10 letterwinners from last season’s squad that finished 27-8 overall and 15-3 in Summit League play.  97621   :17   “a different level”.
   SDSU’s experienced lineup will take on a tough schedule.  97622   :15   “excited about it”.
   Jackrabbit guard Nate Wolters, the 2012 Summit League Tournament MVP and an AP honorable mention All-America selection, got the nod for the preseason Player of the Year. The senior averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2011-12 and became just the fifth player in NCAA history to average 20 points, five assists and five rebounds in a season.
   Wolters’ selection as preseason player of the year also puts him on the preseason all-league first team. The voters also selected Jackrabbit junior Jordan Dykstra to the preseason all-league second team.
   The Jackrabbits open the 2012-13 season with an exhibition game against Black Hills State on Nov. 1 at 8:30 p.m., and then begin the regular season on the road at Alabama on Nov. 9 at 8 p.m., in a game that can be seen live on ESPNU.

STATE CHEER…The state competitive cheer and dance competition begins Friday night at six at the Watertown Civic Arena.
   Watertown activities director Steve Moore says, for the first time, it’s a two-day event.  97638   :09   “forward to it”.
   Class A & B state competition Friday night will feature 29 dance routines and 17 cheer routines. Class AA entries Saturdat at noon include 15 cheer and 45 dance routines.  97639   :13   “Watertown, and families”.
   Last year’s overall champions in the cheer competition were Brookings, Sioux Valley and Dells St. Mary’s.  Last year’s overall champions in the dance competition were Sioux Falls Washington and Dakota Valley.

SDSU VB…South Dakota State – battling for a top four spot in the Summit League standings – has a key volleyball road trip this weekend.
   Friday, the Jackrabbits visit Western Illinois, a team trailing SDSU by two games in the standings.  Head coach Phil McDaniel  97629   :17   “first time around”.
   Saturday, SDSU is at IUPUI, and could move into a tie for second place with a win.  McDaniel says SDSU can’t back off the throttle.  97630   :13   “get over there”.
   SDSU volleyball coach Phil McDanlel.

SDSU SOCCER…SDSU – still mathematically alive for a Summit League soccer playoff spot – will host Missouri-Kansas City Friday evening and South Dakota Sunday afternoon. 
   SDSU defeated Western Illinois Sunday to stay in the post-season picture.  Head coach Lang Wedemeyer says his young team’s figuring out how to win conference games.  97631   :30   “it’s just experience”.
   Wedemeyer says SDSU has to deal with the Kangaroos’ speed.  97632   :13   “make a difference”.
   South Dakota had 20 freshmen on last year’s roster – Wedemeyer says they’re finding their way in Division I play.

SDSU SWIMMING…The South Dakota State women’s swim team opens its season Friday at Northern Iowa, and Saturday at Iowa State.
   The Jackrabbits – men and women – placed second in the Summit League last season.  Head coach Brad Erickson says that’s the goal this time.  97635   :12   “ways away yet”.
   Erickson says another objective is to keep hammering at the record book.  97636   :18   “several school records”.
   Erickson looks for two South Dakota natives to help lead the women’s team.  97637   :18   “us as well”.
   Nicole Grimit and Emma Wright also earned All-League team spots last season, and return this year.

RUSHMORES 70+…The South Dakota Rushmores 70-plus baseball team remains unbeaten in World Series play with a 17-11 win over the Ohio Classics.
   Phil Clements pitched the first seven innings for the victory, with Jimmy Jackson closing out the game.
   Phil Trooien and Ev Bradshaw each had four hits – one of Trooien’s was a triple.  Howard Bich, Lew Ingalls and Joe Bonaquista each had three hits.

DEER NUMBERS…A disease that normally affects western South Dakota is having a greater impact this year in the southeastern part of the state.
   Sportsmen and landowners have reported deer that died due to Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease.  Game, Fish and Parks department official Tom Kirschenmann says the disease arises in dry years, which normally occur in the western part of the state.  97633   :29   “of the state”.
   Kirschenmann says the southeast has been hit hard – the west has the numbers to withstand the outbreak.  97634   :20   “overall deer numbers”.
   Kirschenmann says sportsmen have the option of turning in their licenses for a full refund. The license and associated tags must be returned to the GFP Licensing Office before the start of the season.

OAKLAND COACH…Beckie Francis remembers sitting on her couch last year, staring in amazement as she watched Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts reveal on TV that he was a survivor of sexual abuse.  Francis turned to her husband and told him she could do the same thing.
   The women's basketball coach at Oakland University shared her story with parishioners at her suburban Detroit church, and with her players. And now, she is telling everyone else in hopes that it will encourage victims of sexual abuse to seek help, and to assist parents and children to avoid what she endured.
   Francis had not publicly disclosed said that she was sexually assaulted by her dad, who is now deceased, from the age of 4 until she was in the seventh grade. Francis says she doesn't know when her dad died and can't recall the last time she saw him because she blocked him out of her life and mind after the abuse he inflicted on her.
   The 47-year-old coach decided to come forward to speak out against the problem, in part because of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State.