THURSDAY, AUGUST 9:
Baseball:  American Legion Central Plains Regional Tourney @ Southside Stadium, Dickinson, ND
    11:00am:  Papillion, NE Pinnacle Bank vs. Brookings (Live on Ranch AM 910)
       2:00pm:  West Des Moines vs. Eden Prairie
       6:00pm:  Edina vs. West Fargo
       9:00pm:  Omaha Pi Midwest vs. Dickinson

   State “B” Amateur Tournament @ Cadwell Park, Mitchell
    6 p.m.: Madison vs. Britton
8 p.m.: Lennox vs. Crofton (Neb.)

STATE “B” AMATEUR…Wednesday’s scores from the state “B” amateur baseball tourney in Mitchell:
Clark 7, Akron (Iowa) 3
Parkston Mudcats 14, Milbank 1 (7 innings)

BANDITS…The Brookings Bandits open their first-ever American Legion Central Plains regional baseball tournament Thursday morning, taking on Papillion, NE at 11am Central Time in Dickinson, ND.
    The Bandits dropped their second game of the state tourney last weekend, but came back to win four straight to claim their first state championship.  Head coach Rob Hirrschoff says the veterans came through.  97624   :16   “all that stuff”.
    It’s a double-elimination tourney, with the winner advancing to the American Legion World Series in North Carolina.  Last year’s national champion, Eden Prairie, is also in the Central Plains field.  They’ll face West Des Moines in the second game of the tourney.

GROTON IN B REGION… The baseball season for American Legion Baseball State B champion Groton will continue this week in Wahpeton, N.D.
   Groton will play in the double-elimination, eight-team Central Plains Division II Regional Tournament Thursday through Sunday. Groton will play the host Wahpeton Post 20 in the final first-round game. Wahpeton (42-4) is expected to start pitcher Jeremy Bontjes (6-0 with a 0.70 earned run average and 51 strikeouts). Bontjes is also his team's leading hitter with a .450 average with 43 RBIs and four home runs.
   In the other opening games today, Ely, Minn., plays Las Vegas; Iola, Kan., plays Grafton, N.D.; and Wisconsin Dells plays Plato, Minn.

SDSU SOCCER… The South Dakota State women's soccer team lost to Minnesota 4-0 in its exhibition game Wednesday night.
The teams played a customized format of three 30-minute periods as opposed to the regular-season format of two 45-minute periods.
   Minnesota, playing without numbered uniforms, scored five minutes into the first period to take an early lead. The team scored two more goals in the first period, the third hitting the back of the net as time expired.
   Freshman Alyssa Brazil recorded the Jacks only shot in the first period.
   The second period started in similar fashion, as the Golden Gophers scored around the five-minute mark to increase the lead to four goals.
   In the third period, the two teams went scoreless. Freshman goalkeeper Blaklee McMillen entered the game for the final 20 minutes and made three saves.  Sophomore Jordyn Smith registered the second shot of the game for the Jacks, the first and only on goal.

BHS PRACTICES… Brookings High School has announced practice dates for fall sports:
Athletes that participate on high school teams will not be permitted to practice until they have submitted proof of a 2012
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9
9:00 AM GIRLS TENNIS (Brian Dobbs)  Meeting & Practice (Grades 7-12) Hillcrest Courts
9:00 AM FALL Sideline Cheerleading Tryouts (Brittany Brown)  Aux Gym (BHS)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10
9:00 AM FOOTBALL (Lee Schmidt and staff)  Meeting & Equipment Issue (Grades 9-12) Jostad Gym
MONDAY, AUGUST 13
8:00 AM VOLLEYBALL (Jodi Melius and staff)  Meeting & Practice (Grades 9-12) Brookings Jostad & Aux Gyms
Senior & Freshman wear White Shirts
Juniors wear Black Shirts
Sophomores wear Gray Shirts
8:00 AM BOYS & GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY (Chris Gruenhagen and Rachelle Engbrecht)
Practice (Grades 7-12) BHS Room 306 South Hallway
4:00 PM Cross Country Meeting (Grades 7-12)
8:00 AM FOOTBALL (Lee Schmidt and staff)   Meeting & Practice (Grades 9-12) Jostad Gym
9:00 AM SIDELINE CHEER (Football) (Brittany Brown)  Meeting & Practice (Grades 9-12) Aux Gym
    SDHSAA Physical Examination. Forms are available at Brookings High School and on the Brookings Activities website.
Please contact Bobcat Head Coaches for sports-specific information.

JUNIOR GOLFERS…Brookings’ Brooke Piearson has been named a “Junior Golfer of the Year” by the South Dakota Golf Association.  Piearson was recognized in the girls’ 12-13 age group.
   Other girls honored by SDGA were Yankton’s Megan Mingo in the 16-18 group, Pierre’s Katie Bartlett (14-15) and Rapid City’s Alex Kandolin and Morgan Wit (11-Under). Boys honored included Piedmont’s Clay Kopplin (16-18), and Sioux Falls’ Ben Prisbe (14-15), Will Grevlos (12-13) and Jack Lundin (11-Under).

USD ARENA…Sanford Health is giving $20 million to the University of South Dakota for a new arena. It is the third significant financial move for the Dakotas-based health network in less than a week.
   The university last year began raising money for a proposed $50 million basketball and volleyball arena and adjoining sports medicine building that would connect to the existing DakotaDome.
   Sanford Health is based in Sioux Falls and in Fargo, N.D. It has a presence in more than 100 communities in seven states and bills itself as the nation's largest not-for-profit rural health care provider.