By Bob Bakken
MaxPreps.com
The
University of South Dakota has received verbal commitments from two in-state football stars. Sioux Falls O’Gorman lineman
Mike Pharis and
Avon running back and defensive back
Earv Archambeau both say they will attend the Vermillion school next fall.
Pharis is a two-time All-State selection at 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds. He will become a second-generation Coyote as his father Todd was a defensive lineman and linebacker at USD. Todd Pharis is now in the school's sports hall of fame.
Archambeau ran for more than 1,700 yards this year for the Avon Pirates, aiding them to the 9-A state championship.
Both players are members of the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader Elite 45 team, noting the state’s top 45 football players without regard to classification. Archambeau was named the captain of this year’s Elite 45 squad.
Football: Dell Rapids, Winner Dominate Class 11-A All-State Team
The two teams who played for the Class 11-A state football championship this year placed eight players on the South Dakota High School Coaches Association’s All-State first team.
Dell Rapids defeated Winner for the state title. Dell Rapids placed five players on the first team, while Winner placed three.
The five Quarriers to make the first team were running back Tate Bunkers and defensive players Michael Mailey (DE), Taylor Shellum (DL), Kevin Berg (LB), and Zach Leighton (DB).
Berg led the team in tackles with 81. Meanwhile, Bunkers scored 80 points and carried the football for 706 yards.
Winner placed running back Braden Gardner, lineman Jack Kerner and defensive back John Farner.
Gardner ran for 1,156 yards this season, scoring 19 touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 388 yards and eight scores.
Kerner and Farner combined for 113 tackles, six sacks and four interceptions.
Volleyball: Class AA All-State Team Features Hitters
The South Dakota Volleyball Coaches Class AA All-State first team is loaded with hitters. Eight of the nine squad members are hitters, with five of them being outside hitters and the other three being middle hitters for their respective teams.
Sioux Falls Lincoln senior libero Katie Schlemmer is the lone exception on the All-State first team.
The other selections are Emily Schulte of Sioux Falls O’Gorman, Steph Kroeze of Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Alison Kusler of Aberdeen Central, Pierre’s Stephanie Paluch, Caitlin Templeton of Rapid City Central, Kelly Herrmann of Rapid City Stevens, Watertown’s Marcelina Glab, and Abby Burbach of Yankton.
All are seniors except for Kusler and Glab.
Volleyball: Class A All-State Team Announced
The South Dakota Volleyball Coaches Association’s Class A All-State team includes two players from Milbank, plus players from Sioux Valley, Wagner, Sioux Falls Christian, Miller and Harrisburg.
The Milbank representatives are middle hitter/outside hitter Leah Anderson and setter Sami Nygaard.
The 6-foot Anderson had 336 kills, 219 digs and 43 ace serves for her team this season. Teammate Nygaard, at 5-foot-3, scored 30 ace serves and 707 assists, as well as 261 digs on the season.
The All-State libero came from the state champion Wagner Red Raiders, as Mary Kocer received the honor. Kocer totaled 69 ace serves and 554 digs for the Red Raiders.
Other first-team selections included Harrisburg’s Allison Vos, Miller’s Kate Lingscheit, Suzy Ledeboer from Sioux Falls Christian, and Brittany Bjorklund of Sioux Valley.
Volleyball: Freshman Among Class B All-Staters
The SDVCA also announced that five seniors and one freshman make up the Class B All-State first team.
The freshman selection is Jussy Tuscherer of Northwestern Area. She joins teammate Shari Fischbach on the all-state first team.
Tuscherer averaged 10.7 kills and 8.5 digs per match for Northwestern Area this season. Coach Nora Groft told the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader newspaper she was a leader, despite her youth.
"She is quick, strong, and jumps well, and she will continue to get better as she gains more experience," Groft said. "Even though she is only a freshman, Jussy led the team in kills and became a force on the outside.”
Fischbach, an outside hitter, broke older sister Jodi’s record for career aces by a Northwestern volleyball player this season with 322. Her team was 120-7 during her career.
Other first team players in Class B were middle hitter Sierra Hook of state champion Philip, middle hitter Kelsey Rozell of Warner, Chester Area middle hitter Kelsey Backus, and outside hitter Jada Blasius of Kimball.
