As the sports year comes to a calendar close, here is a list of the most memorable quotes from the past year.

While there were hundreds of options to chose from, these are what made the list. Hope you enjoy them and they bring back good memories of the past sports year.

“Everybody up there says I’ve got a Southern accent, but everybody down here says ‘I know you’re not from Texas.’ I’m kind of like in no-man’s land.” – Aberdeen Central football coach Scott Svendsen on leaving Texas to move back to the area where he grew up

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“I do play against my mom and I can beat my mom, now. She would probably argue that it’s just because she’s older than me. I am a bit taller. I can block her shot, but she does have a lot of good shot fakes.” – Redfield’s Addison Rozell on playing basketball against her mom, NSU all-time scoring leader Julie (Jensen) Rozell

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“I’m neverous about every match no matter what. It could be against a kid that I’ve beaten 10 times and I’ll still have little nerves coming out.” – Groton wrestler Dragr Monson heading into the state tournament at 36-0

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“The first time that he gets into the game, he was right in front of our bench. To the guy that was guarding him, I said, ‘He’s lefthanded, don’t forget that.’ ” – Brianna Kusler after her brother Braxton told her not tell her Pierre players about his lefthand

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“I always say that golf is played between two holes: your left ear and your right ear.” – Aberdeen Roncalli girls’ golf coach Kerry Brandenburger

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“I’m just a small-town kid who grew up on the streets of a little dusty town. For as long I can remember if you could throw it and catch it, or kick it or bat it, or run with it or dribble it, I wanted to be a part of that. That was just it. I do, yet.” – retiring Aberdeen Central Athletic Director Gene Brownell of growing up in Henry

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“My junior year my parents told me I needed to get job or do track. I didn’t want to get a job so I was like, all right I’ll do track. I’m pretty sure I ended up getting a job anyway in the summer.” – Northern State standout throw Tanner Berg

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“Believe it or not, I was actually horrible at hurdles. Back when I was an eighth-grader, I looked like a gazelle just trying to jump over hurdles. It was insane.” – multi-time state hurdles champion Zander Widener of Langford Area

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“It was one of those, ‘Hey Sydney, bet I can beat you to the barn,’ ” – Northwestern track and field coach Scott Boone after Jessica Boekelheide set a new school record in the 100-meter dash outracing teammate Sydney Schell, whose time was second best in school history

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“That definitely separates some of the boys from the men, and I’ll tell you what, sometimes I feel like a boy out there running with them.” – NSU Decathlete Bryce Malsam on competing in the 1,500-meter run

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“The 400 is my favorite event. I just love it, because I succeed at it and it’s fun. I usually puke after every race, but I still enjoy it.” – Alec Maier of North Central

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“The dual scores don’t matter a ton in high school tennis, but I can guarantee you I know my win-loss record against Roncalli and I don’t know it against anybody else.” – Central tennis coach Trent Kurtz about the importance of the Central-Roncalli dual

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“I even shaved my beard to try to beat you. I should have gone with the hair, too, I guess.” – Zeb Mendel of Sioux Falls Lincoln after he lost to Josh Martin of Aberdeen Central in a photo finish of the 3,200-meter run at the Class AA State track and field meet

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“Pressure is privilege. If you feel the pressure it means you’ve done well in the past so you can do well at this meet, you can do well at this moment.” – Aberdeen Swim Club member Joseph Grebner

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“Every year that we go in, our eyes are always on a state title. Whether or not we’re going to get it, you don’t necessarily play a sport to come in second,” – Roncalli boys’ golf coach Jon Murdy on the season outlook

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“Coach told me to go out there and see one. I wasn’t going to see one, though. The first pitch I liked I was swinging. Get the win for my team. I’m glad I could do so.” – Redfield’s Keaton Rohlfs after delivering a walk-off single in a victory over Vermillion in the State B Legion baseball tournament

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“I had a fun with those activities, and I think it made me a better athlete. I think it brought out the joy of wrestling for me.” – MMA fighter Logan Storley on being a multi-sport athlete while growing up

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“They say that the wind is the great equalizer, but really it’s the great big pain in the butt. That’s what it was.” – Central girls’ tennis coach John Vogel of playing conditions in a match

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“I just feel like I didn’t need to coach them. They wanted to win so bad tonight. They just did it. I don’t know what got into them, but they were fun to watch tonight.” – Warner volleyball Kari Jung after her team swept Northwestern

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“It was a very tough course today. It’s pretty open, a little hilly, so you’re running up hill against the wind, you know, kind of what all of our parents used to say they walked to school in every day. But it was actually true this time.” – Aberdeen Central boys’ cross country coach Greg Murley describing conditions at a meet in Huron

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“We just kind of keep on this crazy Cinderella ride, I don’t know what else to call it. We’re the 14^th seed and we’re not supposed to be here, yet, but we’re in the final four. Right now the yellow bus is our friend.” – Beresford football coach Scott Ebert after his football team’s quarterfinal overtime win over Aberdeen Roncalli

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“I think the kids want that pressure. Now they want that standard of being the hunted instead of being the hunter.” – Aberdeen Christian boys’ basketball coach David Rohrbach on the expectations for the Knights heading into the season.