A look back at some of the sports happenings during the week of Feb. 23-March 1, 2025:

Last year on Feb. 26, 2024: Britton-Hecla High School girls’ basketball coach Terry Nelson is the first recipient of the “Larry Luitjens Coach of Influence” Award. The boys’ award recipient was won by Eldon Marshall of White River.

The award’s objective is to pay tribute to Luitjens and honor coaches that stood for his core coaching values. Luitjens, a legendary boys’ basketball coach who won multiple state championships at De Smet and Custer, won a state-record 748 games. He died in 2023. 

Nelson has coached basketball for 37 seasons, including stops at Deubrook, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, Chamberlain, Hecla, Frederick-Hecla and Britton-Hecla.  A Flandreau High School graduate, Nelson was a multi-sport athlete in high school and at Huron College. Marshall’s White River teams have qualified for ever State B tourney since 2006, have won four state titles, and have won more than 450 games under Marshall’s guidance.

10 years ago on Feb. 23, 2015: The Aberdeen Central boys’ basketball team won only seven Eastern South Dakota Conference games in the past four seasons before putting together a ESD championship season this winter. Coach Brent Norberg’s Golden Eagles are led by senior guards Logan LeGrand, Jacob Goehring and Jesse Babcock.

20 years ago on Feb. 26, 2005: Four-time state champion Dan Bonte of Garretson ended his high school wrestling career with a national record 268 wins (vs. 15 losses). Cory Wallman of Marion-Freeman set the national record in 1995 with 264 wins.

30 years ago on Feb. 26, 1995: Eric Kline scored 23 points to pace NSU over Concordia-St. Paul 74-51. Kline is now South Dakota’s all-time leading scorer in college men’s basketball with 2,935 points. Alan Miller of DWU (1981-85) held the old record of 2,920.

40 years ago on Feb. 23, 1985: In the 400 meters at the North Central Conference Indoor Championships at the DakotaDome, Canton native Jeff Gross of Augustana nipped Armour native Jeff Tiefenthaler of SDSU. Gross ran a 47.74 and Tiefenthaler a 47.79. Both have qualified for the NCAA DII nationals, and
Tiefenthaler defeated Gross last week in St. Cloud.

50 years ago on Feb. 27, 1975: Columbia native and former MLB infielder Kermit Wahl has been re-elected president of the South Dakota Umpires Association.