THURSDAY SPORTS, OCTOBER 1, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels volleyball, 4-8 on the season, hosts Pierre on Thursday at 7 p.m. The KORN pregame show starts at 6:45 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels girls soccer, 3-8-1 on the season, host West Central on Thursday at 5:30 pm to end the regular season.
— Mitchell Kernels boys soccer, 3-9-1 on the season, will be at James Valley Christian on Thursday at 5:30 pm to end the regular season.
— Mitchell Kernel football, 3-2 on the season, will be at Watertown on Friday night at 7 pm. Coverage starts with the KORNer Booth pregame show at 6 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels girls tennis competes at the Class AA state tournament next week, Oct. 8-9 in Rapid City. Mitchell finished second as a team at the ESD Conference championship on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, with three flight winners. Charlee Cimpl won Flight 5 singles and teamed with Taryn Bultje to win Flight 3 doubles, while Elliot Smith captured the Flight 4 singles title.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s soccer, 2-1-3 on the season, will be at Dordt on Wednesday at 5 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s soccer, 2-3-1 on the season, will be at Dordt on Wednesday at 7:15 pm.
— No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan volleyball, 13-5 overall and 2-4 in the GPAC, return to action on Friday at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha.
— Dakota Wesleyan football, 3-2 overall and 3-1 in the GPAC, visit No. 7 Morningside on Saturday in Sioux City, Iowa. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State volleyball will be at Omaha on Thursday at 6:30 pm. The Jacks swept USD 3-0 on Friday night in Vermillion to improve to 5-7 on the season and 1-0 in the Summit League.
— Second-ranked South Dakota State returns to Missouri Valley Football Conference play Saturday with a key matchup at 10th-ranked Illinois State. The Jackrabbits are 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play after beating Youngstown State two weeks ago. Illinois State is also 4-1, but 0-1 in the MVFC after a 28-21 loss to Northern Iowa last week. SDSU leads the all-time series 7-6 and has won its last two trips to Illinois state. The Jackrabbits and Redbirds kick off Saturday at 6 p.m. with the Jackrabbit pregame show at 4 pm on KORN News Radio.
— South Dakota State women’s soccer, 6-2-2 on the season, will be at North Dakota State on Saturday at 7 pm
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD volleyball will be at St. Thomas on Thursday at 7 pm. The Coyotes were swept by SDSU 3-0 on Friday night in Vermillion to fall to 7-5 on the season and 0-1 in the Summit League.
— USD football returns to the DakotaDome on Saturday for the 112th annual Dakota Days game, hosting Indiana State at 2 p.m. The 13th-ranked Coyotes are 3-2 overall and 0-1 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play, while Indiana State is 2-3 and 0-1. Quarterback Austyn Modrzewski has thrown 15 touchdown passes, second-most in the FCS. The Coyotes have won nine straight Dakota Days games and lead the all-time series with Indiana State, 8-2.
— USD women’s soccer, 3-4-3 on the season, will be at North Dakota on Saturday at 1 pm.
MLB PLAYOFFS
— Philadelphia has forced a decisive Game 3 in the National League Wild Card Series. Alec Bohm hit a two-out, two-run homer in the 10th inning, lifting the Phillies to a 4-3 win over Atlanta. Philadelphia trailed 3-1 before Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back homers in the eighth to tie the game. Harper’s homer came one inning after he misplayed a ball in right field that helped give Atlanta the lead. Andrew Painter closed it out with three scoreless innings, including a strikeout of Dominic Smith on a successful A-B-S challenge to end the game.
— The Chicago White Sox have won their first playoff series since 2005, sweeping the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Series. Chicago scored four runs in the first inning and got a three-run homer from Chase Meidroth in a 7-3 win. The White Sox advance to face Cleveland in the AL Division Series, beginning Saturday in Cleveland.
— The New York Yankees are moving on in the American League playoffs after sweeping the Boston Red Sox. New York won 9-2 Wednesday night to complete the two-game Wild Card Series sweep. Max Fried allowed three hits over six innings, while Cody Bellinger drove in four runs, along with a three-run homer. Luis García Junior added three hits and a home run. The Yankees scored six times in the sixth inning to break the game open. Boston managed just seven hits and two runs in the series. New York now faces the American League East champion Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series, beginning Saturday.
— The San Diego Padres have swept the Chicago Cubs out of the National League Wild Card Series. The Padres won 4-1 on Wednesday night behind a two-run pinch-hit homer from Gavin Sheets, while five pitchers combined on a five-hitter. San Diego held the Cubs to just eight hits in the two games after shutting them out 8-0 in the opener. The Padres advance to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series, beginning Saturday in Milwaukee.
MLB PLAYOFFS – THURSDAY – BEST OF THREE
Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies, 7 pm on NBC – Series tied 1-1
WNBA PLAYOFFS
— Arike Ogunbowale scored a WNBA playoff-record 45 points as the Dallas Wings beat the Golden State Valkyries 108-100 in overtime Wednesday night, forcing a deciding Game 3. Ogunbowale hit a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, then scored 11 points in overtime as Dallas pulled away. She finished 12 of 23 from the field, including five 3-pointers, and made 16 of 18 free throws. Game 3 is Friday night in San Francisco.
— The Atlanta Dream are headed to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2018 after sweeping the Washington Mystics with a 93-75 on Wednesday night. Atlanta will host Game 1 of the semifinals Sunday against New York.
WNBA PLAYOFFS – THURSDAY
Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever, 8 pm on USA Network/CNBC – Series tied at 1-1
NFL
— The Dallas Cowboys are acquiring cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers for two draft picks. Pittsburgh will receive a sixth-round pick in 2027 and a second-round pick in 2028. Porter has been inactive for all three Steelers games this season while dealing with a back issue and a contract dispute. The 26-year-old was a second-round pick out of Penn State in 2023 and has recorded 31 pass breakups over his first three seasons.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— The Senate has passed the Protect College Sports Act 77-22, but the bill still faces hurdles in the House. Some Republicans say it does not provide enough protection for the NCAA, while Democrats have raised concerns about athlete rights. The House is not scheduled to return until after the midterm elections. If passed, the bill would increase the NCAA’s revenue-sharing cap from $21.5 million to $48.8 million. If it fails, college conferences could pursue their own rules on revenue sharing and transfers.
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL – THURSDAY
Kimball/White Lake vs. Hanson
Bridgewater-Emery vs. Wessington Springs
Parkston vs. Miller
Winner vs. Mt. Vernon/Plankinton
Elk Point-Jefferson vs. Wagner
Freeman vs. Ethan
Corsica-Stickney vs. Tripp-Delmont/Armour
Tri-Valley vs. McCook Central/Montrose
Sanborn Central/Woonsocket vs. James Valley Christian
Sioux Falls Lutheran vs. Andes Central/Dakota Christian
Canistota vs. Howard
Yankton vs. No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian
No. 1 Harrisburg vs. Huron
No. 2 SF Lincoln vs. Brookings
SF Roosevelt vs. SF Washington
Tea Area vs. Aberdeen Central
COLLEGE FOOTBALL – SATURDAY
Minnesota vs. Michigan, 11 am on FOX
Iowa State vs. West Virginia, 11 am on TNT
North Carolina vs. No. 3 Notre Dame, 11 am on ESPN
No. 16 Mississippi State vs. No. 7 Alabama, 11 am on ABC
No. 2 Georgia vs. Vanderbilt, 11:45 am on SEC Network
No. 14 Iowa vs. No. 5 Ohio State, 2:30 pm on CBS
No. 25 Missouri vs. No. 8 Florida, 2:30 pm on ABC
Nebraska vs. Maryland, 3 pm on FS1
Clemson vs. No. 4 Miami, 6:30 pm on ABC
Colorado vs. No. 12 Texas Tech, 6:30 pm on FOX
No. 18 USC vs. Washington, 6:30 pm on NBC
NFL WEEK 4
Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 7:15 pm on Amazon Prime Video, Thursday Night Football
Washington Commanders vs. Indianapolis Colts, 8:30 am on NFL Network from London
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots, Noon on CBS
Minnesota Vikings vs. Miami Dolphins, 3 pm on FOX
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 3:25 pm on CBS
Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions, 7:20 pm on NBC
New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons, 7:15 pm on ESPN, Monday Night Football
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 6 – FRIDAY, OCT. 2ND
Class 11AAA
1. Sioux Falls Jefferson vs. Omaha Westview (Neb.)
2. Brandon Valley vs. 3. Harrisburg
4. O’Gorman vs. SF Washington
5. Sioux Falls Lincoln at Rapid City Stevens
SF Roosevelt vs. Rapid City Central
Class 11AA
1. Pierre vs. Huron
2. Tea Area vs. Brookings
3. Watertown vs. Mitchell
4. Yankton at 5. Spearfish
Aberdeen Central vs. Sturgis
Douglas vs. Belle Fourche
Class 11A
1. Sioux Falls Christian at 4. Madison
2. Lennox at 3. West Central
5. Dell Rapids vs. Vermillion
Class 11B
1. Elk Point-Jefferson vs. Sioux Valley
2. St. Thomas More vs. Custer
3. Clark/Willow Lake at Mobridge-Pollock
4. Winner vs. Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central
5. Deuel vs. Groton Area
Wagner at Mt. Vernon/Plankinton
McCook Central/Montrose vs. Beresford
Class 9AA
1. Parkston vs. Bon Homme
2. Platte-Geddes vs. Kimball/White Lake – Q107.3
3. Hamlin at Webster Area
4. Viborg-Hurley vs. Garretson
5. Britton-Hecla
Hanson vs. Baltic
Corsica-Stickney vs. Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian
Class 9A
1. Freeman at Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan
2. Castlewood at Elkton-Lake Benton
3. Sully Buttes vs. Herreid-Selby Area
4. Centerville vs. Gayville-Volin
5. Timber Lake vs. North Central
Alcester-Hudson vs. Howard
Burke vs. Scotland-Menno
Class 9B
1. Dell Rapids St. Mary at Irene-Wakonda
2. Wall vs. New Underwood
3. Warner
4. Avon vs. 5. Colman-Egan