20th Annual Elite Eight Athletes of the Year Award – Brought to you by: POET and made possible by KORN News Radio, Q107-3 and KORN Country 92-1
Athletes must be a Junior or a Senior, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, be involved in community and school activities, be an elite athlete, and be nominated by their coach or administration. The Elite Eight Committee votes on the nominations based on criteria.
Sutton Arend – Bridgewater/Emery (Sr.) – Basketball
Arend was a Class B All-State first team selection as a senior, averaging 21.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game for the Huskies, shooting 54% from the field and 76% from the free-throw line. He was also a Class 11B all-state selection for football where he had 460 rushing yards and 296 receiving yards with four touchdowns. Arend will attend Mount Marty University in Yankton for basketball.
“On the basketball floor Sutton is a very competitive player who leads by example. Sutton’s ability to spread the floor with his shooting, bring down an important rebound, and play solid defense are all reasons why our team and Sutton had a successful season. Sutton’s ability to find an open teammate and unselfish play have led to a positive environment for our team on and off the floor. He has helped with the fireman’s pancake supper, a fundraiser for the Emery Fire Department. Sutton is a member of St. Martins Catholic Church, and has officiated, many youth basketball games and football games. Sutton has also helped with set up and clean up for the annual Emery Fun Days event.” – Bridgewater/Emery head basketball coach Scott Schultz
Griffin Clubb – Howard (Sr.) – Football and Wrestling
Clubb has been a leader for Howard on both sides of the ball the past two seasons. He rushed for 1,533 yards during his junior and senior seasons, along with 146 tackles and five interceptions as an all-state linebacker. Clubb has also been an integral part of the Howard wrestling and baseball teams the past two seasons, taking home fourth at the state wrestling tournament this past February at 220 pounds. Clubb has committed to Chadron State in Nebraska for football.
Riley Endres – Ethan (Sr.) – Basketball
Endres led Ethan to its first Class B state tournament appearance since 2014, averaging 15.2 points and 7 rebounds per game while being named to the all-state third team. The senior scored his 1,000th career point against Mitchell Christian this past March in a Region 3B quarterfinal game. He finished his career with 1,238 career points and a 3.8 GPA.
“Riley Endres has been a staple of the area high school landscape for the last four years. He is respected by his peers and lauded by his classroom teachers. Those who have watched Riley compete would tell you that he works hard to accomplish what he does in sports, but that he is also a selfless teammate. There were many times when Riley was asked to “take over” a game, but he always knew the value that a balanced team brings to winning. He was as respectful of a player as it comes when working with officials and coaches.” – Ethan boys basketball coach Bryce Roth.
Aiden Lieber – Mitchell Christian (Jr.) – Basketball
Liber led the Golden Eagles this past season with 23.8 points per game, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 steals. He surpassed the 1,000 career point mark in the region tournament vs. Ethan on March 1st. Liber had numerous 30 point games during his junior season, including 33 points in an opening round region tournament victory over Colman-Egan and 30 points vs. Corsica-Stickney on January 10th.
“Aiden is an outstanding student athlete and has been a leader in the Mitchell Christian Basketball program since he was a freshman. As accomplished as a basketball player Aiden is, it doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of his character as a young man. Aiden is actively engaged in the school and community. He volunteers time giving back to younger athletes and helping them with workouts. He is a member of the Mitchell Christian Robotics Team and also serves in the Early Learning Center with his time. He is a member of the National Honor Society and MCS student council. Aiden is an active member of Northridge church and serves in the youth group on multiple community outreach opportunities throughout the year.” – Mitchell Christian boys basketball coach Jesse Tolsma.
Reed Rus – Mt. Vernon/Plankinton (Sr.) – Basketball and Football
Rus averaged 18.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 3.3 steals per game for MVP, leading the Titans to an 18-8 record and the Class A State Tournament. He was a Class A Second Team selection and the Southeast South Dakota Conference Player of the Year. Rus set the all-time Mt. Vernon co-op scoring record this season with 1,655 career points. He is also the school’s all-time leader in career rebounds (855), assists (452) and steals (226). The senior was also named to the 11B all-state football team this past fall, rushing for 1,172 yards and 21 touchdowns while maintaining a 4.06 GPA. Rus will attend the University of South Dakota for football this fall.
“As a player, Reed may very well be the best all-around player in the history of our school. Opposing coaches rave to me about his effort, his toughness, and his leadership. As good as he is as a player, as a leader, he is even better. He leads by example, but he also leads with his heart. He is vocal when he needs to be, and he buttons his lip and works harder when the situation fits. He has a way of holding others to a high level of accountability that is only accepted when people know the heart is true.“
“As far as community service, Reed does it all, and he does it with a servant’s heart. He doesn’t do anything because he wants credit, he simply does it because it is the right thing to do. On our team, he is the one who is always policing the locker room, reminding people to clean up their trash on the bus, putting away basketballs, and he even grabs the scorebook and mans that position for C games. All of this without ever being asked. His leadership is no different in the hallways of our school. He helps with EVERYTHING. He is always the first one to volunteer to help coach, ref, do prep work, or anything else that he sees needs to be done and he usually does it without being asked. He has left a legacy of greatness in our school. He embraces the role of being in the spotlight and being a positive role model. Every kid in our school knows who Reed is and looks up to him and he responds. He responds by calling them by name, by giving them high fives and fist bumps. He makes them feel special. He is genuine and they can feel it. Even more important than that is the fact that he holds himself to a high standard in the arena, in the classroom, and in his life. He is genuine and he is special.” – MVP boys basketball coach Eric Denning
Steele Morgan – Mitchell (Sr.) – Basketball
Morgan was the steady presence in the Mitchell lineup all season long, averaging 11.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, on his way to a Class AA all-state second team selection and the all-ESD team. Kernel boys basketball reached the state championship game for the first time since 2012 where Morgan was named to the all-tournament team. Steele is committed to play basketball next fall at Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell.
“Steele has made a profound impact in the Mitchell community and whenever an opportunity to give back to his community has been offered to Steele, he has jumped all over it. Over the four years, Steele has been with us he has never missed an opportunity to coach our skill camps, summer leagues, and fall leagues. Steele not only shows up to help at these events, he shows up and is completely invested in giving our little Kernels a great experience. Steele is always one of our players that kids want to hang around and talk to during these camps because he takes time to make each of those kids feel special. Steele also participates in Mitchell’s “Big Friend Little Friend” program in which he mentors an elementary school student. Through this program, he gives up a few hours every week to spend time with that student, talk to them, and help them gain confidence in themselves.” – Mitchell boys basketball coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt
Dylan Soulek – Mitchell (Sr.) – Basketball
Soulek led the Kernels this season, averaging 13.2 points, 4.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game while being named to the Class AA all-state second team. Mitchell reached the state championship game for the first time since 2012 where Soulek was named to the all-tournament team. Soulek was also named to the all-state baseball team last spring, leading Mitchell to a second-place finish at the state tournament. During the spring season, Soulek had a .400 batting average with a .490 on-base percentage. During the summer for Mitchell Post 18, Soulek finished with a team-high .432 batting average along with 52 runs. He has committed to Northern State University for baseball.
“The words that come to mind when I think of who Dylan is would be “dependable”, “motivated”, and “natural leader”. Through my experiences being able to coach Dylan as well as teaching him in the classroom, these qualities continue to prove themselves to be true. Dylan has become a role model for our youth in the Mitchell community and those qualities that he is developing will surpass his impact as a role model and take him into a leadership role wherever he lands as an adult.” – Mitchell boys basketball coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt
Jagger Tyler – Mitchell (Sr.) – Wrestling and Football
Tyler became just the 10th wrestler in Mitchell history to win back-to-back state titles as he was victorious at 152 pounds this winter, finishing his senior year with a 42-3 record. On the football field, Tyler was the Kernels leading tackler during the 2022 season with 78, as well as one of their top running backs. He was also named to the Class AA all-state football team as a defensive back. Tyler has committed to join Dakota Wesleyan’s wrestling program next fall.