FRIDAY SPORTS, AUGUST 21, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell girls soccer hosts Spearfish on Friday at 4 p.m. The Kernels opened the season last week with a 9-0 win over Huron.
— Mitchell boys soccer hosts Spearfish on Friday at 6 p.m. The Kernels opened the season last week with a 4-2 win over Huron.
— Mitchell girls tennis takes on O’Gorman on Saturday at 9 am at McKennan Park in Sioux Falls.
— Mitchell boys golf competes at the Pierre Invite on Tuesday starting at 10 am at Hillsview Golf Course. Mitchell Senior Asher Dannenbring placed first at the two-day Warrior-Lynx Invite earlier this week, shooting a 2-under-par 139 over the two days.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan volleyball, 4-0 on the season, competes at the Siouxland Invitational this week. DWU takes on Corban (Ore.) on Friday at 10 am, followed by Mayville State at 4 pm in Sioux City. Senior Lizzie Tyler set a new school record for career digs over the weekend with 1,787.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s soccer started its season with a 1-0 loss at Bellevue (Neb.) on Thursday, allowing a goal in the 60th minnute. The Tigers are back in action on Friday, August 28 at Nebraska Wesleyan at 7 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s soccer opens the season on Saturday at Jamestown at 3 pm. The Tigers were picked to finish seventh in the GPAC preseason coaches poll released earlier this week.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s soccer remained unbeaten with a 3-0 win over Washington State on Thursday in Brookings. The Jackrabbits scored twice in the first half. Mia Bosch converted a penalty kick in the 14th minute, and Lauren Eckerle added a goal from about 30 yards out in the 32nd minute. SDSU added an insurance goal in the 88th minute. The Jackrabbits improved to 3-0 with their third straight shutout to open the season. South Dakota State travels to Kansas State on Sunday at 1 pm for its first road match of the season.
— The weekly Dan Jackson Show covering South Dakota State football begins Monday, Aug. 24, from Cubby’s Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings. The hour-long show starts at 6 p.m. and airs on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, including KORN News Radio FM 101.3/AM 1490. Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the show features game recaps, interviews with coaches and players, and a preview of the upcoming matchup. SDSU football opens the season on Saturday, August 29 vs. Stetson at 6 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD women’s soccer fell 1-0 to Green Bay on Thursday. The Coyotes and Phoenix were scoreless at halftime before Green Bay scored in the 51st minute. South Dakota finished with four shots, including three on goal, while goalkeeper Cambell Fischer made two saves. The Coyotes are 1-1-1 and will play their first home match of the season on Sunday against Morningside at 1 p.m.
AMATEUR BASEBALL
— Alexandria had four players selected to the Class B All-Tournament Team released on Thursday for the 94th annual South Dakota State Amateur Baseball Tournament. Dakota Munger was named tournament MVP after batting .520 with nine RBIs and earning a win on the mound. Alex Mizsak went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts, while AJ Wilber recorded two wins, two saves and a 1.31 ERA. Charlie Dubanoski also made the team after hitting .421 with six RBIs. Parkston’s Jeff Harris was selected after batting .467 with two doubles and four RBIs.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— The Minnesota Twins start a three-game series on Friday at San Diego at 8:40 pm. The Twins, coming off a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves, are tied with the Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot. Minnesota is currently second place in the AL Central, 3 ½ games behind the Chicago White Sox.
NFL
— The Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints have each been fined $500,000 by the NFL after several fights broke out during their joint practice Tuesday in Oxnard, California. Players exchanged punches as Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner body-slammed Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Dallas will appeal the fine and also plans to discipline players involved. The NFL said teams were reminded before training camp to prevent unsportsmanlike behavior at joint practices. The Saints held a fight-free practice with the Rams on Thursday.
— The NFL is criticizing changes by Nielsen to how television audiences are measured, calling the changes rushed and saying they could negatively impact sports ratings. Nielsen will change its methodology beginning Aug. 31, including how it measures multiple people watching the same event. The NFL averaged 18.7 million viewers per game last season, up 10% from 2024 and the highest average since 1989. The league says it is still evaluating the impact of the changes, while Nielsen says its new system provides the most accurate TV measurement available.
GOLF
— Rory McIlroy bounced back from a disappointing opening-round showing last week, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 64 on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the BMW Championship in St. Louis. McIlroy is tied with Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun and Chris Gotterup. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler struggled while battling an illness, shooting a 2-over 72. He is eight shots behind the leaders.
NBA
— James Harden has agreed to a three-year, $97 million contract to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 36-year-old Harden declined a $42 million player option for the upcoming season. He averaged 20.7 points in 26 regular-season games after joining Cleveland in February and averaged 19.7 points during the playoffs. Harden will enter his 18th NBA season.
COLLEGE
— SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is speaking out against allowing athletes who have signed professional contracts to return to college sports. In a court affidavit, Sankey said allowing former professionals back into the NCAA would create unfairness for current and future college athletes and undermine the integrity of college sports. His comments came in response to a lawsuit from former St. John’s basketball star R.J. Luis, who signed a two-way NBA contract but hopes to play another season at LSU. A judge has granted other athletes seeking additional eligibility a temporary restraining order, and more court hearings are expected.
— States are increasingly using taxpayer dollars to support college athletics as schools face rising costs for athlete payments, facilities, coaching and travel. North Carolina, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Louisiana are among states providing money or tax incentives to athletic programs. An AP analysis found operating expenses at public Division I schools have risen nearly one-third over the past four years, outpacing revenue. A proposed federal law could allow schools to spend nearly $50 million annually on athlete payments, potentially increasing pressure on states to help fund college sports.
TENNIS
— U.S. Open singles champions will earn a record $5.5 million this year, the highest prize in Grand Slam tennis history. Total player compensation is increasing 20% to a record $108 million, up 44% from 2024. Players will receive $140,000 just for reaching the 128-player singles main draw, while quarterfinalists earn $780,000 and semifinalists $1.4 million. The runner-up will receive $2.8 million.
GOLF
— LIV Golf players met this week with the league’s CEO and a proposed new investor as the Saudi-backed circuit works to secure its future beyond this season. The investor’s identity and financial terms have not been disclosed. Players said the meeting provided more clarity, but some remained uncertain about what LIV will look like next year. The league has canceled next week’s team championship in Michigan, making this week’s event in Indianapolis the season finale. LIV also has reduced the tournament purse from $20 million to $10 million.
MLB
— The Kansas City City Council has approved a $600 million commitment toward a new downtown stadium for the Kansas City Royals. The approval sets the framework for the city’s share of the project, though additional steps remain. The Royals plan to contribute $760 million and will seek another $540 million from the state. The new stadium is part of a planned $3 billion mixed-use development with Hallmark Cards. Construction could begin in 2027, with the stadium potentially ready for the 2030 season. The Royals would sign a 30-year lease.
— The Seattle Mariners are calling up left-hander Kade Anderson, baseball’s top pitching prospect, to make his major league debut Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. The 22-year-old was 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 93 innings over 18 starts for Double-A Arkansas. Anderson was selected third overall by Seattle in the 2025 MLB draft out of LSU. The Mariners are 60-68 and trying to stay in the postseason race. Anderson will replace Bryan Woo in the rotation.
— Grant Holmes took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, while Austin Riley doubled and singled to drive in both Atlanta’s runs as the Braves defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-0. Holmes didn’t allow a hit until Andrew Benintendi lined a single to left with no outs in the seventh.
— Milwaukee’s Garrett Mitchell and Gary Sánchez each hit two-run doubles during a six-run first inning as the Brewers beat the Seattle Mariners 7-4. Mitchell also homered in the eighth, finishing 3 for 4 with three RBIs.
— Gavin Williams struck out 11 over 5 2/3 innings, while José Ramírez had an RBI single in the three-run first as the Cleveland Guardians beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2. Cleveland is 11-20 overall since the All-Star break. The Guardians are one game behind the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot.
— Kazuma Okamoto, Nathan Lukes and Daz Cameron homered, while Shane Bieber pitched seven innings as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1. The Blue Jays pulled within a ½ game of the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers for the final AL Wild Card spot.
— Jacob deGrom struck out 10 and allowed one hit and one walk in six innings while reaching 2,000 career strikeouts in the second-fewest games and innings in major league history as the Texas Rangers beat the Washington Nationals 2-0.
— Zach Neto was 5-for-6 with his 21st homer and a career-high seven RBIs as the Los Angeles Angels scored their most runs in three years to rout the Houston Astros 18-3. Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez gave up two unearned runs across seven innings while striking out six.
— Gerrit Cole pitched six innings, while Luis García Jr. and Spencer Jones homered as the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep in Baltimore with a 6-1 victory over the Orioles.
— Bobby Witt Jr. homered and scored three runs as the Kansas City Royals beat the Athletics 6-2 for their first four-game sweep of the season. The Royals have won five straight games, while the Athletics have lost 17 of their last 21.
— Cincinnati’s Dane Myers dropped a fly ball with two outs in the ninth, opening the flood gates in a six-run inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 10-9 win over the Reds. The Reds held a 5-4 lead going into the ninth.
MLB
Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals, 3:10 pm on Saturday on FS1
Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago Cubs, 6:15 pm on Saturday on FOX
San Diego Padres vs. Minnesota Twins, 7:40 pm on Saturday
Boston Red Sox vs. San Francisco Giants, 2:15 pm on Sunday on NBC
San Diego Padres vs. Minnesota Twins, 3:10 pm on Sunday
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta Braves, 6 pm on Sunday on ESPN. Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL – FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2026
Class 11B
- Elk Point-Jefferson at McCook Central/Montrose
- St. Thomas More vs. Mobridge-Pollock
- Winner vs. Hot Springs
- Deuel vs. Parker/Marion
- Sioux Valley vs. Aberdeen Roncalli
Wagner vs. Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central – KORN Country 92.1
Beresford vs. Mt. Vernon/Plankinton
Rapid City Christian vs. Chamberlain
Class 9AA
- Parkston at Hill City
- Hamlin vs. 5. Castlewood (9A)
- Bon Homme vs. Stanley County
- Platte-Geddes vs. Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian
- Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan at Viborg-Hurley
Class 9A
- Freeman at Alcester-Hudson
- Howard vs. De Smet
- Elkton-Lake Benton at Canistota
- Kimball/White Lake vs. Gregory
- Castlewood at 2. Hamlin (9AA)
Corsica-Stickney vs. Burke
Class 9B
- St. Mary’s at Deubrook Area
- Wall at Bennett County
- Warner at Northwestern
- Avon at Scotland/Menno – Q107.3
- Colman-Egan vs. Oldham-Ramona-Rutland