MONDAY SPORTS, AUGUST 31, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell opened the 2026 football season with a 28-13 victory over Brookings on Friday night at Joe Quintal Field. The Kernels rushed for 295 yards, with four different players scoring touchdowns. Samari Wright led the way with 134 yards on just four carries, including an 80-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Lawson LeBrun and Mason Kempf also scored rushing touchdowns, while QB Brady Hoesing added a touchdown run. Mitchell’s defense recorded six tackles for loss and an interception. The Kernels travel to Spearfish on Friday at 7 pm CST.
— Mitchell volleyball went 1-3 on Saturday at the Huron Invitational. The Kernels were swept 2-0 vs. Class B teams No. 1 Chester, No. 3 Northwestern, and Class A No. 1 Dell Rapids. Mitchell picked up a 2-0 win vs. Class AA foe Spearfish. Mitchell, 2-3 on the season, will be at No. 1 Harrisburg on Tuesday at 6:30 pm on KORN News Radio.
— Mitchell soccer is back in action on Tuesday at Pierre with the girls match at 4 pm, followed by the boys at 6 pm.
— Mitchell boys golf returns to action Tuesday at the Hub City Invite in Aberdeen. The tournament begins at 10 a.m. at Lee Park Golf Course.
— The Mitchell and Mitchell Christian cross country teams return to action on Friday at the Augustana Twilight meet in Sioux Falls.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— No. 25 Dakota State football held off a Dakota Wesleyan comeback Saturday night, winning 35-27 in Madison to reclaim the Chamber of Commerce traveling trophy. The Trojans led 21-0 at halftime before the Tigers cut the deficit to 28-20 in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wesleyan quarterback Jed Jenson threw for 226 yards and four touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. Dakota State quarterback Tray Hettick threw for 429 yards and five touchdowns, while Melek Ford had nine catches for 242 yards and two scores. The Tigers fall to 0-1 and open GPAC play Sept. 5 against Doane.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’ soccer played to a 1-1 tie at Bellevue (Neb.) on Saturday to move to 0-0-2 on the season. The Tigers host Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday at 6 pm.
— No. 16 ranked Dakota Wesleyan volleyball will play Sept. 4-5 at the Labor Day Classic in Omaha, Nebraska. The Tigers are 8-1 on the season after a 3-1 win at Dakota State on Wednesday.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State opened its football season with a 70-7 win over Stetson on Saturday in Brookings. The Jacks had a 42-0 lead and halftime and neither team scored in the fourth quarter. SDUS put up 628 yards of offense, including 393 rushing yards. QB Chase Mason was 5-for-10 for 157 yards and a touchdown. James Basinger (110 yards) and Corey Blair (107 yards) both had 100-yard rushing games one just eight carries. SDSU will be at Northwestern of the Big Ten next Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State volleyball dropped a five-set match to Villanova, 3-2, Sunday in Malibu, California. The Wildcats won 25-21, 20-25, 28-30, 25-20 and 15-9. Sylvie Zgonc led the Jackrabbits with 22 kills, while Hannah Klein added a career-high 18. Rylee Martin had 31 assists and Brooke Larsen added 23 assists and a career-best eight kills. SDSU falls to 1-2 on the season. The Jackrabbits host No. 1 ranked Nebraska in Brookings on Wednesday at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s soccer host Colorado College on Thursday at 7 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD football opened the 2026 season with a 59-20 win over Central Connecticut State Saturday at the DakotaDome. Redshirt freshman quarterback Austyn Modrzewski (Muh-jet-ski) had a record-setting debut, throwing for 304 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for another score. His six touchdown passes tied a USD single-game record, while his 304 passing yards set a school record for a player making his FCS debut. Modrzewski Muh-jet-ski) finished with 385 total yards in just three quarters. The Coyotes are 1-0 and visit Northern Colorado next Saturday.
— USD volleyball suffered its first loss of the season Sunday, falling to DePaul 3-1 at the Drake Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa. Lauren Medeck led the Coyotes with 17 kills and 10 digs, while Avery Van Hook had 45 assists and 17 digs. South Dakota finished the opening weekend 2-1 and will host Utah Valley Thursday at 7 p.m. in its home opener.
— USD women’s soccer lost at Wyoming on Sunday 5-2 to fall to 2-2-2 on the season. The Coyotes host Idaho on Thursday at 6 pm.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— Zebby Matthews delivered a career-long outing Sunday as the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 5-1 at Target Field. Matthews retired the first 17 batters and allowed one run over 8 1/3 innings. He was two outs from a complete-game shutout before giving up a pair of ninth-inning singles. Josh Bell drove in two runs, Trevor Larnach had a two-run double and Luke Keaschall added a home run. The win snapped Minnesota’s four-game losing streak. The Twins remain four games behind Cleveland in the American League wild card race and host the Detroit Tigers on Monday at 6:40 pm
— Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton has been placed on the 10-day injured list for the third time this season with a right hip impingement. Buxton aggravated the injury while chasing down a ball Tuesday and has not played since. The Twins hope he can return this season, but general manager Jeremy Zoll says surgery remains a potential long-term option. Walker Jenkins is expected to play center field in Buxton’s absence. Meanwhile, All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan is scheduled to make a rehab start Tuesday with the St. Paul Saints as he works back from a left glute strain.
GOLF
— Scottie Scheffler rallied from a three-shot deficit Sunday to win the PGA Tour Championship with a 4-under 66. The victory gave Scheffler his second FedEx Cup title and his third win of 2026. He earned $10 million from the $40 million purse, pushing his PGA Tour career earnings to more than $130 million and past Tiger Woods for the most in tour history. Viktor Hovland finished second, with Ryan Gerard third.
WNBA
— Angel Reese set a WNBA record Sunday with her 29th double-double of the season as the Atlanta Dream beat the Minnesota Lynx 89-81. Reese finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, surpassing the previous record of 28 double-doubles set in 2023. Allisha Gray added 23 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta, which improved to 26-14. Minnesota fell to 31-9, snapping an eight-game road winning streak.
NFL
— Aaron Donald is ending his 2 ½ year retirement and returning to the Los Angeles Rams. The 35-year-old defensive tackle agreed to a one-year contract after several weeks of workouts and discussions. Donald spent his entire 10-year career with the Rams, winning three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, earning 10 Pro Bowl selections and eight All-Pro honors, and helping Los Angeles win the Super Bowl. He will join star defensive end Myles Garrett on a revamped Rams defensive line.
TENNIS
— Novak Djokovic has been eliminated in the first round of the U.S. Open for the first time. The 39-year-old 24-time Grand Slam champion lost to Argentina’s Mariano Navone in five sets, 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. The match lasted four hours, 36 minutes. Djokovic battled vomiting, cramping and back and shoulder pain, and committed 70 unforced errors. It was his earliest Grand Slam exit in two decades.
— Venus Williams has been eliminated in the first round of the U.S. Open, falling to fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-2, 7-6. The 46-year-old was making her 26th U.S. Open singles appearance. The match began at a record-late 12:13 a.m. and ended at 2:01 a.m. Williams has now lost 15 straight singles matches, though she’ll team with sister Serena in doubles later this week.
MLB
— Tyler Glasnow gave up two hits and one run in seven innings, while Freddie Freeman scored three runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Detroit Tigers 6-1.
— Austin Wells homered twice in a nine-run eighth inning as the New York Yankees widened their lead in the AL wild-card race and clinched the season series against the Boston Red Sox with a 16-1 victory.
— José Ramírez homered, hit his 1,000th career single and drove in four while Parker Messick struck out five and gave up one run in six innings to lead the Cleveland Guardians past the Kansas City Royals 11-1. Cleveland (69-68) holds the third American League wild card.
— Gunnar Henderson hit two homers and drove in five runs, while Coby Mayo hit a three-run homer as the Baltimore Orioles scored seven unanswered runs to rally past the Athletics 8-5. Baltimore (68-69) improves to one game under .500 for the first time since April 30 and sits one game back of the third and final AL wild-card spot.
— Max Scherzer and two relievers combined on a one-hitter as the Toronto Blue Jays shutout the Seattle Mariners 7-0 to complete a three-game sweep. Scherzer struck out a season-high 10, moving him past Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry and into ninth place on the career strikeouts list.
— Matt Olson’s single past first base drove in the winning run in the 10th inning as the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 for their seventh straight win.
— Rookie Sal Stewart homered for the third straight game to help offset two more home runs by Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 7-5.
— Zack Wheeler allowed one run in six innings, while Edmundo Sosa hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh as the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep with a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
— Ezequiel Durán homered, doubled and drove in three runs to help the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4.
— Jonny DeLuca hit a two-out, two-run homer off Mason Miller to tie it in the ninth inning and Jorge Mateo singled in the winning run in the 11th as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 to finish a three-game sweep.
— Pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr.’s go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning helped lead the Houston Astros to a 6-3 win over the New York Mets.
— Esmerlyn Valdez and Jared Triolo homered, Brandon Lowe added an RBI single as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4.
— Otto Lopez’s two run homer capped a six-run ninth inning as the Miami Marlins defeated the Washington Nationals 6-2.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL – WEEK 1
CLASS 11AAA
5. O’Gorman 42, 1. Sioux Falls Lincoln 35
2. Brandon Valley 10, Bellevue West (Neb.) 7
3. Sioux Falls Jefferson 43, 4. Harrisburg 20
SF Washington 28, Rapid City Central 0
SF Roosevelt 47, Rapid City Stevens 14
CLASS 11AA
1. Pierre 42, 5. Sturgis 6
4. Tea Area 35, 2. Huron 32
3. Yankton 48, Aberdeen Central 11
Mitchell 28, Brookings 13
Watertown 26, Spearfish 20
Douglas 36, Custer 30
CLASS 11A
1. Sioux Falls Christian 38, 2. Lennox 20
3. Dell Rapids 15, 5. Madison 14
4. West Central 37, Dakota Valley 0
CLASS 11B
1. Elk Point-Jefferson BYE
2. St. Thomas More 51, Belle Fourche 8
3. Winner 60, Miller/Highmore-Harrold 6
4. Deuel 8, McCook Central/Montrose 7
5. Sioux Valley vs. Clark/Willow Lake
Wagner 28, Hot Springs 3
Mobridge-Pollock 30, Mt. Vernon/Plankinton 0
CLASS 9AA
1. Parkston 30, 3. Platte-Geddes 6
2. Bon Homme 55, Gregory 6
4. Viborg-Hurley 32, Hanson 30
5. Hamlin 34, Britton-Hecla 22
Garretson 36, Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan 12
Scotland/Menno 38, Tripp-Delmont/Armour/Andes Central/Dakota Christian 12
CLASS 9A
1. Freeman 60, Chester 8
3. Castlewood 14, 2. Howard 8
Centerville 38, 4. Elkton-Lake Benton 28
Sully Buttes 26, 5. Kimball/White Lake 22
Lyman 27, Corsica-Stickney 8
De Smet 44, Canistota 0
CLASS 9B
1. Dell Rapids St. Mary 62, Oldham-Ramona-Rutland 12
2. Wall 36, Lead-Deadwood 7
3. Warner 17, North Central 6
4. Avon 54, Burke 0
5. Colman-Egan 48, Gayville-Volin 6