MONDAY SPORTS, DECMEBER 8, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell senior Kyanna Gropper won the balance beam and finished runner-up in the all-around to lead Kernels gymnastics to a second-place team finish on Saturday at the Pierre Invitational. Gropper posted a winning score of 9.575 on beam and totaled 37.4 points in the all-around, helping Mitchell secure 143.75 points in its second meet of the season. Harrisburg won the team title with 147.125.
— Mitchell Kernels boys wrestling split its season opening duals on Friday night defeating Chamberlain 48-35 and losing to Tea Area 54-29. The Kernels then lost three duals on Saturday in Watertown to the Arrows, Tea Area and Yankton. Mitchell, 1-4 on the season, will compete at the Rapid City Invitational beginning on Friday at 11 am.
— Mitchell Kernels girls wrestling picked up a pair of wins in its season opening duals on Friday night defeating Chamberlain 36-6 and Tea Area 30-11. Mitchell, 2-0 on the season, will compete at the Rapid City Invitational beginning on Friday at 11 am.
— Mitchell Marlins boys hockey dropped to 0-5-1 on the season with a pair of losses over the weekend. Mitchell lost 6-4 at Huron on Friday, followed by a 10-0 loss to Brookings on Saturday. The Marlins will be at Brookings on Friday, Dec. 26 at 8 pm.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball picked up a big GPAC road win on Saturday, defeating previously unbeaten No. 9 Concordia, 59–56. The 14th-ranked Tigers dominated the rebounding battle 57 to 36 and had three players finish with double-doubles: Emma Yost with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Avery Broughton with 13 points and 16 rebounds, and Shalayne Nagel with 10 points and 10 boards. The Tigers improved to 6–3 overall and 4–1 in the GPAC. They face No. 1 Dordt on Wednesday.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball dropped its third straight game on Saturday, falling 103–71 to No. 24 Concordia. A 17–0 Concordia run in the first half put the Tigers in a deep hole, trailing by 20 at halftime. DWU was led by Anthony Riggans with 18 points, including four threes. The Tigers were outrebounded 42–28 and allowed all five Concordia starters to reach double figures. DWU is now 5–6 overall and 2–3 in the GPAC. The Tigers face Dordt on Wednesday.
— No. 3-seed Concordia wrapped up a perfect run through Pool C at the NAIA women’s volleyball national tournament on Friday night, a result that ended Dakota Wesleyan’s chance to reach the quarterfinals. Concordia defeated The Master’s (Calif.) in four sets improving to 2-0 in pool play. DWU needed a victory from The Master’s to force a three-way tie and bring a one-set playoff into play. The Tigers end the season with a 20-12 record.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD football rolled into the FCS quarterfinals with a 47–0 shutout win at No. 6 seed Mercer, the first playoff shutout in school history. The Coyotes piled up 550 yards of offense, including 308 on the ground. L.J. Phillips Jr. scored twice and finished with 159 rushing yards on 15 carries. Quarterback Aidan Bouman became USD’s all-time leader with over 9,000 career passing yards. The Coyotes improve to 10-4 on the season and will be at No. 3 seed Montana on Saturday at 2:30 pm CST on ABC.
— USD men’s basketball fell on overtime on Saturday at Northern Colorado 89-87. Issac Bruns matched his career-high for the second straight game with 28 points. The Coyotes, 5-5 on the season, will be at Wyoming on Tuesday at 7:30 pm.
— USD women’s basketball lost 67-63 to Eastern Washington on Saturday to fall to 8-2 on the season. The Coyotes struggled offensively, hitting just 27% of their shot and going 1-of-13 in the fourth quarter. Angelina Robles and Elise Turrubiates had a team-high 13 points. USD will be at Bradley on Wednesday at 11 am.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State’s football season came to an end on Saturday with a 50–29 playoff loss at Montana. The Jackrabbits jumped ahead early on a 95-yard touchdown pass from Chase Mason to Grahm Goering, the longest in school history. But Montana took control with 30 straight points between the second and third quarters. Chase Mason threw for a career-high 356 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns, while Goering and Alex Bullock each topped 100 receiving yards. But Montana quarterback Keali‘i Ah Yat was the difference, throwing for 360 yards and four touchdowns. SDSU ends the season with a 9-5 record under first year head coach Dan Jackson.
— South Dakota state seniors Madison Mathiowetz and Brooklyn Meyer each scored 28 points on Saturday in an 88-72 win over Northern Arizona. The Jackrabbits improved to 8-2 on the season. Meyer and Mathiowetz combined to shoot 23-for-34 from the floor, leading the Jackrabbits to a 54% shooting for the game. SDSU will be at Northern Iowa on Wednesday at 6 pm.
— South Dakota State men’s basketball lost 84-81 to Idaho on Saturday. Jaden Jackson had a game-high 21 points and Damon Wilkinson added 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Jackson missed a three-pointer at the end of regulation that would have forced overtime. SDSU falls to 5-5 on the season and will be at Ball State on Tuesday at 6 pm.
— South Dakota State volleyball had its season come to an end on Friday night with a 3-1 (25-21,22-25, 25-15, 25-15) loss to Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Sylvie Zgonc (Guntz) led the Jackrabbits with 21 kills and 14 digs. Setter Rylee Martin added 39 assists. Jordan Wilson led Arizona with 24 kills and a .340 hitting percentage. SDSU ends the season with a 23-5 record. Arizona would go on to lose to No. 2 seed Stanford on Saturday night 3-1.
— Five South Dakota State wrestlers earned podium finishes this weekend at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Moses Espinoza-Owens led the Jackrabbits with a fourth-place finish at 174 pounds, while Marcus Espinoza-Owens took sixth at 165. Derrick Cardinal and heavyweight Luke Rasmussen each battled back to finish seventh in their brackets, while Alek Martin placed eighth at 149. The Jackrabbits close out the calendar year at home on Sunday, December 21st, hosting Campbell for a dual at 6 pm.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— The College Football Playoff bracket was released Sunday, featuring 12 teams with Indiana ranked No. 1 after their undefeated season and Big Ten title win over Ohio State on Saturday. Ohio State dropped one spot to No. 2. SEC champion Georgia sits third, and Big 12 champion Texas Tech is fourth, all earning first-round byes. Alabama (No. 9) and Miami (No. 10) made the playoff field, edging out Notre Dame, which fell out after losing to Miami early in the season. American Conference champion Tulane and Sun Belt champion James Madison secured the 11th and 12th spots. Other teams in the playoff include Oregon (5), Ole Miss (6), Texas A&M (7), and Oklahoma (8). First-round games kick off Dec. 19-20 with James Madison at Oregon, Tulane at Ole Miss, Miami at Texas A&M, and Alabama at Oklahoma. The championship game is scheduled for Jan. 19 outside Miami.
— Iowa State has hired former South Dakota State head coach Jimmy Rogers as its new football coach, the school announced Friday. Rogers agreed to a six-year contract after one season leading Washington State. The 38-year-old Rogers compiled a 33-9 record as a head coach, including a 27-3 mark over two seasons at SDSU, where he won the 2023 FCS national championship. He spent 12 years on the Jackrabbits coaching staff, including as defensive coordinator during the 2022 title run. Rogers led Washington State to a 6-6 record this season. Iowa State finished 8-4 in 2025 as their previous head coach Matt Campbell left the Cyclones last week for Penn State.
— The Big 12 is fining Iowa State and Kansas State $500,000 apiece after both schools declined bowl invitations amid recent coaching changes. Iowa State finished 8-4 but chose not to play following the departure of coach Matt Campbell to Penn State. Kansas State, which ended the season 6-6, also opted out after coach Chris Klieman retired. Iowa State players met with administrators and collectively decided against participating, while Kansas State AD Gene Taylor cited coaching transitions and concerns over player availability in the decision.
NFL
— The Vikings ended a four game losing streak with a 31-0 win on Sunday over the Washington Commanders. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy returned from a concussion and delivered his best NFL performance yet with three touchdown passes, no turnovers, and a balanced offense that racked up 162 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the Commanders dropped their eighth straight and quarterback Jayden Daniels re-injured the same elbow that sidelined him last month. Minnesota improves to 5–8 on the season and will take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.
— Keisean Nixon sealed Green Bay’s 28-21 victory over Chicago with an interception in the end zone with 22 seconds left. The Packers snapped the Bears’ five-game winning streak and moved into first place in the NFC North. Quarterback Jordan Love threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns, while Josh Jacobs scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard run late in the fourth quarter. Green Bay improved to 9-3-1 and remains perfect in the division this season. Chicago falls to 9-4. The two teams meet again December 20th in Chicago.
— The Houston Texans have won their fifth straight game as they relied on the NFL’s top-ranked defense to shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in a 20-10 victory. The Texans remained a game behind Jacksonville in the AFC South. The Chiefs fell to 6-7 and are in danger of missing the playoffs.
— Bo Nix passed for 212 yards and rushed for a touchdown as the Denver Broncos beat the Las Vegas Raiders 24-17. Denver never trailed and controlled the clock, holding possession for over 39 minutes. The Raiders lost quarterback Geno Smith to a right hand and shoulder injury in the third quarter. With the win, Denver improves to 11-2, tying New England for the top AFC seed.
— Aaron Rodgers threw for 284 yards and a touchdown, also running in a score, as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-22. The Steelers improved to 7-6, taking sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Baltimore falls to 6-7.
— Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, while Christian Benford sealed the game with a 63-yard interception return for a touchdown as Buffalo overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Cincinnati 39-34. The Bengals Joe Burrow threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns but was picked off twice in the fourth quarter.
— Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdown passes and Travis Etienne ran for two scores as Jacksonville cruised to a 36-19 win over the Colts, extending their home winning streak over Indianapolis to 11 games. The Colts were dealt a huge blow when starting quarterback Daniel Jones tore his right Achilles tendon in the second quarter and will miss the rest of the season. Jacksonville improved to 9-4 and took sole control of the AFC South, while Indianapolis fell to 8-5 and faces a tough road ahead without Jones.
— Matthew Stafford threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Los Angeles Rams to a 45-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Puka Nacua finished with 167 yards and two TD catches, while Blake Corum added two rushing touchdowns and 128 yards on the ground.
MLB
— Jeff Kent was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday by the Contemporary Era Committee, receiving 14 of 16 votes, surpassing the 75% needed for induction. Kent, a five-time All-Star second baseman, finished his 17-year career with a .290 batting average, 377 home runs, and 1,518 RBIs. His 351 home runs as a second baseman are the most ever at that position. Meanwhile, steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens once again fell short, along with Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela. Kent will be formally inducted in Cooperstown on July 26, 2026, joining the class that will include any players elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America next January.
NBA
— Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each scored 25 points as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 23-1 with their 15th straight victory, routing the Utah Jazz 131-101. Holmgren added nine rebounds, and Williams had eight assists. Oklahoma City shot 58% from the field and made 21 3-pointers.
— LeBron James scored 29 points, including 10 straight in the fourth quarter, leading the Lakers to a 112-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.