MONDAY SPORTS, SEPTEMBER 28, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels boys golf returns to action on Monday at the ESD Conference meet in Brookings. Mitchell senior Asher Dannenbring won the Watertown Invitational on Tuesday, earning his third tournament title of the season.
— Mitchell girls tennis open tournament play on Monday at the ESD Conference tournament in Sioux Falls, with the Class AA state tournament scheduled for Oct. 8-9 in Rapid City.
— 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. The Kernels are coming off a 34-20 homecoming loss to West Central last week.
— Mitchell Kernels volleyball, 4-7 on the season, will be at SF Jefferson on Tuesday at 7 pm. Coverage starts with the KORN pregame show at 6:45 pm. The Kernels are coming off a 3-0 win last Thursday vs. SF Roosevelt.
— Mitchell Kernels girls soccer, 3-7-1 on the season, will be at Tea Area on Tuesday at 6 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels boys soccer, 3-8-1 on the season, will be at Tea Area on Tuesday at 8 pm.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan suffered its first GPAC football loss of the season, falling to No. 18 Midland 49-0 on Saturday in Fremont, Nebraska. The Warriors piled up 612 yards of offense, while holding the Tigers to just 160 yards, including one yard rushing. Midland quarterback Brodey Johnson threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns. Midland led 28-0 at halftime and added a 95-yard touchdown run by Elliot Beister in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wesleyan falls to 3-2 overall and 3-1 in the GPAC. The Tigers visit No. 7 Morningside next Saturday in Sioux City, Iowa. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.
— No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan volleyball lost its thrid straight match after a sweep by No. 2 Concordia on Saturday in Mitchell. The Bulldogs won 25-22, 25-17 and 25-18. Evy Knoblock led DWU with seven kills, while Kayleigh Hybertson had 22 assists and Lizzie Tyler recorded 16 digs. The Tigers fall to 13-5 overall and 2-4 in the GPAC. After starting the season 12-1, DWU has lost four of its last five, all against GPAC opponents. The Tigers return to action on Friday at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s soccer, 2-1-2 on the season, will be at Doane on Saturday at 5 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s soccer, 2-2-1 on the season, will be at Doane on Saturday at 7:15 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State football pulled away in the second half to defeat Eastern Illinois 42-7 on Saturday night in Brookings. The Jackrabbits rushed for 408 yards and outgained the Panthers 597-196. Josh Holst made his first start at quarterback and threw for 176 yards and a touchdown. James Basinger rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns, while Josiah Johnson had 121 yards and two scores. Corey Blair added 80 yards and a touchdown for SDSU. The Jackrabbits led 14-7 at halftime before scoring touchdowns on their first two offensive plays of the second half. SDSU will be at No. 4 Illinois State next Saturday at 6 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s soccer rallied with a pair of second half goals to defeat North Dakota on Sunday 2-1. The Jacks tied the match with a goal in the 60th minute, followed by the game winning goal in the 82nd minute. SDSU, 6-2-2 on the season, will be at North Dakota State on Saturday at 7 pm
— 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.
MLB PLAYOFFS – TUESDAY – BEST OF THREE
Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies, 1 pm on NBC
Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox, 4 pm on Peacock/NBC Sports Network
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, 7 pm on NBC
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs, 9 pm on Peacock/NBC Sports Network
Tampa Bay and Cleveland get byes in the American League, while Milwaukee and Los Angeles with byes in the National League.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD dropped its Missouri Valley Football Conference opener on Saturday, losing to No. 11 Youngstown State 47-28. The Coyotes cut the deficit to 23-21 early in the second half on Jackson Proctor’s second rushing touchdown, but three second-half turnovers by quarterback Austyn Modrzewski helped the Penguins pull away with 24 consecutive points. Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns. South Dakota falls to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Coyotes return home next Saturday for Dakota Days, hosting Indiana State at 2 p.m.
— USD women’s soccer lost North Dakota State on Sunday 2-1 despite out shooting the Bison 28-13. The Coyotes, 3-4-3 on the season, will be at North Dakota on Saturday at 1 pm.
— 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.
MINNESOTA TWINS
— The Texas Rangers were eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the regular season with a 6-4 loss Sunday to the Minnesota Twins, who got a home run and three RBIs from Josh Bell to back Dean Kremer’s seven innings of one-run ball. Texas needed a win and a Houston loss to the Athletics. Minnesota finished 77-85, a seven-win improvement in manager Derek Shelton’s first season. Kremer gave up three hits, retiring 15 of his last 16 hitters. He went 4-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 10 starts after the Twins acquired him from Baltimore on Aug. 1.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
— The Minnesota Vikings stayed unbeaten with a 23-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Myles Price returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and Kyler Murray threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison. Minnesota improved to 3-0, but lost receiver Justin Jefferson to a right ankle injury in the first half. Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield dislocated his right thumb late in the game. Mayfield threw for 217 yards and a touchdown but was sacked six times. The Vikings host the Miami Dolphins next Sunday at 3 pm.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— Florida climbed 13 spots to No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll after beating then-No. 4 Mississippi by 24 points on Saturday. Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame remain the top three, followed by Miami and Ohio State. Indiana is sixth, Alabama seventh, Mississippi ninth and BYU 10th. Iowa moved up to 14th, while four new teams entered the rankings, including Oklahoma State, Boise State, UCLA and Kentucky.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCORES – SATURDAY
No. 1 Texas 20, No. 14 Tennessee 17
No. 2 Georgia 41, Oklahoma 13
No. 3 Notre Dame 49, Purdue 10
No. 21 Florida 52, No. 4 Ole Miss 28
No. 7 Ohio State 42, Illinois 19
No. 8 Alabama 49, South Carolina 18
No. 10 LSU 35, No. 23 Texas A&M
No. 20 Oregon 41, No. 12 USC 27
Wisconsin 24, No. 13 Penn State 20
No. 15 Utah 31, Iowa State 17
Wake Forest 30, No. 16 Louisville 27
No. 17 Iowa 20, No. 18 Michigan 19
No. 24 Mississippi State 31, No. 19 Missouri 24
MLB
— Major League Baseball is exploring the possibility of hosting a game at a national park. The Washington Post reports the league has discussed the idea with the Trump administration, including potential sites at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. No permit has been issued, and the White House says the proposal is not an administration priority. The idea remains in the early stages, with a game potentially not happening until 2028 or later.
— The Houston Astros won their fifth AL West title in six years despite finishing with the worst record for a first-place team in major league history, beating the Athletics 9-0 to finish at 81-81. Houston has the lowest winning percentage for a team reaching the playoffs in a non-shortened year, breaking the mark set when the 2005 San Diego Padres went 82-80.
— Bryce Harper and Edmundo Sosa homered as the Philadelphia Phillies clinched the final National League wild card spot with a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Phillies had lost four games in a row, needing just one win to clinch a playoff spot over Arizona.
— The Arizona Diamondbacks missed the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons, losing 9-4 to the San Diego Padres shortly after the Philadelphia Phillies won to clinch the final NL wild card spot. Arizona finished the season 86-76, two games behind Philadelphia.
— Jacob Misiorowski allowed two hits in 5 1/3 shutout innings as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4. The Brewers improved to 103-59 and closed the regular season with five straight victories, matching their longest streak of the season. Misiorowski, the likely NL Cy Young winner, finished the season with a 1.80 ERA over 174 2/3 innings.
— Randal Grichuk and Brenton Doyle homered in Chicago’s four-run third inning, leading the White Sox over the Colorado Rockies 4-2. Chicago managed a 25-win improvement from last season and earned the last AL wild card spot.
— Alex Bregman went 4 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs as the Chicago Cubs beat the Boston Red Sox 6-2 in a regular-season finale that was relocated to Tropicana Field due to weather in the Boston area.
— Max Scherzer struck out seven over seven-plus innings for his 225th career win as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1. Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young Award winner, increased his career strikeout total to 3,557. That’s the ninth-highest mark in big league history in possibly the final start of his career.
— Pittsburgh rookie Konnor Griffin homered as the Pirates recorded their first winning season in eight years with a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Pittsburgh finished 82-80, an 11-win improvement over 2025, and finished over .500 for the first time since 2018.
— Major league-innings leader Sandy Alcantara got his third save of the season as the Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3.
WNBA
— A’ja Wilson has been named the Associated Press WNBA Player of the Year for a third consecutive season, earning the honor for the fourth time overall. Angel Reese won Defensive Player of the Year, while Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles was a unanimous Rookie of the Year selection. Caitlin Clark earned Comeback Player of the Year honors after averaging 22.3 points and 8.3 assists. Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve was named Coach of the Year, and Dallas’ Jessica Shepard won Most Improved Player.
NFL
— Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has a Grade 2 hamstring injury that could sideline him for three to four weeks. Williams was injured in last week’s loss to Minnesota and has been ruled out Monday against Philadelphia. Backup Tyson Bagent is questionable with a concussion, potentially leaving 38-year-old Case Keenum to start against the Eagles. Williams could return as soon as Week 6 against Atlanta.
— Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett is facing a six-week recovery timeline following knee surgery. Garrett was placed on injured reserve after the season opener against San Francisco. He could miss games through Week 8, with a potential return Nov. 8 against Washington. Garrett is determined to return sooner, but the Rams say they will not rush his recovery.
NFL
— The Denver Broncos rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to beat the Los Angeles Rams 30-26 on Sunday night. Bo Nix scored the go-ahead touchdown with 47 seconds remaining, capping a comeback that included two touchdown passes and two-point conversions. The Broncos returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give Denver its first lead. Nix threw for two touchdowns, while Matthew Stafford passed for 390 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams.
— The Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-31 Sunday in Brazil on Tyler Loop’s 56-yard field goal as time expired. Lamar Jackson completed a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers, then called a timeout with one second left to set up the winning kick. Jackson also threw two touchdown passes, while Derrick Henry rushed for 89 yards and two scores.
— The Buffalo Bills remain unbeaten after a 24-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble as Buffalo won despite committing five turnovers.
— Aaron Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27. Chris Boswell kicked the go-ahead 33-yard field goal with 2:18 remaining.
— Jahmyr Gibbs scored three touchdowns, including the go-ahead 11-yard reception with 2:25 remaining, as the Detroit Lions beat the New York Jets 31-24. Gibbs rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns and caught seven passes for 65 yards and another score.
— Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes as the Jacksonville Jaguars routed the New England Patriots 35-6. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw two interceptions and lost a fumble before being pulled in the fourth quarter. Maye has one touchdown pass and six interceptions through three games.
— The Indianapolis Colts snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 19-17 victory over the Houston Texans. Spencer Shrader kicked four field goals, including the game-winning 43-yarder with 16 seconds remaining.
— The Las Vegas Raiders rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to beat the New Orleans Saints 35-27 to improve to 3-0. Kirk Cousins threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns. Raiders TE Brock Bowers had 10 catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
— The Washington Commanders snapped Seattle’s 12-game winning streak with a 33-31 victory. Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in place of the injured Jayden Daniels.
— Brock Purdy threw four touchdown passes as the San Francisco 49ers held off the Arizona Cardinals 36-30. Purdy finished 15 of 27 for 297 yards and helped San Francisco improve to 3-0. George Kittle caught two touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter.
— Deshaun Watson threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:48 remaining as the Cleveland Browns rallied to beat the Carolina Panthers 21-18.
— The New York Giants defeated the Tennessee Titans 12-7. Jameis Winston completed 12 of 18 passes for 117 yards in his first start since Jaxson Dart underwent season-ending knee surgery.