The girls golf team braved the rain and cold at the Region 4A meet in Belle Fourche on Thursday, May 9. While the regional title went to Hot Springs, the Wildcats gained more experience playing 18 holes at the varsity level. 

“They did great,” said Royed Hollick, coach. “They wanted to play junior varsity but couldn’t. I know they weren’t happy with their scores but I was. This was their second time playing all 18 holes and I was happy with their performance.”

It took some planning, some athletes in some new events and an all-around team effort, but the Custer High School boys track team won its third consecutive Black Hills Conference championship last weekend in Hot Springs.

The boys team piled up 188 points at the meet, 56 more than second place St. Thomas More. The race was closer than the score might indicate heading toward the end of the meet, but Custer head coach Craig Black had an ace in the hole. Three aces, in fact.

After weeks of rescheduled and canceled matches, the Custer golf team was finally able to get outside and play a few rounds. 

The Wildcats traveled to Belle Fourche on Tuesday, April 30, in a pre-conference and pre-region meet. The girls played 18 holes, making it the first time the three played at the varsity level.

“This was the first time Cassidy Adam played golf and the first time the other two played at the varsity level,” said coach Royed Hollick. “The weather was miserable and they weren’t used to walking so much on the course so they were tired by the end of the day. But for the first time playing at the varsity level they played pretty well. I was happy for them.”

This may sound like a broken record. Mostly because it is one.

In what has become a weekly occurrence for the Custer High School track team, another school record fell. This time the new school record came via the feet of Cody Herman, who set the new mark in the 3200 with a time of 9:44.18, good enough to place him third in the event at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays last weekend in Sioux Falls. Herman eclipsed the old record of 9:45.8 that was shared by Mitch Paulsen (1973) and Tre Ventling (1989).

Herman’s new record was one of several strong showings at the Dakota Relays, which sees teams of all class sizes from around the state and region compete in one of the premiere meets of the spring.

Custer County may need moisture, but don’t tell that to the Custer High School track and golf teams.

While an April full of rain and snow storms were helpful to the environment, it brought the spring sports season to a screeching halt. Both the track and golf teams went the better part of three weeks without competing, for the most part forced inside for days the sports that are supposed to be played and practiced outdoors.

The constant indoor practices have been tough on athletes and coaches alike who are itching to get outdoors and get back into a season that is slipping away.

After three weeks of inactivity due to rain and snow, the Custer High School track team got back into action at the Black Hills Track Classic last Saturday in Sturgis. The meet was attended by many area schools, including some from the Class AA ranks.

“We had a really good day and got a bunch more qualified (for state),” Custer head coach Craig Black said.

Among the qualifers for the girls was the medley relay team of Moe Mack, Billie Wicks, Julianne Thomsen and Tori Glazier, which placed first at a time of 4:25.67. Thomsen and Glazier teamed up with Matti Kelley and Tori Dahlstrom to place second in the 3200 relay at a time of 10:08.04, which was also a state-qualifying time.

It was another record-setting day for the Custer High School track team last Friday at the Queen City Classic Track Meet in Spearfish, as Jared Thomsen set a new school record in the 110 hurdles, one of several strong performances by the team.

Thomsen won the event in a time of 15.21, beating the old school record of 15.23 set by Chad Ostenson in 1987.

The girls golf team continues to hold its own as the season carries on after a quadrangular meet in Hot Springs on April 2. 

Seventh graders Elizabeth Watland and Leah Zacher stayed consistent in the match-up against Hot Springs, Belle Fourche and Douglas. Watland was 57 while Zacher was 64.

“They have really great attitudes and their swings are coming along,” said coach Royed Hollick. “It’s going to take consistency.”

The Custer High School girls golf season kicked off on Tuesday, March 26, with a quadrangular meet in Hot Springs. Two Wildcat golfers went up against players from Hot Springs, St. Thomas More, Douglas and Red Cloud and fared pretty well for their first time on the course.

Both Elizabeth Watland and Leah Zacher, both seventh graders, competed at the junior varsity level and played nine holes. Watland shot a 55 while Zacher a 68.

It’s only early April, but the Custer High School track team appears to be in mid-season form.

Several Wildcats posted state-qualifying marks and a school record fell at last Thursday’s Speed Goat Classic in Newcastle, Wyo., as Sam McNeel posted a new school record in the long jump of 17-5 1/2 to win the event and qualify for state. McNeel broke the school record of 17-1 with the leap. McNeel had tied the record a year ago. Tricia Baumann also jumped 17-1 in 1984.

The cold, windy weather won’t keep the girls golf team from practicing for the upcoming season — or the fact that the team is much smaller than years before.

“I don’t think we’ll have much of a varsity team,” said Royed Hollick, girls golf coach. “I don’t think these girls are experienced enough to compete at that high level.”

The Custer High School track season is under way, and although its meet scheduled for last Thursday in Hot Springs and Saturday at Douglas was cancelled, the team still got in a meet last week, running indoors at the Black Hills State University Spring Opener meet last Thursday in Spearfish. Custer was joined by Spearfish, Rapid City Stevens, Douglas and Bowman, N.D. at the meet. 

Both teams did well, but the girls squad produced the only winner of the meet, as Destinee Fish won the 800 at a time of 2:49.73. The girls also had four third place finishers, as Jazmin Hitschew placed third in the 1600, Sam McNeel placed third in the long jump at 15-4 at the 1600 relay team of Fish, Tori Glazier, Billie Wicks and Ashlee Eggers placed third at 4:37.86. Also placing third was the 200 relay team of McNeel, Rheann Larson, Nykyla Malinsoky and Dana Pascolleti.

While the wrestling season may have ended for high school wrestlers, Clayton Wahlstrom will keep going. The Custer High School junior will represent South Dakota at the Disney Duals in Orlando, Fla., this summer.

“I was really excited to be asked,” Wahlstrom said. “I’m excited to go to Florida. It will be hot down there, but it will be fun.”

Wahlstrom earned his spot on the team after placing third in the 170-weight class at the State ‘B’ wrestling tournament in February. The competition, open only to junior wrestlers, will begin June 27 and finish July 2.  

The wrestling season ended over the weekend with two Wildcats returning home with a medal from the state tournament in Aberdeen.

“We did really well,” coach Jared Webster said. “We got some points on the board, brought back medals and wrestled well. We haven’t gotten that high in standings in a while.”

Senior wrestler Dylan Severyn took sixth place in the 152-weight class after losing to Faulkton Area wrestler Kent Hall, 6-4. 

With 10 seconds to play and Custer clinging to a one-point lead, Hot Springs point guard Chad Janis drove down the court, penetrated the Custer defense and dished to a wide-open Hunter Pulscher under the basket for a layup and a 63-62 lead. It was a play the Bison ran ad nauseum throughout the course of the night.

It was also a play Custer had no answer for throughout the course of the night.

Pulscher’s layup proved to be the winning points, as Cody Martinz’s last-second three-pointer hit off the back iron in Hot Springs’ upset of the Wildcats Monday night at the Armory in the opening round of District 15A play.

The Custer High School boys basketball team split a pair of home games last week, defeating Lead-Deadwood 67-54 Friday night before falling to Warner 54-46 on Saturday.

Saturday’s game against Warner followed the same pattern that many of the team’s games—especially its losses—have followed this season, as the ’Cats allowed the Monarchs a large lead before clawing back into the game with a rally that fell short.

“It was a typical Custer game,”â��Custer head coach Larry Luitjens said. “Let’s spot them 15 and then see if we can catch up.”

A long season came to an end for the Custer High School girls basketball team Monday night, when it lost to Red Cloud in the first round of District 15A play 75-16. The game action went much like many of the games went for the team this season, as the overmatched and outgunned Wildcats fell behind by 15 at the end of the first quarter and were down 27 by halftime.

“We went in not quite prepared for (the game),”â��head coach Stephanie Ornelas said.â��“Our focus wasn’t there. Red Cloud is a good team. They can shoot from anywhere and they are quick. We should have been better prepared for what they were going to do.”

The wrestling season will continue another week with four Custer High School wrestlers earning spots in the Class B State Tournament this weekend in Aberdeen. 

Dylan Severyn (152) took second place at the Region 4B wrestling meet last weekend in Rapid City after Phillip opponent Lane Blasius defeated him in a 6-5 championship match while Clayton Wahlstrom (170) took second against Clint Everett Stout, also from Philip, in a 7-6 match. Chasen Cole (126) took third place with a win over Lukas Chase. Clay Seidler (195) took first place and the Region 4B title over Philip opponent Logan Ammons with a 5-3 match.

The Custer High School girls basketball team lost its 12th game in a row last Friday night in Belle Fourche, falling to the Broncs 50-36.

The teams were tied at 28-28 at the half, but it was another bad third quarter in which the ’Cats were outscored 13-4, that the game got away from Custer.

“The third quarter we didn’t come out ready, and we didn’t transition as well as we should have,”â��head coach Stephanie Ornelas said.â��“We did a good job of shutting down their offense (in the first half).”

Cody Martinz and Chase Glazier combined for 55 points last Friday night as the Custer High School boys basketball team cruised to an easy victory over the Belle Fourche Broncs in Belle Fourche.

The Wildcats were particularly strong in the second half, outscoring the Broncs 40-19. The Wildcats forced 18 Belle Fourche turnovers, while holding them to 32 percent shooting.

After a series of lackluster performances that left Custer High School boys basketball team players, coaches and fans shaking their heads, the Wildcats bounced back in a big way last weekend, throttling the Hot Springs Bison and nearly upsetting the third ranked St. Thomas More Cavaliers.

The Wildcats started out slow against the Cavaliers, with head coach Larry Luitjens saying the team was sluggish on the defensive end. However, senior point guard Cody Martinz, who had a stellar shooting night, buried a three-pointer as time wound down in the second quarter, cutting the More lead to 13 and giving the team a huge boost as it went into halftime.

With the road to the state tournament soon beginning, the Custer High School wrestling team continues to improve as a team and individually. 

“I’m starting to see more heart and more passion,” said head coach Jared Webster. “I’m very pleased.”

The Wildcats competed at the Black Hills Classic Wrestling Tournament in Hill City on Saturday, Feb. 2, where 10 wrestlers took individual places. The team took third place at the tournament.

After enduring several lopsided losses over the course of the season, the Custer High School girls basketball team hung tough with an opponent for its second consecutive game, losing a hard fought 48-41 contest last Friday night in Hot Springs.

The Wildcats were within striking distance the entire game, bolstered by a strong night at the free throw line. The Wildcats made 24 of 30 free throws in the game, including a 12 of 14 effort from Sam McNeel, who led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points.

The Custer wrestling team took on the Douglas Patriots Thursday, Jan. 24, in the last regular dual of the season, where they lost 38-30 in a close match.

"There were some good matches and some not so good matches," said assistant coach Bob Morgan. "We lost a couple of matches that we should have won. We definitely could have won the dual."