PAGE 12 VHS Boys’ Soccer Team Focuses On Fundamentals As Season Begins BY ELYSE BRIGHTMAN The Tanagers had a mix of young and veteran players in 2015. Even though this season will see just two seniors Vermillion High School Boys’ Soccer and one junior after graduathead boys’ soccer coach Curt 8/27 at Groton 2 p.m. ing six seniors, a majority of Nelson has been focusing on 9/6 at S.F. Christian 8 p.m. 9/9 at Freeman Academy 5 p.m. the team have experience at getting his team back to the 9/10 vs. James Valley Chr. 2 p.m. the varsity level I players like fundamentals to prepare for 9/17 vs. Tea Area 2 p.m. 9/20 vs. S.F. Christian 7 p.m. Sam Ward, Brady Martinez the season. 9/22 vs. Freeman Academy 5 p.m. and Joel Druin. “This first week we are “The younger kids are in really just working on funda10/8 Class A Final (Sioux Falls) high school now, so we have mentals, so passing, driba good core that is coming up bling and movement on and off the ball,” he said. “This ons Groton in the first year as through the ranks,” Nelson said. next week we are going to get a sanctioned team. Boys’ soccer started into a lot of conditioning to “Last year, we had real practicing on Aug. 1 and has try and get our stamina up tough competition in our new almost the entire month of while we continue to work on league,” he said. “We were to prepare for the season the fundamentals.” really competitive in a lot opening match in Groton on The Tanagers went 1-6-1 of those games and I think Aug. 27, which Nelson is uslast season with a 2-0 win we could have had a better ing to continue the work on over Hot Springs and a 3-3 tie result in a few of them.” fundamentals then beginning with the 2014 state champi- Elyse.brightman@plaintalk.net VERMILLION with tactics. “We just have to make sure we don’t mess up on the small things or that is going to hurt us every single time,” said senior Seth Druin. All that prep time might sound like an ideal situation, but Nelson knows it may come at a cost. “The flip side of that is once we do start playing games, they are going to come really quick, so we won’t have as much time to adjust,” he said. Nelson is looking to seasoned players Seth Druin and Josh Prescott to build game play around in the attacking half of the field. “We need to put passes together in the midfield to be able to score and control the defense and let people know where they need to be,” Prescott said. Harrison Freeman will head the defensive side of the ball, and as the main defender returning to the field, Freeman can expect to see freshman players fill in the positions around him. The season begins on Aug. 27 in Groton as a double-header with the Vermillion girls’ soccer team then the Tanagers will head into a match with Sioux Falls Christian, a tough opponent who handed Vermillion an 11-1 loss last year. “This year we are going to have a couple tough games,” Nelson said. “We are going Young Vermillion Boys’ Golf Team Shoots For Improved Finish At State BY ELYSE BRIGHTMAN VERMILLION elyse.brightman@plaintalk.net EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Aug. 15 edition of the Press & Dakotan. VERMILLION — The Vermillion High School boys’ golf team won’t be using experience as an intimidation factor this season. The Tanagers lost four players and return just two from last year’s squad with senior Cooper Williams and sophomore Ryne Whisler and have just four high school aged players total. The team will also be coming off last year’s state tournament where they tied for 10th place. “Last year was a little up and down,” Williams said. “We just couldn’t quite get it going. We were getting third or fourth at a lot of invites and that wasn’t really our expectation. We played better towards the end of the year and then we disappointed at state.” Williams, who shot a 174 at the state tournament, is looking to move forward after taking “a step back” from his sophomore season and is putting the same expectations on the young team. “We want to do well at state and have success throughout the year at getting top finishes at invitationals.” In order for those expectations to become reality, Williams says the team just needs to stay positive, and maybe work on their short game. “We are pretty young and we don’t hit it super far, so (we’re) going to need to be mentally tough first of all to Football 8/15 8/17 8/22 8/25 8/30 9/8 9/13 9/19 9/26 10/3-4 East Side Chiropractic Center Dr Ga r M er a n . y kw 2708 Ea st Hw y 50 Y a n kto n ,SD 605. 3503 665. ea stsi echio pr cti d r a ccen terco m . WELFL VERMILLION 8/12 8/18 8/23 8/27 8/30 9/1 9/8 9/10 9/13 Girls’ Soccer (0-2) at Garretson 0-1 vs. West Central 0-3 vs. Tea Area * at Groton 2 p.m. vs. S.F. Christian 5 p.m. at West Central 5 p.m. at S.F. Christian 6 p.m. at Tea Area 3 p.m. vs. Garretson 4:30 p.m. 10/8 Class A Final (Sioux Falls) Boys’ Golf West Central Inv. 362 (9/12) Dakota Valley Inv. 349 (7/10) Dell Rapids Inv. 356 (8/16) at Beresford/vs. Lennox * S.F. Christian Inv. 9 a.m. Vermillion Inv. 9 a.m. at Elk Point-Jefferson 4 p.m. Dakota XII Conf. (Verm.) 9 a.m. Region 2A (Hartford) 9 a.m. State A (Rapid City) * - Games held after press deadline Wild Finish To 2015 Drives VHS Girls’ Soccer Team * - Event held after press deadline deal with the ups and downs of golf and we’ll need to good around the green,” he said. Staying mentally tough seems to be the main focus of the Tanagers this year, and, according to Williams, is what head coach Kirk Hogen is stressing to the team. “It’s a little more of a learning curve because we are not as experienced, but it’s still the same coaching,” Williams said. “We are focused on staying mentally tough and staying level throughout the whole match.” As a four-year captain of the golf team, Williams can put himself in the position of the young players to make sure they are staying positive throughout the season and to remember that it’s a game. “You always have to make sure they can deal with a bad shot or a bad swing,” he said. “It’s just every day in practice reinforcing that that we are going to be OK. Even though we are young, we are going to be OK.” The Tanagers’ season opened on Aug. 15. The squad shot 362, 349 and 356 in their first three outings. Vermillion hosts the Vermillion Invitational on Sept. 8 and the Dakota XII Conference Meet on Sept. 19. be a best.” Peterson made 15 catches for 307 yards and rushed for 109 yards on 34 attempts last FROM PAGE 11 season, including one touchdown catch and one rushing, “We both have the same both at Tea Area. capabilities,” Kratz said. “One The team’s leading rusher of us will play wing and one of as a junior, Noah Walker, is us will play quarterback and returning for his senior season we’ll both do good at either at running back. Walker ran for position.” 430 yards and had two touchIn 2015, Kratz threw for downs in 2015. seven touchdowns from 960 Fullback Rylan Pratt, a jupassing yards with 56 complete nior, and receiver Riley Peters, passes on 96 attempts. He a senior, are looking to make also rushed for 60 yards on 68 an impact this year, as well. attempts. “It’s going to help a lot that A decision will be made all of us got in the weight room on the Tanagers’ quarterback this summer and it’s also going before the season opener at to help that we have these home on Friday, but either way four hour practices to prepare fans will see both players with ourselves because these plenty of time on the field. “Whoever doesn’t win that spot will still be in our offense,” Homan said. “They are two great athletes. It’s going to be a hard choice to decide when it comes to that and who we think it’s going to to play Sioux Falls Christian twice and Tea again and some strong teams like that, so we have to make sure we are ready to go and play our hardest in those games and then really capitalize on the games where the competition isn’t quite as tough.” Vermillion begins the season with three away games before getting into a three-game home stand to finish out regular season play against Freeman Academy. “I think the whole schedule is going to be tough,” Nelson said. “We really need to get focused to try and capitalize on the chances that we do have.” BY ELYSE BRIGHTMAN Elyse.brightman@plaintalk.net EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Aug. 12 edition of the Press & Dakotan. first upcoming games will be tough,” Peters said. Over the summer, the Tanagers spent four days a week in the weight room and running. The team was at the high school from 5:30-7 a.m. Monday through Thursday. “(It was) probably the best turnout we’ve had in terms of lifting and the running wise, so they have been working really hard up to this point right now,” Homan said. The Tanagers continued the work through the preseason using four-hour practices to prepare for this season and the football powerhouses they will face in Madison, Dell Rapids and West Central, all of which Vermillion will be playing as the visiting team. VERMILLION — The ending to the 2015 girls’ soccer season for Vermillion High School was one no one could have every predicted and there is a good chance it will be on the mind of the returning players when the Tanagers open the season Friday in Garretson. In last season’s finale, the Tanagers faced off against West Central in the first round of the state tournament at home. The score was tied at the end of double overtime forcing penalty kicks to decide the game. West Central took the lead with five penalty kicks to Vermillion’s four, but the Tanagers had the opportunity to tie the game, which they did, but the referee called back the goal after failing to blow his whistle signaling the go-ahead to take the kick. Vermillion missed the retake giving West Central the win with a 3-2 final. Vermillion’s Cooper Williams “Last year ended before we wanted it to, so I think that is one reason they have come out here so focused,” said Vermillion head coach “Right now we are really season in the DakotaDome on Shannon Fitzsimmons. “We just breaking things down with Aug. 26 against Canton and our offense,” Homan said. We play every Friday through Oct. want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” are remembering where we 14, then close out the regular While the Tanagers hosted need to go with our blocks, season on Oct. 20 in Hartford where we need to run the ball against West Central. All games the rematch with West and defensively we are just have a 7 p.m. kickoff. Central on Aug. 18, the earlyworking on fundamentals such “Our goal is to be above season focus was on getting as tackling, turnover drills, .500,” Peters said. “We just better each day. knowing what gaps they need need to play as a team more “We have a lot of young to get to and just how to play than we did last year. We have and new faces, so we are just the game. We really broke it to do our own job and trust the trying to learn more about down this year and tried to other 10 guys on the field.” each other as teammates,” really simplify things.” The Tanagers open the TANAGERS | PAGE 13 Keeping Smiles Healthy & Young New Patients & Emergencies Welcome! N. Hwy. 81, Yankton 665-6394 1101 Broadway Ste. 105, Morgen Square Experience Gentle, Personalized Dental Care For Your Entire Family! We aren’t just in your neighborhood. We are part of your community. 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