A look at the Press & Dakotan’s Top 10

A look at the Press & Dakotan’s Top 10 Stories of 2011, in color. Happy New Year. http://ow.ly/i/oLW5

All-American Juco RB Commits To USD

EL DORADO, Kan. — An All-American running back from the nation’s second-ranked junior college football program is heading to the University of South Dakota.

Jasper Sanders, a sophomore at Butler Community College (Kan.), announced this week via Twitter and later confirmed to the Press & Dakotan that he committed to USD last week.

“I’m excited to become a Coyote and I’m already ready to get the season started,” he told the P&D on Friday.

Sanders, a 5-foot-10 Kansas City native, rushed for 939 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, earning him honorable mention All-America honors.

A high school quarterback, Sanders has transitioned to tailback in college and recorded 1,424 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns in his career.

Butler CC — located in El Dorado, Kan. — has gone 22-2 in his two years, including a loss in the 2010 national title game, and Sanders scored the game-winning touchdown in this past season’s Citizens Bank Bowl on Dec. 4.

Sanders will join a USD offense that averaged 158.2 yards on the ground in 2011, but will graduate four lineman, its starting quarterback, its starting running back and two receivers.

The Coyotes, under new coach Joe Glenn, will return their top rusher Marcus Sims (660 yds, 4 TD) for 2012. The next-highest rusher was back-up quarterback Josh Vander Maten (72 yds, 1 TD).

VIDEO: USD Men 103, Peru State 63

On Wednesday night in Vermillion, the South Dakota men dispatched NAIA Peru State fairly easily, 103-63.

Coyotes put five players in double figures, led by Charlie Westbrook’s 21 points.

More on the USD assistants

BY JEREMY HOECK
jeremy.hoeck@yankton.net

During my phone conversations Monday with the two new University of South Dakota assistant football coaches, there were too many good tidbits to include in my story.

Jason Petrino was hired as defensive coordinator and secondary coach, while Brett Harvey was hired as offensive line coach.

Here are some extra jottings that you might find interesting.

Jason Petrino
** Petrino spent the 2011 season as the defensive coordinator at Division II Central Oklahoma. Head coach Tracy Holland was fired on Dec. 1, and Petrino said he became interested in the job. That’s when Joe Glenn called.

** What’s his defensive style? “I believe you have to be aggressive, you can’t just sit back. You have to take some chances, you can’t sit back and hopes the offense makes a mistake.” Petrino talked about bringing pressure, from different angles and levels.

** On the issue of recruiting, Petrino said his coming from Oklahoma could open some doors there. Here’s an example: Tim Flanders, the standout running back from Sam Houston State (in the FCS title game), is from an area close to Petrino’s home.

Brett Harvey
** Harvey has spent nine seasons total with Joe Glenn, all at Northern Colorado.

** Harvey was Glenn’s first recruit at Northern Colorado.

** According to Harvey, Glenn offered him a job at Montana, but he instead chose to stay at UNC. “It wasn’t the right time for me,” he said.

** When Harvey spent 2-3 days in Vermillion two weeks ago, he was introduced to a lot of people around town by Glenn. “There’s what, 10,000 people in Vermillion? I bet Joe knows at least 9,500 of them personally.”

** Harvey said when he and Glenn were at UNC, it was a “suitcase college” and that student support suffered at home games. Sound familiar?  He said Glenn said would get on the cafeteria tables and try to rile up the students, to create excitement. “It’ll change in Vermillion, I can promise you that,” he said of the crowds.

VIDEO: Yankton Bucks wrestling

I put together a quick video on Friday night’s (Dec. 16) wrestling dual between Yankton and Aberdeen Central.