- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 417,446
- Reaction score
- 43
Mar. 25—MITCHELL — Given the storied history of Mitchell High School boys basketball, there aren't many program firsts left to be accomplished.
But on Saturday night, the Kernels made a third-consecutive state championship game appearance, a first for the program in the Class AA era, which spans four decades back to 1986. Overall, only three boys programs had appeared in three consecutive Class AA title games prior to this year. Mitchell made it four on Saturday night, joining Aberdeen Central, O'Gorman and Sioux Falls Lincoln.
Following a 53-45 loss to Brandon Valley on Saturday night, disappointment and frustration were among the prevailing emotions. But when the context and historical significance of their three-year run was made known at Monday night's welcome home gathering at the Corn Palace, those feelings were largely replaced by beaming pride.
"I mean, you always want to win, but after hearing something like that, it's just really cool to know you'll be in history forever," said senior Markus Talley. "I think we're a special group, and to hear only four teams have ever done it, that's really cool."
However, it didn't take a 20-4 season or another run to the state championship game to create the legacy for this group of Kernels, particularly the senior class of 2025. Their place in MHS athletics history was cemented a year ago, and one final tournament flourish only added to an already impressive career resume that includes 62 wins over the past three seasons.
If one game is set to define their time in black and gold, it isn't last Saturday. Instead, it's the triumph of March 16, 2024.
"I told them before our first game, 'You'll be remembered forever in Kernel basketball history. You're state champions, but how do you want to go out?'" recalled coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt. "They battled all year through a lot of doubt. I'm not sure everybody thought that we'd be playing a state championship game in January or February. They get all the way back there and come up a few possessions short, but it doesn't get rid of how much they've done in three years."
"As you can see by the banners, it was 19 years since the last one was hung before we did it," added senior Gavin Hinker. "No matter what happened in that last game, we definitely did enough to leave our mark."
Hinker and company had to look no further than a pair of tables full of hardware — plaques commemorating three state tournaments and two Eastern South Dakota Conference titles in addition to a pair of state runner-up trophies and the 2024 state championship trophy with a cut-down Premier Center net still draped around it — as lasting evidence of their many feats.
"It's really special. You don't notice how much we've really done until you look at that table," Smith said. "There's a lot (of hardware) up there that a lot of past Kernels wish they could have had, and we kind of took it for granted."
But just like that, the cycle starts all over again. Though the program's standard has been raised to an exceptionally high level, the up-and-coming Kernels aren't content to let the streak end at three title games in a row. Immediately after Monday's welcome home, less than 48 hours removed from the championship defeat, Kreutzfeldt was headed to unlock the gym for players looking to get some shots up.
According to the fourth-year head coach, that work ethic is emblematic of a culture the Kernels have worked tirelessly to build and is a prime example of why Mitchell basketball is set up for continued success.
"I think people around the state are kind of getting tired of us and maybe starting to root against us a little bit," Kreutzfeldt said. "These guys are juiced up, and they're already excited for next year. We're going to do everything we can to get back there again next year."
Continue reading...
But on Saturday night, the Kernels made a third-consecutive state championship game appearance, a first for the program in the Class AA era, which spans four decades back to 1986. Overall, only three boys programs had appeared in three consecutive Class AA title games prior to this year. Mitchell made it four on Saturday night, joining Aberdeen Central, O'Gorman and Sioux Falls Lincoln.
Following a 53-45 loss to Brandon Valley on Saturday night, disappointment and frustration were among the prevailing emotions. But when the context and historical significance of their three-year run was made known at Monday night's welcome home gathering at the Corn Palace, those feelings were largely replaced by beaming pride.
"I mean, you always want to win, but after hearing something like that, it's just really cool to know you'll be in history forever," said senior Markus Talley. "I think we're a special group, and to hear only four teams have ever done it, that's really cool."
However, it didn't take a 20-4 season or another run to the state championship game to create the legacy for this group of Kernels, particularly the senior class of 2025. Their place in MHS athletics history was cemented a year ago, and one final tournament flourish only added to an already impressive career resume that includes 62 wins over the past three seasons.
If one game is set to define their time in black and gold, it isn't last Saturday. Instead, it's the triumph of March 16, 2024.
"I told them before our first game, 'You'll be remembered forever in Kernel basketball history. You're state champions, but how do you want to go out?'" recalled coach Ryker Kreutzfeldt. "They battled all year through a lot of doubt. I'm not sure everybody thought that we'd be playing a state championship game in January or February. They get all the way back there and come up a few possessions short, but it doesn't get rid of how much they've done in three years."
"As you can see by the banners, it was 19 years since the last one was hung before we did it," added senior Gavin Hinker. "No matter what happened in that last game, we definitely did enough to leave our mark."
Hinker and company had to look no further than a pair of tables full of hardware — plaques commemorating three state tournaments and two Eastern South Dakota Conference titles in addition to a pair of state runner-up trophies and the 2024 state championship trophy with a cut-down Premier Center net still draped around it — as lasting evidence of their many feats.
"It's really special. You don't notice how much we've really done until you look at that table," Smith said. "There's a lot (of hardware) up there that a lot of past Kernels wish they could have had, and we kind of took it for granted."
But just like that, the cycle starts all over again. Though the program's standard has been raised to an exceptionally high level, the up-and-coming Kernels aren't content to let the streak end at three title games in a row. Immediately after Monday's welcome home, less than 48 hours removed from the championship defeat, Kreutzfeldt was headed to unlock the gym for players looking to get some shots up.
According to the fourth-year head coach, that work ethic is emblematic of a culture the Kernels have worked tirelessly to build and is a prime example of why Mitchell basketball is set up for continued success.
"I think people around the state are kind of getting tired of us and maybe starting to root against us a little bit," Kreutzfeldt said. "These guys are juiced up, and they're already excited for next year. We're going to do everything we can to get back there again next year."
Continue reading...
