VERMILLION — The South Dakota Football Coaches Association is set to present a number of honors during the state high school football championship games Nov. 12-14 at the DakotaDome.
Honors to be presented include SDFBCA Coaches and Assistant Coaches of the Year, Keeper of the Game and Friend of Football Awards, 30-Year and 40-Year Coaching Awards and recognition of the SDFBCA 2027 Hall of Fame Class.
Coaches of the Year
Head coaches set to receive honors are Eric Struck of Sioux Falls Jefferson, Class 11AAA; Chris Koletzky of Sturgis, Class 11AA; Rich Lundstrom of Canton, Class 11A; Dave Severson of Clark-Willow Lake, Class 11B; Bruce Hanson of Platte-Geddes, Class 9AA; Ryan Gimbel of Timber Lake, Class 9A; Ross Flemmer of Dell Rapids St. Mary, Class 9B; Bob Kornely of Todd County, All-Nations Conference Class 9A and Mike Busch of Dupree-Takini, All-Nations Conference Class 9B.
Assistant COTY include Mike Zerr of Brandon Valley, Class 11AAA; Ward Anderson of Sturgis, Class 11AA; Brett Keepers of Sioux Falls Christian, Class 11A; Luke Anderson of Deuel, Class 11B; Garret Knebel of Britton-Hecla, Class 9AA; Landon Luening of Timber Lake, Class 9A; Casey Michel of Dell Rapids St. Mary, Class 9B; Justin Robinson of Lakota Tech, All-Nations Conference Class 9A; Morgan Harkless of Dupree-Takini, All-Nations Conference, Class 9B; and Pat Mikkonen of Parkston, Middle School.
30 & 40-Year Coaching Awards
Kent Mueller of Freeman and Tom Culver of Bon Homme will receive 40-year coaching awards and Chad Williamson of Colman-Egan, Travis Kurth of Groton Area and Greg Stluka of Pierre 30-year coaching awards.
Mueller has coached 40 years at Edgemont, O’Gorman, West Central and Freeman and guided teams to 17 state championship games (14 state titles). His career record as a head football coach is 124-43.
Culver’s 40-year coaching journey (including 30 years as a head football coach) has taken him to Hanson, Grant-Deuel, Viborg, Wakonda, Avon and Bon Homme. He was an assistant on a state Class 9A championship team for Wakonda/Gayville-Volin before becoming head coach and leading the team to a state runner-up finish the next year. At Avon, he led the Pirates to five state titles and three state runner-up finishes.
Williamson began his coaching career at Pipestone and Jasper (MN). He spent 16 years there before crossing the border to take over at Colman-Egan in 2013. He is still the head coach for the Hawks, who have won three state Class 9A and 9B titles under his direction.
Kurth has spent most of his 32-year teaching and coaching career in Groton, including the past 30 years as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the Tigers. He was part of state Class 11B runner-up teams in 2007, 2008 and 2016.
A large share of Stluka’s 34-year coaching career has come at Pierre. He had previous stops at Bonesteel-Fairfax and Scotland.
Keeper of the Game
Hamlin High School graduate Justin Ingalls, who serves as the statewide officials coordinator for the South Dakota High School Activities Association, is being honored with this award. He oversees the recruitment, training, education and development of sports officials across South Dakota.
Ingalls, who now resides in Sioux Falls, is recognized as a leader in football and basketball officiating and works to improve the quality and consistency of officiating throughout the state.
Friend of Football
Shad Hawkey of Tea Area is set to receive the SDFBCA Friend of Football Award.
SDFBCA Hall of Fame
Doug Ruesink of Castlewood, Craig Nowotny of St. Thomas More and Steve Peters of Huron make up the SDFBCA’s 2027 Hall of Fame class. Their induction ceremony is scheduled for April 3, 2027 during the SDFBCA-Sanford Sports Clinic at Vermillion.
Ruesink is a 1984 Castlewood High School graduate who starred in athletics for the Warriors before playing football at South Dakota State University. He taught and coached at Hanson and Estelline before running to Castlewood to teach and coach from 2000 through 2025. In 33 years as a head coach, he compiled a record of 152 wins and 100 losses.
Nowotny is completing his 51st year of coaching football as an assistant with St. Thomas More. His started his career as the head coach at Bristol High School in 1976 and also spent five years at Adrian (MN), one at the University of Pacific and 10 at Black Hills State University in Spearfish before becoming the activities director and assistant football coach at St. Thomas More in 1996. He has helped coach seven state runner-up teams and the 1995 state Class 11B championship team for the Cavaliers.
Peters, a Colorado native who competed in football, wrestling at track at Huron College, is being honored for a lifetime of dedication, service and commitment to South Dakota student-athletes and high school athletics. He opened his teaching and coaching career in Winner before returning to Huron where he spent many years as the head wrestling coach along with an assistant in football, track and wrestling. Peters has taught and coached South Dakota student-athletes in six different decades. He was part of two state champion and six state runner-up teams at Huron and has received numerous honors.
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