BROOKINGS — Area players Cordel Rychlik of Aberdeen Central and Brooks Dolen of Waubay-Summit each received special honors in Team Blue’s 12-0 win over Team Red in the South Dakota Football Coaches Association’s High School All-Star football game on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Nineteen area high school seniors had been selected to play in the game, which was played at South Dakota State University’s Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Dolen scored on a fumble recovery for Team Blue, which also got a 12-yard touchdown run from Brandon Valley’s Madden Timmer.

Rychlik was named the MVP of the game after finishing with two interceptions, two pass breakups and six tackles for Team Blue.

Dolen, who added four tackles, was named the Defensive MVP and Blue center Ben Papke of Rapid City Central earned Offensive MVP honors.

Area players scheduled to play in the game included Jeremiah Schulte and Spencer Wientjes of Class 11AA champion Watertown and Evan Stormo and Dawson Noem of Class 9AA champion Hamlin.

Those four were slated to play for the Blue team along with other area players Preston Cavalier of Warner, Charlie Deiter of Faulkton Area, Aiden Fisher and Noah Kramer of Aberdeen Roncalli, Shane Henderson of Mobridge-Pollock, Carson Reitz of Estelline-Hendricks, Gabe Sather of Deuel, Kaden Sayler of Herreid-Selby Area and Taylor Snaza of Sisseton.

Camron Eng of Castlewood, Jakob Guthmiller and Luke Lembcke of Sioux Valley and Tanner Stein of Elkton-Lake Benton will slated to play for the Red Team.

Area coaches Dusty Hourigan of Deuel and Billy Young of Aberdeen Roncalli were scheduled to serve as assistants for the Blue team.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

Two of the top high school baseball teams in the country will meet Saturday afternoon with a UIL Class 6A state championship on the line.

In the first year of the UIL using split divisions in Classes 2A-6A, Tomball, the defending 6A champion, takes on Humble Kingwood for the Division II crown.

First pitch is slated for noon at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

Tomball (34-6-1) has played its way into the state final with 13 straight wins. The Cougars, ranked No. 24 in the nation by High School On SI and inside the national top 25 all year, are a perfect 11-0 in the playoffs. They’ve outscored opponents 79-8 in that stretch behind a deep and balanced roster led by juniors Karson Reeder (.275 average, 12-1 on the mound) – the winning pitcher in the 2024 championship as a sophomore and the likely starter again on Saturday – CJ Sampson (.332 / 12-2) and their batterymate, the aptly named Catcher Hopkins (.389).

This marks Tomball’s fourth appearance in the state tournament and the program is trying to win its fourth championship. The Cougars swept through the playoffs with convincing series wins over Langham Creek, Willis, Tyler Legacy, Cypress Woods and Lewisville Marcus after opening with a 7-0 shutout of Magnolia West.

Kingwood (38-4) brings just as much firepower into the weekend. The Mustangs opened 2025 with a 16-game win streak and pieced together another 16-game run that stretched through the end of the regular season and deep into the playoffs. They have also gotten national love, ranking as high as No. 9 in the latest version of High School on SI’s final in-season national rankings and have won 10 of 11 in the postseason.

Kingwood had to battle to get here. The Mustangs swept their first four playoff rounds, then outlasted Dripping Springs in a gritty three-game semifinal series. They closed it out in nine innings with a 6-5 win in Game 3. Senior standouts Caden Callaway (.382), Brian Schumacher (.330) and Braden Fuentes (.333) and junior Graham Charboneau (.395) lead a lineup full of veterans, and the pitching staff is anchored by senior Ben Mayorga (10-2), junior Will Fiedler (7-0) and sophomore Brock Hill (10-1).

Follow High School on SI – Texas for full coverage of all the UIL state championship games from Round Rock, including live updates from Saturday’s 6A final between Tomball and Kingwood.

Lineups

Kingwood

Caden Callaway, SS; Brian Schumacher, CF; Graham Charboneau, RF; Braden Fuentes, 1B; Nick Spetter, 3B; Joshua York, DH; Blake Risko, C; Evan Morris, LF; Bryce Baker, 2B; Ben Mayorga, P.

Tomball

Catcher Hopkins, C; CJ Sampson, 3B; Karson Reeder, P; Brycen Romberg, 2B; Brady Burrow, LF; Harper Gates, SS; Nolan Rush, DH; Cooper Nansen, CF; Gehrig Heckathorn, RF; Pierson Jackson, 1B.

The start of this game is delayed due to the Class 1A championship running a bit long. Player introductionas are just beginning.

Top 1: Kingwood 0, Tomball 0

Karson Reeder opened the game with a fastball at 92 mph, but also a four-pitch walk. Kingwood’s Caden Callaway reaches.

Reeder appeared to have Callaway picked off at first, but the first base umpire jumps in and waves it off. He says Reeder balked and awards second to Callaway. Tomball coach Doug Rush did not agree and came out to argue.

BIG PLAY! Catcher Hopkins caught a pitch and hopped into a throw and nailed Callaway stealing third. It’s a huge play as Brian Schumacher hit his sixth triple of the season into the right field corner right after Callaway was caught.

RUN(s) – Baylor commit Graham Charboneau lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Callaway. Tomball right fielder Gehrig Heckathorn made a tremendous diving catch on the play. Kingwood, 1-0.

Bottom 1: Kingwood 1, Tomball 0

CJ Sampson ripped a single to center for Tomball’s first baserunner with 1 out in the inning and moved to second on a passed ball.

Karson Reeder walked to put runners at first and second with 1 out for the Cougars, and both runners moved up on a grounder to short by Brycen Romberg. Sophomore Brady Burrow walked on five pitches to load the bases.

RUN(s) – Junior Harper gates singled on a bloop to left that dropped in on a 1-2 pitch to drive in a pair of runs, giving Tomball a 2-1 lead.

Freshman designated hitter Nolan Rush walked with two outs to load the bases. Also of note: Kingwood starter Ben Mayorga is approaching 40 pitches in the first inning.

Mayorga got out of the inning on his 39th pitch, a slow roller to short that Cooper Hansen almost beat out at first base.

Top 2: Tomball 2, Kingwood 1

Nick Spetter and Joshua York led off Kingwood’s second inning with singles to put runners on first and second.

Reeder struck out senior catcher Blake Risko for a big out in the second. Evan Morris followed with a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third with 2 outs.

Reeder came up with three more huge pitches. He struck out Bryce Baker on three pitches, catching him looking to end the threat.

Bottom 2: Tomball 2, Kingwood 1

Gehrig Heckathorn led off Tomball’s second inning with a single to center.

The half inning took a turn in Kingwood’s favor when Heckathorn got caught stealing and Catcher Hopkins struck out on the next pitch and Mayorga finished the inning with back to back punchouts.

Top 3: Tomball 2, Kingwood 1

Reeder got two quick outs to start the third and then Graham Charboneau doubled with 2 outs. Charboneau’s hit looked like your average single to left. But Charboneau got aggressive when the left fielder didn’t play it aggressively and he beat the throw to second.

BIG PLAY! After his aggressive move resulted in a double, Charboneau got picked off of second by Tomball catcher Catcher Hopkins (who back-picked him) for the third out of the inning.

Bottom 3: Tomball 2, Kingwood 1

Mayorga pitched a 1-2-3 third with a pair of groundouts.

Top 4: Tomball 2, Kingwood 1

Reeder matched Mayorga with his own 1-2-3 inning, including a strikeout.

Bottom 4: Tomball 2, Kingwood 1

Mayorga, pitching in a rhythm and dialed in, got a pair of strikeouts in the fourth and completed his third straight 1-2-3 inning.

Top 5: Tomball 2, Kingwood 1

Reeder got a first-pitch groundout, but then walked Evan Morris, Bryce Baker singled on a 1-2 pitch and Caden Callaway walked to load the bases with 1 out.

RUN(s) – Brian Schumacher turned around an 0-2 pitch and tied the game 2-2 with an RBI single. BIG PLAY! On Schumacher’s single, Tomball right fielder Gehrig Heckathorn threw out Bryce Baker at the plate for the second out.

RUN(s) – Braden Fuentes smacked a 2-2 single into left field. The RBI gave Kingwood the lead, 3-2.

RUN(s) – Nick Spetter joined the party with an RBI single to make it 4-2.

RUN(s) – Joshua York got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded as the wheels fell off for Tomball and Karson Reeder in the inning. Kingwood extended its lead to 5-2 and that finished Reeder’s day. CJ Sampson was summoned to the mound for Tomball.

Sampson got a strikeout on four pitches to end the inning and strand the bases loaded. Remember Heckathorn’s outfield assist later in this game if Tomball makes a comeback. That inning could have been much worse.

Bottom 5: Kingwood 5, Tomball 2

Gehrig Heckathorn led off Tomball’s fifth with a single and CJ Sampson followed with a 1-out single to put runners on the corners.

RUN(s) – Brycen Romberg singled with 2 outs to cut into Kingwood’s lead, making it 5-3.

RUN(s) – Brady Burrow smacked an RBI single to pull Tomball within a run, 5-4.

Burrow’s hit finished Mayorga. Reliever Ryder Renfro, a sophomore, took his place on the mound with runners at first and second and 2 outs.

Renfro got the big pitch Kingwood needed – coaxing a flare to center to get out of the inning.

Top 6: Kingwood 5, Tomball 4

Evan Morris and Bryce Baker opened Kingwood’s sixth with successive singles off Sampson to put runners on first and second.

BIG PLAY! For the second time today, Tomball catcher Catcher Hopkins throws behind a runner at second base (this time it’s Evan Morris) and picks him off. The first out of the inning was huge for the Cougars.

BIG PLAY! Kingwood runs itself out of the inning. A wild pitch went to the backstop and Baker tried to score from second on the play, but Hopkins got the ball and threw it to Sampson (covering home) for the out. It was the third out of the inning.

Bottom 6: Kingwood 5, Tomball 4

Renfro did not look like a sophomore pitching in a 1-run state championship game in the bottom of the sixth. He breezed through the inning with a strikeout to keep Tomball off the board.

Top 7: Kingwood 5, Tomball 4

Graham Charboneau continued to be a problem for Tomball. He smacked his second double of the game – this one with 1 out – to give Kingwood a chance at adding some insurance.

Sampson got a pair of fly balls to escape the threat with no damage.

Bottom 7: Kingwood 5, Tomball 4

Kingwood will entrust its dynamic sophomore, Ryder Renfro, to nail now the final three outs.

Catcher Hopkins and CJ Sampson grounded out to second base for the first two outs. Karson Reeder followed with a hot shot to shortstop that was misplayed for an error, which put the tying run is at first base with 2 outs.

Brycen Romberg hit a 2-strike single to keep Tomball’s season alive. Reeder went to second representing the tying run with 2 outs.

With two strikes, Brady Burrow singled to center. Reeder held at third to load the bases with two outs. What a game.

GAME OVER! Renfro gets Gates to fly out to center with the bases loaded and the sophomore comes through for Kingwood. The High School On SI national No. 9 Kingwood Mustangs take down No. 24 Tomball in an all-time classic.

Final: Kingwood 5, Tomball 4

The state championship is the first for Kingwood in 20 years – and its first trip to the state tournament since winning that title back in 2005. … Ben Mayorga picked up the win on the mound after allowing 4 runs on 7 hits with 4 strikeouts and 3 walks in 4.2 innings. Sophomore Ryder Renfro stepped up in a big way for Kingwood. He took over for Mayorga with two outs in the fifth inning and Kingwood clinging to a 5-4 lead. He escaped a jam that inning, escaped a jam with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh – sparked on an error on what should have been the final out of a 1-2-3 inning that would have ended the game. The right hander finished with 2.1 impressive innings of scoreless relief on 2 hits and 1 strikeout to earn the save.

Nick Spetter, Brian Schumacher, Graham Charboneau and Bryce Baker all had two hits for Kingwood. Charboneau finished with a pair of doubles.

CJ Sampson, Brycen Romberg, Brady Burrow and Gehrig Heckathorn had two hits each for Tomball. Reeder lost for only the second time all season. The junior finished 12-2 after allowing 5 runs on 8 hits with 4 walks and 3 strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Sampson pitched the final 2.1 innings in relief, allowing no runs on 3 hits with 1 strikeout and no walks.

BOX SCORE

The Cubs had the opportunity to bounce back after dropping an epic pitcher’s duel on Friday night.

They did just that, receiving yet another quality outing from their starter in the process. The Cubs beat the Detroit Tigers 6-1 at Comerica Park on Saturday afternoon. The Cubs (40-24) hit five home runs in the win, which paired well with a strong performance from Jameson Taillon.

Here are three takeaways from the win over the Tigers (42-24):

Home run derby

Hitting home runs isn’t easy. Sending them out at Detroit’s pitcher-friendly park is a greater challenge.

That’s what makes Saturday’s five-home-run outburst against the American League’s standard even more impressive. Seiya Suzuki (twice), Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch and Matt Shaw all went deep at Comerica Park, which had allowed the eighth-fewest long balls entering Saturday. There had been just two games this season at Comerica Park where teams had combined for five or more home runs. It was the second time this season the Cubs had five or more homers in a game, with the first on April 18 in a 13-11 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs had the fifth-most home runs as a team entering Saturday and used the long ball to beat the Tigers. It was quite the 180-degree turn after the Cubs faced reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal on Friday. Runs were at a premium then. Three batters in and Suzuki had matched the run output from Friday with a 104.9-mph line drive home run to left field.

Busch extended the Cubs’ lead with a two-run blast in the fifth, which marked his 10th of the season and made him the fifth Cub to reach double-digit home runs this season. Shaw’s homer was the first by a Cubs’ third baseman this season. His first homer of the year in Arizona was as a pinch hitter.

Big strike zone? No problem

Home plate umpire Doug Eddings’ strike zone was a topic of conversation on Saturday’s broadcast. We mean that quite literally. The field microphones were loud enough that they were picking up Eddings’ voice as he argued back with some in the Cubs dugout early in the contest.

The arguments were valid from both sides. Eddings had some questionable strike calls, particularly Pete Crow-Armstrong’s strikeout in the fourth inning.

Strike zones can be a sore spot for big-league hitters. They’re so good at knowing the strike zone and their hitting spots in particular that being rung up on pitches that they know are outside can be frustrating. It can lead to expanding the strike zone and poor results.

Well, except if you’re Crow-Armstrong, who seemingly thrives on pitches below the zone. He crushed a solo home run in the seventh inning on a Keider Montero curveball that was shin high. It’s Crow-Armstrong’s fourth home run below the strike zone, an impressive feat and his 17th overall season.

Ja-Mo-re of the same

Ben Brown went toe-to-toe Skubal on Friday night and right-hander Jameson Taillon followed it up with another excellent outing, allowing just one run on three hits with five strikeouts in seven innings of work.

He’s been oh, so good for the Cubs this season, particularly of late. Taillon sports a 1.69 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in his last four outings. The Cubs are 4-0 in those starts. He has thrown four straight quality starts and has nine in 13 starts this outing. That, my friends, will play.

Taillon isn’t a flashy pitcher, but he has pitched like a front-of-the-rotation arm as of late. That’s important because the Cubs have been without their two top-of-the-rotation starters for over a month now. Those types of injuries could torpedo a season. Instead, the Cubs have rolled with the punches and remained a top the National League Central.

If Taillon keeps doing that and you throw in Shota Imanaga’s return later this month with Matthew Boyd’s strong start to 2025, that’s the makings of a strong front of the rotation without taking into account any potential external additions.