by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
This last Thursday through Saturday, the Garretson Lady Dragons hit the road and headed to Rapid City for the SD State Class A Volleyball Tournament. The team faced off against Elkton-Lake Benton, Dakota Valley, and Sioux Falls Christian in their bid for state champion. While they prevailed against Elkton-Lake Benton and Dakota Valley, Sioux Falls Christian took the win in the championship round, leaving the Dragons with the runner-up title.
The trip to the state tournament was the first since 1997, and only the second in school history. In their prior bid at State the team was unable to pull off any wins. This makes the runner-up title an enormous accomplishment.
The 2021 season for the Dragons was solid, with a record-breaking overall win-loss score of 29-2. They were the Class A Region 3 overall champions, and in the SoDak 16 tournament they took down the Redfield Pheasants in three sets.
In 2020, the Dragons were shut down in the region playoffs after a tense 5-set game with Baltic, ending their season with 18 wins and 5 losses. In 2019 they lost to Madison in the SoDak 16, which up to that point was the best the team had done since 1997.
Leading the team were Head Coach Dennis Northrup, who also brought Hill City and Aberdeen to state tournaments under his tutelage, and Assistant Coaches Kelsey Buchholz and Lauren Stoterau. Northrup's first year with Garretson was in 2019.
The game against the Elkton-Lake Benton Lady Elks on Thursday, Nov 18 started off rocky, with the Dragons losing the first two sets 23-25 and 18-25. The Dragons turned it around during the third set and taught the Elks that they weren't done yet, hitting back with a 25-15. The team then used that momentum to propel themselves to the finish line in set four with a score of 25-20. In the fifth set, Garretson showed the Elks why they'd only had one loss so far this season and trounced the opposing team 15-5.
The Lady Elks would go on to win the consolation championship by defeating Hamlin and Hill City.
The Dragons then had a little less than 24 hours to rest and recuperate, and took on their next opponent, Dakota Valley. This team was polled as the number two favorite to win after Sioux Falls Christian. The Lady Dragons didn't allow that to set them back, winning the second and fourth sets 25-19 and 25-17. Dakota Valley attempted to overcome the feisty team, making the Dragons eat the first and third sets 21-25 and 19-25. Garretson didn't back down in the fifth set and came from behind, then pulled ahead and won 15-12.
Dakota Valley ultimately took 3rd in the tournament after winning against Wagner.
Saturday evening was the third and final game, with the State Championship on the line. Garretson was up against the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers, a powerhouse team that has won the championship for the past five years in a row.
Despite the challenge, Garretson didn't let the Chargers steamroll them. The Dragons were ecstatic at making it this far, breaking several school records and going down in GHS history. They played their hearts out and made several good plays, at times pulling ahead. The SFC ball was described as a bullet, and the front defensive wall was made up of athletes 6 feet tall or taller.
Garretson stopped many of those bullets and served them back, putting on a solid defense. However, they were unable to overcome the lack of openings the Chargers left, and the Dragons lost 15-25 all three sets.
This left Garretson with the State A Runner Up title, a huge accomplishment for a team that hadn't had too many solid wins until three years ago, when Coach Northrup took the reins.
"I want to apologize for not making it to State our first year," said Coach Northrup, during a welcome home rally held on Sunday. "[In 2019] I saw there was more talent here than in all of Aberdeen Central. There was just too much history to overcome." He noted that the mental game is 50% of the play, and if you walk into a room truly believing you're going to win, it intimidates the other team.
"One word to describe these girls is genuine," said Asst Coach Buchholz. "They give the best of themselves on the court and in the classroom.
"I think the coaches knew there was something special about this team this last summer already. There's just something there. I'm proud of what you girls have accomplished and how you've grown this past year."
Congratulations GHS Volleyball Team!
Aliyah,
We are Proud beyond words! Congrats on a Great Season! Love, Mom & Dad
Rian,
Congratulations! We are proud of you! Love Dad, Mom & Shea
Congrats #13 Kaylin Koch! We are beyond proud of you and what your team has accomplished this season! What a great team of girls that fought every step of the way and showed everyone what these Blue Dragons can do!
Love,
Mom and Dad
Congratulations to Grace and all the volleyball team!
Go Blue!!
"So Proud of you Alli & Lexi " from Dad & Juli
> Congratulations to our #1, Maren Bonte! We are so, SO proud of you, watching you play and grow over these past 4 years has been wonderful and exciting, we are going to miss seeing you on the court next season!
Love, Mom and Dad
> To our Lady Dragons Volleyball team and our Coaches, you are all amazing, we have loved every minute spent with you, Congratulations on this memorable and well deserved season!
The Bonte’s
Congrats Lady Blue Dragons Volleyball!
You had an amazing season and should be so proud of your hard work and accomplishments!
Alli #14 and Lexi #17, we love watching you play!
Love, Mom and Mike
Anna #12 on the team, #1 in our hearts
We are so proud to be a Lady Dragon parent & fan! Thank you for the amazing season! You will forever have a place in Garretson school history! We love you! The Jones Family
Congratulations Sam & team on a great year of volleyball!
Lily, you are beautiful inside and out! Your light shines so bright. I am so proud of you and all your Achievements. Your teammates and you are a true team full of life, love, and determination. God has blessed us all by having you in all our lives. Your Presence is Intoxicating! Keep Shining!
So glad you are My TigerLily!
I love you so much!
Love your Mom, Meredith R.
We are so proud of the leadership you provided the team and your work ethic that you exemplified. We are very proud of you. Love Papa and Ammy Rekstad
You just made a huge mark on Garretson‘s school history!
Also, thank you to the coaches and trainer for your countless hours of dedication on and off the court.
Team, your teamwork, hard work, and determination was a blessing to our community. We all looked forward to every game; you provided excitement and fun during this whole season. You brought us all together! You pulled out each other’s strengths! You showed us how to dig down deep and make it happen! Everyone of you will go far in life! With deep appreciation and love to all.
The Rekstad’s…Bruce, Karen, Meredith, Triston, John and family
Congratulations Lady Blue Dragons on an outstanding season! It has been amazing seeing your team grow over the past four years. We are so proud of all you have accomplished. Erin, it has been fun watching you play volleyball since 5th grade. We will miss cheering for you and the other seniors next year. -Tim and Ingrid Steen
Logan- thanks for the memories! Congratulations! Love you so much!
Blue Dragon Volleyball- what a season! Your smiles and celebrations lit up every gym you entered. Your determination and ability to bounce back was inspiring. You lifted each other up when needed and were a true example of TEAMWORK! You taught younger Blue Dragons how to show sportsmanship and character on and off the court. Our little town will be talking about this season for many years to come. We are so proud of every one of you! John & Angela Bly
To our beloved Aleah (#10) & to her amazing teammates and coaches,
We are so unbelievably proud of you! All of your hard work, sacrifices, commitment and passion paid off. You are all so talented & amazing! You never gave up, you treated each other with dignity and respect throughout the entire season…and that is a WIN! Nothing can dim the light that shines from within each and every one of you. Congrats to you all!! Senior girls, we will miss you more than you’ll ever know. Thank you to all of our friends & family for showing the Blue Dragons all the love & support you have this season.
Do it again next year!!
Dan & Michelle Wagner
Proud of your teamwork, perseverance, and hard work at state!
Olsons
Photos courtesy Angie Bly, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, and Brandon Valley Journal
