Sports

Six set for the girls wrestling season

Published by admin on Wed, 12/03/2025 - 12:57pm

Wrestling season has begun, and six Custer Jr./Sr. High School (CHS) girls are set for a solid season. 
The girls are led by second-generation Custer wrestling alum Clayton Sander. Sander began coaching wrestling for a variety of ages in the late 1990s. After a short break, Sander started coaching at the high school level about six or seven years ago. 

Boys gear up for another wrestling season

Published by admin on Wed, 12/03/2025 - 12:55pm

The boys are back and ready for another wrestling season at Custer Jr./Sr. High School.
The team is once again led by head coach Jared Webster, who has been coaching in the district for around 17 years.
“I’ve been wrestling since I was a young kid,” said Webster.
His favorite part is getting to know the athletes and “watching them grow from where they start to where they end up.”
He is joined in coaching by assistant coaches Skylair Jaure and Cory Scott as well as head girls wrestling coach Clayton Sander.

Rangers girls return a solid line-up

Published by admin on Wed, 12/03/2025 - 10:08am
The Hill City Rangers girls basketball team is gearing up for the 2025-26 season that officially started Nov. 24. 
The Rangers return a solid line-up, graduating only two seniors last year. With a largely upperclassmen roster, eight seniors and one junior, head coach Anna Eckert expects strong leadership. 
Eckert said, “Many of them stepped up this season,” taking advantage of open gyms and various camp opportunities. 

Wildcats wrap up season with loss to Hot Springs

Published by admin on Wed, 11/12/2025 - 12:37pm

The Custer High School Wildcats fought for a chance to move forward in the region volleyball games but were thwarted by the Hot Springs Bison Nov. 4. 
Custer hosted the Class A Region 8 quarterfinal game at the armory last Tuesday. Although it was a loss for the Wildcats, they played a consistent game, going 25-17 in all three sets. 
“I was very proud of how the girls played. They did a nice job adjusting to the different lineups that we had. I’m just so proud of them,” said head coach Jill Hohn. 

That’s a wrap for the football season

Published by admin on Wed, 11/12/2025 - 8:27am
For the second year in a row the Hill City Rangers football team went on to post regular season play.
The 2025-26 team set some individual as well season and game records. This is the first time in the history of Ranger football that the Rangers have made the second round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Head football coach Brett Eckert called the accomplishment huge, giving credit to this year’s senior players whose “leadership has brought about a change in the culture of Hill City Football.” 

Ranger volleyball season comes to an end

Published by admin on Wed, 11/12/2025 - 8:26am
The Hill City Rangers opened their post-season volleyball run last Tuesday night in the Region 8 quarterfinals against the Lead-Deadwood Golddiggers—a make-or-break matchup determining who would advance to the semifinals.
Hill City came out strong, fueled by sharp serving by Grace Peckosh, powerful hitting by Demi Schrier and Carlie Hobbick and a gritty defensive hustle. Hill City quickly jumped to an 11-1 lead before a shift in momentum and a string of errors by the Rangers let the Golddiggers back in the door as they chipped away at the deficit.

Wildcats mine out a win against Golddiggers

Published by admin on Wed, 11/05/2025 - 2:24pm

The Lead-Deadwood Golddiggers came mining for a win Oct. 28 at the Armory, but the Custer Wildcats sent them packing with a three-set sweep. 
Before the game the Wildcats celebrated Senior Night to honor Ava Jaure, Kylee Ellerton, Lyncoln Robb, Keira Nelson, Kally Trump and Ava Hohn as well as team managers Bella Petersen and Madysen Bergeron. 

Rangers stampede Broncs on senior night

Published by admin on Wed, 11/05/2025 - 9:37am
The Hill City Rangers volleyball team defended its home court in the last regular season game against the Belle Fourche Broncs last Tuesday. Senior night was also celebrated with the volleyball team sharing the spotlight with the cross country team, honoring their seniors and celebrating their success at the state meet. 
The Rangers played all seven of their seniors for the match-up, hit the floor running and never looked back.

Hamlin charges past Hill City Rangers

Published by admin on Wed, 11/05/2025 - 9:35am
The Hill City Rangers kicked off first in the quarterfinal of the Class 9AA playoffs against the Hamlin Chargers. 
Hamlin moved the ball quickly through a series of mostly passes, with Charger senior Aiden Abraham scoring first in the game. With 9:02 left in the first quarter, Hamlin was up 8-0 against the Rangers. 

Football season ends on high note

Published by admin on Wed, 10/29/2025 - 12:59pm

A tough season ended on a high note for the Custer High School football team last Thursday in Pine Ridge, as the Wildcats dominated the Lakota Tech Tatanka 50-0 to close out the 2025 campaign.
“It’s a great way to finish the season on a positive note,” head coach Russ Evans said. “A lot of reps, a lot of good things happened. It’s a combination of everything we have been talking about all season. We stay together, win or lose. We play hard, learn from our mistakes, continue to work hard, continue to get better.”