Seahawks
Season Preview
After three straight first-round playoff exits, the Seahawks enter the 2025 season with a blend of experience and promising young talent. In total, BEE brings back nine players who started last year.
Senior quarterback Holden Wollmann (6'1", 175 lbs.) returns to lead the offense. Wollmann completed 48 of 97 passes for 715 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, while also rushing for 465 yards and seven scores. On defense, he ranked third on the team with 47 tackles and paced the secondary with nine pass break-ups.
The backfield will feature the returning duo of Junior KJ Ripley (6'0", 171 lbs.) and Sophomore Jaxx Kurtenbach (5'8", 155 lbs.), both of whom earned starting reps last year. Ripley rushed for 197 yards and a touchdown while adding four catches for 50 yards. Kurtenbach contributed 141 rushing yards with three touchdowns, plus three receptions for 109 yards and two scores.
Up front, the Seahawks return four players with starting experience. Junior Thiago Juarez (5'8", 195 lbs.) anchors the offensive line as the starting center for the third straight season. He’ll be joined by Junior Creighton Klumb (6'5", 200 lbs., OT/DE), Junior Ethan Longe (5'11", 185 lbs., OT/DT), and Senior Luke Storm (6'1", 185 lbs., TE/LB).
Other key returnees include Senior Parker Burke (5'9", 145 lbs., WR/DB) and Sophomore Jackson Weber (6'0", 185 lbs., TE/LB).
The Seahawks will also look for added contributions from Senior Austin Jager (5'8", 130 lbs., WR/DB), Sophomore Tait Roth (5'11", 185 lbs., OL/LB), Junior Coltyn Raymond (6'0", 185 lbs., OT/LB), and Sophomore Joe Kayser (6'5", 300 lbs., OG/DL) as the season progresses.
Schedule Preview
After tonight’s game, the Seahawks enter their bye week before returning for back-to-back home contests against Lead-Deadwood and Beresford (Homecoming). BEE will then play three consecutive road games at Wagner, Baltic, and McCook Central/Montrose before closing the regular season with home matchups against Sioux Falls Christian and Parker. Below is a preview of the 2025 regular season schedule:
September 5 – vs. Lead-Deadwood
BEE opens its home slate against the Golddiggers, who trailed the Seahawks by just one point at halftime last year in Deadwood. Lead-Deadwood finished the 2024 season 1-7, with its lone win coming against Belle Fourche. The Golddiggers again face a challenging schedule, as six of their eight opponents posted winning records last season.
September 12 – vs. Beresford (Homecoming)
Beresford is coming off a 2-6 campaign and missed the playoffs in 2024. The Watchdogs opened with wins over Baltic and Parker before dropping their final six games. The top returnee for the Watchdogs is WR/DB Malachi James. James was an all-state wide receiver selection in 2024, catching 43 passes for 685 yards and 6 TDs as a junior. Last season, BEE earned a 22-13 road victory in Beresford.
September 19 – at Wagner
The Red Raiders finished 3-6 a year ago, falling to MVP in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the record, Wagner faced a tough slate, with losses to playoff qualifiers such as Winner, MVP, BEE, W/WS/SC, and EPJ. Senior QB/LB Gannon Knebel (6'1", 210 lbs.) returns as one of the top players in Class 11B. Knebel was an all-state linebacker last season with 48 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and a sack. The two-time all-conference pick threw for 532 passing yards and 3 TDs, while rushing for 756 yards and 10 TDs last season. Wagner was without Knebel in its 20-6 loss to BEE last season.
September 26 – at Baltic
Since moving to Class 11B in 2021, the Bulldogs have struggled, going winless in each of the past three seasons and posting just one win overall in the 11-man ranks. BEE has won all four meetings since 2021 by a combined score of 182-0.
October 3 – at McCook Central/Montrose
The Fighting Cougars bounced back from a 1-7 season in 2023 to finish 6-3 last year, earning a playoff berth before falling to Mobridge-Pollock. MCM rallied with 30 second-half points to defeat BEE 36-28 in 2024.
October 10 – vs. Sioux Falls Christian
Sioux Falls Christian, the 2024 Class 11A runner-up, presents the toughest matchup on the Seahawks’ schedule. The Chargers hold a 5-0 all-time series lead over BEE. This will mark the first time the two programs meet in Bridgewater.
October 17 – vs. Parker
Parker finished 1-7 last season, picking up its lone win against Baltic. In last year’s matchup, the Pheasants held an 8-6 halftime lead before BEE scored 22 unanswered points in the third quarter on the way to a 28-8 victory.
W/WS/SC
Last Season
Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central put together a strong 2024 campaign, finishing with a 7-3 record and reaching the Class 11B State Quarterfinals.
The Blackhawks started fast with three convincing wins — a 28-13 road victory at Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan, followed by lopsided home triumphs over Lead-Deadwood (42-6) and Webster Area (50-12). The team’s first setback came in Week 4 against eventual 11B unbeaten Winner, a 30-18 road loss.
WWSSC responded by stringing together key wins down the stretch. They earned a 29-13 victory at Wagner, then dominated Miller/Highmore-Harrold (62-20) and Chamberlain (32-0) at home. A narrow 22-20 road loss at Mount Vernon/Plankinton kept them from an even stronger seeding position, but the Blackhawks closed the regular season at 6-2.
In the postseason, WWSSC edged Aberdeen Roncalli 14-13 in a thrilling first-round matchup at Dacotah Bank Stadium. Their playoff run ended the following week against top-ranked Winner, falling 44-0 in the quarterfinals.
This Season
The Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central football co-op will compete under a new identity — the Bucks.
The change comes after a student vote across all three schools in early 2025, where “Bucks” was the overwhelming choice, receiving 167 of 224 votes cast. While the new nickname provides a fresh identity for the program, the team will continue to wear its familiar red, black, and blue colors.
W/WS/SC enters the 2025 season looking to build on last year’s successes. The Bucks have recorded a winning season every year since 2020, though they have yet to advance past the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
The team will need to fill key roles following the graduation of Holden Havlik and Ryder Michalek, who formed one of the state’s top QB-WR tandems last season. Havlik threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, while Michalek recorded 11 receptions for 159 yards and two scores in the season-opening win over BEE.
A key returnee for the Bucks is Senior TE/LB Colby Flowers (6'5", 218 lbs.), who contributed four receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown in last year’s matchup against BEE. Flowers was an all-state honorable mention honoree in 2024, hauling in 29 catches for 624 yards and 7 TDs. Anchoring the line is Senior Hunter Fenske (5'11", 220 lbs.) who was also an all-state honorable mention selection last season. Overall, the Bucks returns a veteran-laden roster with 15 seniors, providing a wealth of experience heading into the season.
Previous Match-Up
The Seahawks opened the 2024 season with a 28-13 loss at Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central. BEE led 7-6 at halftime, but was outscored 22-6 in the second half.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Blackhawks struck first on a 20-yard TD pass from Holden Havlik to Sam Poncelow. The Seahawks responded with a 3-yard touchdown run by Holden Wollman, capping a drive highlighted by a 19-yard run and a 34-yard completion to Macklen Weber.
BEE briefly regained the lead in the second half when Wollman broke free for a 68-yard touchdown run, but the Seahawks’ offense stalled after that. W/WS/SC scored twice more on TD passes from Havlik to Ryder Michalek to secure the win.
Offensively for BEE, Wollman rushed for 103 yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries and completed 7-of-16 passes for 104 yards, becoming the first Seahawks QB since 2019 to surpass 100 yards both passing and rushing in a game. Macklen Weber added 3 receptions for 66 yards and 14 rushing yards.
Defensively, Jason Zeeb led with 11 tackles, followed by Kean Stevenson with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss. Wollman contributed 6 tackles and 5 pass break-ups, while Weber recorded 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, an interception, and a forced fumble.
For the Blackhawks, Havlik completed 23-of-37 passes for 333 yards and 4 TDs, with Michalek hauling in 11 receptions for 159 yards and two scores. Payton Uecker led the rushing attack with 62 yards. W/WS/SC finished with 438 yards of total offense to BEE’s 224, including 24 first downs to the Seahawks’ 10.
Game Bits
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BEE holds a 4-1 all-time record against W/WS/SC, outscoring the Bucks 175-34 across those five matchups.
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This season marks the first time the Seahawks will play in Wessington Springs since 2017. That previous game, originally scheduled for a Friday night in Woonsocket, was moved to Saturday afternoon in Wessington Springs due to heavy rain. BEE captured a 33-0 victory in that contest.
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Big East Conference matchups tonight include:
Sioux Valley at St. Thomas More
Baltic at Beresford
Flandreau vs. Deuel
McCook Central/Montrose at Mount Vernon/Plankinton
Parker at Elk Point-Jefferson
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Game day conditions: Sunny skies, 77 degrees at kickoff, with northwest winds at 5–10 mph.
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Broadcast information: Tonight’s game will air on KORN Country 92.1 FM and be available via LiveTicket. Links are posted on the homepage.
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Fan and community events: The Wessington Springs Spartan Boosters will host a tailgate meal from 6:00 PM until halftime.
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Upcoming JV and Junior High games: Both teams will open their seasons on Monday in Wessington Springs. The JV team will participate in a round-robin format against the Bucks and Kimball/White Lake on one side of the field, while the Junior High team faces W/WS/SC on the other side. Both contests are scheduled to start at 5:00 PM.