A pair of dominant Teams of Excellence headline the Flandreau Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2025 to be inducted on Sunday, July 6 at banquet ceremonies at the Royal River Casino.
Eight inductees in all will enter the 3rd annual local sports hall of fame this summer, including four athletes, two teams of excellence and two coaches.
Tickets are still available and those wishing to attend can pre-register at [email protected] and pay with VENMO or drop a check or cash off at Stuart Zephiers home in Flandreau. There will be a limited number of tickets at the door depending on if they sell out ahead of time. Best option is to contact Zephier.
Doors open at 2 pm and the social begins at 3:30 pm with the meal served at 5 pm. The induction ceremony will follow the meal.
Prior to the Induction Ceremony, the Dusk to Dawn Dance will be held Thursday, July 3 at the Japanese Gardens in Flandreau City Park. OIT (Old Indian Trick) will be playing featuring former Flandreau alumni members Chuck Jones, Jarrod Lee and Myles Zephier. Cost is $10 per person or $15 per couple. There is a shuttle running from the Courthouses parking lot for a free-wll donation.
Saturday is the 4 person 9-hole scramble at Rivers Bend Golf Course with registration at 8 am and a shot gun start at 8:45 am. Cost is $40 per person with 20 teams. Pre-register at by email to [email protected] or call the Rivers Bend Country Club at 605-997-3031.
Following the scramble is the Tiger Alumni Open stroke play event for $25 person. Alumni, staff (current or former) and family members of these folks from either school are invited to play.
Brief Bios on 2025 Inductees:
1963 FIS Boys Cross Country Team
During the 1950s, FIS cross country brought home six state team championships. After a 3-year drought, FIS harriers continued their winning ways in the 1960s. The 1960 squad edged out Milbank 20-23. The 61 team easily outdistanced Rapid City 12-32 and the 62 team bested Rapid City again, 15-26.
Competing against the states best on October 18, 1963, at Brookings, the Indians won their 10th state title in the past 13 years. This was the fourth consecutive state championship for the Indian school runners. Star of the event was Paul Moss of FIS, running the 2.2 miles in 10:52.8, a new record. The Indian team was outstanding in that Keith McKenzie finished second, Dale Moss placed third and Glen Delorme (only surviving member) was 6th, for a team score of 6 points.
1963 was the first time for a two-class system, and in the history of the sport, only one other boys team has posted a perfect score – Crazy Horse did it in 1984.
1996-97 Flier Boys Basketball Team
The Fliers boys basketball program experienced varying degrees of success under the guidance of Coach Rick Weber since he took the reins in 1990. His 1995-96 squad brought home a Class A State Tournament Consolation Championship and with a strong core of seniors returning for the 1996-97 campaign, they put together a dream season – one for the record books.
That team ran roughshod over their opponents, capturing the Central Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles on their way to a 25-0 overall record and the schools first and only Class A State Boys Basketball Championship.
The post-season accolades poured in: All CVC Brenda Sheppard, Mike Smith, Myles Zephier and Honorable Mention Dan Rorvik and Tobin Bakkedahl; Academic All-State: Kyle Porisch, Smith, Sheppard, Zephier; Class A State Tourney Team Bakkedahl, Smith, Sheppard, Zephier; All-State 2nd Team Smith, Sheppard; Mr. Basketball Nominee – Smith; Spirit of Su Award Winner Zephier; Class A Coach of the Year Weber.
Denis & Martin Parsley Wrestling
Brothers, Denis and Martin Parsley, undefeated Class B State Wrestling Champions
A three-sport letter-winner for the Fliers, Denis excelled on the mat for Coach Jim Tiger McGlones grapplers. As a 98# sophomore, he was the only Flier to qualify for the state meet. He moved up to 112 his junior season and helped the Fliers to its first ever conference title. He won the district 112 title and finished second at the region meet, qualifying for state again where he won his first match but didnt place. Wrestling at 119 lbs. as a senior, his team posted a 12-0 dual record, captured their second Interstate Conference championship, and he posted a 22-0 record on his way to a State B Championship Title.
Marty followed in his big brothers footsteps. He was also a three-sport letter-winner for the purple and gold and would make a name for himself as a key member of Tigers evolving wrestling program. As a 138 lb. sophomore, Marty placed second at the Big 8 Tourney and first at the district and regions meets. He won his first-round match at the State B, but lost in wrestle backs and did not place. As a junior, again at 138 lbs., Marty placed second at the Big 8, first at the district meet and second at regions, where his nemesis from Beresford (Lyle) won by decision. He would go on to beat Brown from Dells for a fifth place finish at the State B. Moving up to the 167 lb. weight class as a senior, Marty pinned Stene of Brandon Valley at the Big 8, decisioned Sorenson of Beresford at districts, and pinned Hult of Centerville for the region title, qualifying for the State B a third time. Here he would finish his high school wrestling career with an 80-18 overall record, a 30-0 senior season and the 167 lb. State B Title.
Syd Beane FIS Coach
Sydney Elmer Beane (deceased) was a star athlete for the Indians from 1928-1931. Syd returned to his alma mater as a coach and guided the Indians to its first and only State Basketball Championship in 1939. That squad posted a 10-5 regular season record and would go on to defeat Lead 27-25, then Rapid City 32-30 for the State A title. Coach Beane also guided the FIS cross country team to 3 straight state championships in 1950, 51 and 52.
DuWayne Groos FIS Coach
DuWayne Groos came to the Flandreau Indian School in 1974 and coached multiple sports at various levels until 2002.
DuWayne had record setting careers on the court for his alma mater the Sisseton Redmen and the Northern State Wolves. He was All-SDIC for four years and made the District 12 NAIA Team. He is a member of the SD Amateur Basketball Hall of Fame, NSU Hall of Fame, SDIC Hall of Fame, and the SD High School Basketball Hall of Fame. He received the Lakota Nation Distinguished Service Award in 1995.
Along with Gerald Schuchard, he returned the FIS cross country program to its glory days with back-to-back State A titles in 1987 and 1988.
Logan Olson Rodeo
Logan Olson, FHS 1998, started out on the local rodeo scene as a youngster and went on to become the most successful cowboy ever to come out of FHS. As a Team Roping Header, he was a four-time state high school rodeo qualifier. He attended Colby Community College and then Oklahoma Panhandle State University from 1998-2001 and would cap off his college career with the 2001 College National Finals Rodeo as the Team Roping Champion. He turned pro and was the 1999 Badland Circuit Champion, the 2005 Wrangler National Finals Qualifier, the 2008 Frontier Days Champ, the 2015, 2016, 2017 Badland Circuit Finals and year-end Champ, and the 2018 Ram National Circuit Finals Champ. He has PRCA career earnings of nearly $500,000 and was the Reserve Champion at the Bob Fiest Invitational.
Ramona Zephier Track and Field
2001 FHS graduate, Ramona Zephier to the Class of 2025. Mona was a 16-time letter-winner for the Fliers in four sports from 1995-2001.
On the track and in the pits is where Ramona dominated locally and was the most consistent performer Flandreau Fliers Track and Field has ever seen at the state level. She was undefeated in the long jump and triple jump at regular season track meets for six seasons (excluding Howard Wood), including the CVC meet where she stood atop the podium five times in the triple jump (knee injury 1999) and six times in the long jump.
Mona won 21 medals at the State A Track Meets from 1996-2001. Individually, she medaled six times in the LJ, finishing second in both 1996 and 2000. She medaled five times in the TJ, finishing in third place four times, and winning the state championship in 2000.
She placed third in the open 400 as seventh grader. She ran on 4×200, 4×400 and Sprint Medley Relay teams that set school records, bringing home nine state meet medals. She scored 117 points for the Lady Fliers Track and Field program at state events.
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