A look at some of Roger Merriam's top prep football players in northeastern SD since 1984

Editor's Note: Sports writer Roger Merriam is compiling a "20 Favorites" series highlighting some of his favorite athletes in a variety of high school sports since he started working at the Watertown Public Opinion in December of 1984. The series is about northeastern South Dakota athletes, but some played at colleges all over the state and others have moved to other areas.

It would have been easy for me to pick the players with National Football League or major college ties to lead the "Top 20 Favorites" for the area (non-Watertown) high school football players since 1984, but I didn't do that.

That's why Blake Hojer of De Smet and Waverly-South Shore's Zemlicka twins (Taylor and Tyson) are the leaders of the list.

Their high school performances put them ahead of a group that includes Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, University of Washington head football coach Kalen DeBoer and two National Football League trainers, Castlewood native Dustin Little of the San Francisco 49ers and Webster native Nate Breske of the Buffalo Bills.

Up next in the 20 Favorites Series will be Watertown High School football.

The order, as always, isn't necessarily specific. So here goes:

20. Others

I could do this list next week and probably come up with some different choices. Here's a trio that deserve some mention.

Jason Rodman was one of the leaders of an Estelline High School football team that advanced to the state Class 9B championship in 1994 before falling to Wall 26-16. Rodman, who was a big threat as a runner and passer, was limited to passing because of an early deficit and a severe leg cramp.

Yes, we know games aren't played on paper and ratings don't always mean much but one of my biggest shocks came in 2001 when Roslyn ran all over (or around) a huge Lake Preston team 50-6 in the state Class 9B championship. Roslyn quarterback Tyler Lee dominated. He made the "20 Favorites" area basketball list, so he gets honorable mention here.

There were so many Clark names, especially those from the Comets' 2002 state Class 11B championship team that beat Parkston 27-18. One of those was quarterback Lee Schlagel. He died of an asthma attack in 2011 and the Lee Schlagel Memorial Scholarship and the annual Lee Schlagel Memorial Basketball Tournament have been established in his name.

More: Roger Merriam's look at some of best Watertown High School boys basketball players since 1984

19. Lance Eide, Deuel

The 2015 Deuel High School graduate accumulated 5,694 all-purpose yards (including 3,240 rushing) and 61 touchdowns during a stellar prep career for the Cardinals. He was twice named the Eastern Coteau Conference Offensive Player of Year and also earned All-State honors.

He even fashioned a pretty decent career at South Dakota State as a special teams player and safety.

18. Brad DeBeer, Sioux Valley

I was really hoping that the 1989 Sioux Valley High School graduate would have made it in the National Football League, because I wanted to hear ESPN announcer Chris Berman reel off my suggested nickname: Brad "Go Get" DeBeer.

The current Deubrook Area coach and radio broadcaster also was involved in one of the strangest state championship football games in South Dakota playoff history. DeBeer's Hail Mary TD pass with six seconds left gave Sioux Valley a 34-28 win over Bon Homme in the 1988 Class 11B championship game, which was delayed in the third quarter when referee Doug Koester of Pierre collapsed and died on the field.

17. Wayne Quade and the Novy Brothers, Grant-Deuel

I've spent the last month trying to decipher who led the way for a Grant-Deuel program that among the best in the area for a good portion of my time at the Public Opinion. There were so many great athletes.

In 1983, I watched a movie called "Lone Wolf McQuade" starring Chuck Norris and David Carradine that has one of the most memorable lines (in my mind). I can't repeat it here, but I still remember it. In the fall of 1984 and 1985, Grant-Deuel's team featured quarterback Wayne Quade, a gunslinger ahead of his time in high school football. The Wildcats advanced to the state Class 9B semifinals in 1985 before losing to eventual champion Armour.

Brothers Chad, Wade and Garrett Novy were dominant lineman on Grant-Deuel teams in the 1990s. Wade was a key member of the Wildcats' 1995 state Class 9B championship team. He has been a longtime teacher and coach at Lake Havusa High School in Arizona.

More: Some of the top northeastern South Dakota Class A, B boys basketball players since 1984

16. Bumper Pickner, Arlington

Bear with me, it seemed really logical to pick quarterback Jordan King and end Mitch Boeck or even some others for leading Arlington High School's football team to back-to-back state Class 9AA championship under head coach Steve Gilberson in 2004 and 2005.

If I remember correctly, Pickner came to Arlington prior to the 2005 season from Grant-Deuel, where his dad Barry had taught and coached. He offered a speed dimension to Arlington's football team in 2005.

Plus, how can you not like somebody called Bumper. If I'm not mistaken, his given name is Kyle, but it's still Bumper to me.

15. Jason Hein, De Smet

I might have missed the boat on this one until I started going through the archives and finding photos in almost every sport of Hein, who was a running back on De Smet's state 9A championship football team in 1988.

Fast forward to 2003, when he coached his hometown Bulldogs to a perfect 12-0 record and the 2003 state Class 9A football championship.

He's still coaching as an assistant at Bon Homme.

14. Jacob Arthur, Clark and Justin Buckwalter, Lake Preston

Some big fellas here who were really talented football players.

Arthur was a 260-pound sophomore offensive and defensive lineman on Clark's 2002 state Class 11B state championship team before fashioning a solid career on the o-line (6-6, 304) for the University of South Dakota. He late received an invite to the Minnesota Vikings rookie camp.

Buckwalter was part of a huge offensive line that provided Lake Preston with its most successful football season ever in 2001, one that ended with a loss to Roslyn in the state Class 9B championship. The 6-4, 313-pound guard played three years at North Dakota State before retiring because of a degenerative disk problem in his back.

More: Roger Merriam's look at some of his favorite Watertown High School girls basketball players

13. Brent Bass, Castlewood

Brent and his brother Jerrod were both stellar athletes in Castlewood and I later got a chance to become good friends with them as teammates on the Castlewood Ravens' amateur baseball team. I'm not picking Jerrod here, but he's getting some deserved ink. Jerrod did play on Castlewood's 1993 state Class 9B runner-up football team.

Brent's here because he pieced together a couple of dominating rushing seasons in the mid-1990s for the Warriors but when I called to do a story on his unbelievable exploits, he kindly refused. He said it was all about the team.

And that brings up another Castlewood favorite, Kevin Pribbenow, who happened to be part of the gang that opened the holes for Brent (or Buck as he was called).

12. Travis Smith and Mike Thyen, Castlewood

Let me tell you the Warriors have had some players through the years, both under Jerry McPartland and current head coach Doug Ruesink.

The Warriors' biggest highlight came in 1989 when Smith, a quarterback, and Thyen, a receiver, were big reasons why Castlewood blanked Wall 27-0 in the state Class 9B championship.

When you talk about quarterbacks and receivers in this northeastern South Dakota since 1984, the Smith-to-Thyen (T-Bird) connection deserves plenty of discussion 34 years later.

More: A look at some of northeastern South Dakota's best girls basketball players since 1984

11. Ryan Toelle and Jason Landmark, Sisseton

Toelle was only a junior when he led Scott Hagen's 4-4 Sisseton team to a stunning 2009 first-round playoff upset over Class 11A power West Central, which had won 10 of the previous 13 state titles in the class.

West Central led 47-32 with 4:37 left before losing 48-47. Toelle passed for a reported 606 yards (I believe it was later changed to 611), completing 28 of 45 passes. He threw for 2,932 yards that season.

Hagen, by the way, was a Sisseton native who coached former Chicago Bears standout Brian Urlacher in high school in New Mexico before returning to Sisseton.

Landmark graduated in the mid-1980s from Sisseton before enjoying a record-setting career at Northern State University in Aberdeen. He has been inducted into both the Northern State and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame.

I also want to mention Dustin Lotzer, who threw for 35 touchdowns for the Redmen in 2008.

10. Nick Mears and Jason Seurer, Milbank

Sisseton got the big upset in 2009, but it was Mears and Milbank that knocked off their arch-rivals in the second round and went on to claim the state Class 11A championship under head coach Jeremy Tostenson.

Mears, who passed for 4,595 yards and 58 touchdowns at Milbank, then became a standout defensive back at South Dakota State University.

Seurer earned Class 11A All-State honors as a senior quarterback for the Bulldogs in 1987. He later played four years at the University of South Dakota and still is one of the Coyotes' all-time leaders in passing yards with 4,759.

9. Troy and Todd Randall, Hamlin

Hamlin enjoyed great success throughout much of the 1980s under head coach Arlin Likness, but always seemed to get stopped short in the playoffs.

The Chargers finally broke through with state Class 11B titles in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and again in 1996. Hamlin fell short of a fourth-straight title in 1992, losing in the title game 14-8 to Platte.

Troy Randall was a speedster who could score from any spot on the field. Remember, this was 11-man, not 9-man. He played on a couple of state championship teams, I believe. His brother Todd was a talented lineman and defender on Hamlin's 1996 state Class 11B champions.

8. Brooks and Dustin Little, Castlewood

Castlewood is a Hamlin County neighbor to Hamlin and like the Chargers, the Warriors have enjoyed plenty of success in football. The Little were basketball and football standouts in the early 2000s.

Brooks was a two-time All-State honoree in high school who later went on to become a record-setting receiver at the University of South Dakota. He caught 165 passes at USD before getting a tryout with the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

His brother Dustin played men's basketball at USD, and after his eligibility was up, caught eight passes in his lone year as a receiver for USD's football. He has worked as a trainer in the National Football League for years and currently serves as the head trainer for the San Francisco 49ers.

7. Jackson Noem and Cameron Thue, Hamlin

The backfield mates sparked Jeff Sheehan's Hamlin team to a great season in 2020 that concluded with a disappointing 42-12 loss to Platte-Geddes in the state Class 9A championship.

Thue was the thunder, who did a lot of blocking for Noem. The two-time All-State honoree also knew what to do when he got the ball in his hands, rushing for 1,551 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career.

Noem was the lightning, a speedster who rushed for 2,092 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2020. He hurt his ankle in the state semifinals and was very limited in the state championship. Noem ran for 3,145 yards and 52 TDs in his career.

6. Bryon Noem, Mark Stevenson and Brody Grantham, Hamlin

Lots of Hamlin here, I know, but by golly the Chargers have likely been the most successful football program in the area through years.

Let's start off with the first gentleman of South Dakota (husband of Governor Kristi Noem). Bryon Noem was a good all-around athlete and quarterback. I believe he graduated in 1987, before continuing his career at Northern State. In 1990, he completed 23 of 39 passes in a 28-17 win over Valley City State while subbing for an injured Dale Lardy of Milbank at NSU. He still is a member of the chain gang for Hamlin High School's home football games.

Many members of the Stevenson family have recorded plenty of success while playing various sports at Hamlin High School and Mark was no different. He was the quarterback on Hamlin's first state championship team in 1989 and passed for three touchdowns in the game.

Hamlin advanced to the state Class 11A championship in 1999 before falling on some hard times. The Chargers got back on the map as a nine-man team when Grantham quarterbacked the team to back-to-back state Class 9B title games in 2003. Hamlin lost to Avon 24-22 in 2013 before returning to beat Faulkton Area 34-8 in 2014. Grantham later played linebacker at the University of Sioux Falls.

5. Nate Breske and the Breske Family

Nate Breske graduated from Webster in the mid-1990s and was a two-year starter at quarterback for Northern State University. He's in the news now for his work as a trainer in the National Football League. He is now the head athletic trainer for the Buffalo Bills and was recently honored along with his staff with an ESPN Espy Award (the Pat Tillman Award for Service) for their life-saving care for Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

Nate's younger brother Jacob, also a Webster grad, spent time as a backup quarterback at the University of South Dakota. Their father Leon guided the Bearcats to state Class 11B championships in 2000 and 2003.

4. Dallas Goedert, Britton

Goedert played football and basketball at Britton-Hecla in the early 2010s before walking on at South Dakota State in 2013.

He later became standout tight end for the Jacks and was drafted in the second round of the 2018 National Football League draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He's making his mark in the NFL and caught six passes for 60 yards in the Eagles' 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl back in February.

Want another tidbit. His father was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan and that is how he got his first name.

3. Kalen DeBoer, Milbank

Wow! What an incredible football journey for DeBoer, who was a standout in football, basketball and baseball at Milbank in the early 1990s. He earned Class 11A All-State honors as a receiver as a senior with 37 catches for 502 yards and eight touchdowns.

DeBoer later played football and baseball at the University of Sioux Falls, where he became an All-American wide receiver and batted .520 in his senior season on the ballfield.

Ever since, he's been on a career coaching journey that has led him to become the head coach at the University of Washington. He coached USF to a 69-3 record and three NAIA national championships from 2005-2009. His other college coaching stops have included Southern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Indiana and Fresno State.

2. Taylor and Tyson Zemlicka, Waverly-South Shore

One of the coolest things I've ever witnessed in my 39 or so years at the Public Opinion is the dream season that Waverly-South Shore had in 2011. The Coyotes went 12-0 and won the state Class 9B championship.

A lot of the credit for that championship goes the Zemlicka twins. Taylor was the quarterback, passing for 2,176 yards and 32 TDs and rushing for 911 yards and 19 TDs. He finished his career by throwing for 5,684 yards and 72 touchdowns.

His brother was his favorite target. Tyson caught 44 passes for 759 yards and 16 TDs in 2011 and set a number of school records including tackles (223), receptions (143), receiving yards (2,508) and receiving TDs (36).

Both Zemlickas later played linebacker at Northern State University.

1. Blake Hojer, De Smet

Hojer is here because he recorded the most dominant season by any high school player I've covered in this area. After falling to Plankinton-White Lake 26-16 in the 2002 state Class 9AA championship, Hojer and the Bulldogs came back in 2003 to cap a perfect 12-0 season with a 59-0 win over Avon in the state Class 9A title game.

Hojer ran for 207 yards and four touchdowns in the game, capping a season in which he rushed for 1,777 yards and 39 touchdowns. The 220-pound running back was even more dominant on defense as a linebacker, a position he played at the University of South Dakota.

De Smet outscored its opponents 554-11 that season.

Hojer is married to former Willow Lake and South Dakota State women's basketball standout Jennifer Warkenthien. The story of the family's athletic success just may not end with mom and dad.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: 20 Favorites: Hojer, Zemlickas, Goedert and DeBoer lead gridiron stars