HOWARD, S.D. — Saturday night’s runner-up finish in Class B baseball was the exclamation point in an exceptional year for Howard boys athletics.
It was the third state championship game the Tigers have played in this season. They previously finished as the Class 9AA runner-up for football on Nov. 9 before winning their first Class B boys basketball championship since 1964 on March 16, preventing the four-peat from De Smet in overtime.
Howard athletes have also racked up a total of 10 all-state selections across the three sports. In addition, the Tigers had a state champion in Jackson Remmers and four medalists at the state wrestling tournament back in February.
Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
All of the success and accolades from this past year stem back to offseason workouts for the athletes and coaches to build a rapport with one another, and for the athletes to reinforce their commitment to donning the orange and black.
“It takes a lot of dedication to (play) each sport and even more time in the summer from the athletes and from the coaches,” said Howard football coach and athletic director Pat Ruml. “We have really good athletes that put a lot of time and work in the offseason and practices.”
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“They’re in the weight room, they’re in an acceleration program, and they’re getting up at 6 a.m.,” added Howard basketball and baseball coach Nick Koepsell. “All of their hard work pays off and they deserve it. (The success) doesn’t happen by happenstance. They earned everything.”
Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
For most of the athletes competing on Howard’s varsity teams, they play multiple roles across multiple sports. Nine of the 10 baseball players for the Tigers participated in at least one other sport over the fall, winter, and spring seasons. In the cases of Colby Claussen, Korbin Shumaker, and Nolan Mentele, they participated in track and field simultaneously alongside baseball this spring.
Despite the overlapping nature of the South Dakota sports schedule, providing little time for the athletes to regroup and transition to the next sport, the Tigers wear their versatility as a badge of honor, proving to be successful across multiple disciplines.
“It just shows that we are a very active group,” said senior Kolt Koepsell, who participated in both basketball and baseball, netting all-state first-team honors in basketball this season. “We’re like a lot of athletic kids in that we can do a lot of things and we’re not just one-sport people, or a one-sport team.”
Jacob Nielson / Mitchell Republic
Each year, there’s always the expectation of the senior class and other upperclassmen to set the example for the younger group of athletes. Ruml commended this year’s group for their positive attitudes and for showing their ability to fill those leadership roles, knowing it was going to be beneficial from the first snap to the final at-bat.
“I’m very proud of these guys because they do it the right way,” Ruml said. “I knew they would be very solid in their other sports in the winter and spring. They just have a calm demeanor to them and are very coachable.”
The Tigers have also had the consistent support of a strong fanbase, traveling in droves across the state and being heard at state championship games in Vermillion, Aberdeen and Sioux Falls. Seeing the success has only brought the town of only 844 people closer together, a welcomed sight to everyone on the playing surface. Tiger spring baseball also plays its home games in the small baseball-minded town of Canova, which supports Howard teams with a passion.
Chris Womack / SDPB
“Everyone when we have needed them has come together and we all support each other,” junior three-sport athlete Weston Remmers said. “For as small of a school as we are, it’s pretty special to have that many athletes who can make it to championship games.”
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Howard will head into the summer offseason and beyond with heightened expectations from this year’s run of state titles and title game appearances. If there’s one takeaway from the past nine months to bestow on the younger kids in the Tigers’ program, it’s with time and effort where the potential can become reality.
“(Howard’s) just a great program to be a part of,” Claussen said. “You work hard for what you want to achieve, and if you don’t work hard, you’re not going to get much in life.”
By Blake Durham
Blake Durham is a Sports Reporter for the Mitchell Republic, having joined in October of 2023. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in December of 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Communications. Durham can be found covering a variety of prep and collegiate sports in the area.
