Happy Hour with John Gaskins

Every Friday, "South Dakota Sports Lounge" displays some of the most captivating and entertaining conversations from daily sports talk shows in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Fargo. Plus, Midwest Sports+ reporter Zach Borg provides a compelling feature story to send Dakotas sports fans into the weekend with a smile.
 
Here are this week's segments:

 
Happy Hour with John Gaskins (Sioux Falls): Second-year SDSU coach Dan Jackson describes the speech legendary former coach John Stiegelmeier gave his squad, the elevated abilities of already uber-talented quarterback Chase Mason, how the Jacks plan to be far more explosive on offense, and why some top veterans were held out of some August practices ahead of Saturday's season opener against Stetson.
 
Hot Mic with Dom Izzo (Fargo): Minnesota State-Moorhead coach Steve Laqua beams about the shining NFL preseason performances from former Dragon quarterback Jack Strand in Atlanta, then previews the 2026 season.
 
The Nate Brown Show (Rapid City): The Voice of the USD Coyotes, John Thayer, projects the top storylines of the only program that has reached the FCS quarterfinals for three consecutive years, including the new leadership of Matt Vitzthum as head coach and redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Modrzewski, who Vitzthum recently selected to take the starting reigns in Saturday's opener against '25 playoff team Central Connecticut State.
 
Zach Borg Feature (MS+): A "Camp Confidential" series profile on the Pierre Governors, who this season seek their ninth Class 11AA state title in 10 years. You can catch all the "Camp Confidential" profiles here and enjoy live and on-demand broadcasts of Sioux Falls Metro Conference games with your Midwest Sports+ subscription, starting this weekend with:
 
Friday's doubleheader at Howard Wood Field, which will also be televised live on KSFL-TV, channel 36 (over-the-air) and Midco channel 616:
 
5 p.m. - Rapid City Central at Sioux Falls Washington
 
7:30 p.m. - No. 5 O'Gorman at No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln
 
Zach Borg will call the play-by-play of those games, with former Augustana offensive coordinator James Schrenk returning as an MS+ analyst.
 
On Saturday, MS+ will televise what is anticipated to be the best matchup of the week in South Dakota's 11AAA football — The Tiger Bowl in Harrisburg.
 
No. 3 Sioux Falls Jefferson will visit No. 4 Harrisburg in rematch of a epic come-from-behind Cavaliers win last season on MS+. You can watch back that instant classic and all of our game replays from 2025 with your MS+ subscription!
 
Veteran local play-by-play announcer John Gaskins will call the game, also with Schrenk providing analysis.
 
Soon after these broadcasts conclude, your subscription makes them available "on demand" to watch anytime on midwestsportsplus.com or the MS+ app.
 
Let the games begin!

Let the games begin!
 
Finally, the Jackrabbits, Coyotes, Vikings, Cougars and all the Sioux Falls area 11-man high school teams are kicking off their seasons.
 
This means the second season of Happy Hour's "Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast" kicks off. The Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer dive into the matchups and "what to watch" for the games involving our local college and prep squads.
 
While No. 3 SDSU (-47.5 vs. Stetson) and No. 12 USD (-23.5 vs. Central Connecticut State) are heavy favorites to roll at home in their openers, there's plenty of intrigue regarding what both the Jacks and Yotes will look like after fans and media have spent the eight nine months talking and writing about them.
 
Which players are we most excited to see? How will the quarterbacks perform, and how will offensive game plans be designed? Who might be some breakout players who have yet to take a snap or make a big play in a college football game? Which defensive weak spots may be vulnerable?
 
Thursday is kickoff for two Div. II teams in Sioux Falls. NSIC coaches rated Augustana No. 3 out of 15 teams in their preseason poll, while USF is slotted at No. 4.
 
Is either team under "upset alert" in their openers?
 
Plus, there are three Top 5 matchups involving Sioux Falls metro area teams to preview:
 
* Class 11AAA — No. 3 SF Jefferson at #4 Harrisburg
* Class 11AAA — No. 5 O'Gorman at No. 1 SF Lincoln
* Class 11A — No. 1 SF Christian at No. 2 Lennox
 

Matt Zimmer's wife joins to discuss a serious public school cause
 
Imagine being a kid at school and being denied lunch.
 
Sadly, this may happen soon for some K-12 students in the Sioux Falls School District due to the district's $22,300 school lunch debt. Every student has an "account" for school food. In some cases, those accounts accrue negative amounts, and the dreaded "insufficient funds" notice appears, forcing school officials to deny food or provide an insufficient "snack" instead of a meal.
 
As someone who experienced the anxiety and shame of needing assistance to eat lunch during the school day as a child, Jenn Kenyon Zimmer — wife of Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer and mother of a 10-year-old in the SFSD — and other parents have stepped up to ensure no child goes hungry during a school day.
 
She wrote a recent Sioux Falls Live column about her mission, along with the nonprofit fundraising group Hungry Hearts SF.
 
In her conversation with the Happy Hour host, Kenyon Zimmer displays the emotion associated with her past trauma on this topic and explains why donating to SFSD Child Nutrition is worthwhile.

Imagine being a kid at school and being denied lunch.
 
Sadly, this may happen soon for some K-12 students in the Sioux Falls School District due to the district's $22,300 school lunch debt. Every student has an "account" for school food. In some cases, those accounts accrue negative amounts, and the dreaded "insufficient funds" notice appears, forcing school officials to deny food or provide an insufficient "snack" instead of a meal.
 
As someone who experienced the anxiety and shame of needing assistance to eat lunch during the school day as a child, Jenn Kenyon Zimmer — wife of Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer and mother of a 10-year-old in the SFSD — and other parents have stepped up to ensure no child goes hungry during a school day.
 
She wrote a recent Sioux Falls Live column about her mission, along with the nonprofit fundraising group Hungry Hearts SF.
 
In her conversation with the Happy Hour host, Kenyon Zimmer displays the emotion associated with her past trauma on this topic and explains why donating to SFSD Child Nutrition is worthwhile.

Let the games begin!
 
Finally, the Jackrabbits, Coyotes, Vikings, Cougars and all the Sioux Falls area 11-man high school teams are kicking off their seasons.
 
This means the second season of Happy Hour's "Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast" kicks off. The Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer dive into the matchups and "what to watch" for the games involving our local college and prep squads.
 
While No. 3 SDSU (-47.5 vs. Stetson) and No. 12 USD (-23.5 vs. Central Connecticut State) are heavy favorites to roll at home in their openers, there's plenty of intrigue regarding what both the Jacks and Yotes will look like after fans and media have spent the eight nine months talking and writing about them.
 
Which players are we most excited to see? How will the quarterbacks perform, and how will offensive game plans be designed? Who might be some breakout players who have yet to take a snap or make a big play in a college football game? Which defensive weak spots may be vulnerable?
 
Thursday is kickoff for two Div. II teams in Sioux Falls. NSIC coaches rated Augustana No. 3 out of 15 teams in their preseason poll, while USF is slotted at No. 4.
 
Is either team under "upset alert" in their openers?
 
Plus, there are three Top 5 matchups involving Sioux Falls metro area teams to preview:
 
* Class 11AAA — No. 3 SF Jefferson at #4 Harrisburg
* Class 11AAA — No. 5 O'Gorman at No. 1 SF Lincoln
* Class 11A — No. 1 SF Christian at No. 2 Lennox

At this point, all of us college football fans feel like the whiny, impatient toddler in the back seat of a long road trip.
 
Are we there yet?
 
No. 3 South Dakota State and No. 12 South Dakota kick off their seasons with home games on Saturday, while Augustana (at Missouri Western) and USF (hosting Black Hills State) get a head start on Thursday. In between, there is a full high school slate on Friday, plus the "Tiger Bowl" between Sioux Falls Jefferson and Harrisburg on Saturday (which you can see on Midwest Sports Plus).
 
For over a month since Missouri Valley Football Conference Media Day, Sioux Falls Live sportswriters and the Happy Hour host have pumped out daily stories and shows about Jackrabbit and Coyote football, covering almost every imaginable angle.
 
On Happy Hour, we've had a Jackrabbit Day (from SDSU's official media day on Aug. 16), Coyote Day (USD did not have an official media day, but we did a USD show on Aug. 18), and an Augie & USF Day.
 
Last week, Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer teamed with the Happy Hour host for a two-volume College Football Preview Show— one for the Jacks and Yotes and one for the Vikings and Cougars.
 
On Monday's Happy Hour, SDSU coach Dan Jackson expressed why he is eager and optimistic — particularly about quarterback Chase Mason — for a run to national championship contention after a turbulent 9-5 campaign in his first season. That night, USD's Matt Vitzthum revealed that freshman Austin Modrzewski won the three-horse quarterback race and will start on Saturday against Central Connecticut State. The next day Vitzthum fielded several questions on Happy Hour about why the former two-time Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year beat a pair of seniors.
 
So, what's left to say?
 
Oh, plenty. That's always the case when Zimmer and the host get together over beers at Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls. In the final preseason show, the two break down what they are most eager to see and what to expect from SDSU and USD based on their in-depth coverage of the teams throughout August camp.
 
There is also one last glimpse into Augustana and USF, plus three select local high school games all involving Top 5 head-to-head matchups.
 
But first, a toast to Dolly Parton.
 
Drinking beer, talking sports, and regaling over Dolly.
 
What a way to make a living!