Same Mindsets, Different Colors: SDM, BHSU to collide in 139th Black Hills Brawl
It goes all the way back to either November 28, 1895 or in 1900, depending on what records you want to go with. It also carries many names, from The Battle for the Homestake Trophy to the not-too-often mentioned West River Rivalry.
At 5 p.m. on Saturday at O'Harra Stadium, the Black Hills Brawl takes place for a splendid piece of hardware and bragging rights between South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State football teams. It's not just limited to just the teams taking the field, it also applies to students, alumni and supporters.
The epic clash between the Hardrockers and Yellow Jackets is in a rare air among college football rivalry contests.
The annual (and until 2011, a potential biannual) meeting between the Hardrockers and Yellow Jackets is the most played within NCAA Division II and tied for the oldest rivalry within the classification. The only other game that just as aged is the "Battle of the Ravine," between Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Furthermore, it is among the most played rivalries nationwide, behind "The Game" between Harvard and Yale, Princeton and Yale, and "The Rivalry," which pits Lafayette College against Lehigh University.
This is no battle between Ivy League institutions, nor is it limited to just the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. It's something just as fierce, and something that the Black Hills can call its own.
More importantly, the series is almost even, with South Dakota Mines holding a 66-60-11 advantage over Black Hills State.
Lately, it's been much more even of a series, with the Hardrockers holding a slight 6-4 advantage over the past 10 years. The latest meeting resulted in the Hardrockers taking a 49-14 decision over the Yellow Jackets on Sept. 30 at Lyle Hare Stadium in Spearfish.
So far this season, things are looking pretty even between the two.
BHSU is currently 2-2, 1-1 within the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while the Rockers are sitting at 3-2 overall with a 3-1 mark within the RMAC.
Josh Breske, head football coach for the Yellow Jackets, knows the experience all too well. After all, before embarking upon the world of coaching college football, he suited up in the green and gold from 2005 to 2009.
"We played them twice a year, in all but one of my four years playing," Breske said. "Back in the day, they really struggled. (Former SDM head coach) Zach Tinker started to elevate the program, and now, (current SDM head football coach Charlie Flohr) has done a great job of picking up where (Tinker) left off and taking it a further step."
Despite all of the makings of old fashioned hatred between neighbors, there's a mutual respect between SDM and BHSU.
"The offensive line group for South Dakota Mines is very good," Breske said. "They do a great job with their feet and their hands. We have to be able to have our guys push in the pocket of their offense."
To Flohr, Black Hills State is a worthy opponent.
"I believe that both coaching staffs have a lot of the same philosophies in regards to how we approach every single game," Flohr said. "Black Hills State is very good defensively, especially with their front four. They've done a good job of stopping the run."
After dropping their first two games of the season, the Hardrockers have been on a three-game winning streak. Last week, South Dakota Mines routed Fort Lewis with a 49-33 final score in Durango, Colorado.
According to Flohr, the early setbacks allowed the Hardrockers to refocused on the process. It's paid dividends for the navy blue and old gold.
"The kids have really rededicated themselves," Flohr said. "There were a lot of tough conversations within our staff and within our players. The only way you're going to steer the ship is just refigure out who we were and reidentify ourselves. I've been very proud of our kids and how they've been able to do that."
Fifth-year senior Jake Martinelli has taken control of the offense, and has already put up 1,169 passing yards and 14 touchdowns in 118 completions. Martinelli has also rushed for 177 yards in his five games under center.
"Jake is the leader of (the offense), and he's continued to get bigger and better every week," Flohr said, praising the Arizona native. "Being a career backup until his senior year, he's really stepped up to the plate in a lot of different roles and capacities."
So far, South Dakota Mines has averaged 32.4 points per game. In their last three matchups, the Hardrockers have bumped up that average to 35.3 points per showing.
The Hardrockers have a plethora of playmakers to choose from, from redshirt senior Orlando Westbrook-Sanchez III, Holden Gilbert, Dawson Dunbar and Ty Harris to Mason Galbreath, Colton Grove, Henry Dryden and Max Hoatson.
"There's a lot of faith and trust in our offensive guys, knowing that somebody's going to step up," Flohr said. "Over the last four or five weeks, there's been a different leading rusher, there's been a different leading receiver and our offensive line continues to play on a consistent level."
It's been a little up-and-down for Black Hills State as of late, with their latest outing being a tough 52-24 setback at the hands of No. 4-ranked (AFCA) Colorado School of Mines.
However, the Yellow Jackets are rock solid on both sides of the football. Redshirt junior quarterback Luke Duby has done a nice job, passing for 920 yards and seven TDs in 80 completions, compared to just two interceptions.
The backfield includes Cameron Goods and Navarre Dixon III, while Kelby Olson, Damien Boozer, Connor Boyd, TJ Chukwurah and Jayden Williams provide Duby with plenty of options at wideout.
"Last week, we had a really bad show against Colorado School of Mines," Breske said. "But offensively, we did a good job. I'm really impressed with how our quarterback play has been."
"This is (Duby's) first Black Hills Brawl," Breske added. "He's continued to get better every single week, gaining more and more confidence, and we've done a really good job of protecting him so far this season."
Both coaches know that the battle is won and lost in the trenches, and both teams love to run the football.
With that, both Flohr and Breske want to get their defenses prepared.
"I'm excited to see how our defensive back group will respond to the adversity that they experienced last week," Breske said. "We don't want to press, and just take things at a time, have players be locked into their responsibility, be confidence and not let one play turn into a snowball effect."
According to Breske, he's expecting a bounce back from Nicc Quinones, a strong outing from Doodles Quinones and several other players, including Mylic Ritche and Keller Collier.
This year's edition of the Black Hills Brawl could be a clinic in smashmouth football or it turned itself into a shootout. Between the two sides, they will put their best efforts forward.
"We're getting ready, and we're preparing and expecting for (South Dakota Mines') very best showing on both sides of the ball," Breske said. "It's been a motivating factor in how we are preparing for (Saturday)."
Flohr echoed Breske's words.
"We just have to be locked in and ready to go for a full 60 minute football game," Flohr said. "(BHSU) is going to come into O'Harra Stadium hungry, and they're going to give it their best shot. My hope is that we're putting out kids in a position to give us the best chance to retain the Homestake Trophy."
The brawl bleeds into everything throughout the West River. Allegiances are defined, from students to alumni, and from outsiders to lifelong residents.
"There's not a people who have had this experience," Flohr said. "When you actually get into the rivalry, you truly understand what it means to our university, our alumni base and obviously, to our current football team. It's a great, outstanding history. For me, it means a lot to take a small part in it."
For Breske, there's a deeper meaning.
"I remember during the first month that I was on the job here, we were hosting South Dakota Mines for a basketball game here, and the trophy was in our building," Breske said. "My athletes, who'd I known for about a month, came up to me and asked 'can we take the trophy to the basketball game?'"
"It just dawned on me that they had just came off of a 3-8 season, but winning that game meant so much to them," Breske added.
Even though the rivalry runs deep, both sides can agree that each upcoming game on the schedule is the most important game of the season. Breske put those concurring thoughts into words.
"Every single week is the most important week on the schedule," said Breske. "We can't elevate one game over another. We can't think that way, and none of us on the team can think about who we're playing next week or the week after, or the schedule itself. Right now, the arrows point at South Dakota Mines and we're preparing for their best."
"We're preparing to play our best game of the year," Breske added.
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