The two-day long event will feature girls' basketball, boys' basketball, volleyball and football with some of the state's top players. The games are held in conjunction with the South Dakota High School Coaches Association annual convention, so there will an abundance of coaches, athletes and fans mingling in Aberdeen. The coaches and athletes begin arriving today.
For All-Star Games meet director Keith Kusler and his staff of Ben Jastram, Lauren Marshall, Sam Converse and Ione Sillman, the games mark the culmination of a year of work.
In recent years, the games have dropped the sports of wrestling, golf and cheer and have gone to two nights of competition.
"For the local people, it might have been tough to come out three nights in a row," said Kusler.
Although the athletes are playing just one game for the North (blue) or the South (red), they can develop loyalties to their colors.
"They get some rivalries going, especially the football game. They really get after it," said Kusler. "I really think it's still competitive. The North wants to beat the South and the red wants to beat the blue."
Kusler wishes that all the top notch athletes in the state would play in the games, but understands that their college coaches are concerned about injuries.
"We lost some Division I basketball players. There were football players over the years that couldn't play because their college coaches said, 'No.' If we could get the blue chip recruits to come, that would make a difference, but I can see the coaches' viewpoints," he said.
Fans heading to the football game on Wednesday should note that the south end of the east parking lot at Aberdeen Central adjacent to Swisher Field is being resurfaced this summer. Alternate parking can be found in the lot west of the school and the area south of the field.
This will be the second major athletic event already this month that will take place at Swisher Field. The athletic complex recently hosted the Region 8 Junior Olympic Track and Field Meet, which drew approximately 1,000 athletes from six states.
Several of the all-star coaches have ties to the Aberdeen area. In football, the North head coach Joe Kramer of Pierre attended Northern State and was an assistant coach for the Wolves. Assistant North football coach Mike Flakus will feel right at home at Swisher Field where his Aberdeen Central Golden Eagles play their home games. South assistant football coach Arlin Likness of Yankton will be close to his hometown of Britton.
Boys' basketball coach Jim Hood of Dupree will be coaching his last game before heading into retirement.
North head volleyball coach Jamie Cronin has kept her Potter County (Gettysburg) squads competitive in the Yellowstone Trail Conference. The North assistant for volleyball is Jodi (Fischbach) Melius of Brookings, a former Northwestern standout and Miss Volleyball winner. The South head volleyball coach is familiar with Wachs Arena as LaDawn (Paulson) Nesje played for Northern State.
North girls' basketball assistant coach Mark Amdahl will have one more game with his Summit players, Logan and Presley O'Farrell.
Fans of Aberdeen athletes will have plenty to cheer about. A total of 12 athletes from Aberdeen Central and Aberdeen Roncalli have signed up to play in the games in their backyard.
In football, Central's Schyler Kumpf and Josh Hilgemann will team up with Roncalli's Jon Schwab and Nolan Schlosser. In boys' basketball, Central's Brady Mohr and Roncalli's Kory Schwan will join forces for the North.
Middle hitters Abby Dockter of Roncalli and Lauren McCafferty of Central will play volleyball for the North. The basketball court will be packed with Aberdeen girls' basketball players with Roncalli's Mollee Karst and Morgan Gunderson along with Central players Brynn Flakus and Samantha Knecht.
The two-day All-Star games also allow coaches to gather and attend sessions in their respective sports. One of the highlights for the coaches is the annual SDHSCA Awards Luncheon on Wednesday. Coaches of the year in each sport will be honored at the banquet.
SDHSCA 27th Annual All-Star Games
When: Tuesday and Wednesday. The athletes begin arriving today.
Where: Wachs Arena and Swisher Field in Aberdeen.
What: Girls' basketball on Tuesday at Wachs Arena, 6 p.m.; boys' basketball on Tuesday at Wachs Arena, 8 p.m.; volleyball on Wednesday at Wachs Arena, 5 p.m.; and football on Wednesday at Swisher Field, 7:30 p.m.
Who: Recently graduated high school athletes from across South Dakota make up the teams.
Ticket prices: $5 for adults and $3 for students per night.
What's at stake: Bragging rights for either the North (Blue) or the South (Red).