Viborg-Hurley Cougars: Season Review
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We are back for our final Season Review article and it just so happens to be on one of the best teams in class B South Dakota basketball. The Cougars won 21 games this past season and they made a…
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Continue ReadingWe are back for our final Season Review article and it just so happens to be on one of the best teams in class B South Dakota basketball. The Cougars won 21 games this past season and they made a trip to the State Tournament in Aberdeen. Viborg-Hurley obviously has a talented team this year, the scary thing is, they bring back a ton of talent & skill. The Cougars will enter next season as a top 5 team and one of the favorites to get back to the Big Dance at Wachs Arena.
See below for stat leaders, player comments, and a Q&A session with coach Schoenefeld.
Team: Viborg-Hurley
Mascot: Cougars
Head Coach: Galen Schoenefeld
Class: B
Region: 4
Conference: Cornbelt
All-Conference Players: Nick Hanson Nick Hanson 6'8" | PF Viborg-Hurley | 2025 State SD (1st Team), Gage Goettertz Gage Goettertz 6'4" | SG Viborg-Hurley | 2023 State SD & Brady Schroedermeier Brady Schroedermeier 6'2" | PG Viborg-Hurley | 2026 State SD (2nd Team), Kobee Sherman Kobee Sherman 6'3" | SF Viborg-Hurley | 2024 SD (3rd Team)
All-State Player: Nick Hanson Nick Hanson 6'8" | PF Viborg-Hurley | 2025 State SD (2nd Team)
Record: 21-5
Playoffs: State Qualifier (1-2 record at State)
Wins Against: Freeman, Irene-Wakonda, Gregory, Hanson, Alcester-Hudson, Gayville-Volin (x2), Avon, Baltic, Centerville, Canistota, Freeman Academy-Marion, McLaughlin, Parker, Philip, Menno, Howard, Dell Rapids St. Mary, Scotland, Wessington Springs, Ethan.
Stat Leaders
Nick Hanson Nick Hanson 6'8" | PF Viborg-Hurley | 2025 State SD – Pts: 416 Reb: 241 Ast: 33 Blk: 64 3FGM: 11 FG%: 56
Kobee Sherman Kobee Sherman 6'3" | SF Viborg-Hurley | 2024 SD – Pts: 264 Reb: 95 Ast: 53 3FGM: 47 FG%: 41
Gage Goettertz Gage Goettertz 6'4" | SG Viborg-Hurley | 2023 State SD – Pts: 261 Reb: 124 Ast: 99 3FGM: 11 FG%: 48
Brady Schroedermeier Brady Schroedermeier 6'2" | PG Viborg-Hurley | 2026 State SD – Pts: 220 Reb: 126 Ast: 51 3FGM: 17 FG%: 47
Bryson Morrison – Pts: 170 Reb: 94 Ast: 62 3FGM: 21 FG%: 32
Devin Sayler – Pts: 57 Reb: 55 Ast: 36 3FGM: 3 FG%: 50
Rafe Goettertz Rafe Goettertz 6'3" | SF Viborg-Hurley | 2025 State SD – Pts: 45 Reb: 76 Ast: 15 3FGM: 8 FG%: 27
Player Comments from coach Schoenefeld
Gage Goettertz Gage Goettertz 6'4" | SG Viborg-Hurley | 2023 State SD (2023) |6’4 F|
“He had been counted on previously primarily for his defense but really developed as someone who could carry the scoring load as well. He could guard almost any position or player on the court and really helped our defensive flexibility.“
Bryson Morrison (2024) |6’2 F|
“He has a good all-around game and moves well for someone his size. Morrison has a good understanding of the game.“
Joshua Roth (2024) |5’10 G|
“He didn’t see much varsity time but he really came on as an outside shooter in JV and can be a pesky defender.“
Devin Sayler (2024) |6’1 G|
“He showed a good ability to get to the basket and has been counted on for his defense. Devin had a few games with 3-5 assists as a player off the bench.“
Kobee Sherman Kobee Sherman 6'3" | SF Viborg-Hurley | 2024 SD (2024) |6’3 F|
“He was a reliable scorer for us and really shot the 3 well as the season went on. He was our best 3pt % shooter this year after having to play inside much of last year.“
Rafe Goettertz Rafe Goettertz 6'3" | SF Viborg-Hurley | 2025 State SD (2025) |6’3 F|
“He gave us some good effort defensively off the bench and even though his 3pt % was not great on the season he had some big shots including in the second half of the SoDak16 game against Wessington Springs.“
Nick Hanson Nick Hanson 6'8" | PF Viborg-Hurley | 2025 State SD (2025) |6’7 PF|
“He was much stronger and more confident this year. He was a reliable scorer and our leading rebounder this season.”
Brady Schroedermeier Brady Schroedermeier 6'2" | PG Viborg-Hurley | 2026 State SD (2026) |6’0 G|
“He had great intensity on the defensive end. Brady had his nights where he provided double-digit scoring. As a point guard and a freshman, he really rebounded well on both ends.“
Q&A with Galen Schoenefeld
PHD: How would you sum up the season for your squad?
Coach Schoenefeld: “Overall, very happy with the season. I don’t think many people felt we could be in the State Tournament when the season started, but the team made great progress as the season went on. It was a very enjoyable season in terms of their willingness to do the things we asked and in the way they exemplified being a team in the style of play and how they got along with each other.“
PHD: What were some of the highlights on the hardwood that stick out?
Coach Schoenefeld: “I think each of the games we played in the classics will stand out (Hoop City, Pentagon Heritage, and the DWU Classic) as well as the SoDak16 game.“
PHD: How did your team overcome adversity?
Coach Schoenefeld: “At the beginning of the season we had 3 of our top people coming off football injuries in Devin Sayler, Kobee Sherman Kobee Sherman 6'3" | SF Viborg-Hurley | 2024 SD and Nick Hanson. As with pretty much everyone else in the state we had to deal with a number of missed practices and some rescheduled games due to the weather.“
PHD: What are a few things your team improved on over the course of the season?
Coach Schoenefeld: “Offensively I feel we really improved in our quality of actions and movement of the ball. We improved in our communication on and off the court as well as our relationships.“
PHD: Who are a couple of role players that stood out?
Coach Schoenefeld: “Not sure we have many true “role players” as we had 4 of our 5 starters lead us in scoring at least twice and all 5 starters led us in rebounding at least once.”
PHD: Can you talk about your seniors and what will be missed?
Coach Schoenefeld: “ Gage Goettertz Gage Goettertz 6'4" | SG Viborg-Hurley | 2023 State SD was our only senior. Gage will be missed for his ability to guard pretty much any position on the floor as well as his passing and ability to score in so many ways. He broke both the single game and single season assist records for Viborg-Hurley.“
PHD: Who are some up-and-comers to look out for in the future?
Coach Schoenefeld: “ Nolan Kolthoff Nolan Kolthoff 6'3" | SF Viborg-Hurley | 2026 State SD saw some time off the bench on varsity and was voted as the MVP of our JV team. He saw some varsity time this year. In addition to Nolan we had some other freshmen that were on varsity and saw some time in Braydyn Morrison, Jake Austin, and Andrew Madsen.“
PHD: What are the plans for the off-season?
Coach Schoenefeld: “We will have both varsity and JV teams in the Summer Jam league at the Sanford Pentagon and are looking to attend one other team camp as well as open gyms and small group skill work.“
PHD: Did any of your players review postseason awards?
Coach Schoenefeld: “2nd Team All-State: Nick Hanson Nick Hanson 6'8" | PF Viborg-Hurley | 2025 State SD & 1st Team Cornbelt Conference”
“ Gage Goettertz Gage Goettertz 6'4" | SG Viborg-Hurley | 2023 State SD 2nd Team Cornbelt Conference, Brady Schroedermeier Brady Schroedermeier 6'2" | PG Viborg-Hurley | 2026 State SD and Kobee Sherman Kobee Sherman 6'3" | SF Viborg-Hurley | 2024 SD 3rd Team Cornbelt Conference.“