Photo: Courtesy David Grantham
BELLE FOURCHE, S.D. — The Area Dinos used an explosive early offense and weathered a late-inning rally to defeat the Mobridge Crusaders 7-5 on Sunday, capturing the Alpha division title at the 2026 South Dakota VFW Varsity State Tournament.
The Dinos, a co-op team featuring players from the Clark, Willow Lake, and Bryant areas, capped off an undefeated weekend run from July 17–19 to secure the state championship.
In Sunday’s final, the Dinos built a commanding 6-1 lead by scoring two runs in the first inning, one in the second, and three in the third. Damian Severson and Bennett Pommer paced the offense with two hits each, while Severson drove in two runs.
Caleb Drenth earned the win on the mound, limiting Mobridge to three hits and two runs over five innings while striking out five.
Mobridge mounted a furious comeback in the final frames, chipping away with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the bottom of the seventh, the Crusaders drew within two runs after Kyson Good Shield drew a bases-loaded walk and Max Saxton hit an RBI single. However, Dinos reliever Will Hovde induced a game-ending groundout from Easton Eisemann to seal the championship.
The Dinos opened the tournament on Friday with a 6-6 tie against the MVP Titans. Max Bratland went 1-for-2 with two RBIs for the Dinos, while Tanner Baker hit a game-tying single in the fifth for the Titans.
The Dinos bounced back later Friday with a 4-0 shutout of the host Belle Fourche Broncs. Jakob Steen led the way, driving in two runs at the plate and tossing a complete-game, five-inning shutout with seven strikeouts.
On Saturday, the Dinos defeated the MVP Titans 5-1 in a rematch. Watson Grantham started and struck out seven over three scoreless innings. Cooper Pommer pitched four innings of relief, while Steen and Cade Gaikowski each drove in a run.
In the tournament’s Bravo bracket, played concurrently across the state in Britton, South Dakota, Selby edged out the host Britton Lumber Jacks 9-8 to claim that division’s title.
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