RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines football team enjoyed its best season as a Division II program in 2023, finishing 6-3 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play and 7-4 overall. The six RMAC wins were the best ever, while the seven overall victories were the most as a D-II program. It was also the first time since 1984-1985 that the Hardrockers finished with back-to-back winning seasons.

The spoils of their success, however, come as South Dakota Mines entered the 2023 spring season a bit on the younger side, having lost 19 players due to graduation or transfer portal, including five All-RMAC performers.
 
The good news is the Hardrockers return 12 starters – six on offense and six on defense -- including second-team All-RMAC quarterback Jayden Johannsen.


 
Head coach Charlie Flohr, in his fourth season at the helm, is optimistic that the number of returners and new talent will keep the program heading in the right direction. The Hardrockers completed their fifth of 15 spring practices Thursday and Flohr has been pleased with the amount of information that they've tried to "kind of cram into our guys, just to see where they're at."
 
Flohr said Thursday after practice that they have a lot of youth and some experience and they want to test their players early mentally, just to see how much they can handle.
 
"You know for the most part, I've been really happy with the amount of information on both sides of the ball that we've been able to give them, and it's been good to see our guys come out and compete every day," he said.
 
Flohr said they certainly are using last year's success for a little momentum going into 2023, but they have to remember that the '22 team is gone and they have to find out who their new playmakers are in all phases of the game.
 
He said they also have to find out what players are going to be able to step up and be leaders in all three phases of the game and what players are going to want to go out and complete every day and take somebody else's spot even if there's some experience.
 
"That's the thing we've got to continue to push. We have a lot of younger guys who don't understand that yet, but we are slowly getting there," he said.

The biggest holes to fill offensively will be at the receiver position, as the Hardrockers lost All-RMAC first team performer Jeremiah Bridges (79 receptions, 1,233 yards, 12 touchdowns) to graduation and two-time second team All-RMAC player Isaiah Eastman (86, 1,104, 10) to the transfer portal. Eastman moved on to Division I FCS program Northern Arizona University.
 
Flohr said they can't replace the talent that Bridges and Eastman provided, but from their standpoint, they have to figure out who they've got within their program that can step up and make plays.
"We've moved some guys from a position standpoint to see if they can do some things that JB and Isaiah were able to do," he said. "We're really happy with the amount of information those guys have been able to take in and now it is just a matter of them going out and making the plays."
 
Also lost due to graduation was tight end Jake Leone, the team's third-leading receiver at 34 catches for 373 yards and three scores.
 
Returning receivers include redshirt sophomore wide receiver Mason Galbreath (22, 281, 2), redshirt senior Max Hoatson (9, 118), and redshirt sophomore tight end Henry Dryden (7, 64, 1). Ben Noland (40, 642, 7) also joins the receiving corps after transferring from Northern State University. Redshirt senior running back Orlando Westbrook-Sanchez III also caught 12 passes for 111 yards and one score, while sophomore running back Ty Harris caught five passes for 53 yards and one TD. 



The good news is the Hardrockers have Johannsen back at quarterback. Johannsen was a three-time RMAC Offensive Player of the Week last season, completing 249-of-394 passes for 3,199 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 526 yards and eight TDs.
 
Redshirt junior Jake Martinelli and redshirt freshman Diego Cervantes are also in spring camp at QB.


Photo of Jayden Johannsen at Spring Practice - 3/31, Credit - Richard Anderson

South Dakota Mines has some depth back at running back with Westbrook-Sanchez (338 yards, 1TD), redshirt senior Bryan Lumsden (223 yards, 1 TD), and Harris (196 yards, 2 TDs). Lumsden is out for the spring.
 
On the offensive line the 'Rockers lose two-time honorable mention All-RMAC performer Connor Smith, as well as Coby Kiefer, but return super seniors Grant Smith and Keegan Tandy, as well as seniors Max Wattier and Trevor Griffin, redshirt junior AJ Kelly and junior Grant Brehmer.
 
Defensively, the Hardrockers have some holes to fill at defensive back, with the losses of honorable mention All-RMAC Adrian Eastman (43 tackles, two interceptions), as well as Tony Monroe Jr. (30 tackles, one interception), Chandler Callejo (20 tackles) and Kendahl Johnson.
Gone from their linebacker positions are two-time first-team linebackers Gavin Chaddock (30 tackles, 10 QB sacks) and Kyante Christian (49 tackles, seven QB sacks), as well as Cole Seiwald (17 tackles and two sacks).
 
Jarrett Meyer also had 24 tackles and four QB sacks from his defensive line position.
 
"In the back end we've lost a few guys so you know we're really inexperienced at the DB spot," Flohr said. "Losing Gavin Chaddock on that on the edge was a big loss for us and obviously you have Kyante Christian, a guy that was really playing all over the field.  We've got some good youth in those positions right now. It's just a matter of seeing how much they can take and continue to play fast now."
 
The Hardrockers do have some experience returning at defensive back with senior Kaleb Tischler (55 tackles, two interceptions), super senior Casey Knutsen (39 tackles, one interception), and sophomore Will Lester (27 tackles). At the linebacker spot, the Hardrockers return, leading tackler, senior Hunter Newsom (81 tackles, four QB sacks), junior Jacob Schwab (43 tackles, three interceptions), and sophomore Levi Dickerson (23 tackles).

Also back at defensive back are seniors Stefon Nelson and Bross Lee, juniors Eli Bowman and JJ Nelson, and sophomore Omar Ali.
 
Back on the defensive line will be junior Caleb Franklin (25 tackles, seven for loss, six QB sacks), super-senior Otutoa Afu (19 tackles, 4.5 QB sacks), and redshirt junior Taylor Hojer (21 tackles).
 
"Obviously finishing last year on the winning side really helped momentum into the offseason and now it's just continuing to figure out who we are, what our identity is going to be this next year and just coming out and making sure we're making ourselves better every single practice, every single day," Flohr said.
 
Weather permitting, the Hardrockers have their first scrimmage Thursday (4:30 p.m.).
 
In that first scrimmage, Flohr wants to see which players come out and compete.
 
"I think that's the biggest thing for us," he said. "By that time, we'll have a lot of our offensive and defense already installed. So now, what guys are going to be able to go out in somewhat of a live experience and just be able to make the plays that we feel they're going to be able to make?" he said.
In the final five practices that lead to the annual Spring Game on April 22 (1 p.m.), Flohr said they will tone things down a bit from a physical standpoint just knowing they are nearing the end of the spring season.
He said it is a matter of making sure they have everything they need to get better at and keep everybody healthy leading up to the Spring Game.
 
"It's seeing where our guys are at from a competition standpoint and a mental standpoint," he said. "There'll be some shifts within the depth chart, which will be good to see. It's just a matter of capping off spring ball on the right note."
 
One of the biggest things for the 'Rockers this spring, Flohr adds, is for them to figure out who they are as a football team.
 
"Like I said, the first five practices we've really tried to force information down our guys regarding knowing what we're doing in all three phases of the game," he said. "What we are doing in the next five practices is just figuring out how much they're going to be able to retain, how much the competitive nature they have and just continue to get better, not only as an individual, but also as a unit and a football team."

About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.