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WATERTOWN — Another trip down memory lane, this one that took the past two years, is coming to an end.
This story is the official conclusion for the "20 Favorites" series that has highlighted area athletes, mostly high school but also some adults, since I started working at the Public Opinion in December of 1984.
If you want to get technical, this is the 42nd story in the series that opened in June of 2023 and will close in May of 2025. The series has received second-place sports series awards in our daily division each of the past two years (2024 and 2025) in the South Dakota NewsMedia Association's Better NewsMedia Contest.
20 FAVORITES: Links to the stories highlighting the best northeastern South Dakota athletes since 1984
The series is the third historical journey I've taken for the newspaper since 2020. There were also 42 stories as part of "The Last 35" series during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, discussing the sports highlights for many area schools since 1984. In 2022, I pieced together a series called "Top 10 Moments" in prep sports, again highlighting the top moments in a variety of sports since 1984.
I received many nice comments about the stories, and even the photos, which were part of online galleries for each of the "20 Favorites" series, and I certainly hope you've enjoyed the ride.
Don't worry, I'm sure I missed many deserving people in my stories, but I can honestly say, I never had one person say you really blew it on somebody particular. The series was called "20 Favorites" as a means of not so much saying these are the 20 best athletes in each sport I've covered but allowing other factors to play a role.
One of the people I did overlook (not intentionally) was former Hamlin boys basketball coach Wayne Carney.
In November of 2023, I published a story I called "30 Favorites" listing many of the top coaches I've worked with through all the years in Watertown. As with all my stories, the story listed more than just 30 coaches and yet, I didn't make mention of Carney.
For those who don't know Carney, he spent 24 years as a high school basketball coach in South Dakota at Agar and Hamlin, won more than 300 games and guided Hamlin to the 1983 State B championship. I didn't arrive at the Public Opinion until more than a year later and only interviewed Carney once or twice at Hamlin, so I figured he was done coaching by the mid-1980s, and I left him off my list.
Well, Carney coached at Hamlin through 1994 and led Hamlin to the 1993 state A tourney. What was important about that? It took Hamlin 30 years to make it back to a state tournament and recently completed a three-year state Class A tournament run under head coach Todd Neuendorf that included a state title in 2024.
For that matter, neither Neuendorf nor Brad Noem, who led Hamlin to a girls state basketball title, made my "30 Favorites" coaches list either because they didn't coach that long or, in Neuendorf's case, hadn't coached in our coverage area that long. So Neuendorf and Noem, I'm bestowing you a belated honorary induction into the "30 Favorites' coaches story.
Carney also served as executive director of the South Dakota High School Activities Association from 2001-2017 and has received numerous honors, hall of fame inductions, etc. On top of that, he is one of the nicest people you're ever going to meet.
So Wayne, it wasn't that you didn't deserve it. I just didn't think you had coached in the area that long after I arrived.
This omission I came across myself when I found a story about the former Grant-Deuel High School running back who turned in one of the greatest games in state high school football history on Sept. 17, 2004, in Waverly.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior rushed 38 times for 495 yards (an unofficial state record at the time) and nine touchdowns. He added three conversion runs to score 60 points (which also tied an unofficial state record at the time). Berg helped the No. 2-rated Wildcats roll to a 66-20 win over Waverly-South Shore.
I didn't cover the game, but the Public Opinion sports staff wrote about it and then actually covered the Wildcats' game the following week against Wilmot.
I'm sure I was listening to a Watertown High School football game the night that Berg ran wild. The story indicated he earned Class 9B all-state honors as a junior by rushing for 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns.
I didn't check if he repeated as an all-state running back as a senior in 2004, but 495 yards and nine TDs in one game certainly was a good start to either matching or surpassing his junior numbers.
So, Jared, my apologies also go out to you.
TOP 10 MOMENTS: Merriam: All the Top 10 Moments in Prep Sports Since 1984 Series
I'm not done digging through the Public Opinion archives and highlighting all the great players and events I've covered here.
One thing I learned about the "20 Favorites" series is that some schools got more representation than others — likely deserved, but still.
So, starting soon will be a new series I'm calling "Gimme 5 or Gimme 10," where I'll compile a list of the most memorable athletes (both boys and girls) for area high schools since 1984. Yes, it's more schools that were considered part of the Watertown Public Opinion coverage area all these years. Some were also part of the Aberdeen News coverage area.
I just don't have the same photo and story history for many of the Aberdeen area schools.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: 20 favorites: 42nd, final story highlighting Watertown's best athletes
Continue reading...
This story is the official conclusion for the "20 Favorites" series that has highlighted area athletes, mostly high school but also some adults, since I started working at the Public Opinion in December of 1984.
If you want to get technical, this is the 42nd story in the series that opened in June of 2023 and will close in May of 2025. The series has received second-place sports series awards in our daily division each of the past two years (2024 and 2025) in the South Dakota NewsMedia Association's Better NewsMedia Contest.
20 FAVORITES: Links to the stories highlighting the best northeastern South Dakota athletes since 1984
The series is the third historical journey I've taken for the newspaper since 2020. There were also 42 stories as part of "The Last 35" series during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, discussing the sports highlights for many area schools since 1984. In 2022, I pieced together a series called "Top 10 Moments" in prep sports, again highlighting the top moments in a variety of sports since 1984.
I received many nice comments about the stories, and even the photos, which were part of online galleries for each of the "20 Favorites" series, and I certainly hope you've enjoyed the ride.
Apologies to Wayne Carney
Don't worry, I'm sure I missed many deserving people in my stories, but I can honestly say, I never had one person say you really blew it on somebody particular. The series was called "20 Favorites" as a means of not so much saying these are the 20 best athletes in each sport I've covered but allowing other factors to play a role.
One of the people I did overlook (not intentionally) was former Hamlin boys basketball coach Wayne Carney.
In November of 2023, I published a story I called "30 Favorites" listing many of the top coaches I've worked with through all the years in Watertown. As with all my stories, the story listed more than just 30 coaches and yet, I didn't make mention of Carney.
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For those who don't know Carney, he spent 24 years as a high school basketball coach in South Dakota at Agar and Hamlin, won more than 300 games and guided Hamlin to the 1983 State B championship. I didn't arrive at the Public Opinion until more than a year later and only interviewed Carney once or twice at Hamlin, so I figured he was done coaching by the mid-1980s, and I left him off my list.
Well, Carney coached at Hamlin through 1994 and led Hamlin to the 1993 state A tourney. What was important about that? It took Hamlin 30 years to make it back to a state tournament and recently completed a three-year state Class A tournament run under head coach Todd Neuendorf that included a state title in 2024.
For that matter, neither Neuendorf nor Brad Noem, who led Hamlin to a girls state basketball title, made my "30 Favorites" coaches list either because they didn't coach that long or, in Neuendorf's case, hadn't coached in our coverage area that long. So Neuendorf and Noem, I'm bestowing you a belated honorary induction into the "30 Favorites' coaches story.
Carney also served as executive director of the South Dakota High School Activities Association from 2001-2017 and has received numerous honors, hall of fame inductions, etc. On top of that, he is one of the nicest people you're ever going to meet.
So Wayne, it wasn't that you didn't deserve it. I just didn't think you had coached in the area that long after I arrived.
You must be registered for see images attach
Apologies to Jared Berg
This omission I came across myself when I found a story about the former Grant-Deuel High School running back who turned in one of the greatest games in state high school football history on Sept. 17, 2004, in Waverly.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior rushed 38 times for 495 yards (an unofficial state record at the time) and nine touchdowns. He added three conversion runs to score 60 points (which also tied an unofficial state record at the time). Berg helped the No. 2-rated Wildcats roll to a 66-20 win over Waverly-South Shore.
I didn't cover the game, but the Public Opinion sports staff wrote about it and then actually covered the Wildcats' game the following week against Wilmot.
I'm sure I was listening to a Watertown High School football game the night that Berg ran wild. The story indicated he earned Class 9B all-state honors as a junior by rushing for 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns.
I didn't check if he repeated as an all-state running back as a senior in 2004, but 495 yards and nine TDs in one game certainly was a good start to either matching or surpassing his junior numbers.
So, Jared, my apologies also go out to you.
TOP 10 MOMENTS: Merriam: All the Top 10 Moments in Prep Sports Since 1984 Series
What's next?
I'm not done digging through the Public Opinion archives and highlighting all the great players and events I've covered here.
One thing I learned about the "20 Favorites" series is that some schools got more representation than others — likely deserved, but still.
So, starting soon will be a new series I'm calling "Gimme 5 or Gimme 10," where I'll compile a list of the most memorable athletes (both boys and girls) for area high schools since 1984. Yes, it's more schools that were considered part of the Watertown Public Opinion coverage area all these years. Some were also part of the Aberdeen News coverage area.
I just don't have the same photo and story history for many of the Aberdeen area schools.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: 20 favorites: 42nd, final story highlighting Watertown's best athletes
Continue reading...
