Custer County Chronicle

Wildcat girls win two, lose two at Lakota Nation

Published by admin on Tue, 12/23/2025 - 1:16pm

Not surprised.
That was head coach Gage Winkler’s reaction to his Custer High School girls basketball team’s finishing what could be considered a surprising 2-2 at last week’s Lakota Nation Invitational, good for a 10th place finish overall.

Boys basketball splits games at Lakota Nation Invitational

Published by admin on Tue, 12/23/2025 - 1:15pm

With the Wildcats down 40-32 with just over four minutes left in the game, the Custer High boys basketball team’s most important play of its 53-43 overtime win over St. Francis at the Lakota Nation Invitational last Saturday may have come in the form of a timeout.
After Jordan Larvie hit a three-pointer for the Warriors to put St. Francis up eight, Custer head coach Tayton Vincent called a timeout and laid into his players, questioning their effort.
Message received.

Wildcat girls sixth at LNI, seventh at Hot Springs

Published by admin on Tue, 12/23/2025 - 1:14pm

Although the Custer Jr./Sr. High School girls wrestling team could not attend the Lead Triangular with school canceled due to weather, the Wildcats still had a strong week with a sixth place team finish at the Lakota Nation Girls Invitational (LNI) Dec. 16  at The Monument in Rapid City, and a seventh place team finish at the Hot Springs Holiday Extravaganza Girls Tournament Dec. 19 in Hot Springs. 
“The LNI brings in some different competition for us,” said coach Clayton Sander. 
Keira Thorp placed fourth in the 105 weight class and scored eight team points.

Wildcat boy wrestlers take sixth at Hot Springs

Published by admin on Tue, 12/23/2025 - 1:13pm

Despite the trip to the Lead Triangular being canceled due to the school closure Dec. 18 after the windstorm, it was another solid week for the Custer Jr./Sr. High School boys wrestling team. 
On Dec. 19 the Wildcats competed in the Holiday Extravaganza East-West Dual Challenge in Hot Springs.
“A lot of young kids got to step on the mat and fill in for some varsity kids, so it was good,” said head coach Jared Webster. “Just a lot of good match-ups that we got to see that we needed to see before the end of the year.”

Inexperienced Wildcat girls have new coach

Published by admin on Wed, 12/17/2025 - 2:43pm

When the Custer High School girls basketball team tips off its season today at the Lakota Nation Invitational, it will do so with plenty of new faces on the court, as well as a new face off the court that is ready to blow past the expectations—or lack thereof—for his team.
“I think the expectations are very low for us, and I kind of like to be in that position where you’re the hunter and not the hunted,” new head coach Gage Winkler said. “I think we can surprise people.”

Young Wildcat boys tip off season today

Published by admin on Wed, 12/17/2025 - 2:41pm

When the Custer High School boys basketball team begins its season today at the Lakota Nation Invitational in Rapid City, it will do so as mostly an unknown and unproven entity.
Gone is the senior-laden team that took the court last year for the ’Cats, replaced by a largely young and inexperienced group that for several on the team will seeß their first true varsity minutes.
One might look at the heavy losses to graduation and immediately think of the dreaded word in sports—rebuild. Head coach Tayton Vincent is not one of those who subscribes to that notion.

Four Wildcat girls place at Rapid City Invitational

Published by admin on Wed, 12/17/2025 - 2:41pm

Five Wildcats from the Custer High School girls wrestling team tackled the Rapid City Girls Invitational Dec. 12-13, and four of them placed everywhere from first to sixth. 
“Rapid City Invite is a very, very tough tournament. It’s extremely nice to know how you stack up against some of the best girls from multiple states. I thought we did very well this weekend. We still have some things to clean up and get better at, but for the most part, I’m really excited about how the girls did in the competition,” said head coach Clayton Sander. 

Custer boys take first at Bill Young Invitational

Published by admin on Wed, 12/10/2025 - 10:34am

Striking hard in the first tournament of the season, the Custer High School wrestling team dominated the mat Dec. 5 at the Bill Young Invitational Tournament at the Custer Armory, walking away with a first place finish.
The evening before, the Wildcats competed in the Custer Duals at the Armory.  
Overall, head coach Jared Webster said, “It went good. We’re young. Thank goodness we had a full roster with some other teams, but the other teams are looking good. So we have some competition this year.”

Jessica Hite takes first at Bill Young Invitational

Published by admin on Wed, 12/10/2025 - 10:33am

It wasn’t the start to the season that the Custer High School girls wrestling team was looking for last week but the Wildcats saw some good results regardless, including a first-place finish by Jessica Hite. 
The Wildcats started the season with the Custer Duals at the Armory Dec. 4. Unfortunately, only Harding County brought girls to the dual, so competition was limited. There were also no lightweight competitors, so Keira Thorp and Savannah Bell were not able to wrestle. 

Six set for the girls wrestling season

Published by admin on Wed, 12/03/2025 - 12:57pm

Wrestling season has begun, and six Custer Jr./Sr. High School (CHS) girls are set for a solid season. 
The girls are led by second-generation Custer wrestling alum Clayton Sander. Sander began coaching wrestling for a variety of ages in the late 1990s. After a short break, Sander started coaching at the high school level about six or seven years ago.