Zach Borg on NDSU's FBS future, if SDSU & USD should/will join, and contract extensions for NDSU hoops coaches... and the lack of extension for USD's men's coach

Zach Borg on NDSU's FBS future, if SDSU & USD should/will join, and contract extensions for NDSU hoops coaches... and the lack of extension for USD's men's coach

It's the last day of June. The first day of July means a return to football practice to start a new season is on the calendar for almost every team at every level. The calendar flip also means North Dakota State is officially and legally no longer a member of the FCS and Missouri Valley Football Conference. It is another reason to anticipate life for schools like SDSU and USD without the 800 lb. Gorilla of both the league and the entire subdivision. Perhaps more intriguingly, a reason to ponder if the Bison are truly making the right move for their future by saying goodbye to constant dominance. Or are they saying goodbye to dominance? National pundits like veteran college football reporter Brett McMurphy foresee immediate Mountain West Conference title contention. Is it unfathomable that NDSU goes 12-0 and wins a watered down MWC that no longer includes long-time league kingpin Boise State and four other MWC schools who have left for the way-watered-down Pac 12 (Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State)? Should SDSU and USD seek this "next level" action within the next few years, or should they be happy staying in the FCS lane— where the path to MVFC and national titles is much clearer without the Bison standing in the middle of the road? This isn't the first time Happy Hour has explored these topics, nor will it be the last. On a Tuesday at the Gateway Lounge in Sioux Falls, Zach Borg takes the weekly seat of the vacationing Matt Zimmer to give his takes, and Borg has plenty. He's been covering college sports in the Dakotas since 2006, first in Fargo before the Bison became the big dogs of the FCS. Borg has been in Sioux Falls since 2014. The school in Fargo also recently dropped a couple of other headlines ripe for reaction. Both men's basketball coach Dave Richman and women's basketball coach Jory Collins agreed to five-year contract extensions that will keep them at NDSU through 2031. Both Bison squads won regular season Summit League titles this past season. The men also captured the Summit League Tournament title and the league's automatic NCAA Tournament berth, while the women took SDSU to the wire in the SLT championship game and were one of the "last four out" teams in the NCAA field. Should we expect these two coaches to remain in Fargo long-term, and, if so, what does that mean for the Jackrabbits and Coyotes? The news comes just a day after Happy Hour chatted with USD men's coach Eric Peterson, who is entering the final year of his initial five-year contract, which was not extended after this past season. (This doesn't mean Peterson won't eventually get an extension. He just doesn't have one at the moment). On Thursday, Peterson joined Happy Hour to talk about this along with his newly-assembled roster [https://www.siouxfallslive.com/sports/college/happy-hour-usds-coach-petey-another-wolves-whopper-sioux-falls-chances-of-hosting-ncaa-mens-hoops] that includes nine transfers and three high school commits. How much of a disadvantage does this put Peterson in compared to NDSU, UND, and SDSU coaches, all of whom have agreed to multi-year deals within the last 15 months? Let's talk.

J.J. Hartigan pt. 1 - Jeff Fylling, growing up in Sioux Falls, calling Canaries games

Sioux Falls native and lifelong resident J.J. Hartigan has spent his entire play-by-play career in Sioux Falls and Brookings, calling games and working with legendary coaches, athletes, and broadcasters along the way. Currently, Hartigan is now the sole voice of Augustana football and basketball (radio and streaming) after the recent passing of the 42-year "Voice of the Vikings" Jeff Fylling. Fylling was the radio broadcaster while Hartigan has called Augie games for TV and streaming since 2014. How has Hartigan processed replacing a legend everyone in the Augie community considers irreplaceable? His modest yet energetic attitude about his role comes from an upbringing in a sports savvy city like Sioux Falls, where he played youth sports and his father took him to plenty of local prep, college, and minor league games. How and when did Hartigan decide he wanted to be behind the microphone, and how would he describe his first professional gig: Calling amatuer baseball in Mankato with the Northwoods League. This eventually led to Hartigan's first gig calling a professional team: The Sioux Falls Canaries, his hometown club. It was a dream job, but on a team with some nightmare results. That didn't stop him from soaking in the thrill of the job and everything there is to learn that comes with doing it.

J.J. Hartigan, pt 2 - Jacks hoops (2011-14) with AJ, Nagy, Wolters; SF Storm (2021-24) with Riggs & Brown; and Augie (2014-present) with C.J. Ham, OJ, Billeter

Hartigan has called play-by-play for two colleges in South Dakota (SDSU & Augustana) and two Sioux Falls minor league squads (Canaries and Storm). In part 2 of our conversation about his career, he takes us to Brookings to call games for legendary Jackrabbit teams, coaches, and players— like Aaron Johnston, Scott Nagy, Jill Young, and Nate Wolters. What was it like being around championship teams and people from 2011-14? And what was it like to take the women's hoops mic from Tyler Merriam, who had established himself as a popular voice for that program? Hartigan then takes us to the Sioux Falls Storm headset in 2021, where he took over for the iconic "Silver Fox" Rich Roste in the middle of the season after "The Silver Fox" called it quits abruptly. What was it like to work with 11-time championship coach and local football legend Kurtiss Riggs? Finally, some stories of calling games for Tom Billeter and the 2016 national championship men's basketball team at Augustana, and early Jerry Olszewski football teams that included future Viking cult hero C.J. Ham. Plus, Hartigan describes with delight his father and traveling music companion Pat, and his mother Dawn, who he considers a pillar of the Sioux Falls community in her work with the federal government and young immigrants acclimating to American life.

J.J. Hartigan has Jackrabbits, Canaries, Storm and Augie stories galore from his 16 years of local play-by-play

It might be a bit much to call someone under age 40 "living, walking history," but veteran local sportscaster J.J. Hartigan is undeniably someone who has called some history and gotten to know well some of the sporting legends of South Dakota over his 16-year career: C.J. Ham Nate Wolters Aaron Johnston Scott Nagy Tom Billeter Dan Jansen Kurtiss Riggs Lorenzo Brown Steve Shirley Ben Moore And, of course, the all-time Voice of the Augustana Vikings, Jeff Fylling. Hartigan is the play-by-play voice who has the unenviable task of filling Fylling's position after Fylling died of cancer this past spring following over 40 years behind the microphone for the Blue & Gold. Hartigan stepped in for Fylling during the full 2024-25 season, during which Fylling had stepped away from the mic to treat his illness. But, nobody replaces Fylling. He was one of a kind. Irreplaceable as both a talent and a human. Anyone who knows Hartigan knows he possesses the humble heart and steely self-confidence to deftly take over the role and make it his own— with his immense talent, vast experience, and the modesty required to honor Fylling both as a broadcaster and human. The Lincoln High School alumnus displays all that in an 80-minute conversation about his life and career with the Happy Hour host over beers at Gateway Lounge. Along with this comes compelling and at times hilarious stories about all those local icons listed earlier in this article. His resume includes play-by-play work for: * SDPB state tournament hoops from 2010 until the present day * South Dakota State women's basketball from 2011-14 * Sioux Falls Canaries baseball, 2014-17 * Sioux Falls Storm football 2021-24 So, yeah, Hartigan has stories to tell about thrilling games, memorable championships, larger-than-life personalities, and the occasional moments of humility. If you've ever wondered what some of the most accomplished and beloved coaches and athletes from the last 16 years of Sioux Falls and South Dakota sports are really like to be around, this will make for an enjoyable listen. But, of course you do. And, of course you will.

Summit League commissioner Josh Fenton, USD hoops coach Eric Peterson, Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer, and a Zach Borg feature on softball prodigy Macy Bryant: This week's South Dakota Sports Lounge from Midwest Sports+

So, you want to be a Div. I mid-major basketball coach? Invest in plenty of Pepto Bismol for the stomach knots in those tight games, Nyquil to put to rest those sleepless nights, caffeine to keep you going through endless hours on the recruiting trail, and perhaps even Novocain to numb the pain of 18-to-22-year-olds breaking your heart. The latter has been in greater supply the last few years due to unlimited NIL possibilities and wide open transfer rules that gut rosters. For example, the University of South Dakota men's team will have 12 out of 16 new players in 2026-27, with nine of the fresh faces coming from the portal after several left USD hoping the grass was greener (or playing time more ample) elsewhere. Eric Peterson, a former junior college coach, is no stranger to the revolving door, so he was up to the task of describing his job over the last few months after the buzzer sounded on an injury-riddled 16-16 season. The Coyote coach's interview on Happy Hour with John Gaskins leads off this week's South Dakota Sports Lounge, a weekly show that features the hand-picked "best" local segments of the week from daily sports programs in the Forum Communications family, with a feature story from Zach Borg to walk it off. Here are the other shows' picks for June 26-30: Hot Mic with Dom Izzo (Fargo) — Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton explains why the conference's executive panel voted 7-0-1 to keep Midco Sports (streaming) and CBS Sports Network (TV) as its multimedia partners for a few more years. The Nate Brown Show (Rapid City): Sioux Falls Live sports reporter and editor Matt Zimmer weighs in on Sioux Falls as a potential host city for the "play-in" games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, the future of sports betting in South Dakota, and an early preview of MVFC teams to watch. Zach Borg feature: Sioux Falls Jefferson's Macy Bryant, South Dakota's high school softball player of the year.