CASTLEWOOD — Paul Raasch is no stranger to state basketball tournaments. 

He guided Langford Area to eight Class B boys basketball tournaments from 2007-2018, but this year’s berth is extra special for the veteran coach. 

In his first season at Castlewood High School, Raasch has guided his alma mater to its 12th Class B boys basketball tournament in program history. 

When the Warriors edged Harding County for their state tourney berth, Raasch breathed a sigh of relief and knew the significance of it. 

“Castlewood loves basketball,” Raasch said. “I came home for a couple different reasons. One of them was because it is home and it’s a good community and I grew up in this. I know the environment.”

This year’s trip to Aberdeen is also special for the Castlewood community. Castlewood, a town of around 600 people south of Watertown, was rocked by an EF2 tornado that traveled along the ground for two miles with 120-mile winds in May 2022. 

In total, around 20 structures in Castlewood were destroyed and another 80 were damaged. The damages included the school and one of its gymnasiums. 

That forced the Castlewood teams to find alternative gym space leading into the season. But the Castlewood Warriors have given their fans plenty to cheer about this sports season. 

In the fall, the football team advanced to the Class 9A quarterfinals and the volleyball team placed sixth at the Class B volleyball tourney, its first trip since 1997. 

The momentum carried over into the winter. The girls basketball team earned a fifth-place finish at the Class B tournament in Huron and the boys basketball team is making its second consecutive Class B berth. 

“I am just so happy for our community and our fans,” Raasch said. “They’ve been great to me this year and our players. It’s just been a really good transition.”

Castlewood coach Paul Raasch gives instructions during a SoDak 16 boys basketball game on March 7 in Fort Pierre. (Marc Marshall / Courtesy Photo)

Raasch is the state's winningest active boys basketball coach with more than 550 career wins. He also coached at Alpena and Webster before building Langford Area into a Class B powerhouse.

Langford Area’s eight state tournament appearances included six berths from 2012-18 and a runner-up finish in 2015. He coached eight all-state boys basketball players, including 2015 South Dakota Mr. Basketball Bo Fries.

He also guided the Langford Area football team to the 2015 Class 9B state championship and the Class 9B runner-up finish in 2016. 

“It was hard to leave Langford,” Raasch said. “I love that area, too. They were really good to me there and it was a really tough decision. But these people here have made it really good for me so far and I can’t thank them enough for that.” 

No. 8 seed Castlewood (18-5) will play No. 1 Lower Brule (20-3) at noon Thursday in the Class B opener at Wachs Arena.