By Rich Winter

605 Sports

HILL CITY — It’s a pretty safe bet that the gym in Sturgis is going to be rocking on Tuesday night when Hill City meets up with Cheyenne-Eagle Butte. The Rangers, who are riding a ten-game winning streak will be looking for a first-ever state tournament appearance. 

Long patient Hill CIty fans went absolutely bonkers on Friday, March 7 when the 18-4 Rangers slipped past St. Thomas More in overtime to secure their first-ever spot in a SoDak 16 game. 

For a high school not exactly known for sports excellence the last few years has seen some of the finest moments in school history. 

Hill City boys sports has seen some of their finer moments coming in track and field and cross-country. The Rangers won a Class A state track championship in 1997 and won state cross-country titles in 2007 and most recently in 2023. 

Luke Rupert won the individual Class A cross-country title in 2023 and Tate Grabow won the individual title in 2024. 

Hill City's Tate Grabow leads the pack early on ahead of Custer's Sean Shipp and Sturgis' Ty Petrocco while competing in the Black Hills Conference Cross Country Meet at Fort Meade in Sturgis - Matt Gade / 605 Sports

In the fall of 2023 the Hill City football team finished 3-5. 

In 2024 the Rangers, led by all-state tight end Brensen Veneklasen (watch out for this guy in the hurdles this spring) and honorable mention all-state players Devin Buehler and Nick Schroeder (and all-state special teams player Logan Street) finished the season with an 8-2 record. The Rangers defeated Bon Homme 41-21 in the first round of the Class 9AA playoffs. Hill City earned two home playoff games this fall, and in front of a jam-packed Rangers stands the team lost 36-20 to Freeman/Freeman Academy/Marion in the Class 9AA quarterfinals. 

Hill City's Devin Buehler (7) celebrates a score against the Bon Homme Cavaliers during a game at Ranger Field in Hill City - Matt Gade / 605 Sports

Playing in the rugged Black Hills Conference, against traditional powers like St. Thomas More and Custer, basketball success hasn’t been easy. 

In 2023 the Rangers basketball team finished 9-12. 

In a game against Wall on Jan. 31 senior Devin Buehler became the school’s all-time leading scorer (1,249 points), breaking the 2009 record of Andy Coy. The 2024/2025 season has seen two wins over St. Thomas More, and a three-point win over Custer on Feb. 24. 

On Tuesday the Ranger boys have an opportunity to do something no basketball team in school history has done, qualify for the state tournament. The Rangers meet up with a Cheyenne-Eagle Butte team that last made the Class A state tournament in 2014.