By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

The South Dakota High School Activities Association site selection committee met on March 20 and recommended its 2026-27 state tournament locations. 

Of note, the committee will get membership feedback on the concepts of moving the State A boys basketball tournament to Aberdeen occasionally, with the State B boys basketball tournament going to Rapid City or Sioux Falls in those years. 

The State B boys basketball tournament has been in Aberdeen every year since 1995. The State A and State AA boys basketball tournaments have rotated between Rapid City and Sioux Falls in recent years.

As it currently stands, the State B boys basketball tournament is slated to be in Aberdeen for the 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. The site committee recommended the 2026-27 State B boys basketball tournament remain in Aberdeen. 

According to the SDHSAA state event hosting guidelines, the minimum seating capacity for a State A boys basketball tournament is 9,000 seats. Aberdeen’s Wachs Arena has a capacity of 8,000 seats. 

The SDHSAA handbook also states that “commitments made to communities will be honored unless the Board of Directors determines that a contracted venue is deemed unable to meet current considerations to host a particular event or other venues become available. The SDHSAA may deviate from these recommended guidelines when it is deemed in the best interest of the member schools and the general public.”

The committee will also get membership feedback on the concept of keeping state track in Sioux Falls every year and state wrestling in Rapid City every year. 

The committee also agreed on:

• Setting the State A girls basketball site as Watertown for the 2026 tournament. 

• Setting state softball as being in Aberdeen for the 2024 tournament. 

• Proceeding with the Pentagon as the site for State AA girls basketball for the 2024 tournament. 

The 2022-23 committee members include: Kelly Messmer, Harding County (Chair); Jared Vasquez-Rapid City Stevens; Dr. Jeff Danielsen, Watertown; Casey Meile, Sioux Falls Public Schools; Barry Mann, Wakpala; Terry Rotert, Huron; Dawn Seiler, Aberdeen; Mike Jewett, Brookings.

Site Selection Committee Recommendations for 2026-27

• Boys A Golf Mitchell Oct. 5-6, 2026 
• Boys AA Golf Aberdeen Oct. 5-6, 2026 
• Girls Tennis Rapid City Oct. 5-6 and 8-9, 2026 
• Soccer Watertown Oct. 17, 2026 
• Journalism Brookings (SDSU) Oct. 19, 2026 
• Cheer & Dance Rapid City Oct. 23-24, 2026 
• Cross Country Rapid City Oct. 24, 2026 
• Chorus & Orchestra Rapid City Oct. 30-31, 2026 
• Football Vermillion (USD) Nov. 12-14, 2026 
• Combined Volleyball Sioux Falls Nov. 19-21, 2026 
• Oral Interp Yankton Dec. 4-5, 2026 
• One-Act Play Aberdeen (NSU) Feb. 4-6, 2027 
• Gymnastics Aberdeen Feb. 12-13, 2027 
• Combined Wrestling Rapid City Feb. 25-27, 2027 
• Debate & IE Huron Mar. 5-6, 2027 
• Girls B Basketball Watertown/Huron Mar. 11-13, 2027 
• Girls A Basketball Huron/Frost Arena Mar. 11-13, 2027 
• Girls AA Basketball Frost Arena/Pentagon Mar. 11-13, 2027 
• Boys B Basketball Aberdeen Mar. 18-20, 2027 
• Boys A Basketball Rapid City (Summit Arena) Mar. 18-20, 2027 
• Boys AA Basketball Sioux Falls (Premier Center) Mar. 18-20, 2027 
• Visual Arts Rapid City Mar. 18-20, 2027
• All-State Band Sioux Falls Jefferson HS Mar. 25-27, 2027 
• SDSCA Student Council Rapid City TBD 
• AS Jazz Band/Show Choir Brookings (SDSU) May 6-8, 2027 
• Boys Tennis Sioux Falls May 17-18 and 20-21, 2027 
• Track & Field Rapid City/West May 27-29, 2027 
• Softball TBD June 3-5, 2027 
• Boys/Girls B Golf Yankton June 7-8, 2027 
• Girls A Golf Hot Springs June 7-8, 2027 
• Girls AA Golf Spearfish(Spearfish Canyon) June 7-8, 2027