ONIDA — The Sully Buttes Chargers are honoring their Old Ball Coach this season.

Long-time Sully Buttes High School girls basketball coach Mark Senftner was affectionately known as “Old Ball Coach” or “OBC” by the Chargers. This season, the Chargers are sporting “OBC” velcro bands on their jerseys for Senftner, who died in Oct. 2022 after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in Dec. 2020.

“It’s very special to all of us,” current Sully Buttes girls basketball coach Susie Rilling said about the velcro bands. “He was a wonderful man and had coached these girls for a very long time. We even had shooting shirts made and they’ve got “OBC” on the backside as well. So this year is totally in memory of him.”

The Chargers will again be donning the velcro bands at the Class B state girls basketball tournament on March 9-11 at the Huron Arena. No. 4 seed Sully Buttes (20-3) will play No. 5 Wall (18-5) at 1:45 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the state tourney. 

During his 17-year tenure at Sully Buttes, Senftner led the girls basketball and football teams to state-wide prominence.

He guided the girls basketball teams to 11 state tournament appearances, winning state championships in 2007, ‘08, ‘16 and ‘17. 

The Chargers also finished as state runner-ups in 2012 and ‘15. On the gridiron, Senftner guided the Chargers to state championship appearances in 2015, ‘17 and ‘18. He accumulated a 101-42 record in 14 seasons. 

Last season, Senftner was inducted into the Onida/Sully Buttes Hall of Fame and South Dakota Basketball Coaches Hall of Shrine. 

In 2022, the Chargers fell one game short of qualifying for the Class B girls basketball tournament and were motivated to make it back for their beloved coach this season. 

“I had the girls write goals this year and they were all pretty much saying that they wanted to get back to the state tournament in memory of him,” Rilling said. 

Prior to being elevated to head coach, Rilling served as an assistant coach under Senftner for eight seasons. Senftner’s impact permeates throughout the team and Rilling said they’ll regularly emulate his philosophies. 

“He’s got a big influence and the girls respected him just as much as I respected him,” Rilling said. “He did a wonderful job with them and I am just going to try to continue that tradition with them.”

The “OBC” bands and shooting shirts aren’t the only way Senftner is being remembered this season. Senftner’s wife, Lynn, regularly brings his patented tie and gameday shirt to games as good luck for the Chargers.  

“She always brings along his lucky tie and lucky shirt to the games,” Rilling said. “She brought them along to the region games and then she also brought them along last night (March 2) when we played.”

Lynn Senftner brings her husband's shirt and tie to the Sully Buttes girls basketball games. (LaJena Gruis)