HOT SPRINGS – Three Hot Springs Bison high school senior student-athletes signed letters of intent to take their talents to the next level at college, during a ceremony held at Case Auditorium last Thursday, April 17.
Aidyn Janis will be attending Dakota State University in Madison to play football; McCoy Rippentrop is headed to Dodge City, Kansas, to play junior college baseball, while Laurel Rush is headed to Chadron State College in Nebraska to be part of the school Dance Team.
Janis has been a mainstay in both the Hot Springs Bison football and basketball programs for all four years of his high school career. He was a starter on the 2023 Class 11B State Championship football team as a junior, as well as on Hot Springs’ state qualifying 2023 boys basketball team as a sophomore.
“We are extremely proud of his choice to continue his academic and athletic career at Dakota State University,” stated Hot Springs’ head football coach Ben Kramer. “His effort, attitude and work ethic are the reasons he has the opportunity to play at the next level. He is leaving huge shoes to fill but we are excited to see what he can do at the next level.”
Over his career on the gridiron in the blue-and-white, Janis played both offensive and defensive line where he amassed a total of 148 tackles (26 solo, 122 assisted), 14 sacks, one forced fumble and four fumble recoveries. Some of his additional accolades include being a three-year starter; four-time letter winner; 2024 Most Valuable Offensive and Defensive Lineman; 2024 Team Most Valuable Player; and two-time Black Hills All-Conference.
Some of this statewide honors include being named a 2024 Class 11B All State Offensive Lineman and also being on the 2024 Class 11B Academic All State team. In June, Janis will also be a member of the South Team in this year’s All Star Game.
During his introduction of Janis at the school event last week, Coach Kramer jokingly referred to Dakota State as “Hot Springs East,” in regards to the number of HSHS grads who have since gone to school there, including brothers Preston and Landon Iverson (football), Braden Peterson (track), Matt Close (basketball) along with many others for academics.
Dakota State University is an NAIA school where the Trojans have been a part of the NorthStar Athletic Conference but next year will be moving to the Frontier Conference. This finished the 2024 season with a 6-4 record overall and were 4-4 in conference play.
Janis plans to study Exercise Science and feels his role on the football team could go several different directions, and include playing either offensive or defensive lines, as well as tight end. His reasons for choosing Dakota State were primarily based on the coaching staff there, as well as some of the familiar Hot Springs faces who also go to the school there.
Rippentrop was a 6-foot, 4-inch center on the Hot Springs Bison boys basketball team this year as a senior, but his first “sports” love has always been baseball. While he did play competitive ball in Hot Springs as a youngster, he has been playing the past time in Rapid City for the past seven years and has been a member of Rapid City’s American Legion Post 22 for the past four years, where he became a state champion last season.
As a member of that state championship team, Rippentrop played first base and also pitched a total of 32.1 innings and earned four wins with a 3.6 ERA (earned run average) while striking out 31 batters. At the plate, Rippentrop had a .252 average with six doubles, three triples and a home run.
His career stats with the various levels of Post 22 show him pitching a total of 102 innings with 18 wins, a 3.62 ERA and 98 strikeouts. Offensively, Rippentrop has a .307 career batting average, .988 OPS (on-base plus slugging) with 20 doubles, eight triples and three home runs.
“McCoy is without a doubt one of the hardest worker players I’ve ever coached,” said Jace Caldwell, one of this Post 22 coaches who introduced him during last week’s event at Case Auditorium. “His work ethic, focus and toughness sets a standard for our program. He’s the kind of guy who makes everyone around him better; not just with his talent but with his attitude and effort. And that’s what makes him special.”
The Dodge City Community College Conquistadors are part of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference of the National Junior College Athletic Conference. The two-year school offers several men’s and women’s sports including football, basketball, cross country, track & field, golf, soccer, volleyball, softball, as well as rodeo. The baseball team’s record this season is currently 26-20 overall.
With his decision to play college baseball after graduating from Hot Springs High School next month, Rippentrop joins a small group of HSHS grads who have earned a scholarship to play college baseball, with the most recent being 2003 graduate Jon Huber who played multiple years with Minnesota State-Mankato.
After his two years are completed in Dodge City, Rippentrop expects to have a Business Associates degree and then transfer to a fouryear college to continue playing baseball while pursuing a Business Finance degree.
Rush has been part of the Hot Springs High School cheer team for the past four years, where she has also served as the team’s captain. She plans to study Criminal Justice at Chadron State College, where she will be joining the school’s first-ever dance team. While not currently a competitive program, Rush said the dance team will be performing on the sidelines of all of the school’s athletic programs year-round.
She said she chose to attend Chadron State thanks to the scholarships that were offered as well as for the program’s coaching staff and her anticipated teammates.