HOT SPRINGS – Three athletes, one coach and the first Bison football team to play in a state championship game were honored in front of a full house during the 11th Hot Springs High School Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet this past Saturday night, Oct. 3, at the American Legion.
The new inductees were the 2003 Bison football team, volleyball coach Kelly Northrup, golfer Mark Moller and multi-sport athletes Amanda Sides and the late Janet Wass.
As the program began, Hall of Fame committee chairman Quinten Hofer described the individual inductees and the one team in a bit of a highlight reel that showed why they are all hall of famers. He concluded the program by telling how special the night was and closed with the audience singing the school song, “On O Hot Springs.”
AsheadcoachoftheHotSpringsLady Bison volleyball program, Northrup established Hot Springs as one of South Dakota’s premier volleyball programs, winning consecutive state championships in 2000 and 2001 and being runner-up in 2002.
Northrup said it wasn’t always fun and it wasn’t always easy, but she said it was definitely the best experience she ever had coaching.
The Lady Bison won just three matches in her first season. It didn’t long before they turned it around.
“We did it through grit and determination,” she said. “We ended up with back-to-back state championships and made 11 consecutive trips to the state tournament.”
A 1976 graduate of Hot Springs High School, Wass participated in a wide range of athletic and school activities throughout her four years. Her involvement included track and field, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, pep club and Royal Blues.
She made an immediate impact during her freshman year when she qualified for state as a member of the 880-yard relay team. She returned to state in the 880 during her sophomore season, while eventually setting a school record that still stands in the long jump.
As a sophomore in gymnastics, she placed ninth in the balance beam and helped the Lady Bison place second Family members of the late Janet Wass, including daughter Jacquie Sechser at the podium, speak on her behalf during the Hall of Fame banquet. Other inductees include volleyball coach Kelly Northrup, golfer Mark Moller and all-around athlete Amanda Sides.
her senior season. At the conclusion of her senior year, she was voted the Best Female Athlete of 1976 for Hot Springs High School..
Wass’s daughter, Jacquie Sechser, accepted the Hall of Fame Award for her late mother and told the audience how much her mother loved being a Lady Bison and how much she loved representing Hot Springs High School and the community of Hot Springs.
Hofer, three years younger than Wass, remembers just how good of an athlete she was. He said she had the perfect physique for an athlete.
“She was tall. She was long. She had a huge wingspan. That made her a fierce competitor,” said Hofer. “She was in gymnastics, she was strong and she could run. She could explode in track. She could reach in that jump and she could reach for that finish line. In basketball, you didn’t want to be blocking out Janet Wass. She would block you out. She could reach for that ball and go. She had a lot of records. Janet was much-watch TV. If Janet Wass was competing, you were going out to watch.”
A 2001 graduate, Sides competed in track and field, volleyball and basketball since seventh grade.
As an eighth grader she established a school record in the high jump. Three years later, she surpassed her own high jump record.
“It was in eighth grade that I found out I could jump far. I was a rising star in the sand pit,” she said. “When I was 10 or 12 Mr. (Jim) Tays taught me to jump high over a triangular metal bar that really inspired me not to miss, or not jump at all. By seventh grade I was on a state championship team and for the next five years I was jumping for joy.”
She won the high jump, long jump, and triple jump during three consecutive seasons in the Black Hills Conference meet.
She was also a key member of the Lady Bison volleyball program during one of the most successful periods in school history. She contributed to Hot Springs’ state championship teams and earned recognition for her individual performance, including All-Conference honors, All-State honors, and was a selection to an All-Star team following graduation.
On the basketball court, she was one of the Lady Bison’s leading scorers, earning All-Conference recognition.
A 2002 graduate, Moller was a member of the final four teams in the program’s run of five consecutive Black Hills Conference championships from 1997 through 2001.
In addition to his contributions to the team, his individual accomplishments saw him become the 1999 Region 4A Champion, shooting a 74 and winning a playoff, as well as becoming the 2000 Black Hills Conference runnerup with a 73. He was also in seventh place at the 2000 Region 3A Tournament and was the 2001 BHC champion, shooting a 74. In 2001 he tied for first at the Region 2A Tournament, shooting a 71.
In 2001 after winning the Black Hills Conference championship and tying for first at the regional tournament, he captured the South Dakota State Golf Championship in Hartford with rounds of 75 and 74. He was named the 2001 South Dakota Golf Association Player of the Year.
Moller said he started playing when he was three years old with a father (Gary), who was a big influence in his career. Winning a state title for the Bison was something he thought about growing up.
He said he had to, however, rededicate himself to the game going into his senior season to reach his goal.
“My dad sat me down and took me to a golf camp in Florida. He said I had to lock in and make it my passion,” he said. “Between my junior year and senior year I was probably doing 10 hours a day at the golf course. The work was worth it. That senior year when I won conference, regions and then state the state championship, it was a life lesson there. You get out of life when you put into it. I’ll never forget after I made my final putt in Hartford, my mom (Gladys) ran out on the green and gave me a big hug. Athletically it was probably the best day of my life, so it was pretty cool.”
Trent Pikula and his coaching staff led the 2003 Bison football team to a Black Hills Conference championship and 10–2 record while earning the school’s first-ever appearance in the state football championship game at the Dakota Dome, where they finished as the Class 11A runner-up.
The 2003 Bison established numerous then-school records through their production on offense and their dominance on defense including 368 points scored in a season, five shutouts and 10 victories in a season.
Pikula said that other than coaching his sons, this 2003 team was the most rewarding time he had coaching football. The Bison only won five games his two years and he was finally able to see the confidence they needed to be successful. Their enthusiasm also spread into the community, especially in the state title game.
“In the Dakota Dome, getting down there and seeing how the whole town of Hot Springs showed up. It was so awesome,” he said. “I went on to coach at Rapid City Central, Campbell County High School and Thunder Basin High School and I won some championship games. But I don’t think any of those teams were as memorable this one (2003 team) or any of those kids as memorable as these.”