RAPID CITY, SD — This morning, flanked by peers, friends and family, St. Thomas More High School’s Cavaliers set out for the DakotaDome in Vermillion, where the catholic school team hopes to claim the state title.
This visit comes as the seventh the football team has made in its history, and one which both Three-Year Head Coach Austin Hagen and Assistant Coach of 30 years Craig Nowotny are confident in. “we’re trying to do something that hasn’t been done at this school before, the boys have put in the time and effort, they’ve earned it, you know, nothing’s given,” says Hagen “They’ve earned this opportunity, and we want them to go out there and have fun and we want the whole family to be there to watch and see their hard work, because everybody in the stands that’s cheering for us, they’ve had you know, their mark on this program at some point in time, so we want them to be out there, celebrate with us”.
This season marks the retirement of Nowotny who has been coaching for 50 years total, showing the wisdom of his long tenure by emphasizing his pride in the team for making it this far in the season, saying “When you make the state tournament, that’s a pinnacle, but there are still 8 teams left, so I want people to understand that when you make a trip to the dome, you have accomplished something that takes a lot of dedication, True love”. “Oh, man, we’re so blessed. You don’t get to 50 years without a true passion. True commitment,” said Hagen on Nowotny’s impact at St. Thomas More, “The things he’s sacrificed over the years, especially here at St. Thomas More to make all of our sports programs what they are. It’s just a blessing to have somebody like that on our program that truly cares about everything”.
The State High School Championship games are set for November 13th to the 15th in Vermillion.
