Episodes

  • Austin Sumner: SDSU Years (Part 2, re-release)

    Austin Sumner: SDSU Years (Part 2, re-release)
    Apr 6 2026

    Balling with future NFL running back Zach Zenner. Rooming with current South Dakota State tight ends coach Vince Benedetto. Getting chewed out by Brandon Valley coaching legends.

    These are stories that can only be told by Austin Sumner, a gun-slinging quarterback who smashed passing records and elevated SDSU from up-and-comers to uppercrusters.

    No Mount Rushmore of SDSU quarterbacks is complete without Sumner, the son of two Augustana athletes, whose growth spurt before his freshman year of high school supercharged him into a super talent for nearly a decade.

    Dive into the huddle as Sumner screams play calls over the deafening thunder of the Fargodome and Nebraska's Sea of Red.

    Sit next to him in the locker room to witness Zenner's unusual if not amazing, pregame ritual. Sit next to him in the car, in the moment he realizes he wanted to be a Jackrabbit.
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    35 mins
  • Austin Sumner: The Brandon Valley Years (Part 1, re-release)

    Austin Sumner: The Brandon Valley Years (Part 1, re-release)
    Apr 6 2026

    The SDSU quarterback legend grew up in Brandon, which would re-emerge as a state football powerhouse during his time with late, great coach Chad Garrow.
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    51 mins
  • Austin Sumner FULL CHAT! (Re-Release)

    Austin Sumner FULL CHAT! (Re-Release)
    Apr 6 2026

    Balling with future NFL running back Zach Zenner. Rooming with current South Dakota State tight ends coach Vince Benedetto. Getting chewed out by Brandon Valley coaching legends.

    These are stories that can only be told by Austin Sumner, a gun-slinging quarterback who smashed passing records and elevated football programs at both BVHS and SDSU from up-and-comers to uppercrusters.

    No Mount Rushmore of SDSU or BVHS quarterbacks is complete without Sumner, the son of two Augustana athletes, whose growth spurt before his freshman year of high school supercharged him into a super talent for nearly a decade.

    Dive into the huddle as Sumner screams play calls over the deafening thunder of the Fargodome and Nebraska's Sea of Red. Walk with him to the sideline for a nose-to-nose tongue lashing from BV football coach Chad Garrow. Walk with him to the locker room for an earful from infuriated BV basketball coach Brent Deckert.

    Sit next to him in the locker room to witness Zenner's unusual if not amazing, pregame ritual. Sit next to him in the car, in the moment he realizes he wanted to be a Jackrabbit.

    Sumner takes you to all those places in an 85-minute stroll down memory lane with Happy Hour host John Gaskins in the Gateway Lounge. But first, he'll take you to wear he is now, working alongside, of all people, the man who broke his SDSU records — Taryn Christion.
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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • FULL SHOW: Thirsty Thursday local sports & food talk + Michael Rand (Star Tribune sports columnist and podcast host)

    FULL SHOW: Thirsty Thursday local sports & food talk + Michael Rand (Star Tribune sports columnist and podcast host)
    Apr 2 2026
    What a short, strange trip it's been. Also — spirited, successful, and at times sensational. Now, it's over. Now what? Over Miller Lite tallboys at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Live writer Trent Singer joins the Happy Hour host to look back on a unique season of USD women's basketball, which came to an end with a WNIT "Fab Four" loss on Wednesday. An almost entirely new roster made of mostly transfers. The "core four" senior transfers immediately gelled and swept Coyotes fans, who were hungry for a return to relevance, off their feet by the end of their postseason run. Take a bow, Carrie Eighmey. But don't take a very long breath. It's re-loading season once again. The Coyotes conversation naturally flows into the USD men's issue of roster turnover, which, like many mid-major men's teams, is a byproduct of the transfer portal and irresistible NIL money at higher levels for those who perform well. How much would it help to have more in-state players? Why is Eric Peterson uniquely equipped to handle the turnstile? Next, a high school hoops discussion starts with Sioux Falls Live's Super Six All-Metro team and the recent All-State honors, then dives into the complicated case of the Sioux Falls Lincoln girls, who have won one game in the last two seasons. All roads lead to a grand finale of local food talk. Why is Trent so crazy about Raisin' Canes coming to town and where are the hosts' favorite local places to eat? Michael Rand, Minnesota Star Tribune The veteran columnist recently wrote about the Gopher women's basketball resurgence under former USD coach Dawn Plitzuweit. How did she manage to scrape the program out of the scrap heap of the saturated Twin Cities sports scene, at least for a few days? Rand also wrote about Augustana hockey coach Garrett Raboin reportedly turning down the plum Gopher job. What is it about the seat that Raboin's mentor Bob Motzko gave up that may have kept Raboin in Sioux Falls? How well will the Kyler Murray pickup work with the Minnesota Vikings? What should we anticipate they will do with their first round draft pick? The Timberwolves have been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. How equipped is this year's team to get back there? And then there are the Twins, whose fans have hit a low point, at least in this century. What is there to actually watch and enjoy?
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    1 hr and 36 mins
  • Star Tribune columnist Michael Rand on Gophers (Dawn Plitzuweit, NIL, hockey hire), Vikings (Kyler Murray, draft), Wolves (postseason prediction) & Twins (what's to actually like?)

    Star Tribune columnist Michael Rand on Gophers (Dawn Plitzuweit, NIL, hockey hire), Vikings (Kyler Murray, draft), Wolves (postseason prediction) & Twins (what's to actually like?)
    Apr 2 2026
    The veteran columnist recently wrote about the Gopher women's basketball resurgence under former USD coach Dawn Plitzuweit. How did she manage to scrape the program out of the scrap heap of the saturated Twin Cities sports scene, at least for a few days? Rand also wrote about Augustana hockey coach Garrett Raboin reportedly turning down the plum Gopher job. What is it about the seat that Raboin's mentor Bob Motzko gave up that may have kept Raboin in Sioux Falls? How well will the Kyler Murray pickup work with the Minnesota Vikings? What should we anticipate they will do with their first round draft pick? The Timberwolves have been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. How equipped is this year's team to get back there? And then there are the Twins, whose fans have hit a low point, at least in this century. What is there to actually watch and enjoy?
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    32 mins
  • Thirsty Thursday with Trent: Yotes unique season ends, mid-major portal perspectives, prep hoops awards, Yuengling, dingalings, Oppenheimers, Barbies, Raisin' Canes and local food

    Thirsty Thursday with Trent: Yotes unique season ends, mid-major portal perspectives, prep hoops awards, Yuengling, dingalings, Oppenheimers, Barbies, Raisin' Canes and local food
    Apr 2 2026
    What a short, strange trip it's been. Also — spirited, successful, and at times sensational. Now, it's over. Now what? Over Miller Lite tallboys at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Live writer Trent Singer joins the Happy Hour host to look back on a unique season of USD women's basketball, which came to an end with a WNIT "Fab Four" loss on Wednesday. An almost entirely new roster made of mostly transfers. The "core four" senior transfers immediately gelled and swept Coyotes fans, who were hungry for a return to relevance, off their feet by the end of their postseason run. Take a bow, Carrie Eighmey. But don't take a very long breath. It's re-loading season once again. The Coyotes conversation naturally flows into the USD men's issue of roster turnover, which, like many mid-major men's teams, is a byproduct of the transfer portal and irresistible NIL money at higher levels for those who perform well. How much would it help to have more in-state players? Why is Eric Peterson uniquely equipped to handle the turnstile? Next, a high school hoops discussion starts with Sioux Falls Live's Super Six All-Metro team and the recent All-State honors, then dives into the complicated case of the Sioux Falls Lincoln girls, who have won one game in the last two seasons. All roads lead to a grand finale of local food talk. Why is Trent so crazy about Raisin' Canes coming to town and where are the hosts' favorite local places to eat?
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • FULL SHOW: Mitch Begeman on his basketball life, Brooklyn Meyer's latest honor, and some April Fools Day fun

    FULL SHOW: Mitch Begeman on his basketball life, Brooklyn Meyer's latest honor, and some April Fools Day fun
    Apr 2 2026
    f only it was an April Fool's trick. Last week, Roosevelt boys basketball coach Mitch Begeman surprised many by stepping down at age 38, after 10 years, two state titles back-to-back (2021 and '22), and a third place state finish this year, finishing at 19-5. It was no April Fool's trick. Begeman joins Happy Hour from the Gateway Lounge to explain how this decision was three years in the making, how he knew all season this would be his last, and how hard it was to deliver the news to his players, principal and athletic director. Long respected as one of the best coaches and humans in the local hoops scene, Begeman held back little in this 70-minute chat that walked through his basketball journey — first as a budding high school star playing for his father Mike at O'Gorman, then at USD during the Coyotes' last D2 days, and into the coaching world after a brief stint as both a personal hoops coach and personal trainer before diving into coaching, first as a Sioux Falls Skyforce assistant, then at Roosevelt. He poured out memories the way he poured his heart and soul into the profession and the lives of his players at a program and school marked by a diverse array of students, including those without father figures. Before that sit-down, the Happy Hour host unfolds some April Fool's Day sports topics. USD tried to pull one on its fans about the Coyote women's WNIT run. A Brandon sportswriter hooked, lined, and sinkered the Happy Hour host into "big breaking news" about that city's high school sports scene. The host and video producer share their favorite teams' and local colleges' "wish it was April Fool's" sports moments — for SDSU, USD, Augustana, USF, the Minnesota Vikings and Nebraska. Additionally, more words are devoted to South Dakota State instant legend Brooklyn Meyer, who learned on Wednesday that she won the Becky Hammon Award as the nation's best mid-major player. It makes the host wonder if Player of the Year or MVP voting (like, the Summit League POY, which Meyer didn't win) should be done differently in all sports at all levels. Also: What do we make of the mass exodus of USD's best men's basketball players?
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    1 hr and 50 mins
  • Brookyln Meyer wins Becky Hammon Award (but not Summit POY?!), Yotes play slick April Fool's trick, and sports moments fans wish were April Fool's jokes

    Brookyln Meyer wins Becky Hammon Award (but not Summit POY?!), Yotes play slick April Fool's trick, and sports moments fans wish were April Fool's jokes
    Apr 1 2026
    The Happy Hour host unfolds some April Fool's Day sports topics. USD tried to pull one on its fans about the Coyote women's WNIT run. A Brandon sportswriter hooked, lined, and sinkered the Happy Hour host into "big breaking news" about that city's high school sports scene. The host and video producer share their favorite teams' and local colleges' "wish it was April Fool's" sports moments — for SDSU, USD, Augustana, USF, the Minnesota Vikings and Nebraska. Additionally, more words are devoted to South Dakota State instant legend Brooklyn Meyer, who learned on Wednesday that she won the Becky Hammon Award as the nation's best mid-major player. It makes the host wonder if Player of the Year or MVP voting (like, the Summit League POY, which Meyer didn't win) should be done differently in all sports at all levels. Also: What do we make of the mass exodus of USD's best men's basketball players?
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins