MITCHELL — A pair of Mitchell High School seniors earned places on the Class 11AA all-state football honor team, as selected by the South Dakota Football Coaches Association.
Representing the Kernels, Parker Denne was picked as a running back, while Hudson Borgan received one of the two all-purpose athlete spots.
Mitchell’s leading rusher and receiver this season, Denne paced the Kernels with 908 all-purpose yards, and accounted for 11 total touchdowns — five rushing, four receiving, one passing and one punt return. Against Douglas in the season-opener, Denne shattered the MHS single-game receiving yards record, hauling in eight receptions for 246 yards and three scores.
For his Kernel career, Denne, a team captain, was a 1,000-yard rusher and totaled 2,366 all-purpose yards with 20 touchdowns.
“Parker was one of the best players to wear a Kernel uniform the past three seasons,” said head coach Pat Larson. “He was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. He was our top offensive weapon the past two seasons, and everyone knew it.”
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
A two-way starter as a safety on defense and Denne’s backfield mate on offense, Borgan collected 888 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, along with 67 tackles (3.5 for loss), two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. During his MHS career, Borgan, also a team captain, had 1,279 all-purpose yards and 133 tackles.
“Hudson was our best all-around football player this season, as he was a two-way starter and was on almost all of our special teams units,” Larson said. “He was the unquestioned leader of our defensive secondary and our No. 2 offensive weapon, both as a runner and as a receiver. He was instrumental in everything we did this season.”
Yankton, which earned the No. 1 seed in the Class 11AA playoffs, led all teams with seven all-state selections plus two honorable mentions. The Bucks also had the Class 11AA All-American pick in senior linebacker Matthew Sheldon. State champion Watertown had six all-state picks and three honorable mentions, and runner-up Pierre landed five players on the honor team with two more honorable mentions.
Dierks covers prep and collegiate athletics across the Mitchell Republic’s coverage region area. His focus areas include: Mitchell High School football and boys basketball; area high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and track and field; and South Dakota State football. He is also at the forefront of the Mitchell Republic’s podcasting efforts. Dierks is a Mitchell native who graduated from South Dakota State University with his bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2020. He joined the Mitchell Republic sports staff in August 2021. He can be reached at ldierks@mitchellrepublic.com and found on Twitter at @LDierksy.
