Oct. 5—WINNER, S.D. — Karson Keiser wants to compete.
His drive for competition lasts all year, from football and golf in the fall to track and field in the spring and baseball in the summer. In whichever sport he does compete in, including wrestling in the winter months, Keiser invests his time in full.
“I just love to compete,” Keiser said. “You have to find the time to do it or else you’re obviously not going to get better. You have to be dedicated and put your mind to it once you decide to compete.”
As he moves through his senior season, Keiser has found himself as one of the leaders of Winner football, which is ranked No. 1 in the Class 11B prep media poll, and Winner boys golf, which won the Region 3A tournament at Lakeview Golf Course on Monday and is set to compete at the Class A state championships.
For his part, Keiser took home the individual region championship, his first golf title in four years, firing a 76. He’s also been an integral part of the Warriors as part of their undefeated start. Keiser caught a 62-yard touchdown pass against No. 2 Elk Point-Jefferson in the teams’ matchup on Sept. 13, helping Winner to a 18-8 victory.
Throughout the fall, Keiser practices with the football team every Monday through Thursday, while getting out to golf on weekends or trying to get in some swings during the week after football practice. His mentality on the course carries over from the other sports, being an example to the younger kids on the team.
“He’s a lot steadier than he has been in the past,” Winner golf coach Austin Calhoon said. “He understands that there’s going to be some bad days, and that’s really helped our younger kids see it’s not the end of the world.”
“Whatever happens, it kind of falls on you to set the team position you want to be in for the year,” added Keiser. “Everybody’s listening to you and it’s a big challenge, but you just have to make sure everyone knows what you’re talking about.”
While both football and golf present different challenges, the main principle in Keiser’s eyes is the same: putting the team in the best position to score. Much of the focus in golf this season is knowing when to pull back and place a shot in the best spot to card a low number, something he did en route to the region title.
He’s also focused on protecting the football when he gets a touch, as turnovers ultimately kept Winner one game shy of reaching the state championship game in 2023. However, Keiser also knows when to become aggressive and force himself to gain yardage.
“Mainly, the focus is to run hard and hit the hole opening by the line blocking,” Keiser said, “And get two hands on the ball to make sure you’re not going to fumble and trust your teammates.”
Ultimately, the goal has been to stick to his own game in whichever sport he plays, an approach Calhoon has talked with the other Winner golfers in preparation for Central Valley Golf Course in Hartfold, the site of the Class A state championship. A similar-style course to Lakeview, the goal over the two days goes back to having a strategy for shot placement.
“It basically comes back to playing smart,” Calhoon said. “It might be a hybrid or 3-wood off the tee, but staying in the short grass is our main goal for the guys this week. A lot of them showed the ability to do that last week in Mitchell. Hit the shots we know we can hit.”
Following the Class A state golf championship, which will be contested on Oct. 7-8, and the football season, Keiser will be back on the wrestling mat and on the track to close out his senior year. While he’s undecided on where he’ll go to school and if he might continue playing sports in college, Keiser will always remember why he competes.
“The coaches push us, but they push us to have fun,” Keiser said. “They know we want to win and they want to win. At the end of the day, they’re pushing us to get better, have fun, and playing the game is what everyone comes to do.”
