Sanford Sports Complex looking to capitalize on busy weekend – Dakota News Now

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – This upcoming weekend is a busy one at the Sanford Sports Complex. The annual South Dakota High School Basketball All-Star games are taking place, as well as the first-ever 7-on-7 youth football tournament.
All of this is to show that South Dakota and Sioux Falls are making a splash on the youth sports scene
Although the high school basketball season in South Dakota has come and gone, for 40 seniors, the annual High School Basketball All-Star games are the last representing their schools.
Sanford Pentagon Lead Events Specialist Ramsey Allen said he’s glad the Pentagon can play host over the Mother’s Day weekend.
“It’s awesome to see these 40 senior boys and girls be able to get out there and have some fun, and show off to their moms and dads on Mother’s Day. It’s a pretty cool experience for them,” Allen said.
But the youth sports scene is growing in the city, as more and more teams and athletes come from the region to train and compete.
Sanford Sports Football Academy Director Kurtiss Riggs said they were hesitant to start their own 7-on-7 program, but said it’s been progressing well, and they want to expand the program in the future.
“We went out, we saw some of the tournaments, and we thought that we could do it better. We can be better than this. The first thing we did, is we hired really good coaches. We have area high school coaches, guys that coached in college,” Riggs said.
Allen said growing the notoriety of the All-Star games is on their mind, making the event something other programs can latch on to.
“During probably the boys game, we’ll have our progression league going on on our outer courts. They’ll have some practices and games. That’s always fun to see the kids that are trying get better, trying to progress, and get to that level,” Allen said.
Both Riggs and Allen said they see the opportunity for growth in the coming years because of these programs, creating more opportunities for area athletes.
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