Edmunds County Tribune -

Marvin Seyer of Ipswich recently completed and published a book called "50 Golden Years of the Yellowstone Trail Conference Boys Basketball Tournament."

The book chronicles the YTC boys tournament from 1950-2000. It is a rich and one-of-a-kind collection of pictures, box scores, tournament programs and stories about outstanding athletes and healthy rivalries between area teams.

Seyer dedicated the book to former Roscoe teacher and coach Harry Himmerich. He played in the tournament, coached and was a committee member for years. “Most importantly, he was a respected friend to everyone,” the book says on the dedication page. “To me, Harry was Mr. YTC,” Seyer wrote.

Roscoe and Hosmer were members of the YTC conference.

Hosmer won the YTC Tournament in 1953. Coach Talcott and his players C. Gramm, J. Aman, J. Dockter, R. Sonnenfeld, L. Schoch, L. Ochs, P. Gisi, A. Sonnenfeld, Melvin Imbery, L. Imbery and Clarence Dewald finished the regular season play with a perfect 15-0 record. The Ipswich Tigers ended the winning streak by defeating Hosmer in a 41-40 nail biter for the District 5 Championship.

Hosmer claimed the YTC Conference Championship again in 1982 and 1983 under the coaching expertise of Lew Paulson who proudly stated that his team "learned they could be winners!" The 1982 Hosmer team went on to claim the district championship with outstanding play by Mike Heier, Steve Jung, Jake Lunders, Tom Mohr, Bruce Schumacher, Peter Allison, Ed Heier, Russ Grismer, Keith Aman, Kurt Gab, Paul Mohr and Rodney Grismer. Hosmer clinched the YTC Championship again in 1983 with many of the same players.

Roscoe won the YTC Championship in 1964 and 1978. Coach Terry Jordre depended on standout players Ken Wiedrich, Rick Hauck, Delbert Kilber and Gary Prisbe to defeat Java 65-47. In 1978, with Coach Gary Kost at the helm, Roscoe outlasted Cresbard 45-39 to claim the YTC Championship. Flint Jeschke, Bruce Geier and Scott Baer were instrumental in the 1978 win.

The Edmunds Central boys team won the 2000 YTC tournament, the last tournament Seyer profiles in this book.

Ipswich was not a member of the YTC Conference but rivaled many YTC teams in regular season play. The Ipswich teams that played in the State Tournaments are featured in the book; the 1952 and 1976 teams. The 1952 Ipswich Tigers were State Champions. The team featured familiar Ipswich surnames including Gerald Sanborn, LeRoy Tuscher, Dale Fredrickson, Leo Hammrich, Roger Mohr, Dave Germain, Dell Nelson, Delanus Mitzel, Harvey Hammrich and LeRoy Wolf.

The IHS 1976 team, under the direction of Coach Dave Bauer, rallied to a fourth place finish in the State Tournament with an impressive show of teamwork by Len Braun, Wesley Wolff, Gary Williams, Bob Davis, Randy Hein, Barney Williams, Tim Omland, Bob Hammrich, Tim Gillick, Jim Morgan, Terry Stoner and Mike Hammrich. Tim Omland and Mike Hammrich earned All-State honors.

Seyer grew up in Selby where he first tasted organized basketball as a Selby Lion. After high school he played at Huron College. He came back to Bowdle for his first teaching and coaching job and spent many years at Ipswich High School teaching and coaching.

Julie (Seyer) Doyle said her dad, at 80 years young, still remembers teams and scores and gymnasiums and weather during the tournaments and especially details about the many, many great basketball players that came from the heartland of South Dakota! He put it all into this book!