CRST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 2024
THE KIPI Radio RESERVATION HEISMAN AWARD-Created by KIPI Sports-FALL 2023
This year will be our first year awarding the KRH award. The award will be given to the Top Senior Football Athlete on Cheyenne River. The award requirements are-Earn the KIPI Radio “Player of the Game,” and the awardee must be a Senior in High School. KIPI Sports covers 10 football games each season based on how many Cheyenne River High School Football games are sponsored. There are 5 High Schools located on the Cheyenne River Reservation- Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School, Timber Lake High School, Tiospaye Topa High School, Takini High School, and Dupree High School, and of those 5 High Schools there were a total of 3 football teams this season. The Dupree Tigers of SD Class 9AA, Timber Lake Panthers of SD Class 9A and Cheyenne-Eagle Butte/Tiospaye Topa Braves of the SD All-Nations Conference A.
KIPI Sports awards a Player of the Game award for each game. The POTG award is picked by the KIPI Sports team/School representative. KIPI Sports Team-Seth Chasing Hawk and Wakinyan Harden. For this 2023 CRST High School Football season we had 8 POTG selections and of those selected there were two seniors- Gracen Hansen of Timber Lake High School and Tell Murray of Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School.
CHEYENNE-EAGLE BUTTE/TIOSPAYE TOPA BRAVES-Eagle Butte, SD | South Dakota All-Nations Conference A
The Braves finished the season with an overall record of (5-4) making it to the All-Nations State Semi-Final game before losing to the ANC State Champion Todd County Falcons.
HEAD COACH-Larry Elwess
ASSIST. COACH- Les Logg, Tom Dickinson, Josh Molash
CHEER COACH-Vanessa LaPlante
TIMBER LAKE PANTHERS-Timber Lake, SD | South Dakota Class 9A
The Panthers finished this season with an overall record of (3-5) and made it to the Class 9A Post-Season Playoff, but were defeated in the 1st round by the Philip Scotties
HEAD COACH-Ryan Gimbel
ASSIST. COACH-Landon Leuning, Jakways Mendoza
CHEER COACH-Megan O’Leary
NOMINEES: 
Senior Quarterback for the Timber Lake Panthers #4-Gracen Hansen
We got to witness Gracen’s performance against the Faith Longhorns on September 23, 2023. Our KIPI Sports team travelled to Timber Lake, SD and Gracen had himself a great game as they defeated the Long Horns 32-0. Hansen was a beast with the football as he rushed right through the Faith Defense for a total of four touchdowns and earning the KIPI Radio Player of the Game.
Senior Quarterback for the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves #8-Tell Murray
The KIPI Radio team was on site for the C-EB Homecoming match-up as the Braves hosted their rival from the Oglala Nation, The Pine Ridge Thorpes. Tell led the Braves’ offense with poise and confidence throughout the game and he has one of the highest QB Ratings in the All-Nations Conference. Throwing for a Touchdown and a completion rating of 56% Tell was able to draw multiple penalties on the Thorpes defense. Each penalty committed by the Thorpes lead to a score for Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, and Player of the Game honors number eight.
THE KIPI Sports “Reservation Heisman Award” recipient for 2023 is Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Quarterback Tell Murray
QB-Tell Murray #8
714 passing yards
8 Passing Touch downs
68% comp. rating (96.8 QB rating)
-Led the Braves to the All-Nations Conference State Semi-Final
-2023 South Dakota All-Nations Conference-All Conference Team Selection
-2023 Indigenous Bowl Selection “Top 75 Native Football Players in the country.”
-2023 Battle of the Border Selection “North Dakota vs. South Dakota.”
Congratulations to Tell and the Braves on their winning season!
