Happy Hour with John Gaskins

John Gaskins
  • 5.0 (22)
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Join John Gaskins for the hottest sports news from Sioux Falls and beyond.

  1. 2D AGO

    FULL FRIDAY SHOW: Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast (SDSU, USD, Augie, USF, Preps) & USD coach Travis Johansen

    It's now or never for high school football teams all across South Dakota on Thursday night in the state playoffs.    Win, and you "survive and advance." Lose, and your season comes to an end.   The same can be said for the South Dakota Coyotes (5-4) when they face No. 8 North Dakota (6-2) in the Dakota Dome on Saturday. While USD will have two more regular season games after the border clash, many FCS experts feel their postseason dreams die with a fifth loss.   If that happens, there might be a slim chance USD could sneak into the playoffs wins over ranked squads like No. 4 South Dakota State and No. 16 Southern Illinois in those final two contests, but the Yotes would rather not be backed into that corner.   The biggest question (at least here) is — can the Yotes overcome their offensive struggles against top-tier Missouri Valley Football Conference teams to beat any of them. A failure to reach 21 points for the sixth time in nine 2025 games doomed USD in the 21-13 loss at home to No. 17 Illinois State last week.   Coyotes coach Travis Johansen joins Happy Hour host John Gaskins for their weekly chat to explain why the end zone has been difficult to reach and how USD — which has a salty defense that has held three of its four league opponents to 24 points or less — can light up the scoreboard enough to bypass a Fighting Sioux squad averaging 40 points per game.   Johansen also dives into the return of linebacker Gabe Hardman, the health of dangerous receiver/returner Tennel Bryant, the emerging talents of freshmen Brayden White and Carson Fletcher. Plus, a few words about the World Series, USD's Native American Heritage helmets and uniforms, and Halloween.    Before the chat with Johansen, Gaskins sits down with Sioux Falls Live reporter Trent Singer for their weekly "Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast" from Orion Pub, where they'll pick apart and predict:   * SDSU vs Indiana State * USD vs UND * Augustana vs Northern State * USF vs Winona State     CLASS 11AAA QUARTERFINALS   (8) Sioux Falls Roosevelt at (1) Brandon Valley, 6 p.m. (7) Rapid City Central at (2) Sioux Falls Lincoln, 4 p.m. (6) Sioux Falls Washington at (3) Sioux Falls Jefferson, 6:30 p.m. (5) Harrisburg at (4) O'Gorman, 6 p.m. The first three of those games can BE WATCHED LIVE ON TV on the Midwest Sports Plus app, which you can download by going here. Here is Trent's preview article of these high school games

    1h 32m

  2. 2D AGO

    USD's Travis Johansen on offensive struggles, emerging playmakers, UND, World Series, Halloween

    It's now or never for high school football teams all across South Dakota on Thursday night in the state playoffs.    Win, and you "survive and advance." Lose, and your season comes to an end.   The same can be said for the South Dakota Coyotes (5-4) when they face No. 8 North Dakota (6-2) in the Dakota Dome on Saturday. While USD will have two more regular season games after the border clash, many FCS experts feel their postseason dreams die with a fifth loss.   If that happens, there might be a slim chance USD could sneak into the playoffs wins over ranked squads like No. 4 South Dakota State and No. 16 Southern Illinois in those final two contests, but the Yotes would rather not be backed into that corner.   The biggest question (at least here) is — can the Yotes overcome their offensive struggles against top-tier Missouri Valley Football Conference teams to beat any of them. A failure to reach 21 points for the sixth time in nine 2025 games doomed USD in the 21-13 loss at home to No. 17 Illinois State last week.   Coyotes coach Travis Johansen joins Happy Hour host John Gaskins for their weekly chat to explain why the end zone has been difficult to reach and how USD — which has a salty defense that has held three of its four league opponents to 24 points or less — can light up the scoreboard enough to bypass a Fighting Sioux squad averaging 40 points per game.   Johansen also dives into the return of linebacker Gabe Hartman, the health of dangerous receiver/returner Tennel Bryant, the emerging talents of freshmen Brayden White and Carson Fletcher. Plus, a few words about the World Series, USD's Native American Heritage helmets and uniforms, and Halloween.

    28 min

  3. 2D AGO

    Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast with Trent & John (SDSU, USD, Augie, USF, Prep Playoffs)

    Gaskins sits down with Sioux Falls Live reporter Trent Singer for their weekly "Thirsty Thursday Football Forecast" from Orion Pub, where they'll pick apart and predict:   * SDSU vs Indiana State * USD vs UND * Augustana vs Northern State * USF vs Winona State     CLASS 11AAA QUARTERFINALS (8) Sioux Falls Roosevelt at (1) Brandon Valley, 6 p.m. (7) Rapid City Central at (2) Sioux Falls Lincoln, 4 p.m. (6) Sioux Falls Washington at (3) Sioux Falls Jefferson, 6:30 p.m. (5) Harrisburg at (4) O'Gorman, 6 p.m.

    49 min

  4. 2D AGO

    HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW (SF Metro) with Trent Singer

    Sioux Falls Live prep sports reporter Trent Singer joins John Gaskins from the Orion Pub to preview the Class 11AAA state quarterfinals: (5) Harrisburg at (4) O'Gorman, 6 p.m. (6) Sioux Falls Washington at (3) Sioux Falls Jefferson, 6:30 p.m. (7) Rapid City Central at (2) Sioux Falls Lincoln, 4 p.m. (8) Sioux Falls Roosevelt at (1) Brandon Valley, 6 p.m.

    15 min

  5. 3D AGO

    FULL WED. SHOW: Why to root for Jimmy's Ex-Jacks at WSU, Vikings views from Darren "Doogie" Wolfson (KSTP-TV), and USF coach Jim Glogowski

    It appears there is a sizable contingency of South Dakota State fans who are rooting for former Jackrabbits Mark Gronowski and Griffin Wilde.   In fact, few would arguable that a decent chunk of SDSU fans on allocate time on Saturdays just for Gronowski's Iowa Hawkeyes and Wilde's Northwestern Wildcats.   Likely, there were smiles and fist pumps and hollers coming from all over South Dakota  when Gronowski made his heroic 67-yard gallop that led to the Hawkeyes' dramatic win over Penn State. Likely, plenty of Jacks fans take pleasure in Wilde breaking free on Big Ten defenses with highlight reel catches — enough to put him among the league's top 10 receivers in catches and yards despite being a part of a lowly-ranked offense (coordinated by former SDSU offensive coordinator Zach Lujan).   And yet, there appears to be nowhere near the same love, pride, or even interest for the Washington State Cougars, coached by Jimmy Rogers and his entire staff that led SDSU to a national title in 2023 and semifinal berth in 2024. In fact, there appears to be a healthy amount of contempt for them. Not from all Jacks fans, but a not-small portion of them. The "WSU Jacks," as some around here call them, have 15 former SDSU players, several who start regularly. They are 4-4 playing a weird schedule that includes two games out of the final four against Oregon State, the only other team currently in the Pac 12.   Yes, a Happy Hour with John Gaskins poll saw there is a faction of Jacks fans who are rooting for the Cougars and therefore take pride in their dragging then-No. 4 Ole Miss and then-No. 18 Virginia to the final bell in back-to-back weeks. But the poll suggests more SDSU fans either were not cheering them on or didn't care.   Gronowski and Wilde — not to mention Northwestern offensive lineman Evan Beertsen and Illinois tight end Davin Stoffel — all could be Jackrabbits right now, but aren't because they accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars (in Gronowski's case, over a million) to play and prove themselves at the highest level of the college game.   Rogers and staff did that, too. The players that came with them likely did so for either more NIL money or their allegiance to the coaches who recruited them to SDSU, or both.    So why all the love for the Jacks in the Big 10 and a whole lot less love for those on the Palouse in the Pac 12?   Happy Hour host John Gaskins examines and gives his opinion on this curious case of fandom.

    1h 36m

  6. 3D AGO

    John-o-logue: A case for pulling for Jimmy's "WSU Jackrabbits"

    It appears there is a sizable contingency of South Dakota State fans who are rooting for former Jackrabbits Mark Gronowski and Griffin Wilde.   In fact, few would arguable that a decent chunk of SDSU fans on allocate time on Saturdays just for Gronowski's Iowa Hawkeyes and Wilde's Northwestern Wildcats.   Likely, there were smiles and fist pumps and hollers coming from all over South Dakota  when Gronowski made his heroic 67-yard gallop that led to the Hawkeyes' dramatic win over Penn State. Likely, plenty of Jacks fans take pleasure in Wilde breaking free on Big Ten defenses with highlight reel catches — enough to put him among the league's top 10 receivers in catches and yards despite being a part of a lowly-ranked offense (coordinated by former SDSU offensive coordinator Zach Lujan).   And yet, there appears to be nowhere near the same love, pride, or even interest for the Washington State Cougars, coached by Jimmy Rogers and his entire staff that led SDSU to a national title in 2023 and semifinal berth in 2024. In fact, there appears to be a healthy amount of contempt for them. Not from all Jacks fans, but a not-small portion of them. The "WSU Jacks," as some around here call them, have 15 former SDSU players, several who start regularly. They are 4-4 playing a weird schedule that includes two games out of the final four against Oregon State, the only other team currently in the Pac 12.   Yes, a Happy Hour with John Gaskins poll saw there is a faction of Jacks fans who are rooting for the Cougars and therefore take pride in their dragging then-No. 4 Ole Miss and then-No. 18 Virginia to the final bell in back-to-back weeks. But the poll suggests more SDSU fans either were not cheering them on or didn't care.   Gronowski and Wilde — not to mention Northwestern offensive lineman Evan Beertsen and Illinois tight end Davin Stoffel — all could be Jackrabbits right now, but aren't because they accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars (in Gronowski's case, over a million) to play and prove themselves at the highest level of the college game.   Rogers and staff did that, too. The players that came with them likely did so for either more NIL money or their allegiance to the coaches who recruited them to SDSU, or both.    So why all the love for the Jacks in the Big 10 and a whole lot less love for those on the Palouse in the Pac 12?   Happy Hour host John Gaskins examines and gives his opinion on this curious case of fandom.

    26 min

  7. 3D AGO

    Vikings Vortex of Doom: Veteran KSTP-TV reporter Darren Wolfson on the Wentz wincing, decaying defense, end of KOC honeymoon (?)

    The Minnesota Vikings have fallen into a vortex of doom, both with their injuries and the controversy surrounding the broken shoulder of Carson Wentz, who played in two-and-a-half games with the torn labrum and was wincing in extreme pain in the second half of a way-gone loss to the Chargers.   How much blame should be thrust upon head coach Kevin O'Connell?    The same question can be asked about a 3-4 start in a highly-anticipated season that has gone pear-shaped due to a both a litany of injuries and a performance well below expectations by some who have not been hurt.    Veteran Twin Cities TV reporter and radio commenator Darren "Doogie" Wolfson dives into the deep pool of problems to diagnose where they came from, particularly at quarterback, where the Vikings have played poorly and been beaten up behind an offensive line made of 60 percent backups and 16 different combinations. And, oh, that once-vaunted Brian Flores defense. What the hell happened?

    41 min

  8. 3D AGO

    USF's Jim Glogowski on bouncing back after Augie loss, Tate Schaefer's instant credibility

    The Cougars have won back-to-back road games after their crushing loss to Augustana in which the Vikings scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to win 29-28.   How haunting was the Augie loss? Who was able to shake coach Jim Glogowski out of his Key to the City blues, and what has made former Sioux Falls Lincoln standout Tate Schaefer such a smooth operating college quarterback in just two outings, the first which earned him Northern Sun offensive player of the week honors?   Stories about Lou Holtz, Bob Stoops, and former USD coach Ed Meierkort are included in this half-hour with "Glo," which concludes with a preview of back-to-back home games against Winona State and Wayne State, two teams which share USF's 4-3 conference record and are jockeying with the Cougars for position in the upper half of the league and maybe a long-shot playoff spot.

    29 min
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About

Join John Gaskins for the hottest sports news from Sioux Falls and beyond.

Information

  • Creator
    John Gaskins
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ©2025 Forum Communications Co.
  • Show Website
    Happy Hour with John Gaskins

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