YANKTON, S.D. -- It's been more than 35 years since the Rev. Thomas Wordekemper first visited Yankton. His first glimpse of the city remains etched in his memory.

No ESD school has won a top-tier football title since 2002, when the Bucks knocked off Washington at the DakotaDome. This drought has coincided with the rise of Sioux Falls football, with the ...