The “Itch” To Coach Again
When Arlin Likness retired as the head coach of the Yankton High
School football team, he said that he “might get the itch to coach
again.”
That “itch” is being scratched in Beresford, as he joined the
Watchdogs to help their program as an assistant coach.
Likness is spending his 40th season of coaching with the
Watchdogs, the first time since 1993 that he will be on a sideline other
than Yankton’s. He was Yankton’s head coach from 1999-2017, leading
the Bucks to four state titles (1999, 2002, 2014, 2015). He was also an
assistant coach for the Bucks’ 1994 and 1995 championships, and took
Hamlin High School to state titles in 1989, 1990 and 1991.
former Yankton assistant coach Jason Oswald. Beresford athletic
director Geoff Gross, who also works with the football program, dealt
with Likness when he was the athletic director at Mitchell.
Likness had other coaching connections to Beresford … knocking
the Watchdogs out of the playoffs during his tenure at Hamlin. His
Chargers eliminated Beresford from the post-season in 1982, 1989 and
1991.
The connections, though, were not the only reason Likness chose
Beresford. “I talked with three different schools, and Beresford seemed
like the best fit. The other two will be fine. They will win a lot of
games,” he said. “But that was not what I was looking for. I wanted to
go where I would hopefully give the most help, and have fun.
“I feel like there is potential there.”
Becoming A Watchdog
Meeting The Team
vJames Cimburek
Likness’ retirement from YHS was announced in February, after the
Britton native took early retirement.
“When I decided I wanted to retire, I put out some feelers,” he said.
“With Yankton, if you retire from teaching, you retire from coaching. I
felt like I might want to coach again.”
Little did he know that the groundwork for his next coaching
destination had been laid the previous season.
“We had some offensive questions, and Arlin came over and met
with our staff,” said Beresford head coach Scott Ebert. “He had made
the comment, at the time, that he was probably in his last year of
teaching and coaching in Yankton. One of us made the comment, ‘See
you in a year.’
“I walked away, wondering if it would be an opportunity.”
Likness’ connection to the Beresford staff, though, goes back
further. Ebert is a longtime friend and former college teammate of
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Likness boasts a 261-101 career record — the fourth-most victories
in South Dakota football coaching history — and seven state titles.
But for a Beresford team whose players were born after his tenure at
Hamlin, Likness was an unknown commodity.
“I don’t think any of us really knew him,” said Blake Peterson, a
senior tight end and defensive end who has committed to Iowa State.
“After we found out and heard about him, we thought it was awesome
that he was coming to join our program.”
The parents of the Watchdogs, though, had memories of the
longtime coach.
“One of the dads came up to Coach Likness on Tuesday at our
athletic-parents meeting,” Ebert said. “He was on the 1982 team.”
Learning To Work Together
Because of Likness’ work with the Beresford coaching staff a year