Govs bet on Dakota Marker

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PIERRE – South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have staked a friendly wager on the outcome of this weekend’s Dakota Marker football game between South Dakota State University and North Dakota State University.

In honor of the two states’ 128th anniversaries, Burgum and Daugaard wagered a $128 charitable donation based on the game’s outcome. Burgum agreed to donate $128 to the SDSU Foundation if the South Dakota State Jackrabbits win Saturday’s football game. Daugaard said he will donate $128 to the NDSU Foundation should the Bison of North Dakota State win the cross-border rivalry. 

Daugaard is confident of a South Dakota State victory today.

“President Harrison signed the Dakotas’ statehood proclamations at the same time, so no one knows which was first,” Daugaard said. “The state coming in first won’t be so elusive on Saturday when the Jacks keep the Dakota Marker where it belongs, in South Dakota.”

Burgum has equal confidence in NDSU and said he’s looking forward to collecting after losing his most recent bet with Daugaard on the Sept. 16 football matchup between the University of North Dakota and the University of South Dakota. Burgum will send a case of bison steaks to Daugaard to settle that wager.

“I’m confident Gov. Daugaard will enjoy the delicious North Dakota-raised bison, which is good, because the only thing the Jackrabbits will be tasting this weekend is defeat,” Burgum said. “The Bison are hungry to reclaim the Dakota Marker they lost last year for the first time since 2009. Of course, the real winners in this game are the fans and residents of our two states who are so well-represented by their top-10 teams in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Go Bison!”

The Bison and Jackrabbits are scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. today in Brookings. The trophy is a 75-pound model replica of the original quartzite monuments placed at half-mile intervals along the border in 1891-1892.

Photo from www.gojacks.com.