The Buffalo Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the induction of Jason Bucholz (’03). His induction into the HOF will take place on Saturday, January 24, during the Stanley County vs. Cheyenne-Eagle Butte doubleheader basketball game at Parkview Auditorium in Fort Pierre. (It’s also the annual chili feed fundraiser!)
The Buffalo Hall of Fame was established to formally honor the memory and contributions of outstanding student-athletes, coaches and supporters of Fort Pierre High and Stanley County High School co-curricular programs. It serves as a symbol of the community’s appreciation for the excellence, honor, and devotion displayed by the inductees:
Jason Bucholz ’03 was a celebrated three-sport standout athlete for Stanley County. He was a four-year starter in Basketball, a four-year starting quarterback in football, a multi-year State Track Meet qualifier, and the 2003 SC Senior Athlete of the Year.
In track, Jason’s talents led him to qualifying for the State Track Meet as a junior in the 400 and 1600-meter relays and as a senior in the 1-mile relay.
In football, Jason quarterbacked the Buffaloes to a 27-11 record over four seasons. As a freshman, he led SC to a 6-4 record but lost in the second round to Philip. His sophomore season, SC finished with a 6-2 record but did not make the playoffs. Jason, however, received an Honorable Mention All-State selection as a sophomore. Jason’s junior season, the Buffaloes again went 6-4 with a tough second-round loss to St. Thomas More.
As a Senior, Jason led SC to an undefeated regular season in football. The Buffaloes beat Lemmon 12-7 in the first round of the playoffs but came up short 22-28 in the second round against St. Thomas More, finishing the season with a 9-1 record. Jason was honored with an All-State Team Defensive Back selection, was chosen to play in the Coaches Association All Star Game and was selected to the South Dakota Elite 45 football team.
Jason’s talents shined bright on the hardwood, too, where he graduated as SC’s all-time leading basketball scorer. As a junior, he was named to the Class A All State 2 nd Team. Jason garnered attention everywhere he played. He was named four times to the Big Dakota All Conference team and three times to the Holiday Hoopla All-Tournament Team. In Murdo, at the Jones County Tournament, he reigned supreme, being named three times to the All-Tourney First Team, winning the 2002 Pete Kern’s Award, and capturing the 2003 Tourney MVP. Statewide recognition soon followed, and Jason was named a Class A 1st Team All State his senior year.
Jason was a prolific scorer for the Buffaloes. As a freshman, he averaged 15.9 ppg, a statistic that increased every year. As a sophomore, he sank 35 straight free-throws. For his career, Jason was 411/519 from the FT line. He finished his career as Stanley County’s all-time leading scorer with 1,504 points.
Jason lives in Pierre with his wife Dawn and son Rylin.