Argus Leader readers spent the last week putting together their Mount Rushmore of South Dakota high school defensive linemen, and the results are in. The voting was tight, and there was another tie for the final spot. Sioux Falls Jefferson's Anthony Patron, Sioux Falls Lincoln's Luke Krempges and Rapid City Central's John Dutton are the top three vote getters, while O'Gorman's Larry Jacobson and Brandon Valley's Cade Terveer tied for the last spot. Here's a deeper dive on the five selections for the top defensive linemen in South Dakota history. Anthony Patron (Sioux Falls Jefferson Class of 2027) Patron is still active and leads the Sioux Falls Jefferson defensive line. He recorded 13 sacks in 2025, good for third in Class 11AAA history. A duplicate season will put Patron in the top two in class history. Patron committed to South Dakota State over the offseason.
Luke Krempges (Sioux Falls Lincoln Class of 2025) Krempges is another recent legend in a Sioux Falls city school, piling up 10 sacks over three seasons while being strong in run defense. He was an All-State selection as a junior and senior, racking up 87 tackles with 15 for a loss over those two years. Krempges is now a defensive end at South Dakota State. He wore the redshirt as a freshman in 2025, but still got into four regular season games and both FCS playoff games. John Dutton (Rapid City Central Class of 1969) Dutton was a two-time All-State football player at Rapid City High School, as Stevens High School opened in 1970 and Rapid City High became known as Central High School. He played at Cathedral High School until 1968, but moved to Rapid City High School after Cathedral closed. Dutton then went to Nebraska, being named an All-Big Eight and All-American defensive lineman as a senior in 1973. He also played in the "Game of the Century" against Oklahoma in 1971. The Rapid City native is still the highest-selected South Dakotan in the NFL Draft, going fifth overall to the Baltimore Colts in 1974. Dutton was named to the NFL All-Rookie team in 1974, and made three Pro Bowls with Baltimore. He was then traded to the Dallas Cowboys and retired after the 1987 season with 73 sacks, unofficially. Larry Jacobson (O'Gorman Class of 1968) Jacobson starred for O'Gorman in the late 1960s, but his best football was played at Nebraska. The O'Gorman product broke out as a junior in 1970, going for 49 totals tackles and nine for a loss. He then improved to 73 tackles and 12 for a loss in his Outland Trophy-winning 1971 season. Jacobson's 1970 and 1971 Nebraska teams went unbeaten and won national championships. Jacobson parlayed his strong Nebraska career into an NFL spot, going 24th overall in the 1972 NFL Draft to the New York Giants. He recorded 5.5 sacks in three seasons, but a broken leg ended his career prematurely. Cade Terveer (Brandon Valley Class of 2018) Terveer is the Class 11AAA career sacks leader with 34.5. That's second in 11-man football, regardless of class, and third in all of South Dakota history. Terveer reached that milestone thanks to a 13.5-sack junior season. He followed that up with a nine-sack, 26-TFL season as a senior. The Brandon Valley standout went to South Dakota State, compiling 13.5 sacks, 20 tackles for a loss and 66 tackles over his five-year career. The defensive lineman also recorded three interceptions as a Jackrabbit, with two coming in 2021. Terveer and South Dakota State won the FCS national championship his final two seasons. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Who is on the Argus Leader South Dakota high school DL Mount Rushmore?