Paul Cifonelli
Paul Cifonelli is a sports reporter with the Argus Leader whose coverage ties together South Dakota high school football, Missouri Valley college football and practical fan guides. His work stands out for mixing detailed game analysis with service journalism that tells readers not just what happened, but how to watch and follow it in real time. He joined the Argus Leader sports staff in 2026 and has prior experience shaping local sports coverage as an editor and reporter at a regional newspaper.
South Dakota high school football and player legacy
Cifonelli is deeply embedded in South Dakota high school football, writing predictive and context-heavy pieces on the SDHSAA season.
In his state championship preview work, he breaks down classes across the state, weighs recent history and returning personnel, and offers specific title picks for programs such as Sioux Falls Lincoln, Pierre and Sioux Falls Christian. The coverage focuses on why certain teams are positioned to repeat or break through, tying past dominance to current rosters and highlighting quarterbacks and skill players by name. He also steps away from the week-to-week schedule to frame the sport’s history, as in his “South Dakota high school RB Mount Rushmore” feature, which ranks all-time running backs and connects eras of the game in the state.
His high school reporting is not limited to results and predictions. A practice photo gallery of Sioux Falls Roosevelt football shows him on the field capturing drills, position work and coaching interactions, with cutlines that identify specific players and moments. That piece focuses on line play, quarterback drills and conditioning work, giving readers a sense of how a program prepares before the season rather than only how it performs under the lights. He also runs reader-facing features such as the Argus Leader Athlete of the Week ballot, which spotlights standout high school performances across sports and drives audience participation through voting. Taken together, his high school work blends forward-looking analysis, historical framing and close-up practice reporting, making him a central voice on South Dakota prep football and its personalities.
Missouri Valley college football coverage
Cifonelli is a key reporter on South Dakota State and South Dakota football, covering both programs through previews, live updates and detailed game recaps. His South Dakota State coverage includes how-to-watch guides that list TV channels, streaming platforms and radio networks, paired with score predictions that explain matchup edges in terms of quarterback changes, run game strength and defensive identity.
In one Eastern Illinois preview, he outlines the impact of a new starting quarterback and argues that the Jackrabbits’ defense and ground game should be enough to control the contest. Follow-up live coverage from the same matchup tracks scoring, yardage totals and the way the run game and defense came to define the team’s season, giving readers a narrative thread from pregame expectations to the final score.
On South Dakota football, his reporting spans dominant wins and early-season setbacks in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. A blowout win over Central Connecticut is presented through a statistical lens, with passing yardage, completion rate, touchdown counts and explosive plays used to frame a freshman quarterback’s record-tying debut. When South Dakota drops its conference opener at Youngstown State, Cifonelli details the turning point by quarter, notes interception totals and rushing yards, and situates the game in the context of the team’s early season arc.
His USD previews against Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington combine watch information with commentary on offensive depth, quarterback efficiency and the potential for high-scoring games, showing that he treats these guides as analysis pieces rather than simple schedule posts.
Fan guides, schedules and event coverage
A defining part of Cifonelli’s beat is service journalism aimed at fans who want to know where and how to watch games. His “how to watch” articles for South Dakota State and South Dakota football consistently include kickoff times, broadcast partners, streaming options and radio coverage, presented in clear lists that are easy to reference on game day. Many of these pieces also carry short predictions, giving readers a sense of how he expects the game to play out and which units are most important to watch.
That blend of logistics and opinion makes the format useful both for casual viewers and for those tracking competitive storylines over a season.
He applies the same fan-first approach beyond the local college schedule.
Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cifonelli compiled a guide to where matches would be shown in South Dakota, listing specific venues and noting which group-stage games or national teams each would carry. The piece also invited businesses to have their watch parties added, underscoring his interest in building a living resource around a major global event.
Across football and soccer, his event guides show attention to broadcast details and openness to community input, positioning him as a practical point of contact for sports coverage tied to viewing experiences rather than only box scores.
Formats and reporting style
Cifonelli works across multiple formats - rankings features, prediction columns, photo-driven practice coverage, live scoring updates and fan guides - and keeps the language direct and rooted in on-field performance. His football writing leans on specific data points such as passing efficiency, rushing totals, touchdown counts and turnover margins, using them to explain game flow rather than just listing statistics.
At the same time, he foregrounds context, referencing prior seasons, returning starters and program trends when making state title or game predictions. The recurring athlete-of-the-week voting column and watch-party guides show he is comfortable integrating reader and community participation into his coverage, widening the frame beyond teams and coaches. For anyone following South Dakota’s football landscape, his byline signals a mix of detailed analysis and practical information that helps make sense of both the schedule and the stakes.
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