Darrel Vander Esch
Darrell is inducted into the Brandon Valley High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a strong and loyal contributor on many levels.  After playing and coaching at the University of South Dakota, Coach Vander Esch came to Brandon in 1988 as the owner of the Pizza Ranch and immediately found his way to the football field as a volunteer defensive line coach.  He would later become the Defensive Coordinator.  During his ten seasons as an assistant, he was part of four state championships and two runner-up finishes.

He has always believed that timing is everything.  He came to BVHS during a time when there were great athletes and a great coaching staff.  He believes that his relationship with the school has been mutually beneficial to the football program and his business.

Coach Vander Esch's favorite memories are narrowed to two.  First is the 1992 team that was 1-8 and played 9-0 Yankton in the first round of the playoffs and won.  His second was when the Lynx defeated Aberdeen Central in the 1995 playoffs.  Aberdeen Central was led by quarterback Josh Heupel, who was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy while playing at the University of Oklahoma.