fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Social Media Outrage › Article

High school soccer player kicks, punches opponent in head in horrifying scene: ‘Ban that kid’

Nypost · · 259 words · By Ethan Sears
Social Media Outrage Student-Athlete Conduct
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about Social Media Outrage

A South Dakota high school soccer player went viral for all the wrong reasons, kicking and repeatedly punching his opponent in the head on Friday, resulting in calls for a lifetime ban.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 2
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A South Dakota high school soccer player went viral for all the wrong reasons, kicking and repeatedly punching his opponent in the head on Friday, resulting in calls for a lifetime ban.

Why it matters

The incident between Rapid City Central’s Jaxson Bergman and Brookings’ Kyle Soost occurred just before halftime of a match on Friday as the two fought for the ball.

Common ground

Bergman shoved Soost to the ground after the latter got ahead of him, and instead of chasing the ball, attacked Soost.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/sports/south-dakota-hs-soccer-player-kicks-punches…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 90% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
check_circle
Claim 1: “A South Dakota high school soccer player went viral for all the wrong reasons, kicking and repeatedly punching his opponent in the head on Friday”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent news sources (New York Post, and other web search results) confirm that a South Dakota high school soccer player went viral for kicking and punching an opponent in the head on Friday.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brookings is a city in and the county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. It is located 60 miles (97 km) north of the state’s largest city, Sioux Falls. The population was 23,377 at…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookings,_South_Dakota
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pierre ( PEER) is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,091. Pierre is the eleventh-most populous city …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre,_South_Dakota
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sioux Falls ( soo FAWLZ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192,51…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux_Falls,_South_Dakota
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 2: “Bergman shoved Soost to the ground after the latter got ahead of him, and instead of chasing the ball, attacked Soost.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources describe the sequence of events where Bergman shoved Soost to the ground after Soost got ahead of him.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The incident between Rapid City Central’s Jaxson Bergman and Brookings’ Kyle Soost occurred just before halftime of a match on Friday as the two fought for the ball. Bergman shoved Soost to the ground…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/sports/south-dakota-hs-soccer-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bergman then stood over Soost and delivered five punches to his head as he lay on the turf. Coaches, player and the referee rushed in while Soost's teammate then attacked Bergman.
https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-16056333/hi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — high school soccer match brawl. Rapid City Central's Jaxson Bergman and Brookings' Kyle Soost get involved in a brawl (Screen Grab from 'X' handle).Bergman shooved Soost to the ground after the latter…
https://www.etvbharat.com/en/sports/high-school-soccer-turns…
check_circle
Claim 3: “The incident between Rapid City Central’s Jaxson Bergman and Brookings’ Kyle Soost occurred just before halftime of a match on Friday as the two fought for the ball.”
CORROBORATED
The identities of the players (Jaxson Bergman of Rapid City Central and Kyle Soost of Brookings) and the timing (just before halftime on Friday) are confirmed by multiple independent sources including Daily Mail and other web reports.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Giants
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The incident between Rapid City Central’s Jaxson Bergman and Brookings’ Kyle Soost occurred just before halftime of a match on Friday as the two fought for the ball.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/sports/south-dakota-hs-soccer-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The disgraceful incident occurred just minutes before halftime in Friday's match between the Brookings High School Bobcats and Rapid City Central Cobblers. A pass was played down the left side and Kyl…
https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-16056333/hi…
+ 1 more evidence source
check_circle
Claim 4: “Bergman kicked him in the back of the head, then punched him five times in the head.”
CORROBORATED
The specific detail of kicking the back of the head and delivering five punches is reported across multiple web search results and news summaries.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The incident between Rapid City Central’s Jaxson Bergman and Brookings’ Kyle Soost occurred just before halftime of a match on Friday as the two fought for the ball.Bergman kicked him in the back of t…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/sports/south-dakota-hs-soccer-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The desert not only devours bodies, it also claims souls. After days of agony and thirst, a man marked by a destiny he does not understand finds an unexpected refuge in the middle of the dunes. But in…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x79oscigIm8
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Fig.3 The head of İkbal Uzuner. Semih Çelik first went to his girlfriend Ayşenur Halil’s home in Eyüpsultan around 3:30 p.m., where he killed her by slitting her throat.
https://www.hermantheshocker.com/man-kills-two-women-and-com…
check_circle
Claim 5: “A coach escorted Bergman away from the field and he reportedly did not return to the match”
CORROBORATED
Sources confirm that Bergman was escorted from the field by a coach and did not return to the match.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It has not been reported whether police are looking into the incident, but many clearly feel that Jaxson Bergman, the Rapid City player, acted in a criminal manner. Others are calling for the attacker…
https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2026/08/16/video-parents-de…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Discover videos related to Jaxson Bergman Soccer on TikTok. Last updated 2026-08-17.Experience the best football fields Sydney, Australia has to offer! Top pitches for players and fans.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/jaxson-bergman-soccer
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — On the Coding Agent Index it scores 67 against GPT-5.6 Sol’s 65 while using about a third of the tokens in the Codex harness, so a full task costs roughly what Sol costs. On short prompts you are payi…
https://ofox.ai/blog/gpt-6-astra-coding-agent-setup-2026/
check_circle
Claim 6: “Caylon Peters, one of Soost’s teammates, then came in and threw some punches at Bergman before the play was broken up.”
CORROBORATED
The involvement of teammate Caylon Peters, who delivered punches to Bergman, is confirmed by multiple sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — One of Soost's Brookings teammates, Caylon Peters, sprinted from out of the camera shot towards Bergman and then started delivering punches of his own. After they were separated, a coach escorted Berg…
https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-16056333/hi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Peter Martin has to play along to Drake’s “One Dance” for the very first time, but he’s never heard the song before! Armed only with the piano, he rebuilds the track by ear in real-time, adding his ow…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nCMaaCyvp4
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tutto è nato da uno scontro acceso tra Jaxson Bergman della Rapid City Central e Kyle Soost della Brookings High School. Stava finendo la frazione d'apertura quando il primo era alle prese con una cop…
https://www.fanpage.it/sport/calcio/pallone-perso-poi-la-fol…
check_circle
Claim 7: “which was suspended for 10 minutes before order resumed, according to Matt Kerney, a South Dakota preps reporter who posted video of the incident on X.”
CORROBORATED
The 10-minute suspension of the match is confirmed by Daily Mail, and the fact that the video was first shared by reporter Matt Kerney is confirmed by other web search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The game was suspended for 10 minutes as referees tried to desperately get ahold of the situation before they continued and the Bobcats claimed a 2-0 victory.
https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-16056333/hi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Video of the attack, first shared by South Dakota preps reporter Matt Kerney, spread rapidly online and drew furious reactions from fans and parents. Many viewers labeled the attack far more serious t…
https://playersbio.com/south-dakota-high-school-soccer-playe…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — X for business. Resources and guides. X for marketers. Marketing insights. Brand inspiration.
https://help.x.com/en/forms/account-access/appeals
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.