It's been another year with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Some of the saddest stories come to light because of sports but in general, sports are meant to be an escape. It's meant to bring enjoyment into lives. Not always successfully, but there it is. It's easy to get myopic about the things that have happened most recently, but I'm going to do my best to high all the highlights from the last 365. So let's turn back the clock & take a look back at many of the things that happened in the Fargo - Moorhead area sports scene since January 1!
As has been the case more often than not this decade, the first major accomplishment by a team from the area was NDSU's Football team making it back to Frisco for the FCS championship. Between the pep fest the night before, the tailgating leading up to the game & the game itself (both in pictures & words) it was as thoroughly covered as I could make it. It was a party, the likes of which everyone should experience if they're a Bison fan or even just a Football fan!
But that was just the start of the year. It wasn't long after that the most successful Basketball team of the year came into focus. Winning 16 in a row and 22 of 24 games dating back to mid November of 17 was their greatest accomplishment, and it was a great accomplishment. But a close second was how the women's Basketball team at Moorhead State made a statement about the strength of their program. A statement that has resonated into the current season as they will ride into 2019 on an eight game winning streak with a big win over Northern State to end the calendar year.
And they aren't the only ladies making noise on the court. The early stages of 2018 showed a depth of Basketball talent in the female ranks that still surprises me. Whether it's Kindred, Park Christian, or Fargo South, to name a few, all have young ladies who showed an excellence for the game that defies their ages. They make it fun to watch girls Basketball and will continue to do so into & through next year!
Before many of those games came to pass & names came to be know was a play that will live in lore of Vikings nation. We all know it. I celebrated it like I didn't even know I could, and I know many of you out there did as well. The pass, catch & run to reach the NFC championship game. A play that helped make up for so much of the negative Vikings history that I've experienced in my young life. And it wasn't even to get to the Super Bowl but it's part of the reason I want the Vikings to make the playoffs. Get a chance, let all the high end talents on the team make it a one game season and see what can happen. Maybe not a Hail Millie, but maybe another 10 sack game or a pick Six by the best safety in the NFL to seal a win. That all lies ahead of us, if the Vikings can get into the dance. But what is behind, was and will continue to be a legendary moment just days inside the new year.
What happened after meant they couldn't play in the Super Bowl in their own building which would have been even more amazing. But the big game went on as planned so I took my camera & took in all the grandeur of the event. From media row at the mega mall to the sights, sounds & smells downtown it was an event whose lead up is without rival. Maybe the World Cup could match it but few other things in the world can I think and all in one space no less.
So Football came to an end and the sporting world went a little quiet. Sure there we're games a plenty but highlights were few. The next amazing finish on a big stage didn't come until mid March as Hillsboro - Central Valley made it to the championship game, looking to be the first back to back Class B champs since 02 - 03. The Bishop Ryan team that they squared off against gave them all they could handle, eventually pushing the game in bonus time. As I already said, it had an amazing finish. With time dwindling down to nothing, the ball reached the open hands of Ryan Troftgruben, he in turn quickly went into his shooting motion and the ball went through the hoop to give his team a two point lead with three seconds to go. Could the game have two buzzer beaters to win? No, it could not but Bishop Ryan's loss is our gain and it was a heck of a game!
From far beyond the Fargo - Moorhead - West Fargo came news highly anticipated & greatly desired, by some - myself included - at about the same time as the Class B championship was wrapping. Kirk Cousins, the unicorn that he was (& still is in some ways, though differently today), signed with the Vikings. It hasn't gone as smoothly as I expected and the results have been well below my predictions but Case Keenum just lost to the Raiders so I'm thinking the Vikings got the better end of the switch this year. At the time it brought to mind thoughts of Super Bowl appearances, maybe even the lifting of the trophy. Could still happen, but a lot has to go right for them to even reach the NFC championship game again this year.
Then, once again, things got quiet in the area. Winter hung on making the playing of Baseball & Softball difficult. Normal stuff for early Spring in the frozen north but still an inconvenience. But the months rolled by and news continued to be made.
From the Twin Cities word came that the Timberwolves were actually going to not be a lottery team!(!!!) With an ailing Jimmy Butler and too few players worth using from the bench, their time in the post season was short. With the already max contracted Andrew Wiggins & the then soon to be maxed out Karl - Anthony Town on the roster it was a necessary step for the franchise, however minor it may seem.
Meanwhile, back home all of the local college Track & Field teams were having success. NDSU's Alyssa Olin proved to be one of the best throwers in the country all Spring and she was just the tip of the spear. Concordia. Moorhead State & other Bison athletes all showed that they were among the best in the conferences. A few even managed to make it to nationals and represent well. Olin and her teammate Maddy Nilles both finished as the fifth best in their respective events while Payton Otterdahl finished that year much like he was started this one - well. His 10th place finish in Eugene was a sign of things come from the big man from Rosemount!
2018 also included the end of an era that dated back to the 90s. For 20 straight seasons the West Fargo Bulls had finished as the top team in the state of North Dakota for Softball. In the quarterfinals against Bismarck Century the run ended. The Patriots seemingly took the trophy rights with them West after the game. They didn't get to the championship game but Minot bested Dickinson for the 2018 crown. On the boys side of the diamond play, Davies finished as the champions of the EDC but the state championship game was a similarly all Western affair.
Which brings us to the Summer. Traveling teams & all star games became the focal point as they always do. If the results of those events matter to you, you won't find them here but I took in many of the senior laden games that happened around town, all of which you can see pictures from in the Photo Gallery Section.
The Summer of 2018 also turned out to be the time for NDSU Basketball to reload as they looked to reconfigure & once again become a factor in the Summit League. For the women that included a decision by Sarah Jacobson to take the year off. They've become a bit of an afterthought so there wasn't much made about the decision & it's impact on the team but with only one senior on the squad it could work out well for them in the future. As for the guys, Dave Richman & his staff brought in a haul of new faces to the program to try and get it back to where it should be. The early part of the season was as tough a slate of games as any mid-major will have this year so the record is less than sterling but with conference play just starting a couple of days ago, most of the important games are ahead of them. If they aren't ready to compete with USD & SDSU with the season they've already had then nothing the coaches could have done would make a difference. They're absent a senior player so any success & achievement that they have this year will hopefully be indicative of what 2019 & 2020 hold for the program!
Into August & September the northern heartlands most successful professional franchise looked to send one of Minnesota's most successful athletes into the college coaching world as a champion. There may never be an athlete from the state of Minnesota that does Lindsay Whalen did over her sporting career. She won in high school, college & as a professional and now she's winning as a coach. If there isn't already, there will soon be a book out written by her on how to win or something like that. It would be well deserved considering how much of it she's done, but the Lynx were not able to finish it like a story book. Before the season had concluded she made the choice to step away so it's now even more Maya Moore's team than it was before.
August also featured a hype train that I still think is ridiculous, even with the masterful performances that he executed through the latter part of the season & in the post season. The one headline I remember from the Easton Stick NFL draft hype train declared him the best quarterback in this year's group. If he played in the FBS maybe he would have been the fourth invitee to New York for the Heisman ceremony, maybe. And my quick reaction to coach Klieman's assertion that he's the best player in college Football was agreement but then I had to take a step back. Kyler Murray & Tua Tagovailoa were lethal all season, and Dwayne Haskins wasn't too shabby either. And those are just the top three quarterbacks, there were great players all over the country this year. So while Easton Stick proved me wrong this year with the way he played, that he is almost certainly going to get drafted come late April, the hype train that some of the bobo's were pushing forward still seems like it was premature.
So Football started again. NDSU, MSUM & Concordia all got on the practices fields in preparation for their seasons. Unlike the season before, the Bison avoided serious injuries in the early going which was great news as the looked to make history this year. Like for the Moorhead teams, in season injuries are unavoidable but there weren't any major losses to dampen the excitement.
But the biggest story from camp time was the debut of the Vikings new home. Still very much under construction, their college campus sized digs were a sight to behold! Many of the photographs from the time in Eagan are also available in the pics area, but I'm not even sure that they do the campus justice. So next Summer, go check it out for yourself - I know I'll be back!
The disappointing season by the Vikings has unfortunately but also maybe mercifully come to an end. Offseason's are all about optimism, and Vikings fans deserve to be able to start the new year with optimism. Adam Thielen's historic run of receiving yards seems like it was age's ago. The offense flipped the switch to off and could never truly find out to get it turned back on. So after the Bills game, the tie, all the other stupid stuff that happened this year, being able to look forward to the draft is a mercy. And mercifully, that's a wrap on the Vikings, for now.
The best part of Fall may have been and may always be the Friday night lights. When young men play for nothing but the love of the game. For some it went the opportunity to earn the right to play at the next level in the school's just down the street. NDSU, UND, MSUM and more will all benefit from some of the talent that was on display every Friday as the leaves changes, fell & accompanied the arrival of the cold. West Fargo Sheyenne finally notched a win over the Bulls. Fargo North got back into the AAA playoffs. Shanley continued it's run of dominance. It was a GOOD year of high school Football in the area, and there's plenty about which to be excited come next August!
It also happened to be a good year for local Futbol. West Fargo squared off against Davies for the boys championship and squeaked out a 1 - 0 win for the title. Davies managed to balance the sheet a bit as their girls team faced Sheyenne in their championship game, winning 4 - 1 to make it two years in a row as the champs.
And even though we're only maybe half way through winter, it's already been full of successes.
NDSU Wrestling will have plenty of opportunity to become a genuine national powerhouse because they're in a top conference and have already shown they can compete with top teams. Their biggest win this year came over then #17 ranked Northwestern, which helped push them into top 25 ranking for much of the season so far. They've had matches against three other ranked teams so far and haven't faired as well against them. Success is success though and they've again showed that they can stack up.
They and everyone else in the athletics department will always play second fiddle, at best, to the Football team as far as fan support goes. This year, and most years recently, it's been well deserved. The Bison mostly steam rolled their way through the schedule and will play for #7 on Saturday. The success earned coach Klieman a chance to live out a dream against some of the best schools in the country. Kansas State will be better for his addition and the Bison will have a great chance to send him off as a champion. Easton Stick and the rest of the senior class did not mess around this year. And they got a lot of help from guys who will be back for at least next season. It was a tremendous mix of talents that should go down as one of the best teams in the schools storied history. It was so good in fact that a school record 15 players made all conference. Both Easton Stick & Jabril Cox were players of the year in the conference for their respective sides. And the accolades go on and on and on. A stacked team that really deserved a chance to play a top power 5 team, but they don't want NDSU and I can't really blame them for that.
So I could end with the playoffs. The shutout of Colgate, the repeat story of the Bison beating the Bunnies in the playoffs, Matt Entz getting the nod to be the next coach. All great things that they ended the year with.
But instead I'm going to finish off with some recognition for athletes don't get near enough. The indoor season of Track & Field has already included record setting performances by a trio of Bison competitors. Payton Otterdahl smashed the old records in the weight throw & shot put. Not to be outdone, the combination of Maddy Nilles & Bailey Retzlaff did the same for the women's records in those events.
There's more I could say. More people that deserve to be recognized by names. More accomplishments that deserve to be lauded. If I missed you entirely, I apologize. It's a tough thing to track every major event that goes on, even in a town the size of Fargo. But if I did miss your accomplishment, give me a shout and I'll try to do better next time.
For now, that's 2018 in a very long nut shell.