While the team got a few days away the machine that is the Football League did not stop or slow-down. The first development focused on Ryan Wright as he was named Special Teams Player of the Week. The rest were about the roster as safety Myles Dorn & receiver Blake Proehl were moved to the practice squad and outside linebacker Benton Whitley, previously of Los Angeles, was signed to the 53.
Following the result of the Marker game the team was bumped to fourth in both the Coaches & the Stats polls. Thursday they got unexpected good news as Cody Mauch was added to the Walter Payton Award watchlist. For all the great offensive linemen that have come through the Dome, none have gotten that sort of recognition so don't just pass it by.
The income of accolades continued as Abby Wilkinson (⚽️) & Logan O'Brien (🏐) were each recognized by the League for their defensive acumen. In the short time in-between both men's & women's 🏃 were top-14 in the regional rankings. On the heels of that Jake Arason was named XC Performer of the Week.
When the action began men's ⛳️ took third out of 10 in Denver. 🏐 kept it going with a 3 - 0 wins over Western Illinois & St. Thomas Thursday/Saturday. A 2 - 0 loss Sunday by ⚽️ prevented the week-sweep but they beat South Dakota 4 - 1 earlier to secure a spot in the League tournament Friday in Denver against ORU.
🏐 began the weekend with a 3 - 0 win in Minot and backed it up with a shutout of UMary Saturday. In-between ⚽️ came up a goal short against Duluth Friday & finished down 3 - 0 to St. Cloud Sunday. 🏊 was torched in Sioux Falls Friday/Saturday. In Bismarck Gage Florence & the 🏈 team had a battle for the Paddle which finished with the freshman setting a Conference record for receptions with 21 and the Fire-Breathers maintaining possession. Florence was then named Conference Offensive Player of the Week. The coaches better already be in conversations to try and keep him from transferring up!
The Knights of Carleton (proof that MIAC schools can have good nicknames) were a common opponent for the Corn this week. It started on the pitch as the men played host, surrendering three while only getting one score of their own.
🏈 then dealt Carleton their first loss of the season with a defensive masterpiece.
⚽️ couldn't keep it going with the men falling to St. Olaf Saturday & Wisconsin-Whitewater Sunday while the ladies were dropped by the Ollies.
Just ahead of their season opener the Howl announced the initial composition of the roster. It didn't take long for that change as Eric Paschall was waived with a lingering injury. They made two more tweaks Sunday, sending Luka Garza & Josh Minott to Des Moines where they can gain more experience with the D-League team.
As for the games, the first two followed an eerily-similar script with Oklahoma City & Utah both mounting big comebacks in the third quarter. It was expected that there would be an adjustment period but how it's unfolded so far has caught most observers by surprise. One thing that has carried straight over is Gobert snatching rebounds like kids on halloween collecting sugary snacks. His 39 through two games is the most in franchise history. In game three he passed KG again by getting to 51. The 54 that he ended Sunday with were the most Association-wide since 96/97 when Charles Barkley gobbled 65. So long as he can keep chugging along he will set himself up as the best rebounder in the franchise's history - fair return for an "over pay." That W included Edwards dropping 30 for the second time already this season, maybe the predicted season average wasn't SO outlandish 😏.
Their lone time on the ice went off as a good one as Fargo hung four scores on Tri-City while Anton Castro stopped all 21 shots to secure his first USHL shutout! They will be back on home ice Friday/Saturday against Sioux City.
Reminder that scores and recruiting news are updated regularly so check back often!
Now for this week's highlights
The latest steps toward Winter sports began with Moorhead boys ⚽️ edging Bemidji to host the section championship match Thursday against St. Michael/Albertville. The final proved to be a one-score affair, with the visitors earning the right to raise the trophy & prepare for the State Tournament.
Despite a regular season-ending loss to Rogers the Taters secured the second seed in the section tournament and will host the winner of Alexandria & St. Cloud Tech next Saturday. Barnesville also earned a first round bye, ending their undefeated regular season with a 42 - 6 win over Hawley. The Nuggets will travel to Frazee for the first round. Fertile/Beltrami also went unblemished to secure a bye, finishing with a 52-point shutout against Cass Lake/Bena. D/G/F had to endure it's toughest test of the season in the swan song but got to 8-0 with a touchdown victory over Detroit Lakes. Park Christian will head to Blackduck Tuesday and try to improve upon the 46 - rip score from a month ago. Ada/Borup ended the schedule with a 28-point win over Red Lake and will get Fosston in the first round. After dropping three of their final four Ulen/Hitterdal secured a date against Clearbrook Tuesday.
As the final regular seasons wound-down in North Dakota Shanley showed it's best in the last, beating St. Mary's 70 - 14, with three of the scores going Conner Kraft's direction. The final night also included another 1 versus 2 as Mandan came to Sheyenne, with the Mustangs running on them to secure the one seed. South got the top spot in AA after a 7 - 3 nail-biter against Valley City. Here are the up-to-date brackets for all four levels of 🏈, beginning with the A schools and followed by the Bs.
On the 🏐 court West Fargo, Davies & North all had shutout wins to start the week while Horace took South to the limit. Moorhead put just the second loss of the season on Sheyenne, both in non-conference play. The Mustangs bounced back with a 3 - 0 win over Valley City, as did South over Oak Grove. That came after Oak Grove took down Shanley in 5 while N Cass kept their machine running with a 3 - 0 on Lisbon. Thompson & May/Port/C/G each also had a quickies to start the week. On short rest Thompson did the same to Hatton/Northwood as Central Cass added another victory over Kindred. Richland squeaked out a win against Enderlin. The Squirrels added one more, 3 - 0 versus Sargent County.
Across the River Park Christian got their 15th win of the season taking down Bagley in short order. Fertile/Beltrami had a 3 - 0 over Red Lake, as did Barnesville against Frazee. Hawley got one as well in Pelican Rapids. Lake Park ended a tough regular season with a high-note over Win/E/Mac. Following a home tournament the Spuds found out they will travel to Rogers Thursday for the opening round of sections. The other matchups will be added as they are announced.
In the State B 🏃 Meet Hillsboro/CV & Kindred girls were third & fourth as teams while Kindred's boys took second. Hillsboro's Christian Brist had the third best individual run to help the Boro's to fourth place. Oak Grove's Lily Elbert set a school record with her seventh-place run.
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