The short break following last Sunday's shellacking showed yet again that this team has rare resilience and can match up with any team not in the N.F.C. East. In beating New England they got Justin Jefferson another record, which also tied him with Adam Thielen for the fourth-most 100 yard games in franchise history in just 44 games. So long as he doesn't go all Percy Harvin or Stefon Diggs on it he will own that record before he reaches his physical prime years. A couple of his running-mates also notched milestones Thursday as TJ Hockenson secured the most receptions for a TE in League history while Thielen moved into a tie with Anthony Carter for third-most scores in The Team's history!
To get all those done Cousins had to have one of the best performances of his career and it was the second best against Belichick! To add to The Hoodie's bad mood, Kene Nwangwoooo had his third house call, which leads the League over the last two season!
It doesn't absolve them of the Dallas Debacle but in getting to 9 - 2 they continued to be right on Philadelphia's heels. They're now a win or two away from being a virtual lock for at least the three seed and depending how the chips fall when it becomes Survive & Advance Season they could still play their way into hosting the Conference Championship game. Nothing is given but we need to keep the big picture in mind down the stretch!
🏈 may have had Saturday off but still made plenty of headlines during the week. It started with CB Marques Sigle, WR DJ Hart & RB Dom Gonnella opting to enter the transfer portal. They were followed by former WF Sheyenne standout RB Nate Goldade, who has seen limited action since his junior season in HS due to an ACL injury so his will be a unique process to follow. As for the three headliners, Gonnella's opportunity continued to dwindle so him opting to move on was not especially surprising. The other two were on the verge of being significant contributors on either side of the line so playing time is likely not the reason. That leaves plenty of room for speculation but even those who are much more closely connected to the team can only speculate. We may never know for certain but the most likely explanation could be them not blending well with the coaching styles of the current staff.
The team also found out that Cam Miller, Hart & Nash Jensen were among the Conference Players of the Week. They received more good news as eight members of the roster were included on the All-District Team. They finished the week finding out that Montana would come to Fargo Saturday afternoon.
🏐 also received some praise ahead of their start in Omaha as Kelley Johnson headlined a five-pack amongst the All-League honorees with Setter of the Year recognition. They opened the tournament without a shutout of North Dakota, their first Tournament win since 2018 but like that year, the next round was when the good sets stopped as Omaha took them down 3 - 1. They found out Sunday that they would be able to continue competing in the National Invitational VB Tournament, hooking Davidson for the first round Friday in Winston/Salem!
🤼 followed suit, moving up to #15 in the nation ahead of their clash with Minnesota in December which will now be between top-15 operations. It's their highest ranking in the D1 era.
Women's 🏀 opened the week against Northern Colorado and thanks a 25 - 8 fourth quarter got their fourth win to open the year. They got the slash Friday against Boise State, 68 - 53 - their first 5 - 0 start to a year since 2004! Their week came to a close against Nevada and Heaven Hamling rained down on the Wolves with 39 points (third most in program history) as she eclipsed 1,000 points in her college career & lead the ladies to their sixth win in as many games! It's all window-dressing ahead of conference play but should have people excited about what's possible with this year's squad!
The men's team, on the other hand, remained stuck on one win as Northern Colorado rode a strong first half into victory Friday & New Mexico put them down by 21 Saturday. They closed out the week against Jacksonville State, getting a break-out performance from Jacari White, but ultimately came up short yet again.
Moorhead State opened the week of 🏀 with the men in Aberdeen but the Jacksen Moni-lead Wolves had a 15-point cushion at the break which kept them ahead down the stretch. They then traveled to Pueblo, CO for the weekend. The Mountain air got them back on track with a seven point win over the hosts and a nail-biting one-point win over NM Highlands! In each win they spread the ball around well (five players scoring at least eight points in each) with a sixth cracking double figures against Pueblo.
The ladies had a back-to-back as well, in Florida. They started with a 30-point route of Rollins College Friday and then beat Holy Family by 11 Saturday. Both games included balanced output by several members of the team. Following the performances Peyton Boom was named Most Outstanding Player & North Division Player of the Week by the Conference!
If the teams can maintain the same level of balance into & through the conference schedule then they could both end up being well-set for Sioux Falls!
Concordia started the week with honors as 10 members of the 🏈 team were All-Conference.
Men's 🏀 then earned it's first conference victory over St. Olaf but couldn't make it two-in-a-row, coming up short in the second half against Gustavus. The women had no such trouble, taking down St. Olaf with a performance that puts them up with some of the best teams they've had since Y2K. Fellow unbeaten Gustavus gave them a run for their kernels and prevented a second prolific attack but was not able to put the L on Concordia.
Men's had one skate against a different sweater in a non-conference tilt against Hamline but were not able to hear the sweet music of victory when it was all said & done.
Just when it seemed like the Howl were finding their footing for the season they laid a pair of eggs. The first one came Friday against an undermanned Charlotte team that didn't seem all the way interested in getting it's sixth win of the season and then against the road-weary reigning champs that put a smack on the Dogs in the first half similar to the Purple's showing a week ago. People will try to explain the losses, will say the same things as a result of them but it's what they do that people will put stock in. Don't be surprised if Gobert & the rest hear the same sounds from the stands Wednesday when Memphis comes to the Cities! They get what they earn.
The Bolts sandwiched the week with extra long contests, beginning with a 4 - 3 W against Sioux Falls as Anthony Menghini continued a quality stretch! Following Thanksgiving they put six on Omaha as Cole Knuble got two shots past the goalie but the set of contests finished in a split as Fargo lost a 3 - 1 advantage in the third period Saturday and then failed in the shootout.
Reminder that scores and recruiting news are updated regularly so check back often!
Now for this week's highlights, few though there are
Both of the North Dakota All-State 🏐 teams were announced, with a good number of local players on each!
Girls 🏊 also released their list, with plenty of locals included on it as well!
The week also included a few puck drops, with Fargo North having the most resounding of the performances, hanging three field goals on Bismarck while protecting their net from all would-be scores. Their Southern counterparts had a four-score second period to beat Davies by three as well.
In preparation for the other major Winter sport the first sets of previews were released.
There are more to come so keep an eye out!
In the waning hours of the week the 10 MN Mr. 🏈 finalists were announced with D/G/F RB Jordan Summers among them!
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