It's been a week without games for the Purple but in tried & true fashion that didn't stop them from making some news. Saturday afternoon they abruptly released Bashaud Breeland following a confrontation during practice. Cornerback has been the weakest of all the positions this season so he was unlikely to get a second contract with Minnesota but it leaves them even more vulnerable to opposing passing offenses. If there is an upside it's that they have tepid Chicago Monday night. The game reps for the reserves could make a difference against Los Angeles & Green Bay.
It's a leftover from last week but NDSU's Kellyn March set a new school record for quickness of a pin that needs to be seen!
When this week's action began the men's 🏀 faced a familiar foe from the football field and got their best win of the season over Indiana State. In his third game back from an abdominal issue Sam Griesel put on a show with one of his best performances since suiting up at the SHAC. He was one point shy of tying his career-high in points while being a top rebound & assister. If he can hit that level a few more times as the important games are set to begin then this team will be all but unstoppable in conference!
During the mid-week lull that followed Jackson Hankey, Eli Mostaert, Jake Reinholz, Hunter Luepke & Lane Tucker were recognized for their academic achievements. The recognitions continued as eight of the players were selected as All-Americans.
While a certain big game was taking place at the Dome, the men got back on the court in Stockton, CA with Rocky Kreuser doing yeoman's work to propel them to their eighth win of the season. They open up conference play Wednesday as North Dakota comes to town.
The women will do likewise, except they will be the visitors to begin conference season. Their final tune-up came Sunday as Jamestown made the trip East. The score finished in predictable fashion but unexpectedly, freshman Sophie Olson made her debut. Injuries played a role but she added 10 points in 16 minutes so the sudden insertion didn't prove to be more than she was ready for.
Which just leaves the 🏈 .
Before the semi-final started they added a club quantity of players on signing day. There are a few players that can be identified as future standouts but the process to that point will take varying amounts of time. Shanley's own John Gores may be able to get meaningful time on the field as freshman while the more ballyhooed Carson Hegerle may not get a lot of snaps that soon. Ratings are fun to talk about but fit & need aren't mentioned as often even though they have much more baring on player usage.
Then came Friday night. Having the chance to raise another trophy shouldn't come easy and getting the win was not. Add to that weight the fact that it was a simmering rivalry game and the chance for something special to happen got even greater. Little did we know just how special it would get until Destin Talbert had one of the best interceptions that you, I or anyone will ever see! It punctuated a classic game as James Madison exits the sub-division for greener pastures.
The pick seen round the world should not overshadow the whale of a game that Hunter Luepke had. Along with two touchdown receptions, which bookended the night's scoring, he was also the first player since Christian Watson in the 2019 semi against Montana State to lead the team in rushing & receiving. He's every bit a new age fullback & got to show it on the second-highest stage possible. In three week's time we will find out what he & the rest can do for an encore!
With the holiday break looming Moorhead State had shots to make waves against nationally recognized opponents. Women's had the first crack 20th ranked St. Cloud State. Stifling defense & a hot shooting night by Peyton Boom got them a signature win as they continued to build themselves up. The quick turnaround brought Duluth into Nemzek Saturday and Boom went off for 17 more but it was the Bulldogs who played the role of defensive juggernauts this time, winning by 17.
The men also had St. Cloud Friday and blew the doors off as seven Dragons scored at least nine points. In their second game it was 17th ranked Duluth that took control early and never looked back.
The year concluded with Cole Jones representing 🤼 in Indianapolis as he took seventh with four wins against two losses..
In a wide-open competition for the postseason Minnesota continues to yo-you through the year. Just as quickly as they went on the five-game losing streak they rolled back to win four against West teams that should be in playoff contention when it matters the most. In classic fashion they lost Anthony Edwards for the final two games of the week right after he became the youngest player in franchise history to 2,000 points while hitting more threes in a game than anyone has so far this season. With the company he joined after eclipsing 2K you could say he's on a hall of fame trajectory. I'm not, but you could. The same night Towns joined the Ticket as the second player in franchise history to clear 10,000 points. It was a night unlike many that the franchise (or the state's pro sports teams) has had during their existence.
So now they've beaten multiple championship contenders. One game is much different than a series but before they can attack that they need to show progress in learning to stay consistent night after night. That's the only way they will have a chance to more than just make the second season but win a couple of games & possibly advance. That's what to watch for as a daunting stretch of games continues!
It was an early weekend for the Bolts as they hosted Waterloo Thursday/Friday. The first game finished as a 1 - 0 win for the home team, scored by Kyle Smolen in the second period. The win came as they donned sweaters to raise funds for Matt Cullen's organization. They were on their way to another win with a 2 - 0 lead a minute into the second period but a few minutes later the dam broke and Waterloo rolled to a 5 - 2 win. They close out the year at home but then immediately head on the road, which is where they will play for most of January.
Prior to taking the ice it was announced that former defensemen Jack Peart & Scott Morrow are among the members of the 2022 Junior National Team.
Reminder that scores are added daily, so check back often.
But now for the highlights of a week that was extra special
The high point of it came Wednesday with signing day. Along with NDSU's 31 came a pair of Taters taking the final step toward playing in Grand Forks.
For all that, there were nearly as many great successes inside the lines!
Keeping it in Moorhead, their girls had a big win on the ice against Roseau while the boys took care of business at the pool just as convincingly against Fargo North.
South's boys also thoroughly outplayed when they took the ice against Grafton, as did Davies against Sheyenne. South repeated the success Friday against Sheyenne, hanging a five spot on them. Moorhead did likewise when White Bear Lake came to town.
Sheyenne & Central Cass did their best work on the mat against Breck/Wahp & North.
Casselton's 🏀 teams also did their part as the girls dismantled Wyndmere & Kenmare while the boys doubled up Maple River.
The theme continued as West Fargo & Davies both showed why they're among the best in the East. WF did it against Sheyenne first then North on Friday as the Simon/Pfau tandem continued their torrid start. It was Valley City & Sheyenne that fell prey to the Eagles.
On the boys side Davies hung 106 on VC in the statement win of the week. Then, early Friday evening, West Fargo & North got back on the court against each other for one of the most exciting games of the season!
Kindred wasn't about to let Central Cass have all the fun as they were a shot short of a 30 point win over Northern Cass. They turned it up even higher Saturday with a 36 point win over Langdon. N Cass bounced back against Glenburn with their own 33 point win.
As the weekend neared West Fargo doubled up Moorhead's 24 points on the mat. They finished the week in fourth place at Devils Lake's eight-team event, two behind Davies. Sheyenne also participated in a big meet, taking third out of 15 in Valley City. Sheyenne's girls were one place worse than that while back in DL Davies & West Fargo won at several weight classes.
Moorhead's dance also represented well, finishing top three in both styles.
And then just prior to finishing up it was announced that five of D/G/F's players had achieved Academic All-State. That's a great way to wrap it up!
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