One of the rites of seasons ending is the signing of players to "Futures Contracts." They announced such moves for seven members of the organization as well as linebacker Curtis Weaver who last played for Seattle's X.F.L. outfit.
The week also included coaching news as OC Wes Phillips passed on the chance to return to California with the Bolts prior to the year-end press conference & Ed Donatell being relieved of his post as the defensive coordinator. San Diego also requested to talk with assistant QBs coach Jerrod Johnson while New England is interested in wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell & Baltimore reached out about passing-game coordinator Brian Angelichio. All three may not leave but it's clear evidence of the regard the rest of the League has for the offensive staff here! There is a lot that will happen between now & August, with a few of the first steps being talked about already.
Despite missing much of the season, Noah Gindorff accepted an invitation to take part in the NFLPA Bowl next week in Pasadena, in a limited capacity. The evaluations will continue for him, Hunter Luepke & Cody Mauch as they all were given the chance to be in Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine, with each set to go through varying amounts of the testing. It will be the sixth-straight year that NDSU has representation at the event.
The program also officially announced that they will go against Tennessee State early in the 2024 & 2025 seasons, with the latter being set to take play in Nashville at their pro stadium!
It wasn't all good news for Matt Entz as Courtney Eubanks, Dom Jones, Jalen Bussey & Kobe Johnson all made it known that they would be continuing their educations elsewhere. The academics have little, if anything, to do with their decisions but having to do the schoolwork is the main thing maintaining college athletics as amateur. More along the lines of the other three, Destin Talbert also confirmed that he's going to make a run at the professional level.
Prior to getting back on the mat 🤼 also had some big news, redshirt freshman Michael Caliendo was named Conference Wrestler of the Week! That headlined the ranking of eight members of the team and the team collective as top-20 in the nation!
Prior performances also paid off for Jacob Rodin, Kaden Pastian & Grace Emineth as they were named the League's Performers of the Week!
The week also included some FOREcasting as men's ⛳️ was picked to finish first in the League, with Nate Deziel, Nate Adams & Ian Simonich also receiving individual recognition.
The competition of the weekend struggled to live up to all those out-the-lines developments. Both the men & women lost to ORU by 22+ Thursday. The women recovered to beat Kansas City Saturday but the same wasn't true back at the SHAC as the Roos got them by two.
Later that evening 🤼 continued it's great season with a record-best win over Wyoming to end a day that began with success by the men & women in Brookings! Wrestling was back out Sunday against Utah Valley, only showing minor weariness from the quick turnaround.
Prior to visits by Concordia & Mankato men's 🏀 found out they remain in the top-25 for the third straight week! It means that at this point in the season, so long as they avoid a precipitous decline, they are virtually locked-in for the D2 national tournament! Thanks in part to 25+ in each game by Jacob Beeninga the Dragons were able to take care of both opportunities! The victories kept them one win ahead of Northern State with one month to the date until the Conference tournament in Sioux Falls. The ladies also added a win Friday against Concordia but a 24 - 12 third quarter by the Mavericks prevented the sweep.
Those results came after 🤼 lost to Minot State 34 - 5 Thursday, who then traveled to Collegeville for the North Country Open Sunday.
🏃 traveled to Brookings for what proved to be a record-setting Friday & then returned to win even more at the Cobber Open Saturday which set the table for 🏊 to beat Concordia yet again!
Continuing to build a strong resume, Concordia senior Emily Beseman was named the Offensive Player of the Week for the Conference. With wins over Macalester, Augsburg & St. Mary's to run their record to 13 - 3 the conference honors are likely to keep coming! The men had chances in all three of their games but came up just short in each.
Men's snapped a five-game losing streak with a pair of 3 - 2 wins over Bethel Friday & Saturday. Having lost 11 of their last 12 the women could have already given up on the season. For at least one weekend they showed that isn't the case with a gritty OT loss and a second extra-length game Saturday that they managed to win 3 - 2.
The week ended with 🏊 having it's best performance against Moorhead in 20 years!
The Howl started the week dropping close contests to Utah & Denver before finishing with wins over Toronto & Houston. In the ultra-muddled Western Conference they will move up & down with each outcome. People who are riding that chute must be having a terrible experience this season. The good note for them (and the rest of the fanbase) is that Anthony Edwards continues to find new ways to impress. He started the week with his 500th 3-pointer, the youngest player to yet hit that benchmark. He then put a bow on the week with his second 40 point/3 block/3 steal performance! There are no L's in his name but that is how you spell all-star. With Gobert & Towns set to continue missing time indefinitely they will need him to continue doing those sorts of unheard-of things!
After splashing with Carlos Correa last week the Duplicates made another move to further solidify the minors and their starting rotation with a deal for Miami right-hander Pablo Lopez and a pair of young position players. Having to give up Luis Arraez will dampen the impact Correa & the rest have at the plate but it's the nature of business to have to give something to get something. Perhaps Lopez can find the same sort of success that Maeda did after being brought over. That's the hope at least!
It was a Sioux Falls weekend for the fellas and they opened with a 3 - 1 win Friday only to lose by that score Saturday despite their immaculate attire. The opportunity to get a piece remains, for a short time.
Reminder that scores and recruiting news are updated regularly so check back often!
Now for this week's highlights
The best of the early returns this week included a 10 - 1 win over EGF by Moorhead's girls 🏒 while the boys beat Davies 6 - 1. Two days later the ladies were in Roseau for what proved to be an overtime thriller, with Bria Holm getting the decisive score for the Spuds! In their Stick it to Cancer game against West Fargo, South/Shanley opened the contest with a four-point period & closed it with all three of the other scores as they remain atop the East Region. The second-place Eagle girls came through with 5 - 0 & 6 - 1 wins over Jamestown & first place North/South! The Spruins bounced-back Saturday with a 4 - 3 OT win against third-place Mandan as the teams jockey for position with less than six weeks until the state tournament in Minot!
Prior to all of that, Owen Leach & Adam Jenkins were included on the MN Mr. 🏀 award watch list. Leach added to his resume with a 33/12 performance in leading D/G/F past Hawley Tuesday and then scored 31 in a 61 - 60 win against Barnesville Saturday. Jenkins had a solid 23 against North Thursday as Dylan Zimmerman continued to prove that he also should be getting significant attention with a 34 point night. All their production and more was needed as the Spartans came back from a 15-point halftime deficit to take the lead! During the comeback Jeremiah Sem eclipsed 1,000 points with 30 in the game several of which came as he & his brother Matthew continued to attack the rim, adding to the classic nature of the contest! One night later North was back at it against Wahpeton. J. Sem finished that one with 41 points as the Huskies forced overtime but then fell by 11. Oak Grove added a 35-point win over Tri-State to the week's signature success.
In girls hoops, West Fargo hung 100 on Devils Lake Friday as Taylor Van Winkle had a point/rebound/assist triple double & Solveig Seymour lead the way with 25 points. Oak Grove ended the week with a 35-point win over Griggs/Midkota.
Out of town, Central Cass beat Linton/H/M/B by 32 Tuesday & Northern beat Enderlin by 25 as Halle Crockett had another 27-point outing Thursday. One night later second-ranked Thompson beat Park River by 50.
On the mat Thursday Sheyenne's boys slammed Wahp/Breck 81 - 0 ahead of the all-Fargo duels. Davies beat South 73 - 6 and then Mandan by 50 points. West Fargo followed suit, pinning the Braves by a 43-point advantage while Sheyenne got them 65 - 14. Moorhead answered the bell, beating Mandan by 30. That repetition was counter the rest of the WDA's efforts as they flexed repeatedly on their EDC opponents.
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