The Week That Was

The Purple have yet to officially hire Kevin O'Connell as their head coach but certain members of his staff have been identified while KA-M continues to tweak the front office. This past week that came through the addition of former Indianapolis GM Ryan Grigson. One rumored member of the coaching staff is of specific interest since he (Chris Kuper) played college ball in Grand Forks. Kuper will have the first chance to improve the performance of the offensive line.

Men's 🏀 started the week with the third of five games in a little over a week. With everything boiling down to the outcomes in Sioux Falls the condensed schedule could benefit them but only if they could muster up the energy to win. So South Dakota entered the SHAC Monday night. Halfway through the second it seemed like they wouldn't be able to get the victory, then Grant Nelson took over. Over a 93-second span he scored 12 of his 19 points and single-handedly got his team back from the brink and then Sam Griesel came through with his lone make of the game to keep them in contention for the #2 seed. They followed that with a pair of road games, winning in double-overtime against Western and completing the five for five against St. Thomas Saturday. The Sioux Falls primer will continue Thursday with ORU coming to town in what is essentially a winner-take-all for the Sunday break. It's fair to wonder why it took so long for them to hit their stride this season but there's little doubt that they have at just the right time once again!

The same cannot be said for their counterparts as they dropped a close one to Western for their ninth conference loss of the season. They did avoid #10 Saturday against the Tommies as Reneya Hopkins had one of her best days.

With Winter winding down Spring competition commenced. The men's ⛳️ teed off in St. George, Utah, finishing smack dab in the middle of the 14-team field. Softball also took their first game swings in Santa Barbara, CA. Their first day was about as much of a home run as it could be with dominating wins over Utah State & the hosts. It was very nearly a 4 - 0 start but the two teams got the better of the ladies. They would begin their cross-country journey with a better taste in their mouths after a 15 - 9 win over USU.

Following a sweep of the Athletes of the Week the track teams also headed South for the weekend. The men's throws came through Friday while the women jumped at the chance to challenge higher conference competitors. Success through the air continued Saturday while the track wasn't too much for them to handle.

concluded the week with a pair of duels as their conference tournament also draws near. On Friday they overwhelmed Little Rock while Sunday included a visit by Northern Colorado for senior day. With the 22 - 13 win they ensured a winning record in conference with only the Bunnies left before they travel to Tulsa.

Following a school record high jump Travis Joseph was named Conference Field Athlete of the Week to start it off for Moorhead St.. 🏃 followed that up with some quality performances in Brookings over the weekend.

Prior to that, 🏊 was in Sioux Falls for the conference championships, finishing fifth overall.

🤼 got the top group in the nation and St. Cloud St. lived up to the ranking.

A postponement lead to a Saturday/Sunday twin-bill for 🏀 . Both the men & women took care of Bemidji as Mariah McKeever scored a career-high 32 while the guys had four in double-figures lead by Lorenzo McGhee's 18. Crookston came next and the guys got their third straight win as McGhee went for 22. The ladies couldn't make it a sweep despite Peyton Boom crossing into quadruple-digits.

🎾 also got in some swings in Grand Forks but returned home with an 0 - 7 result.

Concordia's week began with a 🏀 doubleheader against Bethel. The Royals could not be dethroned by either the men or the women. Wednesday brought Gustavus but the outcomes were the same. The last game of the week was against St. Mary's and the men were able to squeak-out a 65-64 win. The women weren't able to do the same, falling by 17.

The men's 🏒 team also couldn't outperform Bethel Saturday but turned the table Sunday with a dominating victory. The women did one better with a comeback win in game one and never trailing to take the rematch.

🤼 had the toughest challenge of the week against #4 ranked Augsburg. They were undaunted but fell short over the final four bouts. They will seek to use the experience as a springboard into the Regional in two weeks.

30 wins with 25 games to go. The Howl are solidly in the postseason mix with at least a coin flip chance at finishing in the top six. There is increasing evidence that they need to tighten back up on defense but with the all-star break drawing near they will have a chance at some well-deserved rest which should naturally help that part of the game. Even with some of the physical struggles that have been experienced Anthony Edwards had his first 30 point games back-to-back while hitting the 2,500 point mark faster than anyone other than Lebron James, Kevin Durant & Devin Booker. Give him a few days to put his feet up and even better may come this season!

It was about as significant of a regular season week as the Bolts could have. The first development came as the acquisition of forwards JP Turner & Dakota MacIntosh after they lost Tyson Gross to an injury. Off-ice news also included one of their former goalies, Strauss Mann, representing America against Canada. He held them to two scores as the US got the first win over their neighbors since 2010. Quite an addition to the resume after he held it down for the team on their way to Clark Cup!

Then came the weekend. Tri-City took the win late in their first go, 3 - 2. In the rematch German Yavash nailed a pair of shots as the teams were tied twice in the second period but the second score secured a 5 - 3 win. Tri-City is well ahead of the rest in the West but it's a sure vote of confidence that Fargo could play so closely with them and pull off the upset. They will need to keep showing the improvement as second place Sioux City will roll into town for a pair next weekend.

As the season creeps closer the Birds continue to add to their ranks. This time it was for the outfield as 2019 Association Rookie of the Year Mike Hart was signed after spending the last few years with Sioux Falls.

Reminder that scores are added daily plus there's a new home for recruiting news, so check back often!

Now for this week's highlights

It's hard to believe but the regular season is winding down, which means the pressure on teams to secure their seeds is ratcheting up. Despite having an identical 14-2 record in the EDC, Davies girls sit behind Red River for the #1. They rematch next week and if they keep playing as they have been, they will have a great chance of securing it. They started the past week with a 43-point victory over Central, who they also play again over their final games. The Eagle boys also put GFC through the ringer with a 36-point W Monday.

The first night of the week also included comfortable victories by Northern & Central Cass' girls over Hankinson & Richland. The ice also got some action as Moorhead's females got in a section tournament primer against Crookston, winning by six scores. They hosted Bemidji Saturday in the opening round and won by the same margin with a score for every day of the week. They'll seek to keep advancing against Roseau, Tuesday night at home.

A quick turnaround for Northern Cass didn't slow them down as they beat Lisbon 70 - 33 Tuesday for their eighth straight win. Down in Casselton it was a top-10 test against Kindred with the Squirrel's finishing on top as Carter Vrchota hit six 3's en route to a 26-point evening. They're now tied at 7-1 in the Region 1 standings. The race remains as tight as ever with Enderlin still lurking. Their Colorado-bound big man, Joe Hurlburt, cracked 2,000 points against Richland with a 25-point effort.

Closer to home Shanley's boys put a 43-point win on VC while North exploded for 125 against Devils Lake as Jeremiah Sem scored a school record 46 points, one better than his older brother. On the girls side, West Fargo returned to prior form with a 35-point win over Central. Their neighbors to the South weren't as able to blitz the Bruins but they extended their winning streak to ten games Tuesday.

The evening also included a matching of the top two teams in the state in Grand Forks. Three goals in the final period gave Davies the 5 - 3 victory. Moorhead also got a big win, 7 - 0 over Bemidji. The Spuds also had a good day at the unfrozen water, beating Thief River Falls 108 - 68 with a record-setting performance in the 200M Medley!

As the weekend neared Shanley's guys did it again, finishing 35 up on Devils Lake. The ice wasn't any nicer to DL as Davies put a 7 - 2 L on them. Then one of the best to come from Devils Lake was bumped down a rung as Adie Wagner supplanted Durene Heisler as the third-highest scoring Class A girl. Wagner is 36 points from the second most productive high school career. That may come against Devils Lake in the second to last game of the reg or to close it out against the long-time rival. Either way, there's some great symmetry possible!

As the action continued Central Cass's girls held Sargent County to 27 points for a 24 point win. N Cass's boys finished 28 up on May/Port/C/G while Enderlin beat Wyndmere/Lidgerwood by 34 as Joe Hurlburt scored a cool 30. After an interrupted Friday, Saturday was full of contests. Among them West Fargo & South played a doubleheader. Davies guys also put another lop-sided score on DL with a 42-point win while Sheyenne's girls ran their streak to 11 with a 23-point win over Valley City.

While many eyes focused on Los Angeles the week locally ended on the ice. West Fargo took care of May/Port/C/G 5 - 1 in only 37 shots on goal. The Fargo Co-op then proceeded to beat Minot 3 - 0 while West Fargo's girls whooped Williston 7 - 1