The wait ended. MN announced Kevin O'Connell as the new head coach and in no time at all the word began to spread of many members of the staff that he would run with this season. It will be a challenge for either the special teams or the defensive line coaches to outperform their predecessors but it's not an impossibility. Then they added the right-hand man for KO, Wes Phillips will serve as OC after being with LA for the last three season as the TEs coach & passing-game coordinator. A few more may be added this week but the real work of reshaping the roster can now begin!
Senior celebration week began splendidly as Sam Griesel was named Player of the Week. When the games began the men put their best foot forward to the tune of a 77 - 59 win over ORU. The win was marred by a confrontation between the teams during the handshake line, which the public may never know all the details about. During the game Tyree Eady cracked 1,000 points. For whatever reason they couldn't replicate Thursday's effectiveness Saturday and were soundly defeated by KC 85 - 71. Women's hoops dropped both of their games to fall one loss from a 33 winning %. There's no two ways about it, they've had an abysmal season.
Prior to their second games ⚾️ made it's debut. Tyler Oakes would have to wait a little longer for his first win as Abilene Christian got the better of them right out of the chute. They more than made up for the loss with back-to-back wins Saturday. With a split possible depending on Sunday's outcome they finished with the final three runs after being tied twice. Softball's second weekend went swimmingly as they tore the cover off the ball Saturday while only allowing four runs over the four games. They travel back to the West for a set in New Mexico while ⚾️ will head to Utah.
🏃 was in Grand Forks Saturday and Max Otterdahl headlined another strong showing by the women and the men. Sunday also included a trip to Brookings by 🏃 , they were defeated 32 - 3. It was also the first day of the Spring season for women's ⛳ . They opened with match play against Montana St., winning six of the eight.
With the conference tournament bracket still in the making Moorhead State took care of UMary. It took overtime for the women but 24 from Mariah McKeever & Peyton Boom got them over the hump. The men used a more balance attack and outscored the Marauders by 17 in the second half. They kept it rolling in ND Saturday with two more wins over Minot. 33 by Natalie Jens propelled the women, the men repeated the formula with equal success. With the wins the men earned a first round bye, the women on the other hand will have to win in Marshall to keep their season going.
Softball started their season Friday in Aberdeen with a pair of losses that hit 3 early Saturday. They got win number one over Mayville St., the first for Mike Armitage but then lost another to Valley City St.. 🎾 got close to their first victory but fell short in chances against Duluth & St. Cloud.
🏃 found success with three victories in Grand Forks.
Concordia's week began with some broken hearts as both the men & women came up just short to St. Scholastica Monday evening. Senior night was even tougher as Augsburg's women moved to within one win of 20. The Auggie men may not be quite that successful but they also dispatched of Concordia.
Wednesday also included the first day of the conference swim meet. It finished with room for upward movement but a pair of podium finishes. Day two included a record-setting finish by Shanley grad Hailey Jaeger (FR)! Friday brought two more chances to use an eraser in the book while Jaeger added to her already quality showing in Minneapolis on the final day!
Saturday was less positive for men's 🏀 as Bethel finished 19 points ahead of them in the opening round of the conference tournament. In Moorhead it was the women who did the outclassing, 61 - 44. Both teams kept it closer, with the men finishing on top of Hamline thanks to a third period score by Tyler Bossert! The women took a 3 - 1 lead in the second period but were forced into overtime and the momentum propelled them to defeat. In the rematch they were on pace for an extended contest when Paige Hanson got one by the goalie to secure a 2 - 1 win. The men did go into extra time, all the way to the shootout which earned them the outcome.
Softball had their first day on the field, splitting the pair of games.
Concordia also sent a contingent to Grand Forks and Munir Isahak added another achievement to his resume!
In the lead up to the all-star break MN pulled off an improbable comeback against Charlotte but weren't able to go full-steam into the break, losing to Toronto. Now the rubber will meet the road as to whether they can make the playoffs and be more than a speed bump on someone's path to later rounds! Before the break they officially extended Patrick Beverly for another year, which is as positive a development as they could make for the long-term development of the roster!
Down in Cleveland Towns showed that the conversation for best shooting big may not be as far fetched as some have espoused when he won the three-point shooting contest.
Facing another top team Fargo put on a show Friday! With two goals in the first two minutes it appeared like they would cruise past Sioux City. That all changed as four scores in a row went in the visitors favor. With 10 minutes left in the contest and suddenly behind, Fargo's Cooper Gay re-tied it at 4, 24 seconds later. With less than 30 seconds remaining it seemed like extra time was inevitable but Cole Knuble got his second of the game to ice the W! Sioux City took no prisoners in the rematch, scoring the first 3 goals and rolling to a 6 - 3 win.
It was a light week for the Birds as they broke through with a single signing, OF Kevonte Mitchell. With three months until their home opener there may not be many more signings but the news will continue to ramp up.
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
West Fargo got another one to start the week as Miriley Simon joined the 1K Club in a win over Shanley. The milestone-making would continue as Richland's Megan Roob surpassed 2K. Roob's future teammate at Moorhead State, Adie Wagner, continued her climb up the all-time score board surpassing current SDSU standout Tylee Irwin for second place in Class A. Hawley had their second 1,000 point scorer this year as Kylie Crabtree joined her twin sister during a win over D/G/F.
Tuesday night also included a 60-point win by Davies over South while Sheyenne got their 12th win in a win over Red River. By weeks end they would push it 14 with only one game left in the regular season. They will go for 15 against three-win Valley City Tuesday evening in VC. On the boys side Davies & West Fargo each got 28-point wins over South & Shanley. Enderlin did a point better against Hankinson. The Pirates passed that along with a 27-point win over Wyndmere Thursday. Just West of town Central Cass continued the march to Wahpeton with a 34-point win over Tri-State to conclude a tough week for T-S that began at Oak Grove. To the Northwest Fertile/Beltrami had their second eight-game winning streak of the season snapped Saturday but first they doubled-up Climax/Fisher & Kittson County Central. Ada/Borup did likewise, hanging 99 on Bagley. With only two losses over their last 15 games D/G/F's boys seem to be rounding into tournament form. They put it on display with a 28-point rout of Frazee Tuesday. It doesn't come an easier for Frazee against Hawley as the Nuggets rolled to a 38-point win. Moorhead got back to a game over .500 with their 11th win of the season over Marshall by 28. The Fertile girls got win 18 and added style-points with a 47-point drubbing of Climax/Fisher. Hawley's ladies also added a 28-point win to their resume, over EGF. Ada/Borup's put a bow on their conference slate with a 42-point win over Bagley.
The ice was also good as Davies put up a six-pack on Devils Lake while surrendering none to secure the top seed at state. They will face Grand Forks in the opening round and could face West Fargo in the semi-finals. The Fargo co-op is set to take on Minot and would only face another local team if they make the championship. Across the river Moorhead advanced to the 8AA championship for the first time since 12/13 with 5 - 4 win over Roseau. They kept it close but couldn't get by Brainerd to extend their season. The boys got the #1 seed before their regular season concluded but then still had a championship-level challenge as Hill-Murray came to town Saturday. The visitors took it in overtime but the Spuds should feel good about their chances to make it back to Minneapolis with the effort. Moorhead athletics got another feather as Zaine Braaten became the first boy in the skiing programs history to earn all-state as he finished 21st overall!
The hardwood bore even more fruit. Sheyenne's boys put a 78 - 42 win on Valley City while North eeked out a win over West Fargo as the jockeying for position in the EDC standings continued. Davies is above that fray as they control their own destiny and pulled off a win over the Spartans. The likely second Sheyenne had a 34-point win over GFC while win 14 for the girls was a 29-point W. The Davies girls held on their spot atop the East with a 40-point win over North.
The past week also brought the culmination of the mat season at the Dome. Central Cass finished as the inaugural champion for girls 🤼 . With that followed a Coach of the Year honor for their coach, Travis Lemar. Sheyenne's Lex Lunde was honored for Class A. Kindred's Carter Schmidt was pegged as the Senior Athlete of the Year for Class B.
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