Jim Harbaugh stirred up some drama during the coaching search but all signs now point to the Purple hiring Kevin O'Connell away from Los Angeles. With as long as they've had to wait to make it official KA-M and the rest of the committee may be at the stadium next Sunday to finalize the deal after the game. If it doesn't happen Monday at the latest then questions will need to be asked.
But this week also included Kirk Cousins being named an injury replacement in the all-star game. He has it on the resume for future contract talks but the afternoon in Vegas proved to be wholly forgettable for all the members of the team.
So now we wait for the next set of big decisions to be made!
It was a Maverick start to the week as 🏀 hooked Omaha. The men once again struggled to finish off the W but had enough to do so and stay in the race for the 2 seed. In contrast, the women jumped on Omaha early and didn't let up until the contest was well in hand.
With Friday came the first day of the Bison Open. In championship fashion both halves of the team handled their business and some records fell once again.
Saturday wasn't as kind on the court as the women had a role reversal. The home game proved to be a bit of a rock fight but it was the mountain that lost.
Further away Cordell Volson did enough at the East/West Game to earn an invitation to the combine. Christian Watson already had that in hand but the show he put on at the Senior Bowl will get even more focus on him in Indy. During the same time one of the future members of the team had a milestone as Hatton/Northwood's Kelby Azure cracked 1,000 points on the court. Another good athlete coming from the country!
Moorhead State also sent 🏃 to North Fargo and they did not return empty handed.
The week also included the first action by 🎾 but Winona & Upper Iowa got the better of them.
🤼 spent the weekend in Iowa but were no more successful against Mankato & Upper Iowa.
The trend continued in Duluth as neither the men nor the women could get by the Bulldogs. The women put up a better fight in St. Cloud Saturday but the #18 team in the country still finished ahead. It took 28 points by Lorenzo McGhee but the men did even better before returning home, winning 69 - 67.
The crop is already bearing fruit as Moorhead freshman Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe was named Conference Player of the Week. The competition did not exactly go off like a rocket from there. Women's lost by eight to St. Olaf while the men finished behind by 13. Both teams got closer against Hamline but still finished behind on the board.
The ice did yield some more positivity with a 4 - 1 win Thursday over St. John's but then the flip happened and they lost by the same score Friday. The women managed one more score but for the third time in as many games lost 4 - 2 to St. Benedict. They broke that streak Saturday with a 1 - 1 duel but were unable to get the victory.
🤼 did provide some lift with a 28 - 16 win over Jamestown and six making the podium in the final invite of their season.
With two months go to in the regular season, but only a few days left until the trade deadline, Minnesota is in rare position of strength. Having won four in a row, with two more games that they should be able to handle, there will be plenty of talk of them being "buyers." There's no question that they could still use an infusion of size but at the cost of the cohesion that is building or future, low-cost players, the preference is that they hold until after the dust settles and then figure out a way to one of the soon-to-be-released veterans. However the next few days play out, MN has a legitimate chance at a home playoff series and an even brighter future which should be enjoyed!
The Bolts had a tough week on the ice but before the games began they made a trip to Carrington for a ceremony with the designer of their new Children's Night sweater which will be this coming Saturday against Tri-City. The early part of the week also included Goalie of the Week recognition for Matej Marinov after blocking 27 of 28 shots by Des Moines while assisting on the final goal. But then they had to get back to business.
First came a 7 - 1 defeat in Des Moines. Friday was better but they still finished down 4 - 2. They rallied Saturday and split with Waterloo, 3 - 2 in overtime as Andre Gasseau got a feed from Bret Link for his 13th score of the season. That finished a good day for Link who scored his 14th in the second period to put Fargo ahead 2 - 0. The first score of the contest came from Felikss Gavars.
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 and there are some doozies!
Sheyenne's girls got the week started with a win over their crosstown rivals, the seventh in a row - a new school record. By the end of the week the Mustangs had run it to nine straight victories. The week got better on the SW as sophomore Aiden Johnson was name Cross Country Player of the Year!
On the court #2 Kindred's boys continued their great season with a 28 point win over Hankinson while Richland's girls got a 14-point win over Enderlin as future Dragon Megan Roob went for 28 points. One of her future teammates also showed out during an overtime game between South & Wahpeton. With 41 points Adie Wagner moved into fourth place for all-time scoring in ND. In so doing she set a school record for most made FGs, 16. The Huskies went on a 50 - 18 run spanning the halves but a 25 - 9 stretch by the Bruins extended the game and allowed the rest to happen. On the mat it was Davies doing the dominating with wins by 48 & 73 points over Wahp/Breck & South.
Kindred's other team return to action against Central Cass. With a 70 - 56 victory they optimized the region 1 tournament at the SHAC in a few weeks. Abby Duchscherer finished with 25 & 8. The Squirrel's then had the chance to test the future against Horace and showed the room for growth that remains on the young squad with a 67 - 33 win.
To the East of the River Fertile/Beltrami's boys continued their great season with two more dominating wins. D/G/F did likewise against Frazee on the heels of a narrow win over Barnesville. Hawley also got the better of the Trojans before overwhelming Breckenridge for their 12th win of the season. Moorhead's girls got a rare win in double-up fashion against Tartan just after midweek. Lake Park/Audubon wasn't quite as good but got their own comfortable win against Park Christian. D/G/F followed suit in a game against Rothsay while Fertile's girls were a shot short of a 40 point win over Bagley.
Moorhead's girls concluded the week with a 4 - 0 win over Sartell. The West Fargo co-op also went out in rousing fashion, 9 - 2 over Devils Lake.
This week also included the final chances on the mat before the end of the regular schedule. Davies, North, West Fargo & Sheyenne all won convincingly. As the echoes faded Sheyenne finished as the one seed from the East with Valley City, Davies & West Fargo rounding out the contingent to go in two weeks.
The weekend portion of the hoops remained strong. Kindred's girls beat May/Port/C/G by 38, Davies got West Fargo by 35 which finished the other way in the second game Friday night. Davies boys quickly bounced with a six-point win over Sheyenne as Ian Motschenbacher & Mason Klabo scored 22 a-piece. Hankinson beat Wyndmere by 28 while Enderlin got a pair of wins, the first of which included Joe Hurlburt becoming the leading rebounder all-time in North Dakota! 50 years in the making!
There was also news beyond the competition. Following a suspension for conduct during a practice Fargo North's Ted Critchley was suspended but resigned shortly thereafter. With the talents they have for the next couple of years there will be no shortage of applicants for the position.
The other development is of a significantly more positive note as Moorhead's ⚾️ team has finalized the opportunity to get some work in at the Purple Palace in late March.
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