As rumors and moves continue to swirl Minnesota has yet to make any significant roster moves. They did however make another change to the staff as long-time athletic trainer Eric Sugarman was let go in favor of former Los Angeles assistant Tyler Williams. Few AT's have been in charge of multiple leg-saving procedures so Sugarman should have the chance to pick his next employment situation. It sets a high bar for the next guy but is a bit of a tip-of-the-hand that the new leadership are willing to shake up things beyond what many would expect. They validated that notion Sunday evening with a one-year extension for Kirk Cousins which gives some relief today but mucks up the future even more.
NDSU's week began in Tulsa as 🤼 battled for conference titles. Five members of the team got a spot in one of the brackets and will be bound for Detroit later this week but there was much more in store during past week. The last ride for Kreuser, Griesel & Eady continued with another dominant showing versus ORU. They could not execute at the same clip in the championship game but did give SDSU all they could handle once again. In the wake of the loss coach Richman said they may do the NIT, if invited. They also had two of the five All-Tournament members as Sam Griesel & Grant Nelson were recognized.
Tuesday also included a stop in Minneapolis for what would be a 5 - 2 win over the Gophers. Then they diverted back to warmer climates for a set against Maine in Winter Haven, FL., the first of which was a 9 - 4 win as they scored six runs in the eighth inning. Kitty-corner across the country, softball faced both of Oregon's highly-regarded teams, as well as Portland State, losing all four times. They each closed out the week with Sunday doubleheaders. The ladies had it all working in the first game, a 9 - 0 win, but the light's out was a pitchers duel which finished in favor of the Beavers. Down in Florida the games also played to a split, with NDSU taking the closer.
In addition to that, 🏃 had another representative at the Indoor National Championships as Trevor Otterdahl did the weight throw in Birmingham. With the fifth-best toss he made first team All-American. He joined his Olympic brother as the second in the D1-era to finish in the top five multiple times at the natty!
Women's ⛳️ also had an event, in St. George, UT. They finished in the top-half of the 16-team field.
Outside the lines, Carson Wentz was moved again as Indianapolis dealt him to Washington. If he isn't able to regain the form he showed in Philadelphia he will at best have to compete for a job and may not have more than a handful of teams interested. It's a dramatic shift even as the need for competent play continues to be at a high level across the League.
Moorhead State had another light load, but a few of the week's events had some density. Before those could commence, the women's team was in Arizona for a pair of events. The first one was a struggle to 12th place while the second finished with rounding out the four-team event.
As the weekend neared the 🏃 representatives made their way to Kansas for nationals. But first came All-Region honors for Nadir Yusuf, Shyrone Kemp & Travis Joseph. The highlight in KS came from Kemp in the Triple Jump.
Saturday also included a 6 - 1 win by the women's 🎾 team over Concordia.
It was not all gravy though as the men's 🏀 team was upended by the reigning national champions, Northwest Missouri State, in the opening round of the D2 tournament.
The Corn did not have a great amount of volume over the previous week but they managed quality in the crop, beginning with a Monday sweep of Marian as West Fargo standout Andy Gravdahl eclipsed a milestone. As if on cue, their softball ace got Pitcher of the Week recognition after tearing up FL. The accolades extended onto the ice as a handful of skaters were among the All-Conference. Then came the national 🏃 meet, the men & woman each showed their best!
Denver continues to hold the HOWL at bay but it's not for a lack of success by the Dogs. They continued a stretch of 120+ point games, which they lead the Association in since the calendar year began. The streak ended at 7, as did a six-game winning streak for the first time since 2004 but they rebounded to beat a injury-depleted Miami squad. They've also already clinched a winning record at home, with as many wins in their building as they managed over the entirety of the previous two season. Malik Beasley put his own stamp on the progression with one of the best shooting nights that has ever been! That all came after K-AT was named Conference Player of the Week following a 28/9/3 stretch.
It's unfamiliar territory but like so many better franchises all of it will come down to how they do during the second season. With 13 games to go they will need to maintain the level of execution and get a couple of breaks to move out of the top play-in spot. Even then, as long as the wheels don't fall off they should be able to advance out of that and then would potentially have a series against Memphis, which would get a lot of attention league-wide!
⚾️ finally put an end to their labor dispute and the local franchise began making moves. The first sent Mitch Garver to Texas in exchange for shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and then they flipped their 2021 first round pick, Chase Petty, to Cincinnati for starter Sonny Gray and minor leaguer Francis Peguero. Garv Sauce may be missed but the move for Gray signals a feeling of pressure on the front office to not repeat 2021's results. In the waning hours of Sunday night they made another move, flipping IK-F, Josh Donaldson & Ben Rortvedt to the Evil Empire for catcher Gary Sanchez & infielder Gio Urshela. Aside from being a salary-dump it has further confounded those who are trying to understand the direction of the team. There are also whispers that more moves are set to happen by Minnesota & others, which is kind of like the League trying to make up for the time they lost arguing.
Fargo had the first two of their final seven road games of the season. With nine home games remaining in the regular season they could get to fifth in the Western conference but beyond that the gap may be too wide. The shellacking that they took from Tri-City (8 - 2 Friday & 6 - 1 Saturday) was the last straw in any chance to extend the season.
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
In the process to form the final basketball bracket eight teams made their way to Wahpeton. Enderlin (with 36 points by Joe Hurlburt), C Cass & Kindred all had lopsided wins while Oak Grove did just enough to eliminate Sargent County. The Lumberjacks could not repeat last year's felling of the Trees as J Hurl had a 20/20 game while Kindred kept their chances alive with a three point win over Casselton. The championship game proved to the finale for Enderlin as Kindred put a 70 - 50 show on them. It was Kindred's Jaiden Peraza who had the best night with 20 points. In the game which preceded the championship the Squirrels confirmed the disparity between 3 & 4. A lot of talent won't be returning! In Region 2 Hillsboro nearly got it's spoil on but Grafton edged them by a layup. The third place game was only a point wider, with Thompson prevailing against North Border.
At the Class A tournament the East advanced three of the four first round games, with only North finishing on the losing end. That double-overtime L showed how close the top teams i the state are with Minot taking care of business en route to the boys championship against West Fargo again after seeing the girls do the same before them. Davies was the top finisher from the East on the girls side, beating Red River in the third place game. South's Adie Wagner was named Senior Athlete of the Year for Class A while Abby Duchscherer added Miss Basketball to her array of awards. With the outcomes, the East was lightly represented on the girls All-Tournament team, it was a slightly different story for the boys.
Honors announcements continued as the full 🏒 All-State lists were announced. Several Moorhead girls were also among the All-Section selections with their good season. Doubtless many of the boys will be well represented when the lists come out as well. In the first game of state hockey they pushed to double-overtime against Andover but could not get the necessary score. Andover went on to beat Maple Grove in the championship while Moorhead lost in the consolation final to Edina 3 - 2.
Moorhead also made state in weightlifting with Emily Stamm having a first place performance. Jackson Young, Zach Taft & Sydney Tweten went two, three, four as the next best finishers for the Taters. Their aggregate score got them one spot below the medal stand.
We're still a few months away from Legion season but the 400 announced that they will be picking up the bats this week in Vero Beach, FL. A great opportunity to kickstart the Spring & Summer run!
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