Through another week of camp Irv Smith was the only significant casualty as he suffered a thumb injury that required surgery. As one of the players identified for a possible break-out season it is a setback, as well as an opportunity for Zach Davidson. It means that Davidson & Ben Ellefson are much more likely to begin the season on the 53, who knows what will happen from there.
The other significant development was seen briefly Saturday and more Sunday as Lewis Cine & Ed Ingram got in with the first-team for the first time. Even if that continues & increases up to the preseason opener against Las Vegas they are surely to get some game action in the desert, regardless of how KO handles the rest of the snap distribution.
The ramp-up to the school year hit another gear over the past week. Along with their first practice on the new outdoor practice field, the 🏈 team had six members selected as Preseason All-Americans. To go along with that, punter Kaedin Steindorf made the watch list for Punter of the Year. The nods kept coming as Hunter Luepke AKA The Human Rhino made the Walter Payton preseason list while all three levels of the defense were represented on the Buck Buchanan brigade! Even without all that it would have been no surprise that they were also chosen as the favorites to win the Valley again while getting a dozen onto All-Conference! For many of the next-gen players it was also a big week as scholarships came through.
In addition to all that, both the men's & women's conference schedules were announced Wednesday. They once again pigeon-holed rivalry games into Christmas break but the women will have a heavier home presence after the calendar flips which could help them in the pursuit of the SoDaks. The ladies have yet to officially announce who & when they will play prior to the conference slate. Dave Richman also made a personnel move adding Camron Greer to the operation as Grad Manager.
🏃 also announced where and when they will be running this Fall.
In a final bit of wrap-up from last season, the softball team had 11 on the All-American Scholar-Athlete list.
The past week included the announcement of low expectations for the 🏈 team as the preseason poll had them slotted to finish ninth and in a tie with UMary. The release also included WR Ryan Bieberdorf & LB Josiah Behm as players to watch.
Concordia softball broke-through with 16 Scholar All-Americans this week, third most in the Conference while eclipsing last year's 15! Student athletes indeed!
Minnesota made another move to further amplify their preseason. CJ Elleby is far from a house-hold name but in 28 starts for Portland last season he was functional. Most years that would have gotten him a real chance in Minnesota but as things stand he's the most unlikely to crack the top 17, though more surprising things have happened!
If the Replicants are to exercise their decades-long postseason humiliation then the moves that were made this past week likely prove essential! Adding all-star Jorge Lopez and Tyler Mahle are the headline moves but Michael Fulmer further bolstered the beleaguered pitching staff. They finished by adding catcher Sandy Leon from Cleveland as an insurance policy.
They're an even 3-3 since all the moves but a questionable review decision Sunday may have been the difference in one of those losses going to the other side so no one should read too much into that record. With two weeks full of games that they should win that's when a more reasonable assessment can be made about the successfulness of the transactions.
The Redbirds began the final full month of the regular season looking up at Kansas City but a sweep of Sioux City combined with three-straight losses by KC to end the week flipped the script. With the best 10-game stretch in the Association they have now moved ahead of Chicago for the best overall record. It got even better as the week's outcomes pushed Winnipeg a full six-games back, which means the Birds are that much closer to controlling their postseason destiny! With two week-long homestands left on their slate it's an enviable position for the team to operate from!
Reminder that scores are added daily plus there's a new home for recruiting news, so check back often!
Practices have begun on both sides of the river which lead to the first of this year's football previews - Shanley.
From the East came news that because of the Purple's Thanksgiving night game the next Prep Bowl has been pushed back into December while the semi-finals will be as usual. Getting the extra-long layoff could make for even better championships but practicing 🏈 that late into the year will be far from preferable.
The week began out West as the Post 2 Jets rallied from a 2 - 1 deficit with one out remaining to beat beat Bismarck by two. In the final they faced Casselton off their 7 - 1 win over Kindred. The Squirrel power got 14 runners home, nine in the first inning, while grounding the local squad to just four scores. Casselton's Alex Everson was named tournament MVP. The defeated still got something to look forward to as Post 2 received a $15,000 grant for upgrades to the field from the Fargo Parks District. Jack Williams could use a lot more than that but for this year (and several more considering how long it can take to raise funds) that will have to keep waiting.
Focus then shifted South to Rapid City as West Fargo looked to extend it's season. Down five runs to Sioux Falls, they rallied to win 10 - 8 in the opener. They couldn't repeat the feat against Millard, NE, losing 11 - 3. The Pats had the chance to come from behind a second time but Mankato prevented the feel-good and ended their run, 8 - 5. For what they did Evan Berg & Trey Stocker were named All-Tournament.
In Indianapolis the Fargo Little League team got a 5 - 2 win over the Minnesota winners from Coon Rapids. There bats were even better Sunday against Missouri but the pitchers & defense had a much rougher go of it, losing 17 - 7. They will now face Kansas in an elimination game Monday afternoon.
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