Friday, February 28, 2014

North Tri-County Boys Basketball all-conference team

All-Conference:
      Tra Alderete, Goodridge-Grygla
      Hunter McMillin, Goodridge-Grygla
      Brandon Bakken, Goodridge-Grygla
      Drake Engelstad, Red Lake County
      Nick Bodensteiner, Clearbrook-Gonvick
      Reegen Hetland, Clearbrook-Gonvick
      Michael Burd, Sacred Heart
      Riley Hallaway, Sacred Heart

Honorable Mention:
      Dayle Larson, Goodridge-Grygla
      Austin Waliser, Red Lake County
      Luke Newton, Red Lake County
      Ben Anderson, Clearbrook-Gonvick
      Tanner Pletschett, Clearbrook-Gonvick
      Dominic Mangino, Sacred Heart

Conference Champions:  Goodridge-Grygla
Conference JV Champions:  Red Lake County

Also:  the North Tri-County Conference Senior game will be held on Monday March 17 in Red Lake Falls at 7:30 pm.  All seniors in the conference will  compete in a game after conference awards are presented.

Monday, February 24, 2014

MN state wrestling tournament preview



            All four of the 2013 team champions return to defend their respective titles: Jackson County Central in Class A; Kasson-Mantorville in Class AA; and Apple Valley and St. Michael-Albertville, who were co-champions in Class AAA. Jackson County Central is looking for its fifth consecutive title and Apple Valley is working toward its ninth. Kasson-Mantorville and Michael-Albertville are both hoping to claim their second. 

            Three teams are making their first appearances: Minneota/Lincoln HI in Class A; and Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus and Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley/Montevideo in Class AA. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Apple Valley returns for its 32nd consecutive and 33rd overall appearance.

            In the individual competition, 18 champions return for more gold medals — six in Class AAA, five in Class AA, and seven in Class A.

            The 2014 State Wrestling Tournament opens Thursday, February 27, and runs through Saturday, March 1, at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The three-day format features all of the team dual competition on Thursday, followed by exclusive individual competition Friday and Saturday.

                This is the sixth year that the teams have been seeded. The 24 coaches of the section champions logged onto a special page of the League Web site and each coach ranked the other teams one through seven. The highest and lowest rankings for each team were discarded, leaving five rankings for each team. From those rankings, the top five teams were seeded. In conference calls with all eight head coaches of each class and gender, League Associate Director Craig Perry announced the top five seeds. A blind draw established the opponent for the top three seeded teams. Numbers four and five compete against each other automatically

            Class A Team Highlights

            Six teams that competed in the 2013 tournament, including the four-time defending champions from Jackson County Central (Section 2), return to this year’s field. The Huskies are the No. 5-seeded team this year. Jackson County Central is making its fifth consecutive and sixth overall appearance under this name. In addition to the past four years, the Huskies also claimed top honors in 2008. Jackson County Central, as a co-op with Southwest Star Concept of Okabena, made four additional appearances between 1998 and 2007 and won titles in 1999 and 2000. Jackson also made three appearances as a co-op with Heron Lake-Okabena-Lakefield between 1993 and 1997.
            The other returning teams are Frazee (Section 8), Pierz (Section 7), Chatfield (Section 1), Sibley East of Arlington (Section 4), and Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (Section 5).
            The Frazee Hornets are making their second consecutive and 21st overall appearance. They are seeded No. 2 this year and are hoping to improve on last year’s runner-up showing. The Hornets are in the hunt for their fifth title; they won previously in 1992, 1999, 2002, and 2011.
            The unseeded Pierz Pioneers, who lost in the consolation semifinals last year, are making their fourth consecutive and 11th overall appearance. If they win it would be their third championship; they won previous back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005.
            Chatfield, Sibley East, and Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City all return for their second consecutive appearances. The No. 3-seeded Chatfield Gophers are making their fourth overall appearance and placed third in 2013. The unseeded Wolverines of Sibley East return for their fifth overall appearance and are looking to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish. Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, which took consolation honors last year, is making its ninth overall appearance. The Falcons enter the tournament as the top seed and are hoping for their second championship. They won their one previous title in 2007.
            The other teams in the Class A field are Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale (Section 6) and Minneota/Lincoln HI (Section 3). The Raiders of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale are making their fifth appearance, but first since 2002. The Vikings of Minneota/Lincoln HI are making their first appearance under this name. Minneota made five additional appearances between 1996 and 2012.
            The 9 a.m. Thursday Class A seeded quarterfinal pairings and the team records followed by the final rankings of The Guillotine wrestling publication are: Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale (18-2 No. 12) vs. No. 2 Frazee (18-1 No. 2); Pierz (25-1 No. 7) vs. No. 3 Chatfield (24-1 No. 4); Sibley East (22-8 No. 6) vs. No. 1 Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (23-1 No. 1); No. 5 Jackson County Central (22-4 No. 5) vs. No. 4 Minneota/Lincoln HI (22-3 No. 3).

            Class AA Team Highlights

            The KoMets of Kasson-Mantorville (Section 1) return as the defending champions. This is the fifth consecutive and eighth overall appearance for the KoMets, who are the No. 5 seed this year. If they win it would be their second title.
            Three other teams also return from the 2013 field: Foley (Section 6); Simley of Inver Grove Heights (Section 4); and Totino-Grace of Fridley (Section 5).
            The Foley Falcons are the No. 2 seed this year and are looking to improve on last year’s third-place showing. This is their seventh consecutive and 21st overall appearance and they won previous titles in 1989, 1993 and 1994.
The top-seeded Spartans of Simley, who placed second last year, return for their seventh consecutive and 20th overall appearance. If they win it would be their 10th championship. They won three consecutive titles between 1987 and 1989 and they won again in 1992. Simley also won five consecutive championships between 2008 and 2012.
            The Eagles of Totino-Grace, who are making their second consecutive and 12th overall appearance, lost in the consolation semifinals last year. They enter this year’s tournament as the No. 4 seed.   
Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus (Section 8), Milaca/Faith Christian (Section 7), Scott West, which includes students from Belle Plaine, Jordan, and Holy Family Academy (Section 2), and Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley/Montevideo (Section 3), are the other teams competing in the Class AA field. The unseeded co-ops of Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus and Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley/Montevideo are both making their first appearances this year.
            The Panthers of Scott West, who are the No. 3 seed this year, return after a one-year absence to make their 14th appearance. The unseeded Wolves of Milaca/Faith Christian also return after a one-year hiatus. They are making their 11th appearance this year.
            The 11 a.m. Thursday Class AA seeded quarterfinal pairings and the team records followed by the final rankings of The Guillotine wrestling publication are: Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus (18-4 No. 11) vs. No. 2 Foley (25-3 No. 2); Milaca/Faith Christian (23-9 No. 10) vs. No. 3 Scott West (21-2 No. 3); Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle Valley/Montevideo (28-4 No. 8) vs. No. 1 Simley (23-3 No. 1); No. 5 Kasson-Mantorville (22-6 No. 5) vs. No. 4 Totino-Grace (16-4 No. 4).

 

            Class AAA Team Highlights

            There were co-champions in Class AAA last year and both Apple Valley (Section 3) and St. Michael-Albertville (Section 7) return to defend their titles. Apple Valley returns as an eight-time defending champion. The Eagles, who are the top seed, are making their 32nd consecutive and 33rd overall tournament appearance. In addition to the past eight years, they also won team championships in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.
            The No. 2-seeded Knights of St. Michael-Albertville are returning for their 16th consecutive and 24th overall appearance. If they win it would be their eighth title. In addition to last year, they also won in 1996, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
            Three other teams also return from the 2013 qualifying field. Moorhead (Section 8), which is not seeded this year, is making its second consecutive and ninth overall appearance. The Spuds took consolation honors in 2013. Prior Lake (Section 2) also returns. The Lakers, who are the No. 3 seed this year, are making their fourth consecutive and sixth overall appearance. They’re hoping to improve on last year’s third-place showing. The final returning team is Willmar (Section 6). The Cardinals, seeded No. 5 this year, placed sixth in 2013. They are making their third consecutive and fifth overall appearance.
            The other teams competing in Class AAA are: Tartan of Oakdale (Section 4); Maple Grove (Section 5); and Hastings (Section 1). The Tartan Titans return to tournament action for the first time since 2008. They are not seeded this year and are making their second appearance. Maple Grove is making its second appearance, but first since 2010. The Crimson are also unseeded this year. The Hastings Raiders, who come in as the No. 4 seed, return to action after a one-year absence. They are making their 12th appearance overall and are looking for their second title. They won their one previous championship in 1996.
            The 9 a.m. Thursday Class AAA seeded quarterfinal pairings and the team records followed by the final rankings of The Guillotine wrestling publication are: Moorhead (20-3 No. 12) vs. No. 2 St. Michael-Albertville (23-3 No. 2); Tartan (21-10 unranked) vs. No. 3 Prior Lake (24-8 No. 3); Maple Grove (19-14 unranked) vs. No. 1 Apple Valley (29-0 No. 1); No. 5 Willmar (19-3 No. 7) vs. No. 4 Hastings (26-8 No. 6).

            Class A Individual Highlights
            106 pounds —Brock Buysse (36-5) of Minneota/Lincoln HI is the only returning medalist. He placed fifth in this weight class last year. There are no perfect records.
                113 pounds — There are three returning medalists, including the 2013 champion at 106 pounds, Austin Anderly (30-3) of LeSueur-Henderson. The other two returning medal-winners are: Joey Majerus (37-3) of Zumbrota-Mazeppa, fourth in this weight class; and Wyatt Stevens (33-8) of Windom/Mountain Lake, fourth at 106 pounds. Jared Goldsmith (28-0) of Chatfield has the only perfect record.
            120 pounds — Cameron Sykora (31-0) of Border West, last year’s champion at 113 pounds, leads the field. Three additional medal-winners also return: Spencer Jenniges (37-0) of Wabasso/Red Rock Central, runner-up at 113 pounds; Brendon Coyer (37-3) of Osakis, third at 106, and Joe Fischenich (36-3) of Windom/Mountain Lake, fifth at 113 pounds. Sykora and Jenniges boast the only unblemished records.
            126 pounds — Louie Sanders (34-2) of Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Area, who won at 120 pounds last year, is the highest returning qualifier. Seth Elwood (29-4) of Medford and Jordan Biehn (36-4) of Jackson County Central also return. Elwood was the runner-up at 106 pounds last year, and Biehn was fourth at 120 pounds. There are no perfect records.
            132 pounds — Quinten Berres (30-1) of Kimball Area, who struck gold at 126 pounds last year, leads a field of three returning medalists. The others are: Jason Meyer (34-6) of Sibley East, fifth at 126 pounds; and Jared Willaby (36-4) of Windom/Mountain Lake, sixth. No one has a perfect record.
            138 pounds — Three medal-winners return: Hank Friederichs (38-2) of Chatfield, third at 120 pounds; Tyler Keller (28-5) of Medford, third at 126 pounds; and Austin Brockhoff (35-3) of Sibley East, sixth at 132 pounds. There are no perfect records.
            145 pounds —Larry Bomstad (42-0) of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City returns to defend his title in this weight class. He will be challenged by Hunter Retzlaff (36-3) of Sibley East and Dylan Herman (37-4) of United South Central of Wells. Retzlaff was the runner-up at 138 pounds last year and Herman was third at 132 pounds. Bomstad boasts the only perfect record.
            152 pounds — Six medal-winners return: Harvey Friederichs (38-1) of Chatfield, runner-up at 132 pounds; Paden Moore (39-3) of Jackson County Central, runner-up at 145 pounds; Logan Peterson (41-1) of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, third at 138 pounds; Brady Bos (35-2) of Pipestone Area, fourth in this weight class; Shane Stewart (23-3) of Lake City, fifth at 145 pounds; and Jerod Novak (33-3) of Aitkin, sixth at 145 pounds. There are no perfect records.
            160 pounds — Zachary Carlson (42-0) of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, who placed second at 152 pounds last year, leads the field. Three other medal-winners also return: Mitch Lange (36-2) of Royalton/Upsala, fourth in this weight class; Sam McPhail (34-1) of Pine Island, fifth at 152 pounds; and Luke Norland (39-3) of Jackson County Central, sixth at 152 pounds. Carlson has the only perfect record.
            170 pounds — Keegan Moore (41-0) of Jackson County Central and Austin Maanum (37-3) of Border West both return from the 160-pound class. They placed third and fifth last year, respectively.  Moore boasts the only unblemished record.
            182 pounds — Three medalists return: Nico Anderson (33-1) of Fillmore Central/Lanesboro/Mabel-Canton, runner-up at 170 pounds; Colten Carlson (35-3) of United South Central, fourth in this weight class; and Maverick Whitcomb (38-3) of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City , fourth at 170 pounds. No one has a perfect record.
            195 pounds — The defending champion in this weight class, Nathan Rose (38-1) of Sibley East, returns. Three other medal-winners also return: Chase Norton (35-7) of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, runner-up at 220 pounds; Tyler Patron (29-2) of New York Mills, third in this weight class; and Lucas Etchason (29-1) of Triton, Dodge Center, fourth in this weight class. Monty Holm (32-0) of Fillmore Central/Lanesboro/Mabel-Canton has the only perfect record.
            220 pounds — Lucas Damm (36-4) of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City returns to defend his title at 220 pounds. Dillon Card (39-0) of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale, who took fifth at 182 pounds in 2013, is the only other medal-winner to qualify. Card has the lone perfect record.
            285 pounds — Alex Schroepfer (37-0) of Wabasso/Red Rock Central is the only undefeated competitor. He placed fifth in this weight class in 2013. The other returning medalist is Taylor Carlson (31-2) of United North Central, the fifth-place finisher at 220 pounds.
            Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Area leads the Class A field with nine qualifiers. Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City and Pierz each have nine. Chatfield, Jackson County Central, Minneota/Lincoln HI and Sibley East each have qualified eight.

            Class AA Individual Highlights

                106 pounds — Defending champion Tucker Sjomeling (41-0) of Delano is the lone returning qualifier. Sjomeling also boasts the only perfect record.
            113 pounds — Four medal-winners return to pursue gold at 113 pounds. Paul Fitterer (38-0) of Cannon Falls and Jake Allar (38-4) of Benilde-St. Margaret’s, St. Louis Park, placed third and fourth at 106 pounds, respectively. Jacob Jewett (34-6) of Glencoe/Lester Prairie, sixth at 106 pounds, and Jakob Stageberg (34-0) of New London-Spicer, fifth in this weight class, are the other returning qualifiers. Fitterer and Stageberg are the only undefeated competitors.
            120 pounds — Skyler Petry (38-0) of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/JWP and Dylan Connell (33-5) of Chisago Lakes Area, Lindstrom, are the only returning qualifiers. Petry, who has this year’s only perfect record, placed third at 113 pounds last year. Connell was sixth in this weight class.
            126 pounds — Anthony Luft (38-2) of Worthington, who won gold at 120 pounds last year, leads a pack of four returning medal-winners. The others are: Tyler Funk (24-4) of Foley, runner-up at 120 pounds; David Flynn (41-2) of Scott West, fourth at 113 pounds; and Stephen Holecek (32-7) of Thief River Falls. None of the competitors are undefeated.
            132 pounds — Two medalists from 2013 move up to compete at 132 pounds: Griffin Parriott (38-1) of New Prague, third at 120 pounds; and Ty Griffin (32-2) of Rockford, fifth at 126 pounds. There are no unblemished records.
            138 pounds — Zach Siegle (42-1) of Scott West is the highest returning qualifier. He placed third at 126 pounds last year. Logan Kass (35-4) of Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Zach Beaumaster (32-6) of Monticello also return. Kass was fourth at 132 pounds last year and Beaumaster was fifth in this weight class. There are no perfect records.
            145 pounds — Brady Berge (43-0) of Kasson-Mantorville is the only returning medal-winner at this weight class. He placed third at 132 pounds last year and has this year’s only perfect record.
            152 pounds — Four returning medalists compete in this class: Mack Short (40-3) of Simley, runner-up at 145 pounds; Walker Thiele (31-6) of Totino-Grace, fourth in this weight class; Carter Holthaus (31-3) of Albany, fifth in this class; and Parker Jackson (39-3) of Detroit Lakes, sixth at 145 pounds. No one has a perfect record.
            160 pounds — Andrew Fogarty (41-1) of Scott West and Zach Zimmer (22-1) of Becker both return from the 2013 tournament. Fogarty was third in this weight class and Zimmer placed fifth at 145 pounds. There are no perfect records.
            170 pounds — Josh Selly (36-2) of Tri-City United, Montgomery, looks to improve on his runner-up finish at 152 pounds last year. Bobby Lee (28-4) of Becker, sixth at this weight class last year, also looks to claim the championship. Joe Virga (30-0) of Chisago Lakes Area of Lindstrom boasts the only unblemished record.
            182 pounds — Three medal-winners return from the 2013 field: Brian Bertram (6-1) of Byron, third in this weight class; Tyler Midas (33-3) of Foley, fourth in this weight class; and Isaac Florell (39-4) of Totino-Grace, fourth at 170 pounds. There are no perfect records.
            195 pounds — Lance Benick (41-0) of Totino-Grace returns to defend his title. He will be challenged by two other returning medalists: Carson Haugen (33-4) of Worthington, fourth in this weight class; and Mitch Struffert (30-7) of Foley, sixth in this weight class. Benick boasts the only unblemished record.
            220 pounds — Defending champion Clay Broze (30-0) of Cannon Falls returns in search of more gold. Two other medal-winners also return: Christian DuLaney (29-2) of Benilde-St. Margaret’s, runner-up at 182 pounds; and Jake Filk (35-2) of Hutchinson, sixth in this weight class. Broze has the lone perfect record.
            285 pounds — Sam Stoll (42-0) of Kasson-Mantorville, who struck gold in this class in 2013, is the only returning medalist. He also boasts the only perfect record.
            Simley leads the field with 13 qualified wrestlers. South St. Paul and Totino-Grace of Fridley each have nine qualifiers. Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle/Monetivideo each have eight qualifiers.

            Class AAA Individual Highlights

                106 pounds — Brad Osatiuk (27-0) of Maple Grove looks to improve on his runner-up finish in this weight class last year. Jack Bergeland (37-4) of Centennial of Circle Pines is the other returning medalist; he placed sixth at 106 pounds. Osatiuk, Brent Jones (37-0) of Shakopee and Rylee Molitor (36-0) of Sartell-St. Stephen enter competition with perfect records.
            113 pounds — Two 2013 medal-winners at 113 pounds return in search of a title. Brian Maas (39-0) of Bemidji, the only undefeated wrestler in this weight class, placed fifth last year. Jamin LeDuc (35-5) of Farmington finished sixth.
            120 pounds — Gannon Volk (35-6) of Apple Valley, the 2013 runner-up at this weight, is among four returning medalists. Sam Bennyhoff (39-0) of Mound Westonka was runner-up at 113 pounds, Mitchell McKee (41-1) of St. Michael-Albertville placed third at 106 pounds, and Alex Lloyd (37-0) of Shakopee was fifth at 106. Bennyhoff and Lloyd have the only perfect records.
            126 pounds — Two defending champions move up to compete for the title at 126 pounds. Tommy Thorn (42-0) of St. Michael-Albertville took top honors at 120 pounds in 2013. Taylor Venz (32-8) of Farmington claimed the gold at 106 pounds. Travis Swanson (33-9) of Cambridge-Isanti, sixth at 120, is the other returning medalist. Thorn is the only undefeated competitor.
            132 pounds — Maolu Woiwor (37-2) of Apple Valley, the 2013 champion at 113 pounds, leads a field of four returning medalists. He is joined by Luke Rowh (25-2) of Hastings, third at 132 pounds; Nick O’Brien (35-3) of Wayzata, runner-up at 126 pounds; and Brandon Moen (34-8) of Owatonna, fourth at 113 pounds. There are no perfect records.
            138 pounds — Seth Gross (37-2) of Apple Valley, who won the championship at 132 pounds last year, is the only returning medalist. No competitors have a perfect record.
            145 pounds — Four 2013 medal-winners move up to compete for a title at 145 pounds. Mark Voss (39-2) of St. Michael-Albertville, runner-up at 132 pounds, is the highest returning qualifier. Blake Carlisle (22-7) of Prior Lake took third at 138 pounds. Ben Donnelly (36-4) of Woodbury placed fourth at 132 pounds. Carson Brolsma (40-1) of Osseo was fifth at 132 pounds. No one is undefeated.
            152 pounds — Justin Herold-Plakut (38-3) of Woodbury placed third and Brandon Krone (31-1) of Anoka placed fifth in this weight class last year and both return to improve on those results. Two other medalists move up from 138 pounds: Owen Webster (28-5) of Shakopee, who placed fourth; and Jose Rodriguez (32-6) of Henry Sibley of Mendota Heights, who finished fifth. No one enters with a perfect record.
            160 pounds — Colten Carlson (37-2) of Willmar, the 2013 runner-up at 152 pounds, is the top returning qualifier. Two other medalists also return: Lucas Westrich (37-3) of Lakeville North, fourth at 160 pounds; and Matt Njos (32-6) of Anoka, sixth at 182 pounds. There are no perfect records.
            170 pounds — Mark Hall (41-0) of Apple Valley, the 2013 champion at 152 pounds, returns in pursuit of a new title. He is joined by Corey Parsons (38-2) of Andover, the third-place medalist at 170 pounds. Hall is the only undefeated competitor.
            182 pounds — TJ Ohara (36-0) of Tartan, last year’s runner-up at 170 pounds, is the only returning qualifier. Ohara and Kade Johnson (40-0) of Bemidji bring perfect records into the tournament.
            195 pounds — Justin Cumberbatch (29-3) of Alexandria, runner up at 220 pounds in 2013, is the top returning qualifier. Two other competitors also won medals last year: Tristyn Hanson (38-3) of Lakeville North, fifth at 182 pounds; and Daryale Harris (25-9) of Hastings, sixth at 195. No one has a perfect record.
            220 pounds — 2013 champion Paul Cheney (39-1) of Apple Valley is defending his title in this weight class. The other returning qualifier is Alex Hart (39-3) of Prior Lake, who took third at 195 pounds. Caleb Butler (29-0) of Blaine is the only undefeated wrestler in this weight class.
            285 pounds — Two competitors return to the heavyweight field to chase a championship. Spencer Sorenson (17-0) of Owatonna finished third and Eriq Smith (21-4) from Irondale of New Brighton placed sixth. Two other returning medal-winners move up from 220 pounds to compete for the heavyweight title:  Bryce Kirchner (32-3) of St. Cloud Apollo placed fifth; and George Weege (35-1) of Winona/Cotter placed sixth. Sorenson has the only perfect record.
            Apple Valley qualified 14 wrestlers. Prior Lake qualified 10. Hastings has nine individual qualifiers.

            The Schedule and Ticket Information

            This year’s schedule features the team tournament running all day on Thursday, February 28. The action starts with the Class A and Class AAA quarterfinals at 9 a.m. They will be followed by the Class AA team quarterfinals at 11 a.m., which will be run simultaneously with the Class A and Class AAA consolation semifinals.
            At 1 p.m. on Thursday, all three classes will wrestle in the team championship semifinals and Class AA will also have its consolation semifinals. The consolation and third-place team matches for all three classes will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday evening, followed by the team championship matches for all three classes at 7 p.m.
            On Friday, February 28, the Class A individual first round begins at 9 a.m. The Class AA individual first round starts at 11 a.m., followed by the Class AAA individual first round at 1 p.m. On Friday evening, the Class A individual championship quarterfinals begin at 4:30 p.m. The Class AA and Class AAA individual championship quarterfinals will follow at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively. The evening session will conclude with all wrestlebacks at 7:30 p.m.
            On Saturday there will be five rounds of competition. The first starts at 9:30 a.m. and will consist of all individual consolation quarterfinals. The second round will start approximately at 10:45 a.m. and will entail all individual championship semifinals. Round Three begins approximately at 12:45 p.m. and will encompass all individual consolation semifinals. At approximately 4:30 p.m., all individual fifth- and third-place matches will begin. The day will end with all individual championships beginning at approximately 7 p.m. Awards will then follow the final round.
            Other than the first matches of each session, all subsequent rounds will start immediately following the conclusion of the previous competition in that session. Thus, most of the start times are approximate. Fans should bear that schedule in mind in planning their arrival at Xcel Energy Center.
            Ticket prices are $14 per adult and $9 per student for each session. Daily passes are available for $26 for adults and $17 for students. Season passes, good for the entire tournament, are available to adults for $78 and to students for $51.

            Prep45.com Web Streaming

            The championship semifinals and championship matches of the team and individual competition for all classes will be streamed live by Prep45.com are available for a $4.97 daily fee.

Timberwolves Forward Kevin Love Named Western Conference Player of the Week

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The NBA today named Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love as its Western Conference Player of the Week for games played between February 17 and 23. This is the second time this season he has earned the award, the first time since the 2003-04 season that Minnesota has won multiple players of the week in the same season. Love was previously named Player of the Week for games played Oct. 29 - Nov. 3, which was the first such honor of his career.

Love started his week with a 42-point, 16-rebound effort to lead the Wolves to a 104-91 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers, his fourth 40+ point performance of the season (only Kevin Durant, 9, has more 40-point games). He followed that performance with the first triple-double of his career three days later in Utah, scoring 37 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and handing out a career-high 10 assists in Minnesota's 121-104 win over the Jazz. He became just the eighth player over the last 30 years to tally 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 10+ assists and 5+ three-pointers in a game, while his 37 points were the most in a triple-double since 2010 (37- David Lee, Apr. 2, 2010). Love closed out his week with a 31-point, 10-rebound performance at Portland, his club-record fifth consecutive 30+ point outing and 10th straight 25+ point, 10+ rebound game, the longest streak in the NBA since Shaquille O'Neal had 13 in 2001.

On the week Love averaged 36.7 points (2nd in NBA) on 57.1% shooting, 12.7 rebounds (4th in NBA) and 3.7 assists per game. He also drained 13 three-pointers (46.4% from three-point range) while connecting on 25 free throws (T-2nd in NBA) at a 86.2% clip.

This season Love is averaging 26.3 points, 13.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, on pace to become the first player to average 26+ points, 13+ rebounds and 4+ assists in a season since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76. Love currently leads the league in double-doubles (47), 20/10 games (36), 30/10 games (16) and 40/10 games (4).

Thursday, February 20, 2014

NDSU Women’s Basketball Coach Carolyn DeHoff Resigns

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State University director of women’s athletics Lynn Dorn announced today head women’s basketball coach Carolyn DeHoff has resigned effective April 15.
“Carolyn DeHoff is a person of great character and integrity,” Dorn said.  “Her commitment to our student-athletes is commendable. However, after a discussion with Carolyn regarding the program, I have accepted her resignation as head women’s basketball coach.”
Dorn said a national search will begin shortly.  DeHoff is in her sixth year at North Dakota State with a 72-101 record.  The Bison have three regular-season games remaining at South Dakota State, South Dakota and Denver before playing in the Summit League tournament March 8-11 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
                “I want to personally thank NDSU for giving me the opportunity to serve as its head women’s basketball coach over the past six seasons,“ DeHoff said. “I grew tremendously in the profession and want to wish the program and Bison athletics the very best.”
                DeHoff came to NDSU prior to the 2008-09 season after coaching at the University of Utah (2003-08), Weber State University (1998-03), the University of Wyoming (1991-98) and Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. (1990-91).
                “Carolyn has worked tirelessly to move the program forward,” Dorn said.  “The student-athletes have always been her priority and they too have worked hard to achieve progress. I thank Carolyn and wish her well in the future.”
                DeHoff said, “Thank you to the players, coaches and administration and support staff for your efforts. The impact you have had on me will forever be remembered. To the Bison fans and the Fargo-Moorhead community, thank you for your continued support of our players and program.”
                A native of Cheyenne, Wyo., DeHoff was a standout high school player at Cheyenne East and played at Arizona State University from 1987-90, where she was a team captain.
                “We are grateful that North Dakota State University women’s basketball is important to our students, faculty, alumni and fans.  We will aggressively pursue a coach who shares our passion for women’s basketball and the high expectations for its success,” Dorn said.

Carolyn DeHoff Year-by-Year
Season                 School                                  Overall                 Summit                                Postseason
2008-09                 North Dakota State         16-13                     12-6 (3rd)            Summit Semifinals
2009-10                 North Dakota State         16-13                     11-7 (5th)            Summit Quarterfinals
2010-11                 North Dakota State         13-16                     9-9 (6th, tie)       Summit Quarterfinals
2011-12                 North Dakota State         11-20                     8-10 (5th)            Summit Quarterfinals
2012-13                 North Dakota State         10-19                     6-10 (7th)            Summit Quarterfinals
2013-14                 North Dakota State         6-20                       2-9
Totals                   6th Season                          72-101                   48-51                     1-5



Tuesday, February 18, 2014

NDSU Releases 2014 Football Schedule



FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State has signed a two-year contract with Weber State from the Big Sky Conference and will play a 12-game regular season football schedule for the first time in 2014, NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor announced Tuesday, Feb. 18.
 
North Dakota State, under new head coach Chris Klieman, will play six road and six home games.  NDSU opens Aug. 30 at Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference and goes to Weber State on Sept. 6.  The two-game contract calls for Weber State to play in Fargo on Sept. 12, 2015.
 
"This is the first time we have played 12 games but we are happy to have six at home and six on the road," Taylor said.  "It will be a challenging schedule for Coach Klieman and his staff but an exciting one for our fans."
 
North Dakota State's home opener is Sept. 13 with Incarnate Word, a second-year member of the Southland Conference, and the Bison host Big Sky power Montana on Sept. 20 before a week off.
 
"We are excited for our young team to play this 12-game schedule," Klieman said.  "Our great fans will be able to see six home games in the Fargodome, which we feel is the best venue in FCS football.  Our schedule will be challenging opening on the road at Iowa State and Weber State."
 
NDSU's eight-game Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule begins Oct. 4 at Western Illinois.  The annual homecoming game is Oct. 11 against Southern Illinois followed by a home game Oct. 18 with Indiana State.  The Dakota Marker game with South Dakota State is Nov. 1 in Fargo, and the Harvest Bowl is Nov. 22 against Youngstown State.
 
North Dakota State returns 13 starters (five offense, six defense, kicker and punter) from a 15-0 team that won its third straight NCAA Division I FCS national championship.  The Bison enter the 2014 season with a school- and FCS-record 24-game winning streak.
 
2014 North Dakota State Football Schedule
Date
Opponent
Location
Aug. 30
at Iowa State
Ames, Iowa
Sept. 6
at Weber State
Ogden, Utah
Sept. 13
INCARNATE WORD
FARGO
Sept. 20
MONTANA
FARGO
Sept. 27
OPEN

Oct. 4
*at Western Illinois
Macomb, Ill.
Oct. 11
*SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (Homecoming)
FARGO
Oct. 18
*INDIANA STATE
FARGO
Oct. 25
*at South Dakota
Vermillion, S.D.
Nov. 1
*SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (Dakota Marker)
FARGO
Nov. 8
*at Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Nov. 15
*at Missouri State
Springfield, Mo.
Nov. 22
*YOUNGSTOWN STATE (Harvest Bowl)
FARGO