District 9 West - North FB Post Season Awards

2017 Players of the Year – District 9 West – North

Lineman of the Year  -  Isaac Stene - NCE-UH

Offensive Player of the Year - Jack DeWulf - Nevis

Special Teams Player of the Year - Jadyn Swenson - KCC

Co - Defensive Player of the Year - Ben Solberg – CG and Jack Landquist - Nevis

Sub-District MVP -  Jack DeWulf - Nevis        

Coach of the Year - Dustin Flaten - NCE-UH

2017 All-District 9 West – North Sub-District

Ethan Dorman, Clearbrook-Gonvick, 11

Hunter Voxland, Clearbrook-Gonvick, 12

Jaden Kiesow, Goodridge/Grygla/Gatzke, 11

Brandon Stanley, Goodridge/Grygla/Gatzke, 12

Alex Donaldson, Kittson County Central, 12   

Cole Johnson, Kittson County Central, 12

Brad Stewart, Kittson County Central, 12

Isaac Habedank, NCE-UH, 12

Tate Hoseth, NCE-UH, 11

Noah Klemetson, NCE-UH, 11

Isaac Stene, NCE-UH, 12

Kyle Syverson, NCE-UH, 12

Jack DeWulf, Nevis, 12

Zach Henry, Nevis, 12

Jack Landquist, Nevis, 12

Tucker Roehl, Nevis, 12

Kyle Schmidt, Nevis, 12

Zak Anderson, Northern Freeze, 12

Wyatt Hamre, Stephen-Argyle Central, 12

Zach Fincher, Stephen-Argyle Central, 12

Joachim Kazmierczak, Stephen-Argyle Central, 12

Stoene Spilde, Stephen-Argyle Central , 12

Kyler Szczepanski, Stephen-Argyle Central, 12

Jordan Anderson, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, 12

Dion Bower, Waubun, 12

Jeffrey Cukla, Waubun , 11

Jayden Heisler, Waubun, 11

Treston Spalla, Waubun, 11

Emelian Hanson, Win-E-Mac, 12

Mikah Olson, Win-E-Mac, 12

Mason Spry, Win-E-Mac, 11

                                               

Honorable Mention

Ty Nelson, Clearbook-Gonvick, 12

Ben Groven, Goodridge/Grygla/Gatzke,12

Dylan Manderud, Goodridge/Grygla/Gatzke, 12

Trent Peterson, Kittson County Central, 11

Jesse Stark, Kittson County Central, 12

Toby Bjerklie, NCE-UH, 12

Jsii Fain, NCE-UH, 12

Luke DeWulf, Nevis, 10

Mike Landquist, Nevis, 11

Eli Johnson, Northern Freeze, 12

Zach Undeberg, Northern Freeze, 11

Joston Hoeper, Stephen-Argyle Central, 11

Hunter Yutrzenka, Stephen-Argyle Central, 11

Louis Rodriguez, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, 12

Jackson Steer, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, 12

Parker Syverson, Waubun, 11

Tayvis Zima, Waubun, 11

Nathan Fortmann, Win-E-Ma, 10

Blake Glass, Win-E-Mac, 12

NDSU’s Klieman Named MVFC Coach of the Year

ST. LOUIS - North Dakota State University claimed three of the top five honors in the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Wednesday, Nov. 22, as selected by a vote of the league's media, head coaches and sports information directors.

Chris Klieman was selected as the Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.  Linebacker Jabril Cox is the third player in conference history to sweep the Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards, joining Northern Iowa quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen and Youngstown State running back Martin Ruiz, and he is the first Bison player to win either award.

Klieman, who won his 50th game as NDSU head coach last week at Illinois State, is just the fifth Bison coach to reach that mark and the second fastest to 50 wins behind Ron Erhardt.  He has a 50-6 record at NDSU and has guided the Bison to their seventh straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship.

Klieman has been a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award in 2014, 2016 and this year.  The Bison are 28-4 in the MVFC the past four seasons, have gone 30-5 against FCS Top 25 teams, and have an FBS Top 25 win over No. 11 Iowa.  North Dakota State is 10-1 this season and has an FCS-best six Top 25 victories.

Cox, from Kansas City, Mo., is a finalist for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award presented to the FCS Freshman of the Year, and he is a two-time MVFC Newcomer of the Week.  Cox leads NDSU with 52 tackles and 9.0 tackles for loss and has 4.0 sacks, one interception, two breakups, three QB hurries, one forced fumble and one recovery.  He is NDSU’s leading tackler on special teams.

Cox played all 11 games and made four of the last five starts after being thrust into the lineup for the second half at Youngstown State.  He was named STATS FCS National Freshman of the Week after making a season-high eight tackles including two sacks and a key TFL in overtime of the win at YSU.  His 32-yard interception return at Illinois State set up a four-play scoring drive.

Western Illinois linebacker Brett Taylor was voted Defensive Player of the Year and South Dakota quarterback Chris Streveler was selected as Offensive Player of the Year.

The full All-Missouri Valley Football Conference team will be announced Monday, Nov. 27, followed by the MVFC All-Newcomer Team on Tuesday, Nov. 28, and the MVFC All-Academic Team on Wednesday, Nov. 29.

NW Football District 2017 Post Season Awards

East Sub District

-Scott Lundsten (Sr., Bagley)– Jerry Sonnek Most Valuable Offensive Lineman

-Andrew Thompson (Sr., Warroad)– Darrel Naugle Most Valuable Defensive Lineman

-Michael Staples (Sr., Cass Lake-Bena)– L.E. Dreschel Offensive Player of the Year)

-Max Gausen (Jr., Warroad) – Defensive Player of the Year

-Edgar Anderson (Sr., WHA) - Ron Stark Most Valuable Special Teams Player

-Nolan Desjarlait (Red Lake)  - Coach of the Year

West Sub District

-Nick Podlak (Sr., Mahnomen) – Jerry Sonnek Most Valuable Offensive Lineman

-Isaiah Walz (Sr., Ada-Borup/Norman County West) – Darrel Naugle Most Valuable Defensive Lineman

-Jon Starkey (Jr., Mahnomen) and Jared Brainard (Jr., Ada-Borup/Norman County West) – L.E. Dreschel Offensive Player of the Year

-Chris Busche (Sr., Mahnomen) – Defensive Player of the Year

-Dylan Pearce (Jr., Fertile-Beltrami) – Ron Stark Most Valuable Special Teams Player

-Paul Tinjum (Ada-Borup/Norman County West) -  Coach of the Year

Northwest All District Team

Name               Gr.       Positions          School

Jared Brainard, 11, QB/S, Ada-Borup/Norman County West

Isaiah Walz, 12, OG/DT, Ada-Borup/Norman County West

Zach Pelzman, 12, RB/LB, Ada-Borup/Norman County West

Sam Visser, 12, OT/DE, Ada-Borup/Norman County West

Mason Miller, 10, OT/DE, Ada-Borup/Norman County West

Kalvin Kesselberg, 12, C/LB, Ada-Borup/Norman County West

Tyler Isane, 12, QB, Badger-Greenbush-Middle River

Ethan Praska, 12, OL/DL, Badger-Greenbush-Middle-River

Jake Ubert, 12, HB/LB, Bagley

Jacob Neeland, 12, OL/LB, Bagley

Scott Lundsten, 12, OL/DL, Bagley

Kyle Thorson, 12, HB/LB, Bagley

Ian Frenzel, 11, QB/LB, Blackduck

Kobe Arp, 11, WR/DE, Blackduck

Luke Reiplinger, 12, FB/LB, Blackduck

Michael Staples, 12, RB, Cass Lake-Bena

Hunter Kaasa, 11, RB, Cass Lake-Bena

Jared Brown, 11, QB, Cass Lake-Bena

Isaiah Horgeshimer, 12, TE/DE, Fertile-Beltrami

Jordan Van Den Einde, 12, QB/CB, Fertile-Beltrami

Dylan Pearce, 11, RB/CB, Fertile-Beltrami

Brett Sundquist, 12, RB/DB, Fosston

Jason Voxland, 12, OL/LB, Fosston

Krister Anderson, 12, QB/DB, Fosston

Teddy Schauer, 12, QB/CB, Lake Park-Audubon

Jack Osborne, 12, FB/LB, Lake Park-Audubon

Nick Podlak, 12, OL/DL, Mahnomen

Chris Busche, 12, OL/DL, Mahnomen

Dan Snetsinger, 12, RB/DE, Mahnomen

Jon Starkey, 11, QB/DB, Mahnomen

Izaiah Asher, 11, RB/DB, Mahnomen           

Brandon Wolske, 12, QB/LB, Pine River-Backus

Cody France, 12, OL/LB, Pine River-Backus

George Davidson, 10, OL/LB, Pine River-Backus

Isaiah Bartels, 12, OL/DL, Polk County West

Matt Knutson, 12, RB/LB, Polk County West

Matt Maxwell, 11, G, Red Lake

Jalen Kelly, 11, T, Red Lake

Connor Lambert, 11, RB/LB, Red Lake County

Matt Vettleson , 12, RB/LB, Red Lake County

Derek Peterson, 10, QB/DB, Red Lake County

Ethan Vettleson, 12, TE/LB, Red Lake County

Connor Link, 12, OL/DL, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley

Edgar Anderson, 12, FS/WR, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley

Carter Opheim , 11, LB/G, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley

Zach Josephson, 11, LB/G, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley

Hunter Hed, 12, RB, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley

Andrew Thompson, 12, OT/DT, Warroad

Max Gausen, 11, OG/LB, Warroad

Dylan Cain, 12, RB/LB, Warroad

Spencer Musgrove, 11, RB, Warroad

Tristan Johnson, 12, QB, Warroad

Honorable Mention All District

A-B/NCW – Brett Fetting (Jr.), Verdis Barber (So.)

BGMR – Shaun Waage (Sr.), Dillon Nieman (Sr.), Tanner Foss (Sr.)

Bagley – Jarret Merschman (Sr.), Lamarco Pemberton (12), Tannen Agnes (Sr.)

Blackduck – Dylan Moen (So.), Ethan Merril (So.), Haley Murray (Jr.)

Cass Lake-Bena – Saige Humphrey (Sr.), Trystan LeBlanc (Sr.), Allen Masten (Jr.)

Fertile-Beltrami – Micah Tollefson (So.), Harmon Liebl (Jr.), Dillon Sannes (Sr.)

Fosston – Cole Olson (Sr.), Teigen Hextell (Jr.)

Lake Park-Audubon – Eli Noel (Sr.), Carter Raaen (Sr.) Will Hannesson (Jr.)

Mahnomen – Justin Littlewolf (8^th)

Pine River-Backus – Shaun Jacobsen (Sr.), Jake Poehler (So.), Don Owen (Sr.)

Polk County West – Gerardo Vasquez (Sr.)

Red Lake – David Smith (Jr.), Tom May (Sr.), Chase Cobenais (Jr.)

Red Lake County – Adrien Verbout (Jr.), Seth Paradis (Sr.,), Isiah Olson (Fr.)

W-H-A – Riley Welk (So.), Devin Hopen (Sr.), Micah Link (Sr.)

Warroad – Tyler Fox (Jr.), Kip Knutson (Sr.), Isaac Stoskopf (Jr.)

MSHSL To Recognize 37 Athletic Administrators

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn., (November 20, 2017) – The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) announced today that 37 athletic administrators will be recognized for their transformational leadership during halftime of the Prep Bowl Class AAAAA Championship game on Saturday, November 25. The athletic administrators are all part of the Why We Play InsideOut Team Cohort, a professional learning community, which is working to develop transformational, character-based athletic programs in their communities.

Athletic administrators at 64 Minnesota high schools have made a year-long commitment to address the specific needs of today’s youth as part of a collaborative partnership between the Minnesota State High School League, the InSideOut Initiative, the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Legacy Fund and the Minnesota Vikings. The recognition event and cohort are part of the Minnesota State High School League’s “Why We Play” education program. The purpose of Why We Play is to elevate the student-athlete in a way that gets beyond just playing the game for a win, and instead focuses on the students’ human growth and development, and connects them to caring adults in their learning community.

Charlie Campbell, Activities Director for Brainerd High School is one of the cohort members. When asked about his experience with the cohort, he shared “This cohort has created an opportunity to develop personally and professionally and to reconnect with what is in our hearts.  It provides us with a common language and platform to speak about the issues we are all facing — there’s great power and growth in that. It has revitalized the way I interact with my coaches and how we intentionally impact students.  This experience has been truly transformational.” 

Why We Play, developed by the Minnesota State High School League, is a statewide program created to reclaim the educational purpose of sports. Why We Play was founded on the InSideOut Philosophy contained in Joe Ehrmann’s book InSideOut Coaching; How Sports Transforms Lives. In 2015, a partnership was formed between Ehrmann and Jody Redman, associate director for the Minnesota State High School League, and the InSideOut Initiative was launched with funding from the NFL Foundation, as a way to replicate Minnesota’s Why We Play model to communities across the country.  The InSideOut Initiative is currently functioning in 8 states in partnership with 13 NFL Teams.

“We now find ourselves in a win at all costs youth sports culture, which has grown into a $15 billion per year industry, “ says Redman. “We’re not creating better citizens through sports. We’re not serving communities. We’re not even serving the children who participate. We need to reclaim the transformative power of sports by being aware that there is a greater purpose which is their human growth and development and connecting them to caring adults in their learning community.”

The Minnesota State High School League is one of the largest state high school leagues in the nation. With the expansion of this program, it is now also seen as a leader in incorporating social-emotional learning into interscholastic sports.

Gopher Murphy Repeats as Big Ten Player of the Week

For the second time in as many weeks, junior forward Jordan Murphy was selected as the top performer in the Big Ten, earning Player of the Week honors on Monday. Murphy has now captured the award three times in his career.

The San Antonio, Texas native continued his torrid start to the season, rattling off double-doubles in each of the Gophers’ three wins last week.

Murphy began the week with a dominant performance at Providence in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds while adding three blocks and two assists. Two days later, Murphy chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds in the 107-81 victory over Niagara. Sunday evening, Murphy took control of the game in the second half with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals against Western Carolina. 17 of his points came in the second half against the Catamounts, while he posted a career performance at the free throw line, going 15-for-19 (78.9 percent).

He is the first Gopher to win Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks, and one of just four to ever garner the award multiple times in a season. Murphy joins Kris Humphries (2003-04), Joel Pryzbilla (1999-2000) and Quincy Lewis (1998-99) as the only Minnesota players to do so. Lewis was the only Gopher to earn the award three times in a season.

Additionally, he is the first Big Ten player to win back-to-back weekly honors since Ethan Happ on Jan. 23 and 30 last season.

Murphy, who is averaging Big Ten highs of 24.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, is currently third in the nation with three double doubles, 19^th in rebounds and 43^rd in total points. Murphy’s 4.67 offensive rebounds per game are 15^th in the country.

Murphy and the Gophers continue a busy seven-day stretch on Tuesday as they host Alabama A&M at 7:00 p.m. 

UMC's Cleary Named NSIC North Player of the Week

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – University of Minnesota Crookston guard Harrison Cleary (So., Oak Creek, Wis.) was selected as the NSIC North Player of the Week after a strong two games in wins over University of Sioux Falls and Oak Hills Christian College.

Cleary is the first NSIC Player of the Week selection for any Golden Eagle athletic team thus far during the 2017-18 athletic season. He was a two-time NSIC North Player of the Week selection during his freshman campaign.

Cleary averaged 25.0 points per game for Minnesota Crookston as they defeated the Cougars 79-74 and the Wolfpack 104-68 last week at Lysaker Gymnasium. He shot 56.3 percent from the field (18-of-32) and 100.0 percent from the charity stripe (13-of-13). In addition, Cleary averaged 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. He had just three turnovers on the week to 15 assists. Cleary had 33 points in the comeback win over Sioux Falls, after his team was down 14 points at the break. He was 10-of-18 from the field and 12-of-12 from the free throw line in the win over the Cougars. Cleary is averaging 23.3 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game through his first four games of his sophomore year.

Carson Parker of Upper Iowa University was named the NSIC South Player of the Week. Parker tallied 16.3 points per game in wins over Quincy, Truman State and MSU-Denver.

The Golden Eagles head to University of Jamestown Tues., Nov. 20 and will open NSIC play Sat., Nov. 25 at home against Bemidji State University.