By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
February 8
Valley City--The District 2 girls basketball tournament pairings have been released.
The tournament begins Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in Fargo, when top-seeded Central Cass faces Maple Valley. Play continues with fourth-seeded Enderlin playing fifth-seed Fargo Oak Grove.
The night session begins at 6:30 p.m., when Finley-Sharon/Hope-Page, the two seed, faces seventh-seed Northern Cass. First round play concludes with third-seed Kindred battling sixth-seed Richland.
The tournament continues with the consolation semis Saturday at 3:00 p.m., and semi-final games at 6:30 p.m. Two regional qualifiers begin at 4:30 p.m. Monday, with the title game scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
Listeners can follow Maple Valley and Finley-Sharon/Hope-Page on Q101 KQDJ-FM.
February 8
Valley City--The pairings for the District 5 girls basketball tournament have been released.
The tournament will begin Thursday at the Jamestown Civic Center, starting with a 3:00 p.m. matchup featuring top-seeded Ellendale and Central Prairie. Edgeley-Kulm, the fourth seed, will play Barnes County North, the fifth seed, in the following game.
The night session begins at 6:30 p.m. with second-seed Litchville-Marion-Montpelier facing seventh-seed Pingree-Buchanan-Kensal. The first round wraps up with third-seeded Valley City facing LaMoure, the sixth seed.
The tournament continues Friday with four games, two consolation semis at 3:00 p.m., and semi-finals at 6:15 p.m. Saturday will see three games, with two regional qualifying games at 4:30 p.m., and the title game at 8:00 p.m.
The tournament will be broadcast on Sunny 98.3, KXGT-FM.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
February 7
Spearfish, SD--The Viking men have got to find a way to start stronger.
The Vikings had another poor start to a game Saturday night, and this time, there was no finding their way back, falling to Black Hills State in a Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) first place showdown 75-71.
A night after falling behind South Dakota Mines 8-0, only to win by nine, the Vikings fell behind the Jimmies 14-0, eventually trailing 19-4, before becoming the team that had played to first place in the league.
The Vikings would respond with a 30-14 run to take their only lead of the game at 34-33. Chris Fuqua (Sr., Maywood, IL) got active in the post to stabilize the offense, and Calvin Kraft (Jr., Casselton, ND) hit deep threes at key points in the half.
Black Hills State would take the lead back at 36-34 on the final shot of the half, a three by Cain Atkinson (Jr., Evanston, WY). They would never again trail.
The Vikings would tie the game on several occasions in the second half, but could not turn the corner to take the lead. They would fall behind 68-61 down the stretch, before rallying, with Kraft hitting another tough three to cut the lead to 70-69.
Down 72-69, the Vikings had a chance with 21 seconds to play. Orlando Anderson (Sr., Green Bay, WI) would drive to the basket, choosing a layin instead of a three to tie the game, but his shot was blocked, ending the final threat of the game.
The Vikings fal to 7-4 in DAC play, a half game behind Black Hills State, in a tie for second with Dickinson State and Minot State. They travel to Jamestown College Wednesday night.
VCSU 34 71
BHSU 36 75
VCSU: Fuqua, 13; Kraft, 13; Carroll, 11; Spencer, 11; Anderson, 9; Klingberg, 7; Macomber, 4; Bateman, 3.
BHSU: Enos, 23; Atkinson, 17; Potorff, 16; Johnson, 6; Childress, 6; Von Allman, 5; R. Johnson, 2.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
February 7
Spearfish, SD--A banged up Viking womens team could not find the defensive magic to slow down the Black Hills State shooting attack, dropping an 80-57 decision to the Yellowjackets in Spearfish Saturday afternoon.
With Caitlyn Wojahn (Jr., Milbank, SD) further slowed by her ankle injury and Abby Rittenhouse (Jr., Burnsville, MN) out with a concussion, the Vikings lacked the speed and size to find any advantage over the Yellowjackets.
Even with the setbacks, the Vikings managed to stay in the hunt. Falling behind a dozen early in the first half, they would chip away, cutting the lead to as few as four. Amanda Brown (Jr., Limon, CO) took over the offensive duties, knocking in 11 of her 17 in the first half. The Vikings trailed at halftime 44-33.
Black Hills State did all they needed from beyond the arc. They hit 15-24 from three-point land, with Brittany Fuhrman (Sr., Mobridge, SD) hitting 5-6 outside, leading the attack with 18 points. Eleven different Yellowjackets scored.
The Vikings slip to 5-6 in Dakota Athletic Conferece play, and are now in fifth place, a game out of a home game in the opening round of the DAC tourney. They face Jamestown College Wednesday night in Jamestown.
VCSU 33 57
BHSU 44 80
VCSU: Brown, 17; Wojahn, 10; Hummel, 8; Vrchota, 8; Mitchell, 6; Johnson, 4; Clark, 2; Larson, 2.
BHSU: Furhman, 18; Krowlikowski, 11; Lamb, 11; Ryan, 10; Brumfield, 7; Thomas, 7; Bolstad, 4; Connolly, 4; Dykhouse, 4; Mines, 3; Bechtel, 1.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
February 6
Spearfish, SD--A short-handed Viking womens team took a humbling loss to the Black Hills State University Yellowjackets 80-57 Saturday afternoon.
The Vikings played without Abby Rittenhouse, who was injured in the matchup with South Dakota Mines Friday night in Rapid City.
Black Hills State shot 13-24 from the line, and the Vikings simply could not keep up with the offensive output.
The Vikings fall to 5-6 in Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) play. They will drop to fifth or sixth in the standings.
A full report with audio package will follow on NewsDakota.com.
By Titus Stenberg NewsDakota.com
February 6
Valley City--The Hi-Liners had six players score in the first quarter, including five 3-pointers and a slam dunk. The game was never in doubt as Valley City won 76-19.
P-B-K scored first to take their only lead at 2-0 and they hung around trailing 10-6 midway through the first quarter. Valley City scored the final 11 points of the first quarter, including a dunk by Joey Halgrimson, and the first 19 of the second quarter, totaling a 30-0 run to extend their lead to 40-6. They led at halftime 46-8.
The balanced scoring attack from Valley City lasted throughout the game, as all nine juniors and sophomores who dressed scored. The Hi-Liners outscored the Rebels 16-2 in the third quarter on their way to a 62-10 lead. P-B-K found their outside shot in the fourth as they hit three 3-pointers, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Hi-Liners coasted to the lopsided victory.
Shane Ost led the Hi-Liners with 22 points including six 3-pointers. Joining him in double-figures were Matt Jorissen and Tony Van Dyke with 11 each and Preston Myers with 10. Scott Bennett scored six to lead the Rebels.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
February 6
Spearfish, SD--There is no comfort in first place in the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) this year, but satisfaction can be found in a win at South Dakota Mines any year.
The Viking men earned revenge and position in the standings with a 75-66 win over South Dakota Mines Friday night in Rapid City.
Valley City State used the win to avenge a loss in last year's DAC tournament game that saw six Vikings foul out in Rapid City, a game that left a sour taste in their mouthes at the end of the year.
That game, however was the past. The present is that the win, combined with Black Hills State's blowout win over Jamestown College, leaves the Vikings alone in first place in the DAC, with the Yellowjackets, Saturday's opponent, a half-game out.
After one sizable run by each team early, no one would establish control until a late Viking surge that took a two-possession difference and blew it into a 16 point lead. Dareon Spencer (Sr., Wheaton, IL) powered that surge, part of his game-high 21 points.
Mines' biggest lead was built in the first two minutes. They would storm out to an 8-0 lead on the efforts of Kyle Turpin (Sr., Post Falls, ID) and Robbie Fedor (Sr., Monticello, MN), who would combine for eight field goals and 19 points in the first half.
Valley City State responded with two well-defended threes by Calvin Kraft, sparking a 16-4 run that edged the Vikings to a 16-12 lead. The half finished in a 34-34 tie.
The game saw no more than a four point lead for either team through the first 10 minutes of the second half. Chris Fuqua (Sr., Wheaton, IL) finished a reverse layin that started a 10-0 run, capped by a Calvin Kraft (Jr., Casselton, ND) three that gave the Vikings a 52-42 lead.
Spencer drained two threes, each with the shot clock expiring as the ball was in the air, that ran the lead to 64-48 in the final three minutes. Mines forced a couple of late turnovers to keep the game somewhat interesting, but the Viking lead proved safe.
The win moves the Vikings to 16-8 overall, 7-3 in DAC play. They face Black Hills State in Spearfish Saturday. The Yellowjackets pummeled Jamestown College 89-51 Friday night. The game will be broadcast on Q101 KQDJ-FM, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
VCSU 34 75
SDM 34 66
VCSU: Spencer, 21; Fuqua, 14; Anderson, 11; Kraft, 11; Klingberg, 9; Macomber, 5; Carroll, 4.
SDM: Turpin, 14; Doerr, 13; Jacobson, 12; Fedor, 11; May, 11; Johnson, 3; Friesen, 2.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
February 6
Spearfish, SD--For the Viking women, their road trip to the Black Hills started with a loss and added injury to injury.
Already hampered by an ankle injury to speedy point guard Caitlyn Wojahn (Jr., Milbank, SD), the Vikings will be without post leader Abby Rittenhouse (Jr., Burnsville, MN) after their 71-61 loss to South Dakota Mines Friday night.
Rittenhouse took a blow to the head fighting for a rebound late in the game. She came away holding her nose, took a step toward the Viking bench, and lost consciousness, falling to the floor and striking her head.
While she appeared to recover, she will be held out of Saturday's game with Black Hills State due to Viking team policy regarding testing for concussion injuries.
While her injury showed up at the end of the game, the injury to Wojahn was apparent throughout. The Vikings were a step slow both offensively and defensively all evening, and, despite an offensive effort from Mandy Johnson (Jr., Barnesville, MN) that saw her hit 16 points, they could not turn the corner.
The Vikings were outscored 45-30 in the second half, including an 11-0 run to start the half, turning a 31-26 lead into a 37-31 deficit. They would eventually trail by as many as twelve.
Johnson and Rittenhouse combined for a comeback run. Johnson's three cut the lead to two, and Rittenhouse capped a 13-2 run with a hoop-and-bonus, cutting the edge to 51-50.
Mines took the momentum back with late threes by Hillary Hawkins (Fr., Elizabeth, CO). The Vikings failed to close out on her, and Hawkins, one of the Dakota Athletic Conference's (DAC) top-ten three-point shooters, forced a three possession game late.
The Vikings fall to 14-10 overall, 5-5 in DAC play, and lose both ends of the season series with Mines. They face a Yellowjacket team that, after Friday, is in first place in the league after a 67-60 win over Jamestown College.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on Q101 KQDJ-FM, with pregame coverage beginning at 4:45 p.m.
VCSU 31 61
SDM 26 71
VCSU: Johnson, 18; Rittenhouse, 14; Brown, 6; Larson, 6; Mitchell, 5; Vrchota, 5; Wojahn, 4; Titus, 2; Hummel, 1.
SDM: Hampp, 16; Holyoak, 14; Hawkins, 13; Granillo, 8; Willmore, 8; Ihnen, 5; Forstmann, 4; Sundby, 3.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
February 5
Rapid City, SD--The Viking women have been defeated by South Dakota Mines 71-61 in Rapid City tonight.
The Vikings led 31-26 at halftime, but gave up an 11-0 run to start the second half, and trailed by as many as 12 at 47-35.
Valley City State cut the lead to one at 51-50, and had a possession for the lead, but would get no closer. Late threes by the Hardrockers sealed the win.
The Vikings fall into a tie for fourth in the Dakota Athletic Conference at 5-5, and are 14-10 overall.
A full report with audio highlights will follow on NewsDakota.com.
By Steve Urness NewsDakota.com
February 5
Valley City native Bob King and the 1958 Drayton American Legion baseball team will receive the Cliff Cushman Award during the induction ceremony at the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame banquet on July 24 in Jamestown.
King was a teacher, coach and athletic director for over 25 years. Bob led his teams to 15 football conference championships and a State Class B Track & Field Championship in 1961.
King is a 1955 VCSU graduate and received his Masters degree in 1970 at NDSU.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
February 5
Rapid City, SD--Viking mens basketball coach Jeff Kaminsky is unhappy about the ranking of mens basketball teams in both the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) and in the NAIA Division II national poll.
This week, he chose to voice those issues to those that do the voting.
Each week, DAC teams are ranked against one another, which is part of the information used by national raters in that week's national poll. This week's DAC ratings don't seem to stand up to national scrutiny, and Kaminsky believes he has the facts to prove it.
This week's rankings have Minot State as the top-ranked team in the conference, despite being in a fourth-place tie in the DAC standings, and coming off being swept by Jamestown College and Valley City State.
Black Hills State, currently in third place in the league, is ranked second. Jamestown College and Valley City State, the teams tied for first place, are ranked third and fourth.
"In my view, Jamestown College should be the top-ranked team in the league right now," said Kaminsky, who is in Rapid City on the Vikings' DAC road trip this weekend. "It's very odd, to me, that a team tied for fourth in our conference is our top-ranked team."
Each conference is ranked by a coach in that league. The coach that is ranking DAC teams is Mike Hultz, the head coach at Minot State.
Kaminsky was not about to simply call the move self-serving. He set about finding facts to support his decision. Those facts, compiled by Viking student manager Matt Karlgaard, seem to confirm how out of place the DAC rankings are with the rest of the nation.
In the 15 NAIA Division II conferences nationwide, the team that is currently in first place in their standings is also the top-ranked team in 14 of them. The only conference that does not comply is the Dakota Athletic Conference, where the fourth-place team, Minot State, is ranked first.
Kaminsky believes the rankings are affecting the respect the DAC receives nationally, and he provided facts to support that theory as well.
Of the 15 conferences, the DAC currently holds the third-best non-conference record as a league, behind only Mid-Central Collegiate and the Cascade Collegiate. Both of those conferences have four top-25 teams this week, while the DAC has just one, which is Minot State, ranked 23rd.
Five conferences with poorer non-league records have more teams ranked than the DAC, including the Great Plains Athletic, the Sun, and the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic. These three leagues, with non-conference records that rank ninth, tenth, and eleventh, respectively, all have three ranked teams.
"Raters use our conference rankings to evaluate our league," says Kaminsky. When your league's top-ranked team is in fourth place, how can you give that league any respect?"
Kaminsky believes that the top criteria that should be used for ranking teams are the exchange of conference games, followed by common opponents. He is upset that a team's non-league record is carrying more weight, and with good reason.
Two seasons ago, the Vikings, who finished 22-8, including two wins over Jamestown College, were left out of the NAIA national tournament, while Dakota Wesleyan, who had a favorable ranking in the GPAC, qualified.
The Vikings crushed Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, SD, that season, leading by 35 at one point, winning by 25. Jamestown College defeated Wesleyan that season by a similar margin.
"That season, non-conference record didn't seem to matter in your league ranking. It was all about what you did in your league. Why now does your non-conference record carry so much weight?" asks Kaminsky.
Many coaches, including both Kaminsky and Hultz, believe the DAC is being snubbed by the national audience. The league has one ranked team at a time when the league's non-conference record is third best in the nation, six teams have double-digit win totals, four teams have 20-win seasons as a possibility, and DAC teams have advanced to the NAIA Final Four in two of the last three years.
Five games remain for the Vikings, the Jimmies and the Beavers. Six remain for Black Hills State. The two teams in first place, the Vikings and Jimmies, play at Black Hills State this weekend.
February 3
Valley City--Fourteen high school players have signed Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) Letters of Intent to play football at Valley City State University in 2010.The list includes nine players from North Dakota, two from Minnesota, and one each from Alaska, Hawaii, and Wisconsin.
Viking head football coach Dennis McCulloch used North Dakota to fill his needs on the offensive line, by landing three players from Fargo North, North Prairie, and Edgeley-Kulm.
Nic Pfeifer (6'3", 270, Rolette, ND) and Justin Hamilton (6'0", 250, Fargo, ND) headline the group. Pfeifer played his high school ball for North Prairie, a 1A team with a lot of success. Hamilton played 3A ball at Fargo North.
"When you talk about Nic Pfeifer, we think he's going to be a dominating offensive lineman," says McCulloch. "When we've seen him at camp, his physicality and how hard he plays made us fall in love right away with a kid we believe can come in and contribute."
McCulloch continued about Hamilton, "He may be an undersized kid, but I love his effort on the field, and he's a kid that probably recruited us just as hard as we recruited him. He's going to be a great fit for us on the offensive line."
The unknown commodity in the group is Alex Gebhard (6'3", 273, Edgeley, ND). His high school career at Edgeley-Kulm, with flashes of brilliance, was limited due to injury his last two years. McCulloch is not phased by this.
"I've told Alex his best football is definitely ahead of him," says McCulloch. "When he is 270, you don't see any fat on that young man. He's a pretty athletic big man, and he's going to add a lot to our team."
In the specialty positions, the Vikings signed wide receiver Tyler Luehring (6'0", 150, Tolna, ND) from Dakota Prairie High School, a team that has been very dynamic offensively the past several years. Luehring will play receiver after a year at quarterback for the Knights his senior year.
"His quickness and elusiveness are really special," said McCulloch of Luehring. "I liked a lot of everything I saw from him. Tyler made a lot of (Dakota Prairie) their success on the field at quarterback. He's very athletic, and I'm excited about what he'll bring to us in the future."
With 14 new players set to arrive in Viking football, the attention turns to the players already in the program. That attention, naturally, focuses on the quarterback position, which was left unsettled last year.
Trent Kosel (Jr., Edgeley, ND) and Tommy Zinke (RFr., Rolla, ND) will once again fight for the position, hopefully during spring football, something the Vikings did not have in 2009 due to flooding.
"They are great leaders for this team right now. They are busting it in the weight room like everyone else, and leading the way with their work ethic," said McCulloch.
According to McCulloch, the biggest loss of an underclassman on the team was running back Mike McAtee (Fr., Rolla, ND), who transferred to the University of North Dakota to pursue an engineering degree.
The Viking football schedule is still being finished. It will feature a non-conference game with Concordia College of Moorhead, MN, seven DAC games, and a game in the DAC Bowl, which returns for it's second year in 2010. One game remains to be scheduled.
Valley City State University football signees as of February 2nd, 2010:
North Dakota (9)
Justin Hamiton - 6'0" - 250 - Offensive Lineman - Fargo North High - Fargo, N.D.
Honors: Team Captain
Son of Kelly & Glen Hamilton
Josh Hooey - 6'0" - 205 - Inside Linebacker - Fargo South High - Fargo, N.D.
Honors: All Conference & All State
Son of Jeff and Audrey
Tyler Bryant - 6'0" - 210 - Linebacker - St. John High - St. John, N.D.
Honors: 3 time all region linebacker, 2 time all state linebacker, 2009 region 4 athlete of the year
Son of Rob and Glenda Bryant
Sam Callahan - 6'1" - 210 – Linebacker/Fullback - Fargo South High - Fargo, N.D.
Honors: All Conference, All State, Captain
Son of Casey and Kari Callahan
Jordan Aus - 6'0" - 170 - Running Back/Wide Receiver - Valley City High - Valley City, N.D.
Honors: Team Captain
Son of Jon and Joan Aus
Myles James Brooks - 6'0" - 183 - Punter/Kicker/Receiver - Bottineau High - Dunseith, N.D.
Honors: Ranks 1st in class, All Area Team, 2nd Team All-Region
Son of Larry & Kristy Brooks
Nic Pfeifer - 6'3" - 270 - Offensive Lineman - Rolette Public School - Rolette, N.D.
Honors: All-Region 3, First Team All-State
Awards: Most Valuable Lineman
Son of Lisa Pfeifer
Alex Gebhard - 6'3" - 273 - Offensive/Defensive Lineman - Edgeley Public School - Edgeley, N.D.
Honors: Rebels Most Valuable Offensive Lineman 2008, All SCC Honorable Mention 2008, All-Region Honorable Mention 2008
Son of Steven and Zelda Gebhard
Tyler Luehring - 6"0" - 150 - Wide Reciever/Quarterback - Dakota Prairie - Tolna, N.D.
Honors: All-Region 3 (2007, 2008, and 2009)
Awards: All-State 2nd team (2007, 2008, and 2009)
Son of Brian and Stacy Luehring
Minnesota (2)
Tyler Barnes - 6'4" - 245 - TE/DE and Long snapper - Farmington High - Farmington, Minn.
Awards: Midwest Combine All-Star
Son of John & Ann Barnes
Eric Mueller - 5'11" - 220 - Offensive/Defensive Lineman - Rocori High School - Cold Spring, Minn.
Son of Marvin and Connie Mueller
Alaska (1)
Ben Watkins - 6'1" - 245 - Defensive Lineman - Kodiak High School - Kodiak, Alaska
Honors: Alaska 1st Team All-State linebacker, 1st Team offensive guard 2007, Northern California 1st Team All-League defensive lineman at College of the Redwoods
Son of Bill and Kathy Watkins
Hawaii (1)
Monty Wright - 6'0" - 290 - Defensive Tackle - Radford High - Honolulu, Hawaii
Honors: All-State defensive tackle, All-State offensive guard
Awards: 1st Team All-Coference defensive tackle,1st team All-Conference offensive gaurd
Son of Kimberly and Lester Johnson; Father Monty Wright Sr.
Wisconsin (1)
Matt Zirbel - 5'9" - 185 - Running Back - North Crawford High - Gays Mills, Wis.
Honors: Offensive MVP
Awards: All Conference
Son of David and Lynn Zirbel
February 3
Valley City--Valley City Hi-Liner Wrestling and Farmers Union Insurance have selected William Anderson as this week's Wrestler of the Week award winner.Anderson (left) was one of several wrestlers to excel beyond his tournament seed at the East-West tournament in New Salem last weekend. He was the tournament's eighth seed in the 160 pound weight class, but finished fourth.
Of Anderson's four wins, two were big upsets, knocking off fifth-seeded Dylan Carr of Carrington and third-seeded Isaiah Krebs of Beulah. It was a nice way to rebound after illness that had plagued him for sometime.
The Wrestler of the Week award is presented by Farmers Union Insurance, Kirk Olson and Tyler Van Bruggen agents, in Valley City.
By Steve Urness NewsDakota.com
February 2
The Valley City Hi-Liner Hi-Lites Dance Team placed 1st in Hip Hop Dance, 2nd place in the Jazz and Pom Dance, and 3rd place in High Kick Dance categories during the State Dance Team Tournament over the weekend.
(Mayor Nielson and the commission recognized the team on February 1 meeting in Valley City. Photo by Steve Urness.)
Dance Team coach Lisa Brown says team also received the Academic Award for maintaining a high grade point average and the Sportsmanship Award.
The Valley City board of commissioners recognized the teams accomplishments during a brief proclamation at their regular meeting this week.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
January 30
Valley City--The Viking men remain tied for first place in the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) after an 83-74 win over Minot State in Valley City Saturday night.
The Vikings trailed by as many as 11 in the opening half, but rallied, cutting the lead to eight at halftime.
They began the second half with a 15-1 run, powered by Calvin Kraft. Kraft hit five threes in the second half, seven for the game, and finished with a game-high 23 points.
Kraft's seventh trey pushed the lead to its largest margin, at 78-61. The Vikings ran off time with a ball-control offense, settling for the nine-point win.
Four Vikings scored in double figures, pushing the Vikings to 6-3 in DAC play, tied with Jamestown College for first place. The Vikings are 15-8 overall.
The Vikings travel to South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State this weekend.
By Ryan Cunningham NewsDakota.com
January 30
Valley City--The Viking women earned a conference home sweep with a 65-56 win over Minot State Saturday at the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse.
The Vikings trailed for most of the first half, and were tied with the Beavers at 33-33 at the end of the half. After taking a six-point edge on several occasions, Mandy Johnson hit a jumper with 6:07 to go, pushing the lead to 56-48.
The lead would be cut to four on back-to-back threes by the Beavers, but a late basket by Heidi Larson and free throws by Caitlyn Wojahn would seal the win.
Amanda Brown led the Vikings with 17 points. Four Vikings scored in double figures, overcoming four in doubles for Minot State. The Vikings held the Beavers to 31% from the field in the second half.
The Vikings are now 5-4 in the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC), and 14-9 overall. Pending the outcome of games this weekend, the Vikings may find themselves in third place in the DAC, after starting the weekend in seventh.
By Wade Fossum NewsDakota.com
February 8
The brackets have been released for the upcoming Individual Region 1 Wrestling Tournament on Saturday in Kindred. Team champions, the Oakes Tornadoes, will have six number 1 seeds going into the tournament, two number 2 seeds and a 3 seed. Three of those top seeds are unbeaten, with Brady Coleman at 119, Ethan Plemel at 189, and Cody Kasprick at HWT. The top 4 place winners in each weight class from the region will go on to the State Tournament in Fargo on February 18-20 at the Dome.
Here are the wrestlers for the Tornadoes, grade, record, and what seed they received.
103 Caden Coleman, FR, 21-10, #5
112 Cody Voegeli, SO, 23-3, #2
119 Brady Coleman, JR, 14-0, #1
125 Devon Loepp, JR, 25-3, #1
130 Jason Roth, SO, 10-16, #6
135 Lance Ehrlin, SR, 23-2, #1
140 Trenton Ptacek, FR, 11-12, #6
145 Ben Ketterling, SO, 13-18, #5
152 Rob Krueger, SR, 26-5, #2
160 Taylor Ptacek, SR, 27-2, #1
171 Ernie Hicks, SR, 16-9, #3
189 Ethan Plemel, SR, 25-0, #1
215 Max Ketterling, SR, 17-12, #5
HWT Cody Kasprick, SR, 23-0, #1
By Wade Fossum NewsDakota.com
February 6
The Oakes Tornadoes rolled through the Region 1 Dual Tourney in Napoleon by knocking off the Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm Thunder 82 to 0 in the first round, downed the Napoleon Imperials 63 to 10 in the semis, and bounced the South Border Mustangs 54 to 21 for the title.
First round scores were Napoleon over Valley City 42 to 23, South Border over LaMoure 56 to 12, and Lisbon over Linton 46 to 24.
Consolation bracket had Valley City over Ellendale/Edgeley 60 to 21, and Linton over LaMoure 48 to 28. In the other Semifinal, it was South Border defeating Lisbon 44 to 27.
Seventh place went to LaMoure over Ellendale/Edgeley 40 to 36. Fifth went to Valley City over Linton 39 to 32. Third was won in the last match by a pin as Napoleon defeated Lisbon 42 to 37. That win forced a challenge match with the South Border Mustangs. South Border was able to knock off Napoleon 37 to 31 and keep the second place Region 1 finish.
South Border will join the team champions, the Oakes Tornadoes, from Region 1 in the State Wrestling Tourney on Thursday February 18 and Friday February 19 at the Fargodome.
By Wade Fossum NewsDakota.com
February 4
The Hankinson Pirates have the top seed going into next weeks District 1 girls basketball tournament in Oakes. North Sargent is second, F-C-T is third followed by Milnor, Oakes, Lidgerwood-Wyndmere, Lisbon then Sargent Central.
Play gets under way at the Oakes High School Gym on Thursday February 11 with Hankinson opening against Sargent Central at 6:00 p.m. Game two that night has Milnor taking on Oakes. Day two of the first round action goes Friday night as North Sargent takes on Lisbon at 6:00 p.m. followed by F-C-T against Lidgerwood-Wyndmere.
Semifinals are on Monday February 15 with two games starting at 6:00 p.m. Third place is set Tuesday February 16 at 6:00 p.m. with the championship game to follow. The top 4 teams move on to the Region 1 girls tourney.
Courtesy Associated Press
February 4
New Class "A" boys and girls basketball polls for the week
Boys
1. Bismarck 11-2
2. Fargo North 12-1
3. Mandan 11-2
4. Bismarck Century 10-3
5. West Fargo 10-3
Girls
1. Bismarck Century 13-1
2. Grand Forks Red River 11-1
3. Fargo South 10-2
4. Fargo North 10-3
5. Minot 9-3
By Wade Fossum NewsDakota.com
February 2
The Oakes Tornadoes picked up a win on the hardwood Monday after defeating the Edgeley-Kulm Rebels 70 to 57.
Oakes used a big second quarter to turn a tie game into a 15 point halftime lead. Charles Forward came off the bench for the Tornadoes and was instant offense as he scored all 8 of his points in about a minute and a half. He got a defensive rebound, was fouled and went to the line for a bonus and made both free throws. The next trip down he took advantage of the late night banking hours, bouncing it off the backboard and in, to hit a three pointer from the left wing. The next time Oakes had possession, Charles wanted to prove he could make it without the backboard and he swished home another three pointer from about the same spot on the floor.
The Rebels got as close as 9 in the third quarter after the Rebels Alex Knudson hit back to back three pointers and Justin Rott hit a three pointer from the right wing. Adam Ladwig of the Tornadoes was right on with his shooting though as he hit on 8 of his game high 21 points in the third to help stretch the lead back to 15 where it stayed the rest of the game.
Edg-Kulm 12 22 36 57
Oakes 12 37 53 70
Edg-Kulm: J. Rott 14, A. Knudson 13, T. Jones 13, T. Erickson 5, B. Diegel 4, D. Heidinger 2, D. Toay 2, N. Elhard 2, T. Berg 2
Oakes: A. Ladwig 21, C. Ptacek 14, J. Hagen 12, C. Forward 8, A. Breitbach 6, G. Peterson 4, P. Zimmer 3, T. Zetocha 2
Next up for the Tornadoes is a District 1 matchup at Hankinson on Friday night. The game will be broadcast on AM 1220 KDDR and NewsDakota.com with pregame around 7:30 p.m.
Courtesy Associated Press
February 2
Beach stays number one in the Class "B" girls basketball poll and the Linton boys stay number one in the boys poll.
Boys
1. Linton 14-0
2. North Star 12-0
3. Fargo Oak Grove 11-0
4. Berthold 13-0
5. Dickinson Trinity 10-2
T6. Carrington 12-2
T6. Turtle lake-Mercer 13-2
8. Minot Ryan 11-2
9. Watford City 11-2
10. Munich-Starkweather 10-2
Other teams that picked up votes, Grafton 10-2, Thompson 12-3, Central Cass 9-3, Mandaree 12-3 and Cavalier 7-5.
Girls
1. Beach 13-0
2. Carrington 14-1
3. Hazen 14-1
4. Kidder County 15-1
5. Central Cass 16-1
6. Dickinson Trinity 14-2
7. Finley-Sharon-Hope-Page 14-2
8. Harvey 13-2
9. Hankinson 12-1
10. Central Valley 12-3
Other teams receiving votes, Westhope-Newburg 11-2, Dakota Prairie 13-2, Stanley 12-2, Hettinger 10-1, Kenmare 11-3, Killdeer 13-3 and Linton 11-4
By Wade Fossum NewsDakota.com
February 1
The Oakes Tornadoes didn't lose a dual all season, and now they can say they didn't lose a tournament all season. The Tornado wrestling program took the top spot in the team event at the East-West Wrestling Classic held on Friday and Saturday in New Salem. Oakes placed 11 wrestlers, 5 reaching the finals, and 2 winning individual championships. Here are the team results, followed by the finishes for the Tornadoes.
1. Oakes 216.5 2. Lisbon 172.5 3. Valley City 160.5 4. New Salem 149.5 5. South Border 148.5
103 Caden Coleman 6th
112 Cody Voegeli 2nd
125 Devon Loepp 3rd
130 Jason Roth 8th
135 Lance Ehrlin 2nd
145 Ben Ketterling 8th
152 Rob Krueger 4th
160 Taylor Ptacek 2nd
171 Ernie Hicks 7th
189 Ethan Plemel 1st
HWT Cody Kasprick 1st
Next up for the Tornadoes is the Region 1 Wrestling Dual Tournament on Saturday February 6 in Napoleon. Oakes will start the tournament at 10:00 a.m. against the play in winner, either Kindred or Ellendale-Edgeley.
Courtesy Tracy Erickson
February 8
Jamestown College head women’s basketball coach Mark Wiest announces Carrington High School standout Kali Kurtz has signed a Dakota Athletic Conference Letter of Intent to play basketball for the Jimmies.
(Carrington's Kali Kurtz will suit up next season for the Jamestown College women's basketball team. Photo Submitted.)
Kurtz is a four-year starter for the Cardinals, who are currently 14-1 and ranked no. 2 in the latest Class B poll. She is a three-time All-District selection and has also been named to the All-District Tournament Team. Kurtz’ career numbers include 826 points, 296 rebounds, 265 assists and 206 steals. She has 132 three pointers and has chipped in 72 percent from the free throw line.
“Kali is a tremendous athlete and has had a lot of success in basketball, volleyball and track,” Wiest says. “I have watched Kali for the past four years and have been impressed with her attitude, work ethic and desire to compete at the collegiate level. She will fit in well with our style of play and will also be a tremendous student as she is looking to major in nursing. We’re fortunate that she has decided to continue her education at Jamestown College.”
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 8
Jamestown put up 224 points and finished fourth at the UND Invite on Saturday.
Willy Marler won the 100 and 200 meter freestyle's and Landon Ostlie won the 100 butterfly with a new meet record time of 57:46.
The Jay's 200 Freestyle relay team set a new school record at 1:35:20, and placed second.
Chasen Miller was second in the 500 Free and Ostlie took second in the 200 individual medley.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 8
The regular season is over for Blue Jay Wrestling, and next up is the West Region meet in Dickinson on Saturday.
The Jay's dropped their regular season finale in Bismarck to Williston on Saturday.
The Coyotes won the duel 37-34
Winners for Jamestown were;
Jaden Horstad at 103
Brent Mittleider at 140
Johnny Schmitz at 145
Ryan Hillerud at 152
Nick Erickson at 189
Shane Gallagher at 215
David Birrenkott at 285
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 6
As usual, the long weekend road trip to the Black Hills for DAC basketball was not kind to the Jimmies.
This annual road trip proves to be miserable one for most teams in the conference, and that was the case again this weekend.
Jamestown dropped 3 of the 4 games it played, and will hope for some home cooking to pull off a conference title.
The Jimmies have three games left on the conference schedule, and all three will be played at Jamestown Civic Center.
Saturday in Rapid City, Jamestown split with South Dakota Tech.
The women managed to squander a 25 point second half lead, but scrambled to win in overtime, 80-74.
The Jimmies jumped out to an early lead and took a 37-26 cushion into the halftime locker room.
When Jamestown built the lead to 59-34 with 10 minutes to go, it appeared the game was all but over.
An amazing run by the Rockers in the final minutes forced a 5 minute overtime.
The Jimmies were able to recover and pick up a critical road win, and stay with-in a half game of first place Black Hills State.
Senior Guard Guili Varriano led the way with 22 and Junior Guard Kellie Schuneman hit for 15.
Jamestown is 8-3 in the DAC. The Jackets improved to 8-2 with a win over Valley City.
For the second consecutive night, the men's game was ugly for the Jimmie's
Jamestown was coming off a 40 point blow out defeat the night before in Spearfish to Black Hills State, and the shell shocked Jimmies funk continued in Rapid City.
Jamestown was held to a stunning 12 points in the first half and trailed at the break 27-12.
The hole was to deep to crawl out of, and the Hardrockers coasted to a 61-47 victory.
Heading into the weekend, the Jimmies were tied for the conference lead.
With-in a 24 hour period, Jamestown comes home 6-5 in the DAC, and have slipped to 5th in the conference.
Top guns for Jamestown were Junior Forward C.J. Peeters with 14 and Senior Guard Hans Hoeg with 18.
Next up for the Jimmie's is rival Valley City State.
These two teams will lock horns on Wednesday night at Jamestown Civic Center.
The women's game will tip at 530P, followed by the men's game at 730P.
Listen for coverage with Mark McKenzie on AM 1400 KQDJ and newsdakota.com.
By Jason Metko NewsDakota.com
February 6
The Jamestown High School basketball teams split their contests against the Turtle Mountain/Belcourt Braves on Saturday night at Blue Jay Arena.
Girls: TMB 77 Jamestown 65
Jamestown High had a solid lead at the intermission, but TMB shot incredibly well in the second half, going almost 70 percent from the floor to earn their twelth win of the season. The Blue Jays only visited the free-throw line five times in the entire game.
“I was proud of the girls tonight other then the second part of the second half” said Jamestown head coach Andy Skunberg. “We did a lot of things well at the start for the third game in a row, but we just gave them a lot of quality looks at the bucket later, and we just were not able to come back from that.”
Jamestown (5-9 4-7 WDA) had another solid game from Alex Hanson, who put down a team high 18 points, and Kara Nygaard made the stat sheet again with a 15 point performance.
Boys: Jamestown 80 TMB 65
This one was a blowout from about the halfway point of the first half onward, and as a result, the Jays have won two in a row. The only player who made a significant dent for the Braves was Andrew Sarri, and it was a large dent, as he dropped in 36 of his team’s points.
“We knew it would be tough to stop Sarri, but the good news is, he is the biggest guy we have to go against this season.” Said Jamestown head coach Darrin Peterson. “It was good to see our bench guys contribute a little going forward. We’re happy with the result, because when we looked at the schedule, we thought this could be a point where we could put a little streak of wins together, and we were able to do just that here tonight.”
Jamestown (8-6 6-5 WDA) had three players reach double digits. Andrew Peterson lead the way with 17, followed by Brett Sinner’s 15 and 14 from Nathan Willer.
Next up for the boys and girls is a trip out west to go against Dickinson on Friday and Williston on Saturday.By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 6
The Blue Jay girls hockey team posted a huge win in Williston Saturday 3-0.
Freshman Goalie Carissa Finck pitched the shutout with 32 saves.
Lacal Olson, Larissa Wiest and Steph Kamlitz scored the goals and Amber Schaak come up with a pair of assists.
Jamestown improves to 5-10, and pretty much lock up a state tournament berth in Grand Forks later this month.
The Jay's now have 10 points in the standing, and hold down the #7 spot.
Williston has 7 points, and find themselves in 8th place.
The top 8 teams will advance to state February 25th, 26th and 27th.
Jamestown will be home next weekend for a pair of games, as Dickinson and Mandan will skate into Wilson Arena on Friday and Saturday nights.
Both teams are currently below the Jay's in the standings.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 6
Due to icy roads, the Blue Jay boys hockey game Saturday in Crookston versus Superior, Wisconsin has been cancelled.
The Jay's loaded the bus and pulled out around 830a, only to turn around and come back to Jamestown.
The game will not be made up.
Next up for Jamestown is Bismark High at Wilson Arena on Thursday at 730P, with the broadcast on AM 1400 KQDJ and newsdakota.com with Mark McKenzie and Steve Bennion.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 6
It was Jamestown's final home meet of the season of Friday night, and the Jay's sent the home crowd home happy.
The Blue Jay's hammered Devils Lake 54-22.
Jamestown has won four of it's last five duels, and it looks like things are coming together just in time for the postseason.
Winners for the Jay's were;
Johnny Schmitz at 145
Pat Lane at 171
Nick Erickson at 189
Shane Gallagher at 215
David Birrenkott at 285
Jaden Horstad at 103
Alek Dallmann at 125
Zane Braun at 130
Dustin Mittleider at 135
Brent Mittleider at 140
Jamestown will wrap up the regular season on Saturday with a West Region duel at Bismarck Century versus Williston at 230P.
This match was stormed out a couple of weeks ago, and the two teams agreed to make it up in the Capitol City.
The West Region tournament in next Saturday in Dickinson.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 6
With the West Region meet just two weeks away, it appears the Blue Jay gymnastics team is peaking at the right time.
Jamestown put up 173.8 points Friday at the Fargo South Invite Friday, and won the meet going away.
The Jay's rolled in every event, and that impressed head coach Dave Tews "You hope that is the case every time you compete, but it rarely happens. We had a great meet."
Kaitlin Walsh won the all around, Nikki Iverson came in fourth and Brooke Lukach finished fifth.
Walsh was second in the vault and Heidi Engels tied for fourth.
Iverson won the beam, with Walsh second, Lukach fourth and Engles fifth.
Iverson was second in bars, with Lukach taking fourth and Walsh seventh.
Walsh finished third in floor exercise and Carly Nelson placed fifth.
Next up for the Jay's is Jamestown's final home meet of the regular season on Thursday, with the Blue Jay Invite.
Fargo South, North and Wahpeton will compete.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 5
Down the stretch we come. The DAC basketball season is down to four games remaining, and the race for first place is wide open.
The Jimmie hit the road for the final time on the regular season schedule this weekend, with a trip to the Black Hills to battle Black Hills State and South Dakota Tech.
In women's play, Jamestown had a half game lead on the Jackets heading into Friday night's marquee match-up.
Coming into Spearfish, the Jimmie's were ranked #7 in the country, and Black Hills State, was ranked #10.
Just like in Jamestown back in January, the game went to the buzzer before the Jacket's pulled out a 67-60 victory.
The Jimmie led at halftime 38-35, but the Jacket's started the second half hot a quickly built a 13 point lead at 59-46.
Jamestown got with-in six late, 59-53, but Hill's hit some free throws late to ice it away.
With the win, Black Hills State moves into first place in the DAC at 7-2.
Jamestown falls out of first place for the first time this season at 7-3.
After starting the conference season 4-0, the Jimmies have gone 3-3 the past three weeks.
Jamestown was led by Senior Guard Amanta Rantappa with 19, including 5 three pointers.
Senior Guard Katie O'Neill also hit double digits with 10.
The men's game was also for first place in the DAC, and it was no contest.
The Jacket's never trailed and blew out the Jimmies 89-51.
Jamestown was down at half 50-33 and never recovered.
The Jimmie's were led by Hans Hoeg with 16 and C.J. Peeters with 10.
Jamestown slip's into third place in the DAC at 6-4.
Black Hills State, the defending conference champions and the preseason pick to win the DAC, leap frogs the Jimmie's, and moves into second place in the DAC at 6-3.
Next up for Jamestown is a trip to Rapid City to battle South Dakota Tech on Saturday.
The Women's game will start at 5P Central time and the men's game will tip at 7P
Listen for coverage on 98.3 FM and newsdakota.com.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 5
The regular season ends in a week for West Region hockey, and Jamestown is trying to pick up some momentum for the postseason.
Friday night, the Jays hosted Mandan and lost a heart breaker 1-0 at Wilson Arena.
The only goal of the game came on a Brave's 5 on 3 power play in period number two.
Shots were even, with Jamestown coming up with 27.
Junior Goalie Austin Hoggarth came up with 26 saves for Jamestown.
Jay's head coach Matt Stockert felt it was Jamestown's best game of the season "I don't like to lose, but I have to says we put 51 minutes together for the first time this season. We played a complete game. This is a big step in the right direction."
The Blue Jays suffered their sixth shutout of the season and fall to 2-13-2 over-all and 1-11-2 in West Region play.
Jamestown will play a non-conference game Saturday in Crookston, Minnesota against Superior, Wisconsin at 3P.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 5
It was all Fargo South in girls hockey Thursday night in Fargo, as the Bruins scored 5 times in the first period and rolled to a 8-2 victory.
Jamestown picked up goals by Amber Schaak, her 14th of the season, and Katrina Wiest.
Freshman Goalie Carissa Finck came up with 26 saves.
The Jay's slip to 4-10 and will hit the road Saturday, with a trip to Williston.
This is a mega match-up between the two teams, as Jamestown is in seventh place in the standing with 8 points, the Coyotes are close behind with 7 points, and currently hold down the number eight spot.
The top eight teams will advance to state in Grand Forks later this month.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 5
The regular season comes to an end this weekend for the Blue Jay wrestlers, and the Jays started off the busy weekend with a 43-33 duel victory at Valley City Thursday.
Winners for Jamestown were;
Zane Braun at 130
Justin Mittleider at 135
Brent Mittleider at 140
Johnny Schmitz at 145
Nick Erickson at 189
Shane Gallagher at 215
Jaden Horstad at 112
Alek Dallmann at 125
Valley got wins from;
Jordan Tomsen at 152
Brandon Larson at 160
Will Anderson at 171
Alex Andel at 275
Jackson Lumnus at 103
Zac Doty at 119
Jamestown will host Devils Lake in a non-conference duel at 7P Friday at Blue Jay Arena, and then wrap up the regular season with a West Region duel with Williston on Saturday.
This match will take place in Bismarck at Century High School at 2P.
By Jason Metko NewsDakota.com
February 4
It wasn’t totally unexpected, but it was a bit of a surprise. The Jamestown High School girls and boys basketball teams pulled off a sweep of Minot Thursday night at Blue Jay Arena in Jamestown.
Girls: Jamestown 68 #5 Minot 46
So much for Minot being in the polls.
Not even a day into their induction into the top five teams in the state, the Jays did a magic trick of their own, and gave Minot an epic thumping. Jamestown was up big to start the game, and never looked back.
“We were solid once again.” said Jamestown head coach Andy Skunberg. “We shot the ball well in the first half, and were able to keep up the pace of the game throughout the rest of the contest. No doubt it’s a big win for us.”
Kara Nygaard led the way again for Jamestown (5-8 4-6 WDA) with a 18 points, but Alex Hanson and Brooke Winson also had solid games, chipping in 16 and 12 points respectively.
Boys: Jamestown 62 Minot 57
The boys game was just as tight as their game up in Minot back in December, despite the final score.
Both teams went back and forth quite often in the first half, Jamestown pulled away to start the second, including an 11 point lead at one point, only to see Minot rally late and make it a game towards the end.
“This was the first time this year that I wasn’t really yelling, or kicking or screaming.” said Jamestown head coach Darrin Peterson. “We’ve been working on drills in practice to make sure that doesn’t happen, and it looks like they sure did work tonight. It’s a good win against a good team, and nice to be and win one at home.”
Andrew Peterson’s 13 were the best of the night for Jamestown (7-6 5-5WDA), followed up by 12 from Danny Fisher and 11 from Jordan Piatz.
Next up for both the girls and boys is a double-header Saturday at Blue Jay Arena against Turtle Mountain/Belcourt.
Jamestown split with the Braves in Belcourt on December 19th.
The Blue Jay boys won in overtime 90-87, the Blue Jay girls got hammered 95-62.
The Belcourt boys are in last place in the West Region at 2-8 and 2-10 over-all.
The Belcourt girls are in third place in the West at 7-3, and sit 10-3 over-all.
Listen for coverage on AM 1400 KQDJ and newsdakota.com with Jason Metko.
The girls game will tip at 545P and the boys game at 745P.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDaota.com
February 4
National signing day was Wednesday for college football teams around the country, and the Jimmie's inked 14 recruits.
One of the prize recruits, Blue Jay Wide Receiver Jordan Piatz, signed with Northern State.
The Wolves have a new head coach, former Jimmie head man Tom Dosch.
Piatz put up terrific numbers for Jamestown the past three years and is a two time All-State performer.
In three season's, Piatz scored 24 touchdowns, 22 at the Wide Out position, and he had 114 receptions for 1,986 yards.
Piatz was also a weapon at DB/LB, and on Special Teams for the Jays, as the speedster returned kicks.
Piatz is the son of Bob Piatz, who was a standout QB for the Jimmie's back in the 1970's.
By Tracy Erickson NewsDakota.com
February 4
Jamestown College’s initial 16-man recruiting class for 2010, announced Wednesday by head football coach Bud Etzold, includes 14 prospects who signed letters of intent on Wednesday and two student-athletes who enrolled at Jamestown in January.
The 2010 class has a strong in-state flavor with 10 signees hailing from the state of North Dakota. It marks the second straight year the Jimmies have signed nine or more in-state products. The Jimmies also dipped into the talent-rich states of Florida, Nevada, Minnesota, California, and Canada for a total of six out-of-state players.
Coach Etzold stresses that while he is extremely pleased with this initial list, it is simply a very solid start in the recruiting process.
“There are many outstanding prospects who we are actively involved with and areas we are just getting into. I do believe this initial group is a nice cross-section of outstanding talent that will add to the great tradition of Jamestown College and Jimmie football in future years,” says Etzold.
North Dakota (9)
Ryan Benke – 6’1 / 155 lbs. / Kicker / Jamestown HS – National Honor Society
Daniel Burgess – 6’1 / 320 lbs. / Offensive Lineman / Fargo South HS – AAA State Runner-Up
Michael Clarys – 6’2 / 180 lbs. / Wide Receiver / Hazen, ND (Dakota College at Bottineau) –Transfer
T.J. Dempsey – 5’11 / 175 lbs. / Defensive Back / Dickinson HS – Scholar Athlete
Rob Gibson – 5’11 / 175 lbs. / Defensive Back / West Fargo, ND (U of Mary) – Transfer
Kelby Houchin – 5’11 / 200 lbs. / Running Back / Fessenden, ND (Wells County HS) – 2009 All-State RB and Scholar Athlete
Shawn Jenner – 6’0 / 290 lbs. / Offensive Lineman / Bismarck HS – 2009 All-State AAA Offensive Line, AAA State Champs and National Honor Society
Tanner Komrosky – 6’2 / 175 lbs. / Quarterback / Cando, ND (North Star HS) – 2009 All-State QB
Ross Montgomery – 6’2 / 240 lbs. / Defensive Lineman / West Fargo HS – 2009 All-State Defensive Line
Andrew Rott – 5’10 / 195 lbs. / Running Back / Drake-Anamoose HS – 2009 All-Region RB and Scholar Athlete
Minnesota (1)
William Rader – 6’0 / 185 lbs. / Wide Receiver / Fergus Falls HS – Central Lakes Offensive Player of Year
California (2)
Austin Miley – 6’1 / 225 lbs. / Defensive End / Fontana, CA (Etiwanda HS)
Nick Tito – 5’10 / 200 lbs. / Linebacker / Fontana, CA (Etiwanda HS)
Florida (1)
Wautara Wright – 5’11 / 205 lbs. / Defensive Back / Orange Park, FL (Ridgeview HS) – 2009 2nd Team All-Conference
Nevada (1)
Chyrye Anderson – 5’11 / 220 lbs. / Linebacker / North Las Vegas, NV (Cheyenne HS)
Canada (1)
David Risko – 6’3 / 200 lbs. / Wide Receiver / Scarborough, Ontario
Courtesy Greg White NewsDakota.com
February 3
High School Girls:
Brooke Winson Senior Blue Jay Basketball
Brooke was 6-14 43% from 3pt range had 10 assists and averaged 12 points a game.
High School Boys:
Willy Marler Sophomore Boy's Swimming & Diving
Landon Ostlie Junior Boy's Swimming & Diving
Phillip Mangin Senior Boy's Swimming & Diving
Willy had four individual first place finishes over the weekend in a dual with Williston and the 10 team Blue Jay Invite.
His 100 yard freestyle time of 48.87 broke his school record and was .02 off of the pool record. His 50 free time makes All State 1st team and the 100 time All State 2nd team. He was the anchor leg of the 200 & 400 yard freestyle relays that were first against Williston and 5th & 3rd in the invite. At this time his 50 and 100 times are the fastest in the state.
Landon had 2 first place finishes in the dual against Williston (200 IM & 100 Backstroke. He was second in the 200 yard Individual Medley in the Blue Jay Invite in a school record time of 2:04.99. He was 4th in the 100 yard backstroke and swam on the 200 & 400 yard freestyle relays that were first against Williston and 5th & 3rd in the invite. Both individual times qualify him for All State 2nd team.
Phillip swam to season best times in his events in the Blue Jay Invitational. Times were 2:01.02 in the 200 free, 5:37.35 in the 500 free and his medley relay and 400 free relay splits were his bests.
Female College Athlete of the Week
Tiffany Sluik Sophomore Mason City, Iowa
Jami Moore Freshman Austin, Texas
Nichole Yarrington Freshman Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Jimmie Women’s Wrestling Team
Tiffany, Jami, and Nichole all placed in the top four at the National Tournament to earn All-American honors and lead the Jimmies to a 5th place team finish. Tiffany placed 3rd in the 55 kg class, while Jami (82 kg) and Nichole (44 kg) each earned 4th place finishes on Saturday in Marshall, Missouri.
CJ Peters Junior Jimmie Mens Basketball Team
Hometown: Brainerd, Minnesota
CJ led the Jimmies to 3 wins in the conference in a period of 5 days. CJ scored a total of 65 points, hitting 60% from the field. He also sank 6 of 11 3-point attempts. CJ collected 18 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocked shots and 3 steals in wins over Mayville, Minot, and Dickinson.
By Tracy Erickson NewsDakota.com
February 2
Jamestown College has the 2010 DAC Heptathlon Champions in Track and Field.
Josh Ewalt, a Junior from Miles City, Montana, won the Men's Heptathlon Monday in Aberdeen, South Dakota at the Barnett Center with 4424 Points.
Ewalt won the 60 Meter Dash, 60 Meter Hurdles, the High jump and the 1000 Meter Dash and he placed second in the Long Jump, Pole Vault and Shot Put.
Sarah Skipper, a Junior from Lewistown, Montana, won the Women's Heptathlon with 3180 points.
Skipper won the 60 Meter Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump, and 800 Meter Run and she placed second in the Shot Put.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 2
The Jimmie women's basketball team dropped one spot in the national poll after losing it's first home game of the season last Friday night to Minot State 70-55.
Jamestown slips from #6 to #7 in the nation with a record of 18-5.
Black Hills State stays at #10. The Jackets have 17-5 record.
Jamestown and Black Hills State will go head to head this weekend in Spearfish, South Dakota, with first place in the DAC at stake.
Heading into the weekend, the Jimmie's are 8-2 in the conference, the Jackets sport a DAC record of 7-2.
The Jimme's defeated Black Hills State in Jamestown on January 9th, 67-63.
Minot, ranked #12 in the nation and coming off a big road win at #6 Jamestown, for some reason slipped one spot to #13 in the country at 16-6.
Valley City State picked up votes in the poll.
Minot is the only team from the DAC to make the men's top 25 poll this week.
The Beavers, 16-7, drop from #16 to # 23 after losing to Jamestown and Valley City.
Black Hills State and Jamestown picked up votes.
The Jimmies are tied for first in the DAC with Valley City State at 6-3. Jamestown is 15-8 over-all.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 2
For the fourth time this season, Jimmie Forward C.J. Peeters is the DAC men's basketball player of the week.
Peeters, a Junior from Brainerd, Minnesota, scored 65 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, dished out eight assists, came up with three blocks and finished the week with three steals, as Jamestown won three DAC games.
Peeters was 19-32 from the field and 6 of 11 from behind the 3-point arc and he hit on 21 of 29 free throws.
The Jimmies are tied for first in the conference with Valley City, both are 6-3.
Jamestown will play DAC ball at South Dakota Tech and Black Hills State this weekend with coverage on 98.3 FM and newsdakota.com.
By Mark McKenzie newsdakota.com
February 1
Blue Jay Hockey team played a Monday make-up game in Bismarck against Century, and the Patriots cruised to an 8-0 victory.
The Patriots scored 3 shorthanded goals, 2 power play goals, and 3 goals that equal strength, to improve their record to 11-1-1 in the conference, which is best in West Region.
Jamestown slips to 2-13-2 and 1-10-2 in the conference. Freshman goalie Tigh Yatskis made 37 saves. Century goalie Aaron Nelson shut out Jamestown for the second time this season with 12 saves.
Head coach Matt Stockert was disappointed on how his team played on special teams, “We didn’t make good decisions on the power play. We are still learning but it’s time to turn that corner. Century is a pretty good hockey team and a real good puck moving team. They make you pay if you make a mistake.”
Next up Jamestown will host Mandan Friday night at 7:30 at Wilson Arena with coverage on AM 1400 KQDJ and newsdakota.com with Mark McKenzie.
By Mark McKenzie NewsDakota.com
February 1
The Jimmie women's wrestling season came to an impressive end on Saturday at the National NAIA meet in Marshall, Missouri.
Jamestown came away with 8 All-Americans and a fifth place team finish.
Tiffany Sluik went 5-1 and finished third at 55 Kilograms.
Nichole Yarrington finished fourth at 44 KG
Michele Quiles took fourth at 67 KG
Jamie Moore placed fourth at 82 KG
Leya-Justina Luaflemana finished sixth at 82 KG
Amanda Athon took fifth at 95 KG
Christina Ordonez sixth at 62 KG
Kayla Volin finished Eighth at 72 KG.
All eight earned All-American status.