Prep Track and Field: Rugby shines at East Region Championship Meet

The Rugby boys and girls cross country teams both took second place at the East Region Championships at Cooperstown Golf Course on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Both programs also had their top individual finishers place fifth. Brayden Green completed the race on the boys side in 17:09.6 and Allie Monroe was the top Rugby performer on the girls side, completing the race in 19:52.7.

The boys finished with a team score of 118 in a field of 30 teams. Kindred took the East Region title with 71 points. Hillsboro/Central Valley (134), Valley City (167) and Bottineau (187) rounded out the top five.

Northern Cass’ Owen Johnson won the individual title in 16:04.7.

Bottineau’s Greyson Kitzman (18:10.2), Niklas Halvorson (18:20.3) and Mason Lauckner (18:20.3) went 15th, 16th, and 17th, respectively.

The girls team finished with a team score of 71. Hillsboro/Central Valley won the team competition with 36 points and had the top-two individual finishers in Claire Grinde (18:10.2) and Caroline Anderson (19:18.2).

Bottineau (121), Central Cass (141) and Pembina County North (154) rounded out the top five. Rugby’s Hannah Senechal, Evyn Jacobson and Katelyn Shively all cracked the top 20. Senechal was 11th in 20:28.8, Jacobson was 12th in 20:29.9 and Shively was 19th in 20:59.8.

Nedrose’s Ryleigh Miller placed 13th with a time of 20:30.2.

Prep Track and Field: Bismarck schools dominate West Region Championships

The Bismarck High School boys cross country team had eight of the top-five finishers and breezed to victory at the WDA Championships at Williston Municipal Golf Course on Saturday, Oct. 11.

The Demons finished with a score of 21. WIlliston took second with 72 points. Bismarck Century (78), Mandan (108) and Bismarck Legacy (160) rounded out the top five. Minot High (296) placed seventh and Minot North (354) took 10th among the 11-team field.

Owen Hintz won his second individual WDA title, finishing the race in 15 minutes, 42.7 seconds. He wasn’t challenged, as teammate Jacob Windsor placed second nearly 50 seconds behind Hintz at 16:31.1. Kyler Loraas (16:41.8), Miles Hansan (16:56.5) and Austin Wick (17:08.4) all placed in the top eight.

Minot North’s Jon Folk completed the race in 20:23.3 to lead his team. Xavier Oswald was the Magi’s top runner, coming in at 37th with a time of 18:05.3.

The girls race saw Bismarck Century defend its WDA team title and Ruby Ihmels win her second straight individual title. The Patriots placed five runners in the top seven and finished with a team score of 23. Williston was second with 64.

Bismarck High (88), Bismarck Legacy (131) and Minot High (147) rounded out the top five. Nine teams competed in the event.

Ihmels won her race by nearly a minute over WIlliston’s Harley Jeannotte, finishing in 17:51.5. Jeannotte crossed the finish line in 18:46.8.

The Majettes placed three runners in the top 30, led by Kaylee Jackson’s 19th place finish in 20:28.4. Alyviah Kopp (20:49.1) and Olivia Anderson (20:57.4) were 23rd and 27th, respectively.

Prep Volleyball: Majettes takes 6th at Fargo Scheels Metro Invite

All 19 Class AA volleyball programs as well as five others programs from Class A and South Dakota descended on the city of Fargo over the weekend, as the West and East Regions got one final look at one another before the state tournament in another month.

West Fargo Sheyenne took the tournament crown, defeating West Fargo Horace, 25-15, 25-23. Bismarck Century had the best showing amongst teams from the West Region, besting Fargo Davies, 25-17, 25-22, for third place. The Patriots suffered their first defeat of the season, falling in the gold division semifinals against WF Horace, 25-21, 25-23.

Minot High had the second-best showing, taking sixth overall. The Majettes went 2-1 in Pool B, which included West Fargo, Fargo Shanley and St. Mary’s. Minot High defeated St. Mary’s and West Fargo and lost to Shanley to advance to the gold division as the No. 9 seed. The Majettes defeated Oak Grove in a quarterfinal play-in round, 25-15, 15-25, 15-13. They dropped to the consolation bracket after a straight-set loss to top-seed Fargo Davies before knocking off Bismarck High in three sets to advance to the fifth-place match against Shanley.

Minot North also advanced to the gold division after finishing second in Pool E with Fargo Davies, Kindred and Williston. The Sentinels topped Kindred and Williston, but lost to Fargo Davies. They received the 11th seed and lost its quarterfinal play-in to Shanley. They defeated Valley City to advance to the ninth-place game, falling to Bismarck Legacy in straight sets to finish 10th. Aberdeen Central (S.D.) finished seventh, Bismarck High placed eighth, Oak Grove took 11th and Valley City was 12th.

Prep Volleyball: South Prairie-Max wins Carrington Tournament crown

The South Prairie-Max volleyball team went a perfect 7-0 to win the Carrington Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Royals defeated Carrington in the championship match, 25-18, 23-25, 15-11, in a matchup of two of the top-ranked teams in Class A.

South Prairie-Max cruised through pool play, sweeping Beulah, Turtle Mountain and Wahpeton to earn the tournament’s No. 1 seed in the championship bracket. The Royals received a first-round bye before sweeping Hazen in the quarterfinals. They snuck past Dickinson Trinity, 25-22, 21-25, 15-10, in the semifinals before winning another three-set match in the championship against the tournament host.

Central Cass topped Dickinson Trinity for third place.

Des Lacs-Burlington and Rugby also participated in the tournament. The Lakers split two-set matches with Lisbon and Shiloh Christian, earning two of the three available points in each by claiming the most total points in the match. They lost in straight sets to Carrington and received the No. 6 seed in the championship bracket. The Lakers would advance to the quarterfinal with a win against Lisbon, but fall to Central Cass.

The Panthers lost all three of its pool play matches, but did win a set against Dickinson Trinity to earn a point in the overall standings. They were the No. 12 seed, but fell to Dickinson Trinity in the play-in round of the championship bracket.

Prep Volleyball: Our Redeemer’s places 3rd at Langdon Tournament

The Our Redeemer’s volleyball team won four of its six total matches and finished third at the Langdon Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 11.

The Knights lone two losses came against No. 1-ranked Langdon Area/Munich in pool play and fifth-ranked May-Port-CG in the tournament semifinals. ORCS defeated North Border, Devils Lake and Glen Ullin in pool play and topped New Rockford-Sheyenne, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12, in the third-place match.

Brooklyn Roedocker had 33 kills to lead the Knights. Noel Pankratz finished with 30. Grace Olson dished out 92 assists. Ellie Streyle led the service game with nine aces, followed by Kaydn Braun and Tessa Olson, who each had seven. Lauren Strom had 15 blocks and Braun led the defense with 43 digs.

Bishop Ryan defeated Napoleon/Gackle-Streeter for its lone victory of the tournament.

Prep Volleyball: Many local teams take part in Northwest Conference Tournament

Surrey, Glenburn, Kenmare-Bowbells, Velva, Berthold and Nedrose all participated in the Northwest Conference Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 11, with the Honkers topping the Mustangs in the championship match, 25-13, 26-28, 15-7.

Glenburn advanced to the third-place match against Trenton (the winner was not reported) and Berthold and Velva battled for seventh, with the Aggies coming out victorious in three sets, 25-15, 24-26, 15-11.

Nedrose qualified for the silver division, advancing to the ninth-place match against Tioga.

Glenburn, Surrey and Kenmare-Bowbells all went undefeated in three pool play matches, while Berthold and Velva finished second. Nedrose was third.

Girls Swimming: Minot High wins dual meet against Mandan

The Minot High girls swimming and diving team took first place in 10 of 12 events in its dual meet with Mandan, defeating the Braves 118-68 on Friday, Oct. 10.

The Majettes swept the three relays and won seven of the other nine events, led by a pair of victories by Samantha VonBokern and Kirby Quam. VonBokern won the 50-yard freestyle in 25.25 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 54.75. Quam claimed victories in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:05.60 and the 500 freestyle in 5:41.63.

“Coming off a really tough week of training, our swimmers showed up,” Minot High coach Emily Weeks said. “We’re seeing that hard work pay off, not just in the number of state qualifying swims we added today, but in the sheer amount of time drops across the team. It’s exciting to watch these athletes push through fatigue, trust their training, and still find a way to perform when it counts.

Minot High went 1-2 in four events – 200 IM, 500 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and the 400 freestyle relay. The went 1-2-3 in the 500 freestyle, with Kacee Makeef taking second and Hailee Valdez placing third.

Other winners for the Majettes included Sophia VonBokern in the 200 IM, Gracyn Bergan in the 1-meter diving and Greer Schaeffer in the 100 breaststroke.

What stood out most to me wasn’t just the fast times – although those are great – but the energy on the deck, the support they showed each other, and the way everyone raced with purpose,” Weeks said. “Whether it was someone chasing a state cut or someone shaving off a second from a previous best, every swim mattered today. That’s the culture we’re building here: one where hard work, consistency, and team spirit drive everything.

The Braves won the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke.

The Majettes return to the pool in a dual against Bismarck High on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Prep Football: Minot North narrowly holds on to top spot in media poll

A goal-line stand in the final seconds against Devils Lake kept the Minot North football team atop the Class AA West Region standings as well as the Class AA state media polls, although just barely.

The Sentinels have been the No. 1 team in the polls since the start of the season, but this week featured the slimmest of margins between them and No. 2 Kindred. Minot North received 13 first-place votes and 93 total points, while Kindred received the remaining seven first-place votes and 87 points.

Both teams matched up against fellow ranked opponents. Minot North led 26-7 late only to see Devils Lake score twice to get within 26-20 and have the ball inside the 10 with less than 30 seconds left. The Sentinels defense made the stop at the end to preserve the win. Meanwhile, there was no drama for Kindred, which went on the road and defeated then-No. 3 Grand Forks Central, 27-7.

Grand Forks Central dropped a spot to No. 4 and Devils Lake moved up to No. 3. Grand Forks Red River remained at No. 5. Central Cass also received votes.

Fargo Davies remained at No. 1 and received 18 first-place votes. West Fargo Horace received the other two first-place votes and are No. 2 for another week. Fargo Shanley and Bismarck Century both moved up a spot to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Bismarck High returned to the rankings at No. 5, knocking out Bismarck Legacy following the Demons’ 36-29 victory over the Sabers last week.

Legacy also received votes in the latest poll.

Women’s Hockey: Beavers split weekend series with Maryville

The Minot State women’s hockey team posted its first shutout of the season before dropping the finale of a two-game home series with Maryville University over the weekend at Maysa Arena.

Minot State goaltender Jillian Ackerman recorded 20 saves and the Beavers received scoring contributions from three different skaters in a 3-0 victory on Friday, Oct. 10. The Beavers couldn’t contain the Saints’ offense the following day, allowing three first-period goals en route to a 5-1 defeat on Saturday, Oct. 11, for a series split.

In the opener, the Beavers broke a scoreless contest with a pair of goals in the second period. Avary Lazarenko got Minot State on the board first at 3:47 of the middle stanza before Erica Fijala doubled the advantage five minutes later. Abby Tallman added a third-period marker with 4:51 remaining in regulation to seal the victory.

The Beavers held a 33-20 advantage in shots on goal in the opening game.

Saturday’s contest proved much different. The Saints fired 44 shots on goal, managing to get five past Ackerman. The first came off the stick of Emma Gerwitz on the power play. Maryville (3-1-0) would again capitalize with the extra skate when Amelia Smolinski lit the lamp two minutes later.

The Beavers (2-2-0) trimmed the deficit in half halfway through the period on a goal from Marlie Rutherford, but Maryville’s Haley Beckett scored with just eight seconds remaining in the period to give the Saints a 3-1 lead after one.

Beckett would go on to add her second of the contest and the team’s third on the power play early in the third.

The Saints finished 3-for-6 on the power play.

The Beavers hit the road for the first time this season for a pair of series at Adrian College (Mich.) and Niagara University (N.Y.) beginning on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. The Beavers will play four games in four days.

Boys Soccer: Minot North drops finale to Jamestown, misses out on state tournament

The Minot North boys soccer team needed just one point in its regular-season finale against Jamestown to clinch the No. 4 position in the West Region standings and secure a spot at this week’s state tournament.

The Blue Jays had other ideas.

Miles Anderson scored what would be not just the game-winning goal, but the state-tournament-clinching goal for the Blue Jays in the 38th minute for a 1-0 victory over the Sentinels on Saturday, Oct. 11. The win pulled Jamestown even on points with the Sentinels (7-10-2 overall, 7-8-1 WDA), and the Blue Jays earned the spot at the state tournament on a fourth tiebreaker, coming down to the most favorable differential in points versus a region team beginning with the highest ranked team, which was Legacy. But since both had a minus-4 differential against the Sabers, it moved to Minot High. The Blue Jays (7-8-2, 7-8-1) had a minus-2 differential, while the Sentinels had a minus-5 differential.

The Sentinels held a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal, but Jamestown goalkeeper stopped all six shots he faced.

The state tournament gets underway on Thursday in Mandan with the quarterfinal round. Legacy plays Grand Forks Red River, Minot High plays Fargo Shanley, Bismarck Century plays West Fargo Sheyenne and Jamestown plays Fargo South.

NAHL: Tauros at Aberdeen

The Minot Minotauros dropped a pair of road contests to the Aberdeen Wings over the weekend, falling 5-3 on Friday, Oct. 10, before being shutout 5-0 on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Tauros didn’t lead at any point during the two contests.

Michael Solominsky, Artem Prima and Jakub Habla scored for the Tauros in the series opener. Solominsky’s goal at 15:29 of the first period tied the contest heading into the intermission, but the Wings responded with three unanswered over the next two stanzas to put Minot in a 4-1 hole.

Prima scored short-handed and Habla cut the deficit to a goal with 13:29 remaining in regulation, but a power-play goal from Aberdeen’s Owen Pitters with 54 seconds left sealed it.

Magnus Loponen finished with 29 saves for the Minotauros (2-5-2), while Adam Dybal made 30 stops for the Wings (8-1-0).

Aberdeen’s offense returned the following night, but Minot’s did not. Though it did take a while before the Wings got going. After a scoreless first period, the Wings broke through on a goal from Easton Edwards at 18:03 of the second.

Edwards’ goal springboarded Aberdeen’s offense, as it would go on to score four goals in the third period. Edwards tallied his second on a power-play goal and Zan Spari-Leben scored 35 seconds later to extend Aberdeen’s advantage to 3-0 halfway through the third period. Anthony Ciaramitaro and Pitters added insurance goals less than a minute apart.

The Wings outshot the Tauros 35-21 in the finale. Devin Rustlie made 30 saves for the Tauros, while WIlum Braun earned the win for the Wings with 21 saves.

The Tauros travel to Austin for a weekend series with the Bruins beginning on Friday, Oct. 17, at 7:05 p.m.