State volleyball previews
The North Dakota state Class A volleyball tournament begins today in Minot. Here's a look at state previews from newspapers around the state:
- The Grand Forks Herald highlights Grand Forks Red River's balance with six players boasting more than 100 kills.
- The Fargo Forum features Fargo North's attempt to mimick the Homer Hanky.
- The Bismarck Tribune writes about Bismarck Century's competitiveness.
- The Williston Herald talks about Williston's late-season surge.
- The Bismarck Tribune says Bismarck St. Mary's nearly didn't make the state tourney.
- The Bismarck Tribune also has capsules on each team.
Posted by: Tom Miller on 11/20/2008 at 12:39 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
First impressions
After watching the UND men's basketball team for the first time this season in last night's loss to Southwest Minnesota State, here are a few of my first impressions.
1. The Sioux have zero size. The absence of Ben Lehnertz, who is out with an injury, is a bigger loss than many might think. Travis Mertens and OJ Harrison started in the post against the Mustangs. Neither player is taller than 6-foot-5. That doesn't cut it in the Northern Sun, let alone Division I. The lack of size turns into a snowball effect: UND is undersized, the smaller players resort to fouling, the bigs get in foul trouble, the short bench gets shorter.
2. Daniel Harkins is back. Harkins had flashes of brilliance his freshman season but two years of injuries relegated him to a cheerleader. He's healthy again and Sioux fans are seeing what they've missed over the past two years.
3. This team cannot afford an injury. UND consistently plays about eight guys. Seven players are in shirt and tie as redshirt freshmen, and the coaches have said they don't want to pull any red shirts.
4. The first home game for Pat Mitchell was brief due to foul trouble, but the freshman looked promising. He plays bigger than he looks. He made drives in traffic and can hit from the outside.
5. I was impressed with SMSU. UND actually didn't play that poorly, in my opinion. This is roughly the same Sioux team that has struggled in the North Central Conference the past few seasons, so it might be a little too early for Sioux fans to assume UND is a superior Division I team to any D-II opponent. Now, if the Sioux lose to Bemidji State on Saturday....
Posted by: Tom Miller on 11/19/2008 at 1:01 PM | Comments (5) | Permalink
SMSU 77, UND 73
UND and Southwest Minnesota State are set to tip off at 7 p.m.
The Sioux are 1-0 after a win over Missouri-Kansas City.
SMSU is 3-0 with wins over Alaska-Anchorage, Humboldt State and Fort Lewis (ranked 24th in Division II). SMSU also beat South Dakota State 70-65 in an exhibition game.
UND's biggest pregame dilema is where to sit the redshirt freshmen. There's more players with Dockers than Nikes.
First half
UND 2, SMSU 2, 18:11 left, first half -- Ross Demasi scored in the post for SMSU, followed by UND's OJ Harrison putting back an offensive rebound.
UND 5, SMSU 2, 17:20 left, first half -- Sioux guard Daniel Harkins hits from the right corner.
UND 8, SMSU 5, 13:14 left, first half -- Pat Mitchell scores on a drive to make it 8-3, but Demasi scores again down low for SMSU. UND is 3-for-12 from the field. The Sioux are forcing SMSU into poor shots on its end, but the Sioux aren't making them pay with quality offensive possessions.
UND 11, SMSU 7, 11:53 left, first half -- Travis Bledsoe gets his first bucket of the game on a three-point play. His free throw gave the Sioux an 11-5 edge. But Taylor Huseby scored on an offensive rebound for SMSU with 12:23 left in the half. UND's giving up its share of offensive boards. Huseby is 6-6 220 and DeMasi is 6-8 215.
UND 19, SMSU 14, 7:42 left, first half -- UND stretched the lead to seven and eight during this stretch, but SMSU is taking advantage of its size. Nick Dale, a 6-11 265-pounder, just dunked for our 19-14 margin. Wes Porter at 6-2 didn't have much of a chance.
UND 26, SMSU 21, 3:44 left, first half -- Once again, UND had bumped its lead to eight with a Travis Bledsoe drive to the basket. But SMSU answered with a 3-pointer from the top of the key by Jon DeRock. The Sioux have seen a little foul trouble and just where they can't have it -- big men. Mike Mathison has three, Travis Mertens and Pat Mitchell have two.
UND 29, SMSU 26, 1:51 left, first half -- Daniel Harkins hit a free throw to give the Sioux a three-point lead. Sioux call a timeout.
UND 31, SMSU 29, halftime -- DeMasi makes a free throw with 12 seconds left to bring it to the halftime score. Harkins has 13 points at the break to lead the Sioux. DeRock has nine to lead SMSU.
Second half
UND 37, SMSU 36, 15:13 left, second half -- Dale is eating up the Sioux inside. UND has no answer for the bigs of the Mustangs. As a result, they're fouling. With not much bench to speak of, that could be a persistent problem all year.
SMSU 45, UND 39, 13:38 left, second half -- Now it's SMSU's guards taking it to the Sioux. DeRock and Andy Beilke hit back-to-back treys and the Sioux need a TO - it's a 13-2 SMSU run. The attendance is 1,711.
SMSU 45, UND 44, 11:58 left, second half -- UND back within one after Travis Mertens puts back an offensive rebound. OJ Harrison follows with a 3-pointer.
SMSU 55, UND 49, 8:13 left, second half -- DeRock hits another 3-pointer and Dale dunks again.
SMSU 58, UND 54, 6:15 left, second half -- Ryan Krome hits a 3-pointer for SMSU. Harrison is keeping the Sioux close with nine points this half.
SMSU 66, UND 56, 3:58 left, second half -- DeRock highlights an 11-2 SMSU run with a trey from the right corner. DeRock had a hand in his face and the shot was clearly a heat check. He skipped around after the make, which made it 64-56.
SMSU 71, UND 64, 2:01 left, second half -- Sioux continue to trade baskets.
SMSU 74, UND 68, :29 seconds left, second half -- UND's in foul mode.
SMSU 77, UND 73, :7.6 seconds left, second half -- Sioxu pull to within four on a Darius Joseph 3-pointer and quickly call timeout.
SMSU 78, UND 73, final -- Harkins misses a 3-pointer with seconds left and the buzzer sounds as he fights for a rebound.
Posted by: Tom Miller on 11/18/2008 at 6:31 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink
Hoops hype
The college basketball season is heating up and here are few interesting story lines and results from the area.
- The South Dakota State women's basketball team is an NCC-turned-D1 success story. The Jackrabbits were in the WNIT last season and have made strides to get to the Big Dance this year, in their first season of eligibility. SDSU blew past Wisconsin last night.
- The UND freshmen men could take a look at this story in the Fargo Forum about NDSU's Fab Four seniors. The Bison have been building to this season for a long time now. Playoffs or bust. Sounds familiar from the school down south.
- Two days after UND beat Missouri-Kansas City, the 'Roos gave defending national champion Kansas a run. The Jayhawks won by 15, but UMKC turned some heads in Lawrence. This story from the Kansas City Star gives UND some love, mentioning the Sioux in the first few paragraphs. Well, actually it's a backhanded slam at KU but we'll take it.
- Finally, the UND men take on Southwest Minnesota State tonight at the Betty. SMSU holds a win over South Dakota State this year, while the Sioux are coming off a big win over UMKC. I plan to have a live blog from the game as long as the wireless internet cooperates.
Posted by: Tom Miller on 11/18/2008 at 12:01 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Prep smatterings
In case you were busy watching the Vikings and Gophers drift back to mediocrity, here's a roundup of local prep happenings to lift your spirits.
- Bismarck High stunned Fargo South in the North Dakota Class AAA high school football championship game at the Alerus Center. Quarterback Esley Thorton and running back Jake Miller are juniors. Repeat?
- Minot girls swimmer Dagny Knutson could be the best athlete to ever come out of North Dakota. That's a bold statement. But we're talking about national records -- and Janet Evans.
- West Fargo continued its East Region volleyball dominance. The Packers held off Grand Forks Red River for the title.
- A handful of local basketball players have started their college seasons strong. Former Williston big man Brian Qvale, who plays for Montana, had 15 points, 10 boards against Colorado State. Former Killdeer native Austin Dufault, who plays for Colorado, scored 13 points in a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Former Crookston guard Kamille Wahlin, who plays for Iowa, had four points, four rebounds and four assists in a win over Texas State.
- Bismarck High basketball standout Sarah Feeney has signed a letter of intent to play collegiately at the University of Denver in Colorado.
Posted by: Tom Miller on 11/17/2008 at 11:46 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Harvey 14, Linton 0, final
Harvey 7, Linton-H-M-B 0: Kordel Wolfe plunged in from 2 yards out to start the scoring. He capped an 11-play drive, which spanned 80 yards and more than six minutes. Wolfe carried the ball six times on the drive. The big play came on a Casey Weinmann 33-yard run.
Harvey 14, Linton-H-M-B 0: On the 20th play of the drive, Michael Leier scored from 1 yard out on a quarterback sneak to ice Harvey's win with 52 seconds left.
Final box
HARVEY 14,
LINTON-HMB 0
Harvey 0 0 7 7—14
Linton-H-M-B 0 0 0 0— 0
H ¬— Kordel Wolfe 2 run; Michael Leier kick
H ¬— Michael Leier 1 run; Michael Leier kick
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING — H: Kordel Wolfe 26-103, Michael Leier 12-44, Casey Weinmann 6-40, Cory Reinowski 1-3; LHMB: Drew Moch 9-22, Justin Purintun 7-(-4), Austin Ohlhauser 4-10, Jared Jacob 3-3
PASSING — H: Michael Leier 6-9-0, 52 yards; LHMB: Justin Purintun 9-17-0, 68 yards
RECEIVING — H: Jacob Goldade 2-19, Weinmann 2-18, Quincy Faul 2-15; LHMB: Trent Roemmich 3-40, Alex Deis 3-17, Ohlhauser 1-7, Moch 1-4, Jacob 1-0
Posted by: Tom Miller on 11/14/2008 at 2:56 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
So long, FJM
One of the greatest blogs of all time, www.firejoemorgan.com, is bowing out.
But first, it left this bit of encouragement:
"For now, we will leave the site and the archives up as a testament to the fact that if you work hard enough, and blow off enough social occasions, and stare at the internet enough, and get nerdy enough, and repeatedly ignore entreaties from your friends and loved ones to please God stop blogging about Bill Plaschke and get out of the house it's a beautiful day!, then you, too, can...have a blog."
Here's a sample of some of my favorite FJM comments: (if you don't know how the site works, basically it rips apart poor sports reporting. The sports reporting is in bold. FJM comments follow).
- "You don't see a lot of guys that have statistical numbers play well in these championship series," Jerry Manuel said. This is so bonkers I don't know where to start. First of all: what are "statistical numbers"? How do they differ from "numbers," "statistics," or "numerical statistics"? Are there "statistical letters"? We have a right to know. Second: Jerry Manuel is claiming that doing well in the regular season is a detriment to playing well in the playoffs. That's right. You want to be a playoff hero? (censored) around for 162. Careful, David Wright. Don't let those numbers get too statistical!
- JIM RIGGLEMAN ON HIS DH JOSE VIDRO: "I'm just kind of using it just to try to have some contact in that spot, and maybe be able to move some runners and hit and run and that kind of stuff, get some at-bats for some guys," interim manager Jim Riggleman said. Yeah, that's it. We don't want a home run hitter, or a doubles hitter, or a hitter at all. Give me a lamp at DH. Or an Eames chair. Is an Eames chair available? No? Then get Jose Vidro. By the way, Mariners fans, your manager just said: The purpose of the DH is to "get some at-bats for some guys." Yes, the DH's at-bats don't officially count, do they? Riggleman's not sure. He has to check the rulebook.
- The more I watch the Jays the more I despise the whole concept of Moneyball. Yes. It's definitely the book Moneyball that screwed up the Blue Jays. Not B.J. Ryan or A.J. Burnett or Vernon Wells's 2007. It's...a book.
FireJoeMorgan.com will be sorely missed.
Posted by: Tom Miller on 11/13/2008 at 10:11 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink
GGF athlete catch-up
In today's college notebook in the Herald, we touched on a handful of local athletes. Here's my full list (even though I'm probably missing plenty) from the fall.
FOOTBALL
Matt Bakke (Central) UND -- The sophomore switched from defensive line to O-Line this fall and backed up left guard Brian Troen, who is a senior.
Ryan Kasowski (Central) UND -- The sophomore linebacker has 22 tackles and two sacks.
Jake Landry (Central) UND -- The sophomore quarterback has backed up starter Danny Freund, a senior.
Chris Parrish (Central) Bemidji State -- Parrish is a junior offensive lineman.
Andrew Schultz (Central) Bemidji State -- The sophomore wide receiver has 48 catches for 482 yards and two touchdowns. He's started all 11 games and was recently named all-Northern Sun Conference.
Tony Svare (Central) Bemidji State -- Svare is a sophomore linebacker.
Josh Beste (EGF Senior High) Bemidji State -- Freshman defensive lineman has six tackles, including one for a loss.
Ian Beaton (GF Central) Mayville State -- The sophomore defensive back has one interception this year.
Riley Lealos (EGF Senior High) Minnesota-Duluth -- The sophomore defensive lineman has 17 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss and three sacks.
Brad Just (GF Red River) Minnesota-Duluth -- The freshman defensive back has 23 tackles and an interception.
Nick Mertens (EGF Senior High) NDSU -- The junior quarterback has thrown for 1,657 yards and 14 TDs in his first year as starter.
Chris Compton (Red River) Minot State -- Compton is a freshman defensive back.
Michael Yoshida (Red River) Wesleyan -- The freshman wide receiver has one catch for six yards.
Ian Roche (Red River) Concordia College -- The junior cornerback has made three tackles this season.
GOLF
Rachel Roller (Red River) NDSU -- The freshman was third on the team with an 81.2 average.
Ann Arnason (Red River) Northern Iowa -- The junior was fourth on the team with an 81 average.
Matt Haugstad (EGF Senior High) Bemidji State -- Haugstad is a freshman.
Mike Slominski (Red River) UND -- Slominski is a freshman.
SOCCER
Erin Pederson (Red River) UND -- The senior goalkeeper has played in three games, stopped seven shots and allowed one goal.
Sarah Thaden (Red River) UND -- The senior midfielder has played in 15 games and put three shots on goal.
Bri Scanlan (EGF Senior High) Bemidji State -- The freshman scored one goal and had four assists.
Bridget Piche (EGF Senior High) Northwestern College -- The freshman defenseman started all 19 games.
Sarah Bartlette (EGF Senior High) St. Scholastica -- The junior forward has scored 7 goals, has 7 assists and started all 20 games.
Cassandra Whitney (EGF Senior High) St. Scholastica -- The sophomore defenseman has played in nine games this season.
Jeremy Palmiscno (GF Red River) Concordia -- Palmiscno is a freshman defender.
Sarah Byram (Central) Bethel -- Byram is a sophomore goalkeeper.
VOLLEYBALL
Ashley Nelson (Red River) Mayville State -- The senior hitter was second on the team with 742 kills.
Kayla Ysteboe (Red River) Northern State -- The sophomore hitter had a team-high 275 kills.
Megan Gilbraith (Red River) Northern State -- The sophomore setter has 1,010 assists. She was named setter of the week in the NSIC last week.
Chelsey Carter (Red River) Northern State -- The freshman hitter has played in two matches this season.
Katie Stoley (Red River) Northern State -- The freshman setter has five service aces.
Katrina Brekke (EGF Senior High) NDSCS -- The freshman hitter had 322 kills this year and was named MonDak and Region XIII MVP.
Kacie Reardon (EGF Senior High) NDSCS -- The freshman hitter had 121 kills.
Kayli Schumacher (EGF Sacred Heart) St. Benedicts -- The sophomore hitter has a lot of kills. But the team's Web site has no overall stats.
Laura Vonasek (EGF Senior High) Bemidji State -- The junior libero has 95 digs and 7 service aces.
CROSS COUNTRY
Cory Absey (Red River) UND -- The sophomore finished 43rd at the Great West Conference meet.
Jeremy Jones (Red River) UND -- The junior finished 30th at the Great West Conference meet.
Anna Hagen (EGF Senior High) Concordia -- THe junior was 51st at the MIAC meet.
Hannah Dennis (Red River) St. Olaf -- The freshman took 39th at the MIAC meet.
Wes Holtman (EGF Senior High) Moorhead -- Holtman is a junior.
Sara Julsrud (GF Central) Moorhead -- The freshman finished 34th at the NSIC meet.
Danielle Thompson (GF Central) Moorhead -- Thompson is a sophomore.
Amanda Wickersham (EGF Senior High) Moorhead -- The sophomore finished 26th at the NSIC meet.
Vanessa Jones (GF Red River) Gustavus Adolphus -- The junior finished 50th at the MIAC meet.
Janelle Crary (Red River) Bethel -- The sophomore finished 36th at the MIAC meet.
Nora Narloch (Red River) NDSU -- The senior finished 18th at the Summit League Championships.
Kelsey Aune (EGF Senior High) SDSU -- The sophomore finished 23rd at the Summit League Championships.
TENNIS
Brynne Wischer (Red River) UND -- The sophomore competed in fall matches. Tennis finishes in the spring.
Liza Wischer (Red River) Iowa State -- The freshman competed in fall matches. Tennis finishes in the spring.
Posted by: Tom Miller on 11/11/2008 at 10:56 PM | Comments (7) | Permalink