K-HEART SPORTS – FRIDAY – 06/23/23
MINOT, ND – The North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association have named their year end award winners in high school sports.
HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE TEAM – Grand Forks Red River basketball
Grand Forks Red River claimed its first Class A girls basketball state championship since 1988. The Roughriders, the No. 4 seed from the East Region entering the state tournament defeated Bismarck century 61-48 in the title game.
Other finalists: Beulah softball / Northern Cass volleyball
HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE – Kelsie Belquist, New Rockford-Sheyenne
Belquist set the new overall state record in the 200-meter dash and the 300-meter hurdles and the Class B state record in the 400-meter dash. She ran the 300-meter hurdles in 41.48 seconds, the 10th fastest time in the nation for high school girls. In volleyball, Belquist was named to the All-State team helping the Rockets to their first state tournament appearance. She also helped the Rockets win 3rd place at the Region 4 Basketball Tournament.
Other finalists: Jocelyn Schiller, Grand Forks Red River / Logan Nissley, Bismarck Century
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS COACH – Kent Ripplinger, Grand Forks Red River basketball
Ripplinger led Red River to the program’s first state championship in 35 years after reaching the title game for the first time in 31 years. Ripplinger win the title in his 13th season as head coach after spending 13 years as an assistant coach at Red River. The Roughriders had been to 18 state tournaments since 2000 but never made the final in that span.
Other finalists: Kyle Christensen, Beulah softball / Casey Berry, Dickinson gymnastics
HIGH SCHOOL MALE TEAM – Thompson baseball
Thompson, playing in the program’s sixth Class B state title game in the last eight school years, defeated LaMoure-Litchville/Marion 9-0 to win their second consecutive title.
Other finalists: Central Cass basketball / Fargo Shanley football
HIGH SCHOOL MALE ATHLETE – Landon Carter, Cavalier
Carter is a 5-sport athlete. He was named Sr. Athlete of the Year in 9-Man football (45 rec, 1,010 yds, 10 TD; 9 INT on defense), Carter broke the Cavalier all-time receptions record and career yards record; All-state hockey player for Grafton/PR (Led state with 30 goals, also added 16 assists for 46 pts which ranked 7th in the state…Spoilers finished 8-13-1 on the year; he also played basketball in the winter; and then played baseball for Pembina County North and golfs for Cavalier.
Other finalists: Payton Hochhalter, Jamestown / Tyson Enget, Powers Lake / Jeremiah Sem, Fargo North
HIGH SCHOOL MALE COACH – Travis Hoeg, Fargo North basketball
After taking over as the head coach on an interim basis in the middle of the 2021-22 season (finished 6th in EDC), Hoeg led the Spartans to the state title this past winter. North, playing in its first state championship game since 2006, defeated Grand Forks Red River 92-83 in the championship game.
Other finalists: Larry Sandy, Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison football / Nate Soulis, Thompson baseball / Troy Mattern, Fargo Shanley football
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MINOT, ND – Scores from Thursday:
American Legion Baseball
Class AA
Class AA
Jamestown def. Mandan Chiefs, 11-8
Mandan Chiefs def. Jamestown, 6-4
Mandan Chiefs def. Jamestown, 6-4
Dickinson Roughriders def. Linton, 15-0
Dickinson Roughriders def. Linton, 11-0
Dickinson Roughriders def. Linton, 11-0
Battle of Omaha Tournament – pool play
Minot Vistaas def. Gershoff Auto, 14-0 (5)
Minot Vistaas def. Gershoff Auto, 14-0 (5)
Class B
Garrison def. Hazen, 15-11
Hazen def. Garrison, 3-2
Garrison def. Hazen, 15-11
Hazen def. Garrison, 3-2
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HOT TOTS-STINGERS
MINOT, ND – The rivalry known as the Dakota Dust Up began last night as the Bismarck Larks hosted the Minot Hot Tots. Minot led 7-5, but gave up 6 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Larks win 11-7. The teams will play again tonight, this time in Minot with a 7:05 pm first pitch at Corbett Field.
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TWINS-RED SOX
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Ryan pitched a three-hitter for Minnesota’s first complete-game shutout in five years, Byron Buxton became the first player in at least nine seasons to hit a pair of 460-foot home runs in a game and the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 6-0 Thursday. Ryan (8-4) pitched his first complete game in 47 big league starts, striking out nine, walking none and facing no more than four batters in an inning. He had not pitched a complete game since 2018 for Cal State, Stanislaus. He pitched Minnesota’s first complete game since José Berríos’ six-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on June 7, 2018, and first complete-game shutout since José Berríos’ three-hitter at Baltimore on April 1, 2018. Ryan threw a career-high 112 pitches, 83 for strikes. He mixed 75 fastballs averaging 92.5 mph with 35 splitters, one slider and one sweeper. Buxton hit a 466-foot home run in the first inning and a 465-foot drive in the third, his ninth multi-homer game and first since June 10 last year. He is the first player with two 460-foot homers since Statcast started tracking in 2015. Buxton is 5 for 11 with three homers and a double in his last three games after going 1 for 34 with 17 strikeouts in his prior 10 games. He has 13 home runs this season. Minnesota got back to .500 at 38-38 and leads the AL Central.
UP NEXT
A nine-game trip begins today at Detroit. Twins RHP Kenta Maeda (0-4, 9.00) is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL after recovering from a right triceps strain that has sidelined him since April 27. LHP Joey Wentz (1-7, 6.82) is to start for Detroit.
A nine-game trip begins today at Detroit. Twins RHP Kenta Maeda (0-4, 9.00) is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL after recovering from a right triceps strain that has sidelined him since April 27. LHP Joey Wentz (1-7, 6.82) is to start for Detroit.
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TWINS-KEUCHEL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel has agreed to a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. The 35-year-old left-hander was 2-9 with a 9.20 ERA in 14 starts last year with the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. He was released by the Rangers on Sept. 4 and had been a free agent. Keuchel, a two-time All-Star and 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, is 101-91 with a 3.98 ERA in 257 starts and 11 relief appearances. He’s been working with performance coaches at Driveline Baseball in Kent, Washington. “We’re glad to have him in the organization and to give him an opportunity to go out there and pitch and show all the things that he’s been working on, because I’ve heard he’s been working on a few things,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said before Thursday’s game against Boston. Minnesota does not have a left-handed starter in its rotation. Signed to a $55.5 million, three-year deal with the White Sox in December 2019, Keuchel was 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA for the White Sox in 2020 and finished fifth in Cy Young voting. He slumped to 9-9 with a 5.28 ERA in 2021 and had a 7.88 ERA in eight starts last year, then was designated for assignment on May 28 and released two days later.
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WOLVES-DRAFT
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – After trading two future second-round picks to San Antonio to move into the 33rd spot, the Timberwolves will receive Leonard Miller, a 6-foot-10 forward from Canada who played with the G League Ignite last season. Miller averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds in 24 games. With their own pick at No. 53 overall, the Timberwolves went with UCLA guard Jaylen Clark. He had surgery in March to repair an Achilles injury.