K-HEART SPORTS – TUESDAY – 08/15/23
MINOT, ND – With high school football practice in full swing and first games to be played soon, the pre-season polls for Class AAA and AA have familiar teams at the top. Defending champ Fargo Shanley tops the Class AAA poll while state runner-up Fargo North is #1 in the Class AA poll. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota AP Sportscasters & Sportswriters Association.
Class AAA Pre-Season Football Poll
Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. Fargo Shanley (14) 88
2. West Fargo Sheyenne (3) 51
3. Mandan 40
4. Bismarck Century 39
5. Fargo Davies (2) 38
1. Fargo Shanley (14) 88
2. West Fargo Sheyenne (3) 51
3. Mandan 40
4. Bismarck Century 39
5. Fargo Davies (2) 38
Other teams receiving votes: Minot High, Bismarck Legacy, West Fargo
Class AA Pre-Season Football Poll
Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. Fargo North (12) 85
2. Jamestown (7) 71
3. Fargo South 50
4. Grand Forks Red River 46
5. Grand Forks Central 11
1. Fargo North (12) 85
2. Jamestown (7) 71
3. Fargo South 50
4. Grand Forks Red River 46
5. Grand Forks Central 11
Other teams receiving votes: Dickinson, Valley City, Wahpeton
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FCS RANKINGS
FARGO, ND – Defending FCS champion South Dakota State is the favorite to win it all again this season. The Jacks top both the FCS STATS Perform Preseason Top 25 poll and the FCS Preseason Coaches Top 25 poll. The top 5 are the same in both polls with North Dakota State at #2, followed by Montana State at #3, William & Mary are #4, and Holy Cross is #5. The University of North Dakota is ranked #17 in the STATS poll and #18 by the coaches. North Dakota State opens the season against Eastern Washington at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 2. The Fighting Hawks will open the 2023 season on Saturday, Sept. 2, hosting the Bulldogs of Drake at the Alerus Center.
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MINOT STATE MEN’S HOCKEY
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – The reigning ACHA National Champs are set to begin defense of their title. Minot State men’s hockey coach Wyatt Waselenchuk is pleased to announce that the puck drops on the 2023-24 season for the three-time national champion Beavers on Friday, Sept. 15, as Minot State opens its title defense with five straight road contests. The Beavers play at the University of Regina to open the season at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, then take on Briercrest College on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 16. The Beavers then head across the country to Virginia to play perennial powerhouse Liberty on Sept. 22 and 23 in Lynchburg, Va., the start of an early-season home-and-home series between the two rivals. The opening road trip wraps up closer to home as Minot State plays at in-state rival Jamestown on Wednesday, Sept. 27, before the national champs make their home debut at the Maysa Arena on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29 and 30, hosting Liberty with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. both nights. Minot State ends the regular season with a home-and-home series against the Jimmies. After a quick trip to Jamestown on Wednesday, Feb. 28, the Jimmies and Beavers wrap up the regular season at the Maysa Arena on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m. The ACHA National Tournament will be March 7-12 in St. Louis, Missouri.
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MINOT STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Coming off a run into overtime of the NSIC Tournament title game, the Minot State women’s soccer team has once again been picked as a top contender in the league by the NSIC coaches. The Beavers were picked to finish sixth in the NSIC Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll, while redshirt-senior forward Anabel Noches and sophomore defender Rebecca Storr each were highlighted as Players to Watch this season. Minot State, which finished fourth in the regular-season standings then advanced to the NSIC Tournament title game before falling in overtime to eventual champion Bemidji State last fall, garnered 133 points in the preseason poll and was a slim one point behind in-state rival the University of Mary in, which was picked fifth with 134 points. The Beavers open the 2023 season by hosting a pair of exhibitions, the first is noon on Tuesday, August 15, against the University of Winnipeg, and the second is Saturday, August 26, at 5 p.m. when the Beavers host the Magic City Legends team. Minot State opens the season in earnest on Sunday, Sept. 3, playing a non-conference game at NSIC foe Minnesota Crookston. Minnesota State, Mankato was a heavy favorite to win the league title this season with eight first-place votes and 187 points, while Augustana was picked second with four first-place votes and 177 points. Bemidji State was picked third with two first-place votes and 170 points, and Concordia, St. Paul was picked to finish fourth with one first-place vote and 147 points.
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MINOT STATE FOOTBALL
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – The new era of Minot State football kicks off with the Beavers tabbed as an underdog by the league’s coaches as the NSIC announced its 2023 NSIC Football Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Beavers, under first-year head coach Ian Shields, were picked to finish 12th in the league by the coaches, tying with in-state rival the University of Mary. The NSIC also announced its Preseason Players of the Year and highlighted an offensive and defensive Player to Watch from each team, with Minot State junior running back Evan Lovett and senior All-American defensive back Knylen Miller-Levi named as NSIC Players to Watch for Minot State. Minot State kicks off the 2023 season on Thursday, August 31, at 6 p.m. hosting Southwest Minnesota State at First Western Bank Field at Herb Parker Stadium. Bemidji State was the slim favorite to win the NSIC with 131 points and four first-place votes. Minnesota State, Mankato was picked second with 125 points and five first-place votes.
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NFL-COOK
NEW YORK (AP) – Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets’ offense just got another big-time playmaker. Former Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Jets on Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the agreement. NFL Network and ESPN first reported the deal is worth up to $8.6 million. Cook, who turned 28 last week, has run for at least 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons but was released by the Vikings on June 8 for salary cap savings. He was scheduled to count more than $14.1 million against the Vikings’ salary cap.