MINOT, ND – Bismarck Century won the State Class A Girls Golf Tournament in Jamestown on Tuesday. It’s the Patriots first state title since 2019.

 

 

State Tournament – Jamestown Country Club
1. Bismarck Century, 636
2. Grand Forks Red River, 646
3. Fargo Davies, 652
4. Mandan, 658
5. Bismarck Legacy, 689
6. West Fargo Sheyenne, 696
T7. Wahpeton, 699
T7. Minot High, 699
9. Fargo Shanley, 704
10. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 709
11. Fargo North, 735
12. Jamestown, 773

 

Individual standings (Top 20)
1. Rose Solbert – Fargo Davies, 148
2. Jaya Grube – Grand Forks Red River, 149
3. Leah Herbel – Bismarck Century, 150
T4. Hannah Herbel – Bismarck Century, 152
T4. Anna Huettl – Mandan, 152
6. Lexi Bartley – Fargo Davies, 153
7. Lindsey Astrup – Fargo Shanley, 154
8. Payton Stocker – West Fargo Sheyenne, 155
T9. Ella Speidel – Grand Forks Red River, 159
T9. Abigail Schneider – Bismarck St. Mary’s, 159
T11. Aliyah Iverson – Bismarck Century, 161
T11. Mia Aarestad – Fargo South, 161
13. Rugby Heydt – Mandan, 162
14. Halle Miller – Wahpeton, 165
T15. Ava Kalanek – Bismarck Legacy, 168
T15. Morgan Strange – Minot High, 168
17. Zoe Keene – West Fargo Sheyenne, 167
T18. Kya Guidinger – Bismarck Legacy, 168
T18. Sophie Brakke – Grand Forks Red River, 168
20. Brittyn Mettler – Mandan, 171

 

T23. Mackenzie Strange – Minot High, 173
T32. Adison Dittus – Minot High, 175
T37. Kinzy Welstad – Minot North, 177
T42. Emersyn Kopp – Minot North, 181
T55. Cali Wilson – Minot High, 187
T55. Emily Houim – Minot High, 187
T60. Katie Thomas – Minot High, 188

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VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NDHSAA) – On the evening of Monday, October 3, 2022, West Fargo Sheyenne High School administration notified the North Dakota High School Activities Association of the use of an ineligible boys soccer participant during the entire 2022 season. The deliberate or inadvertent use of an ineligible participant in a team sport includes the prescribed penalty of forfeiture of all matches in which the student participated. Therefore, final Eastern Dakota Conference standings have been adjusted as follows:

 

1. Fargo Davies 13-0-1 – 40 points
2. West Fargo High 9-4-1 – 28 points
3. Fargo Shanley 7-5-2 – 23 points
4. Grand Forks Red River 6-4-4 – 22 points
5. Fargo North 6-6-2 – 20 points
6. Fargo South 5-7-2 – 17 points
7. Grand Forks Central 3-9-2 – 11 points
8. West Fargo Sheyenne 0-14-0 – 0 points

 

Eastern Dakota Conference (EDC) By-Laws state the top four teams in the final regular season standings will qualify for the NDHSAA Boys Soccer State Tournament. Quarterfinal matchups on October 6 are as follows:

 

At Essentia Health Packers Stadium (West Fargo High School)

 

Quarterfinals
Match 1: East Region No. 1 seed Fargo Davies vs. West Region No. 4 seed Bismarck Century at 12:00 p.m.
Match 2: West Region No. 2 seed Bismarck Legacy vs. East Region No. 3 seed Shanley at 2:15 p.m.
Match 3: West Region No. 1 seed Minot High vs. East Region No. 4 seed Grand Forks Red River, 4:30 p.m.
Match 4: East Region No. 2 seed West Fargo High vs. West Region No. 3 seed Bismarck High, 6:45 p.m.
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MINOT, ND – The #1-ranked teams remain the same in the third volleyball polls of the season. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)         Record    Points    Last Poll
1. West Fargo Sheyenne (8)      17-0        48         1
2. Bismarck Century (2)              15-1        42         2
3. Jamestown                             16-2        26         4
4. Bismarck Legacy                     12-5       13         5
5. Fargo North                             15-3        12         3

 

Others receiving votes: Fargo South (13-4)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)              Record    Points    Last Poll
1. Northern Cass (9)                        26-0        90         1
2. Linton-HMB                                  24-1        79         3
3. Kenmare-Bowbells                       25-2         72        2
4. May-Port-CG                               15-3          56        6
5. Thompson                                    15-5         52        5
6. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich     20-5        47        4
7. Oakes                                           17-5         26        8
8. Central Cass                                 20-6         23        9
9. Dickinson Trinity                           15-3         18         7
10. Garrison                                      17-2          7        NR

 

Others receiving votes: Cavalier (13-5), Our Redeemer’s (19-10), LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (17-9), North Prairie (16-4)

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MINOT, ND – Other scores from Tuesday:

 

 

Class A
#2 Bismarck Century def. Minot High (3-1) 25-15, 20-25, 25-23, 25-15
#3 Jamestown def. #4 Bismarck Legacy (3-0) 25-17, 25-23, 25-20
Bismarck High def. Bismarck St. Mary’s (3-0)
Dickinson def. Mandan (3-0) 25-22, 25-14, 25-15
Williston def. Turtle Mountain (3-0)

 

Class B
#10 Garrison def. Grant County (3-1) 25-22, 25-13, 21-25, 25-20
Our Redeemer’s def. South Prairie-Max (3-0) 25-12, 25-14, 25-16
Bishop Ryan def. Des Lacs-Burlington (3-0) 25-23, 25-20, 25-20
Glenburn def. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood (3-0) 25-18, 25-19, 25-13
Surrey def. Berthold (3-0)
Stanley def. Nedrose (3-2) 15-25, 23-25, 25-13, 25-19, 15-9
Rugby def. Velva (3-0) 25-19, 25-23, 25-22
Drake-Anamoose def. Newburg-Westhope (3-1) 25-21, 25-14, 21-25, 25-15
North Star def. St. John (3-0) 25-7, 25-16, 25-10
North Prairie def. Dunseith (3-0) 25-2, 25-13, 25-14
Harvey-Wells County def. Benson County (3-0) 25-19, 25-17, 25-10
Central McLean def. New Salem-Almont (3-0) 25-9, 25-15, 25-23
North Shore-Plaza def. Mandaree (3-1) 25-21, 25-12, 23-25, 25-22
Divide County def. Powers Lake-Burke Central (3-1) 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 25-19
Trenton def. Tioga (3-0) 25-19, 25-23, 25-21

 

College Womens Volleyball
University of Mary def. Minot State (3-0) 25-23, 26-24, 25-13

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MSU GOLF

 

BILLINGS, Mont. – Freshman Zach Hendrickson shot back-to-back career-best rounds on Tuesday, and senior teammate Andrew Makarchuk also added a career-best effort to lead the way for the Minot State men’s golf team which finished fourth at the Yellowjacket Fall Invitational hosted by Montana State, Billings.

 

Meanwhile, in the women’s tournament, the trio of juniors Taylor Cormier, Jaci Jones, and Holly Knudsen all turned in Top 10 finishes as the Beaver ladies also finished fourth in the final event of the fall season.

 

Hendrickson, playing in his fifth collegiate tournament, made a strong charge up the leaderboard on Tuesday as the men played 36 holes. After opening with an 8-over 80 on Monday at the Lake Hills Golf Course, he shot a career-best 1-over 73 to start his day Tuesday, then followed that up with a 1-under 71 to finish tied for 15th at 8-over 224 to lead Minot State.

 

Matching Hendrickson’s at 8-under 224 for the tournament and tying for 15th was Makarchuk who, after an opening 78 on Monday, fired a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s first round, the senior’s career-best. He back that up with a 4-over 76 to tie for 15th for the Beaver men, who were fourth as a team with a three-round total of 45-over 909 (309-298-302).

 

Host Montana State-Billings won the men’s title at 4-under 860 and was led by individual men’s champion Dawson Strobel, who shot a 5-under 211.

 

Aimery Barrault was next for the Minot State men, tying for 25th at 13-over 229 (78-72-79), then came Henry Langhans, who was 32nd at 23-over 239 (80-83-76), and Joshua Tu, who was 34th at 24-over 240 (73-84-83).

 

As for the Minot State women, Cormier was fourth overall with a two-day total of 14-over 158 (81-77), Jones tied for fifth at 17-over 161 (79-82), and Knudsen tied for 10th at 20-over 164 (82-82).

 

Abigail Goettle and Averi Bradley tied for 34th at 49-over 193 for the Beavers as Goettle shot rounds of 104 and 89, and Bradley carded a 96 and a 97.

 

Rianna Garland of South Dakota School of Mines was the individual champion at 10-over 154, helping her team win the women’s title at 58-over 634.

 

The tournament was the final event of the fall for the Minot State golfers who now be off for the winter and return to the course in

March.
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UND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – North Dakota women’s basketball announced the release of the full schedule on Monday. The schedule features one exhibition and 29 regular season games. The season is highlighted by 14 games at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. North Dakota opens the season with a home exhibition match against Northern State University on Nov. 2. The regular season slate begins at home as they host Detroit Mercy on Nov. 7. The Fighting Hawks closes out the regular season on the road against the Leathernecks on Thursday, Feb. 23 and the Tommies on Saturday, Feb. 25.

 

The 2023 Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship returns to its familiar home at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. for the eighth time. For the first time in League history, the 2023 Women’s Basketball Championship will feature all 10 members with St. Thomas competing in its first basketball tournament as a League member. The new format will cover five days on the calendar, starting March 3 and culminating with the respective title games on Tuesday, March 7. The tournament champion will earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championships.

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Arraez had a hit to move closer to his first AL batting championship, one of only two singles Minnesota managed off Lucas Giolito in seven innings as the Chicago White Sox beat the Twins 8-3 on Tuesday night. Elvis Andrus hit his third homer in four games, a three-run shot, and the White Sox cruised to their second straight win after Tony La Russa stepped down as manager Monday. The 25-year-old Arraez extended his hitting streak to eight games and held his average at .315 as he tries to become the fifth Twins player to win the league batting title. He was back in the lineup as the designated hitter after missing the previous two games with a left hamstring injury. Arraez is ahead of Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is hitting .311 in his bid for the AL Triple Crown. Judge hit his AL-record 62nd homer in the second game of New York’s doubleheader at Texas and leads the league with 131 RBIs.

 

Giolito allowed two runs on two hits and two walks and hit two batters as he won for the first time since Aug. 24. Tabbed as the White Sox ace before the season, Giolito finished 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA in an inconsistent season that mirrored his team. Jermaine Palacios hit his first career homer in the ninth. Nick Gordon singled in a run and Jake Cave added a sac fly for Minnesota, which lost its fourth straight. Twins starter Josh Winder (4-6) allowed four runs and was knocked out in the third.

 

UP NEXT

Minnesota RHP Louie Varland (0-2, 4.71 ERA) faces Chicago RHP Davis Martin (3-5, 3.65 ERA) in the teams’ regular-season finale this afternoon.

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MLB-JUDGE RECORD

 

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Aaron Judge took a smooth, mighty swing, then broke into a big smile as he trotted around the bases. Heading home, his teammates backed away, letting him touch the plate alone. At last, the New York Yankees slugger had the American League home run record all to himself. Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season Tuesday night, breaking Roger Maris’ AL record and setting what some fans consider baseball’s “clean” standard.

 

“It’s a big relief,” Judge said. “Everybody can finally sit down in their seats and watch the ballgame. It’s been a fun ride so far, getting a chance to do this. … Getting a chance to have your name next to someone as great as Roger Maris and Babe Ruth and those guys is incredible.” Judge said he felt “quite a few emotions” after connecting, thinking about his family and fans and supporters. He said it would probably be after the season until he’d truly soak in and appreciate the significance of his achievement. “In my book, it’s just another day,” the stoic Judge said.

 

After slamming his helmet in a rare show of frustration when he went without a homer in the first game of the doubleheader against the Rangers in Texas, Judge hit the third pitch of the nightcap into the first row of seats in left field. That trip around the bases after a long chase was certainly a mixture of pure joy and relief for No. 99, whose only homer in the previous 13 games had been when he tied Maris’ 61 last Wednesday in Toronto. Judge did it just in time, too, homering on the next-to-last day of the regular season.

Barry Bonds holds the major league record of 73 home runs, set with the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

 

Judge’s milestone ball was caught by Cory Youmans of Dallas, who was sitting in Section 31. When asked what he was going to do with the ball while being taken away with security to have the ball authenticated, Youmans responded, “Good question. I haven’t thought about it.” Asked after the 3-2 loss if he’d gotten the ball, Judge said, “not yet.” “I don’t know where it’s at. It’d be great to get it back,” he said. Judge also praised the fan for making a “great catch” and said the man had every right to keep the prized souvenir. Another fan was escorted away after leaping over the rail into a gap between the seats and the left-field wall. The crowd of 38,832 was Texas’ third sellout of the season.

 

Almost as soon as Judge connected on a 1-1 slider from right-hander Jesús Tinoco, his Yankees teammates streamed out of the dugout to celebrate with him. But they stayed away from home plate — leaving him to step on it before sharing hugs and high-fives. “You never know how you’re going to react in the moment. And it was just so, so very cool,” manager Aaron Boone said.

 

Gerrit Cole, who set a Yankees single-season strikeout record in the same game, said he didn’t know if Judge was pressing as of late, but chuckled when saying everybody else on the team was. “Just wanted it to happen so bad,” Cole said. “So I don’t know if that’s pressing, or it’s just hoping hard. We were all just hoping really hard I think … He’s not trying to get the record for himself. He’s trying to get the record for his teammates, and for the Yankee fans.”

 

New York wound up losing the second game after winning the opener 5-4. With one game left in the regular season, the split left the Yankees with a fitting 99-62 record — Judge’s number and his home run total.

 

Judge’s mother and father were in the stands to see the 30-year-old outfielder end a five-game homerless streak, including the earlier game Tuesday when he was 1 for 5 with a single.

 

The Maris family wasn’t in Texas after following Judge around for a while, but Roger Maris Jr. tweeted, “Congratulations to Aaron Judge and his family on Aaron’s historic home run number 62! It has definitely been a baseball season to remember. You are all class and someone who should be revered. For the MAJORITY of the fans, we can now celebrate a new CLEAN HOME RUN KING!!”

 

When the top of the first ended, and Judge went to take his place in right field, he carried the glove and cap of first baseman DJ LeMahieu, who patted him on the back.

 

The fans in right field cheered Judge loudly while he warmed up by tossing a ball back and forth with center fielder Harrison Bader. Judge then provided another souvenir ball when he tossing the one he had warmed up with several rows deep.

 

Judge, eligible to become a free agent after this season, struck out on a full-count pitch when batting again in the second.

He took his spot right field in the bottom of the inning before Boone pulled him from the game. Oswaldo Cabrera, who had been at second base, moved to right field and the slugger got another loud ovation as he jogged back to the Yankees dugout on the third base side.

 

Reaction quickly came from far beyond the ballpark.

 

“History made, more history to make,” President Joe Biden posted on Twitter.

 

Tweeted former Yankees star Derek Jeter: “Congrats @TheJudge44 on 62! Postseason next!!!”

 

Former President Bill Clinton also tweeted congratulations, as did former MLB players like Paul O’Neill, Dwight Gooden, Dave Winfield and Ryan Howard.

 

Maris’ 61 for the Yankees had been exceeded six times previously, but all were tainted by the stench of steroids. Along with Bonds’ record, Mark McGwire hit 70 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and 65 the following year. Sammy Sosa had 66, 65 and 63 for the Chicago Cubs during a four-season span starting in 1998.

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Monday was day one of the State Class A Girls Golf Tournament in Jamestown. Last year, Fargo Davies won the team competition while Lexi Bartley of Davies won the individual title on the 5th playoff hole.

 

 

State Tournament – Jamestown Country Club
1. Bismarck Century, +30
2. Grand Forks Red River, +33
T3. Mandan, +45
T3. Fargo Davies, +45
T5. Minot High, +63
T5. West Fargo Sheyenne, +63
T7. Fargo Shanley, +64
T7. Bismarck Legacy, +64
9. Bismarck St. Mary’s, +65
10. Wahpeton, +67
11. Fargo North, +78
12. Jamestown, +94

 

Individual standings (Top 20)
1. Leah Herbel – Bismarck Century, E
2. Jaya Grube – Grand Forks Red River, +1
3. Rose Solberg – Fargo Davies, +3
4. Hannah Herbel – Bismarck Century, +4
T5. Ruby Heydt – Mandan, +6
T5. Payton Stocker – West Fargo Sheyenne, +6
T7. Anna Heuttl – Mandan, +7
T7. Abigail Schneider – Bismarck St. Mary’s, +7
T9. Ella Speidel – Grand Forks Red River, +8
T9. Lindsey Astrup – Fargo Shanley, +8
T9. Lexi Bartley – Fargo Davies, +8
12. Mia Aarestad – Fargo South, +9
13. Morgan Strange – Minot High, +10
T14. Halle Miller – Wahpeton, +11
T14. Kate McComb – Fargo North, +11
T16. Ava Kalanek – Bismarck Century, +12
T16. Sophie Brakke – Grand Forks Red River, +12
T16. Taylor Piepkorn – Grand Forks Red River, +12
T16. Kinzy Welstad – Minot North, +12
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MINOT, ND – There are changes in this weeks Class 11A football poll. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)        Record    Points    Last Week
1. Fargo Davies (17)                 5-1           97          1
2. West Fargo Sheyenne (1)    5-1           76          2
3. Mandan (2)                            5-1           63          3
4. Fargo Shanley                       5-1           43          4
5. Bismarck Legacy                  4-2           16          5

 

Others receiving votes: West Fargo (3-3), Minot High (3-3)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)      Record    Points    Last Week
1. Valley City (14)                     6-0          92          4
2. Jamestown (3)                     5-1          75          2
3. Fargo South (3)                    4-2          68          1
4. Grand Forks Red River        5-2          45          5
5. Fargo North                          4-2          19          3

 

Others receiving votes: Wahpeton (3-3)

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MINOT, ND – Other scores from Monday:

 

 

Class B
Washburn def. Nedrose (3-1) 25-12, 25-14, 25-27, 25-15
Surrey def. TGU (3-0) 25-15, 25-16, 25-13
Williston Trinity Christian def. Parsahll (3-0)

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UND FOOTBALL

 

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (UND) – University of North Dakota kicker Brady Stevens was one of four players to gain player of the week honors from the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Sunday evening, earning the title of Special Teams Player of the Week. Stevens played a key role in starting the comeback against No. 7 Missouri State on Saturday. He made a career-long 42-yard field goal on North Dakota’s first possession to trim the deficit to 7-3 and later made a 35-yarder as time expired in the first half to cut the deficit to 21-20. He was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points in the 48-31 victory. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native was also exceptional after scoring, recording eight kickoffs for 485 yards for an average of 60.6 yards per kick to go with two touchbacks. This season alone, Stevens has scored 32 points and ranks No. 14 in the MVFC for total points scored. He also ranks sixth in the conference in scoring, averaging 6.4 points per game. In the kicking game, Stevens is 6-for-8 on the year with the two misses coming from beyond 40 yards. He is 14-for-14 on extra points. North Dakota will be back on the road this weekend at Youngstown State. The Fighting Hawks and Penguins are slated for a 5 p.m. (CT) kick in Youngstown.

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Asked about Tony La Russa, an emotional Miguel Cairo had to pause and take a drink of water to regain his composure. It was that kind of day. The Chicago White Sox watched La Russa step down as manager, and then beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Monday night behind Johnny Cueto’s seven effective innings. La Russa departed because of a pair of health issues, punctuating a disappointing season for the Hall of Famer in the same spot where he got his first job as a big league manager. The White Sox are 80-80 after beginning the year with championship aspirations. Cairo played for La Russa before becoming his bench coach in Chicago. He took over after La Russa left the club on Aug. 30. “He’s my mentor. I’ve learned so much from him,” Cairo said. “And of course I’m going to keep calling to keep learning. But we’re going to miss him, for sure.” La Russa met with his team before announcing the move, and the players joined their former manager for his press conference about the decision. “The last thing I said to the players in the meeting was that I love them,” said La Russa, a three-time World Series champion who turns 78 on Tuesday. “I can’t be more thankful.”

 

Josh Harrison hit a two-run homer in Chicago’s fourth win in five games. Cueto (8-10) stopped a personal four-game slide, and Liam Hendriks got three outs for his 37th save. Minnesota dropped to 9-19 in its last 28 games. Gio Urshela hit a two-run homer, and Bailey Ober pitched five innings of two-hit ball. “I had to grind a little bit today and battle,” Ober said. “Definitely they made some adjustments from the last outing. I kind of had to mix it up after the first two innings.” The game was tied at 2 before Carlos Pérez drove in AJ Pollock with a two-out single against Griffin Jax (7-4) in the seventh. It was Pérez’s second career hit and first RBI. The Twins loaded the bases with two out in the ninth, but Hendriks struck out Mark Contreras swinging to close it out. “Just putting a couple runs on the board is not going to be enough to win these games,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.

 

Minnesota jumped in front in the first. Nick Gordon hit a two-out double and scored on Urshela’s 13th homer, a drive to right on a 1-1 pitch. But that was it for the Twins against Cueto, who struck out four and walked none. The right-hander was shaken up after fielding Matt Wallner’s two-out infield single in the seventh, but he got Gilbert Celestino to bounce to third on his next pitch. “I told them that I wanted to finish the inning,” Cueto said through a translator. “I made the right pitch to finish the inning.” Chicago rallied in the second. With Pollock aboard on a one-out single, Harrison’s drive traveled just over the wall in left for his seventh homer.

 

UP NEXT

Right-handers Josh Winder (4-5, 4.31 ERA) and Lucas Giolito (10-9, 5.00 ERA) take the mound tonight. Winder is 0-3 with a 6.29 ERA in his last five starts for the Twins. Giolito is looking for his first win since Aug. 24, going 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in his previous six outings for the White Sox.

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VIKINGS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The upside for the Minnesota Vikings is clear: They’ve finished the first quarter of their first season under new head coach Kevin O’Connell by managing to build a firm foundation with a 3-1 record. Chemistry and confidence can go a long way toward winning — O’Connell described it as “different types of resiliency” — but there’s no hiding that an experienced and talented offense he was hired to direct has left a whole lot of points on the field. After escaping London with a 28-25 victory over New Orleans on Sunday that was aided by the luckiest of bounces, the Vikings found themselves ranked 26th in the NFL in red zone scoring. They’ve turned just seven of their 15 trips inside the 20-yard line into touchdowns for a 46.7% rate. The sample size remains relatively small. Still, no team with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook as the primary scoring threats should be settling for that many field goals. “We definitely have to get in the end zone way more, just executing our plays,” Jefferson said.

 

Quarterback Kirk Cousins zeroed in on the third-quarter drive that was given a major boost when the Saints fumbled a punt return following the only three-and-out of the game for the Vikings. Cousins hit Jefferson for 41 yards on the first play to the 3. But then came a delay of game penalty, which Cousins took the blame for. Cook gained 1 yard on the backed-up first down. Jefferson wasn’t able to secure a second down throw into the back of the end zone that was behind him. Then Cousins dumped one off to Thielen for 1 yard on third down after missing a wide-open Jefferson. Greg Joseph followed with his third of five field goals in the game. “The plays are there to make, and we didn’t connect,” Cousins said. “That’s disappointing.” Cousins recognized the squandered opportunities afterward and said he “could be greedy” in the future by not settling for the perceived safer throw. “He can’t see everything, you know? People make mistakes. People make wrong reads, too. He’s human,” Jefferson said.

 

O’Connell awarded Jefferson a game ball, not only for the 10 receptions for 147 yards and 3-yard touchdown run, but for the way he worked through the frustration of a muted impact amid frequent double teams over the previous two games. “I’m not being a virus to the team,” Jefferson said. “If somebody’s double-teaming me, I can’t really do too much about that. That just shows you how much effect I have on the defensive side, just being a key player, just having them know where I’m at at all times.”

 

WHAT’S WORKING

The defense is tied for sixth best in the league with just 3.3 points allowed per game in the final four minutes of either half or overtime. Last season, the Vikings were the worst in the NFL in those situations with an average of 9.5 points allowed. “Across the league you have people who are kind of figuring out their rosters and their team, their identities, including us,” linebacker Eric Kendricks said. “It’s good to know that when our back is against the wall, when it’s a tight game like this, we’re on the road in London, we can pull through.”

 

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Despite the healthy return of Danielle Hunter and the addition of Za’Darius Smith, the Vikings haven’t generated a consistent pass rush. They’re just 17th in the league in sacks per pass attempt after ranking fourth last year.

 

STOCK UP

Third-year cornerback Cameron Dantzler Sr. had three pass breakups and one tackle for loss. His diving knockdown of a deep pass to Chris Olave on second down with 2:01 left was a game-saving play, forcing the Saints to settle for the tying field goal two snaps later. “Cam had probably one of his better games since we’ve been playing together this year,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “I’m just excited to see him continue to grow into a pro.”

 

STOCK DOWN

Tight end Johnny Mundt has been starting ahead of Irv Smith Jr. and played a comparable amount of snaps (136 for Smith, 116 for Mundt), but he dropped a key pass on Sunday on third-and-1 at the 10 in the second quarter. Mundt and Smith are tied for the eighth-most drops in the league with two apiece, according to Sportradar data.

 

INJURY REPORT

Rookie safety Lewis Cine, who suffered a compound fracture in his lower left leg on a special teams play, underwent a preparatory procedure in a local hospital after the game on Sunday and will have surgery on Tuesday. He’ll stay in London for the initial part of his recovery with a member of the team’s medical staff. O’Connell said Cine was in “great spirits.” Cook played with a harness on his left shoulder, and Thielen left the game briefly with an injury to his right leg. Za’Darius Smith was limited to 24 of the 60 snaps for the defense after being listed as questionable with a left knee injury. He had one of Minnesota’s two sacks.

 

KEY NUMBER

30.5 — The average starting field position for the Vikings, which is the fourth best in the league. They’re 15th in scoring.

 

NEXT STEPS

The Vikings host Chicago this Sunday, with a prime opportunity to crank up their pass rush. Bears quarterback Justin Fields is 5 for 20 with two interceptions and 16 sacks when facing pressure this season, according to Sportradar.

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TIMBERWOLVES-TOWNS ILLNESS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns has returned to the court for practice with the Minnesota Timberwolves, after a delayed start to training camp due to an unspecified illness that was serious enough to warrant hospitalization. Towns took part in non-contact drills with the team on Monday. He will not play in Minnesota’s first exhibition game on Tuesday at Miami, coach Chris Finch said. “He’s in really good shape. He does a really good job. He never really falls out of shape when it comes to his cardio,” Finch said. “I think with him, it’s just getting his feel back, some strength back, maybe a little bit of weight back on him. But I would expect he’ll be ready to go within a week. Certainly with a good week of normal training, he should be feeling pretty good.” Towns declined to divulge many details of his ailment, but he said was just cleared by doctors for walking on Saturday. “I wasn’t too worried about basketball for a while. But I miss the game. I love the game. I miss these guys. Sick and tired of recovering at the house and not being able to leave and do anything,” said Towns, who’s entering his eighth NBA season. As for being ready in time for the season opener on Oct. 19, Towns said, “Right now, it looks good.”

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MLB-RECORD

 

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Move over, Babe. Prince Albert is the new No. 2 on a big baseball list. Albert Pujols hit his 703rd home run Monday night, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs. The 42-year-old slugger connected for the St. Louis Cardinals off Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller, pulling a two-run shot into the left-field stands to snap a scoreless tie in the sixth inning. It was Pujols’ 35th home run at PNC Park, his most at any visiting ballpark. The drive pushed Pujols’ total to 2,216 RBIs, surpassing Ruth on the all-time chart. Hank Aaron holds the record with 2,297. “Passing Babe Ruth is a big deal,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said after his team’s 3-2 loss. “Seeing him hit a home run in that situation was fun to watch. You feel pretty good about where you’re at whenever he swings, and his home runs have been very meaningful.” Pujols, who plans to retire after the season, has 24 home runs — his most since hitting 31 for the Los Angeles Angels in 2016. He is one of four players in major league history with 700, joining Barry Bonds (762), Aaron (755) and Ruth (714).

 

 

 

MOORHEAD, MINN. (MSU) – Minot State got a pair of goals from Chloe Allan in a 3-0 shutout victory at MSU Moorhead on Sunday. The Beavers broke the scoreless tie when Allan notched her third goal of the season in the 56th minute. The Beavers added another score on a goal from Brooklyn Casey — her second goal of the season — in the 71st minute, assisted by Maddy St. Yves. Minot State went ahead 3-0 on Allan’s 81st-minute goal, her fourth of the season. Mila Robichon assisted the goal. Maddie Kindred made four saves and now has five shutouts on the season. Minot State improved to 5-2-4 overall and 5-1-2 in NSIC action with the win.

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VIKINGS-SAINTS

 

LONDON (AP) — Justin Jefferson bounced back from two quiet games and Greg Joseph made amends for a missed extra point. The Vikings star receiver scored a touchdown and beat Marshon Lattimore on a 39-yard reception to set up Joseph’s 47-yard field goal with 24 seconds left and Minnesota hung on for a 28-25 win over New Orleans on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Many of the Vikings (3-1), though, thought they were headed to overtime when Saints kicker Wil Lutz lined up for his 61-yard tying attempt. And why not? Lutz had hit a 60-yarder on their previous possession. This one had the distance but hit the left upright and then the crossbar before bouncing out as time expired. “When it left his foot I thought it was going in,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “It felt like that thing had a real good chance to go through and obviously a couple of bounces later we’re able to walk off as the winning team.”

 

Joseph’s go-ahead kick came after he had missed an extra point earlier in the quarter after Jefferson ran it in from 3 yards with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter. The missed kick left the Vikings with a 25-22 lead. The Saints then had an eight-play drive and Lutz made a 60-yard field goal with 1:51 left to tie the game for the Saints (1-3), who have lost three straight games. “I thought they were both in,” Lutz said. “I hit them both on the screws. The second one just moved a little more left. So kind of shocked it didn’t bounce in.”

 

Jefferson had 10 receptions for 147 yards after being limited to a total of nine receptions and 62 yards in the past two games, He was pleased to finally see some single coverage. “Lattimore pretty much followed me the whole game, pretty much was a one-on-one battle the majority of the game,” Jefferson said. “I was telling (O’Connell) the whole game we should throw it up, give me a chance to go up and make a big play.”

 

Joseph was 5 for 5 on field goals as the Vikings squandered multiple scoring chances, but still held off a New Orleans team that played without key starters including quarterback Jameis Winston and running back Alvin Kamara. Kirk Cousins completed 25 of 38 passes for 273 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Vikings under O’Connell are off to their best start since going 4-0 in 2016.

 

The Saints arrived early in the week to acclimate to the time difference but their losing streak is now at three games under coach Dennis Allen. “We still have to find a way to not hurt ourselves with penalties and the turnovers, and that’s got to change,” Allen said.

 

Down 16-7, Saints backup quarterback Andy Dalton led two scoring drives to help New Orleans take 22-19 lead. Saints tight end/quarterback Taysom Hill took a direct snap and ran it in from 2 yards for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter and Dalton found a wide-open Jarvis Landry for the 2-point conversion. Dalton completed 20 of 28 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown. After the Saints cut Minnesota’s lead to 16-14 on Latavius Murray’s 1-yard run late in the third quarter, the Vikings drove again and Joseph made it 19-14 with a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

 

The Vikings led 13-7 and had first-and-goal on the 3 after Jefferson’s 41-yard reception in the third quarter, but were pushed back by a delay of game penalty. Cousins then threw short to Adam Thielen instead of going to a wide-open Jefferson in the back of the end zone. One play earlier, Cousins threw behind Jefferson in the end zone and the receiver couldn’t hold on.

 

SLOW START

 

The Saints began slowly again despite emphasizing a quick start all week. Alexander Mattison weaved through traffic for a 15-yard touchdown reception on Minnesota’s opening drive. The Saints had no first downs in the first quarter, but safety Tyrann Mathieu intercepted a pass and Dalton then drove the Saints 60 yards and found Chris Olave for a 4-yard touchdown pass — the rookie’s first NFL touchdown — to make it 7-7 early in the second quarter. The Vikings squandered two good opportunities deep in Saints territory late in the second quarter. Tight end Johnny Mundt dropped a short pass on a third-and-1 from the 10 and Minnesota opted for a field goal. On the next possession, Dalton fumbled on a strip-sack by Za’Darius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson to give the Vikings the ball on the 20. They again settled for 3 points after an incompletion and a false start penalty. Joseph’s 36-yard field goal gave the Vikings a 13-7 lead going into halftime.

 

GOOD LUCK IN LONDON

 

The Vikings improved to 3-0 in London games — with wins in three different stadiums. The Vikings beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27 in 2013 at Wembley Stadium and topped the Cleveland Browns 33-16 four years later at Twickenham Stadium. This was the fifth NFL game at Tottenham, the Premier League club’s stadium that cost more than $1 billion to build and opened in 2019.

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VIKINGS-CINE INJURY

 

LONDON (AP) — Minnesota Vikings rookie Lewis Cine sustained a “lower-leg fracture” against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and will stay in London to undergo surgery, coach Kevin O’Connell said. Cine was carted off the field in the first quarter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what O’Connell described as a “very tough moment for our team.” Cine, the 32nd pick overall in last spring’s NFL draft out of Georgia, was blocking on a punt return when he sustained the injury. Cine clutched his left leg as he went down. Players from both teams took a knee as medical personnel stabilized Cine’s lower left leg and put him on a cart to leave the field. “He will be having surgery to fix that here,” O’Connell said. “As soon as he’s able to make the transition back to the Twin Cities we’ll do that.” Vikings personnel are staying in London with Cine. The 22-year-old Cine was born in Haiti and moved to Florida with extended family at age 4. His journey to the NFL brought him through Massachusetts and Texas as a youngster before enrolling at Georgia.

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PACKERS-PATRIOTS

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Mason Crosby made a 31-yard field goal as time expired in overtime, and the Green Bay Packers topped New England 27-24 to spoil Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe’s NFL debut. Zappe played the majority of the game after Brian Hoyer left with a head injury. Aaron Rodgers bounced back from a dreadful first half to continue his recent home mastery of AFC teams. The Packers are 18-1 in the last 19 home games Rodgers has started against AFC foes.

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TWINS-TIGERS

 

DETROIT (AP) — Eric Haase and Victor Reyes homered and the Detroit Tigers took advantage of Minnesota’s sloppy play, beating touted pitching prospect Simeon Woods Richardson and the Twins 5-2 Sunday. Woods Richardson made his big league debut five days after turning 22 years old, making him the youngest pitcher in the majors this season. The Twins’ defense did him no favors at the start, committing three errors in the first inning. The Tigers turned the two throwing errors by catcher Ryan Jeffers and a misplay by first baseman Jose Miranda, along with Miguel Cabrera’s single, a wild pitch, a walk and a stolen base, into two runs.

 

Woods Richardson (0-1), acquired in July 2021 from Toronto in the trade for pitcher José Berríos, allowed three runs — two earned — and three hits in five innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out three.

 

Haase hit his 14th home run of the season, and second in as many days, in the third. He is second on the team in home runs to Javier Báez, who has 16.

 

The Twins scored two unearned runs in the fifth. Jeffers reached on a fielding error and scored when Carlos Correa walked with the bases loaded. Nick Gordon’s sacrifice fly scored Gilberto Celestino.

 

Joey Wentz made his seventh and final start of the season for Detroit, allowing two unearned runs on two hits while walking four and striking out four in 4 2/3 innings. Tigers relievers Will Vest, Garrett Hill, Jason Foley, Alex Lange (7-4) and Gregory Soto combined to throw 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Soto picked up his 30th save with a perfect ninth.

 

Reyes homered to lead off the bottom of the eighth off former teammate Michael Fulmer. It was Reyes’ first home run since July 2 against Kansas City. Cabrera added a single for his 1,846th career RBI.

 

UP NEXT

The Twins move to Chicago for their final series of the season. RHP Bailey Ober (2-3, 3.18) will start tonight. Ober will face the White Sox for the third time this season and is 1-0 with an 0.73 ERA with one walk in 16 strikeouts in the previous two starts.

 

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Minot High won the WDA Boys Soccer Tourament. Minot High, Bismarck Legacy, Bismarck Century and Bismarck High qualify for the State Tournament which begins Thursday.

 

 

State Qualifier
(4) Bismarck Century def. (5) Jamestown, 2-1
(3) Bismarck High def. (6) Mandan, 3-2 SO
Championship
(1) Minot High def. (2) Bismarck Legacy, 3-2

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MINOT, ND – The West Region Boys Tennis Tournament finished on Saturday here in Minot. The top eight individual placers advanced to the State Tournament. Hunter Rice of Minot High is headed to state after placing 2nd. Josh Hegstad also is going after placing 6th. In the doubles tournament the duo of Grayson Schaeffner/Brayden McLean of Minot High placed 2nd, while Aidan Diehl & Sam Griffith placed 4th. The Boys State Tournament begins Thursday here in Minot.

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MINOT, ND – Other Saturday scores:

 

 

Rugby Booster Club Invitational – Rugby Golf Course
1. Hillsboro-Central Valley, 52
2. New Town, 53
3. Rugby, 93
4. Surrey, 181
5. Killdeer, 256
6. Griggs-Midkota, 263
7. Southern McLean, 284
8. Stanley, 323
9. Hebron, 352
10. Bottineau, 357
11. Shiloh Christian, 363
12. Kenmare-Burke Central-Bowbells, 382
13. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 382
14. Pembina County North, 398
15. Williston Trinity Christian, 413
16. Bishop Ryan, 507
17. Four Winds, 512
18. Turtle Mountain, 532
19. Tioga, 548
20. Parshall, 620
21. Hatton-Northwood, 631
22. Carrington, 648
23. Dunseith, 669
24. Hazelton-Moffit Braddock, 687
25. Central McLean, 717
26. Beach, 722
27. Velva, 727
28. Max-South Prairie, 728
29. Garrison, 736
30. Glen Ullin, 782

Individual winner: Christian Brist of Hillsboro-Central Valley, 16:30

High School Girls Cross Country

 

Rugby Booster Club Invitational – Rugby Golf Course
1. Rugby, 50
2. Hillsboro-Central Valley, 157
3. Shiloh Christian, 163
4. Southern McLean, 186
5. Stanley, 196
6. Pembina County North, 208
7. Killdeer, 217
8. Bottineau, 221
9. Kenmare-Burke Central-Bowbells, 274
10. New Town, 281
11. Hatton-Northwood, 354
12. Carrington, 372
13. Max-South Prairie, 382
14. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 397
15. Surrey, 398
16. Parshall, 445
17. Rolla, 460
T18. Bishop Ryan, 484
T18. Four Winds, 484
20. Turtle Mountain, 499
21. Beach, 517
22. Central McLean, 520
23. Tioga, 535
T24. Garrison, 538
T24. Velva, 538
26. Hebron, 559
27. Harvey-Wells County, 560

 

Individual winner: Brynn Hanson of DLB/L&C, 19:31

 

 

High School Football
Class 11A
Devils Lake def. Turtle Mountain, 57-6

 

 

Laker Invite – Des Lacs-Burlington School

 

 

First Round
Dickinson Trinity def. Glen Ullin-Hebron (2-0) 25-20, 25-23
Central Cass def. Thompson (2-0) 25-21, 25-16
Linton-HMB def. Des Lacs-Burlington (2-0) 25-17, 25-8
Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich def. Kenmare-Bowbells (2-1) 20-25, 25-20, 15-8
Loser Out
Thompson def. Glen Ullin-Hebron (2-1) 25-21, 23-25, 15-13
Kenmare-Bowbells def. Des Lacs-Burlington (2-0) 25-10, 25-21
Semifinal
Central Cass def. Dickinson Trinity (2-1) 25-18, 22-25, 15-11
Linton-HMB def. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich (2-0) 25-18, 25-23
5th Place
Kenmare-Bowbells def. Thompson (2-1) 25-21, 26-28, 15-13
3rd Place
Dickinson Trinity def. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich (2-1) 22-25, 25-20, 15-11
Championship
Linton-HMB def. Central Cass (2-0) 25-21, 25-10

 

 

First Round
Center-Stanton def. Powers Lake-Burke Central (2-1) 17-25, 26-24, 15-5
Rugby def. Hazen (2-0) 25-18, 25-8
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. Ray (2-0) 25-18, 25-19
Beulah def. Park River Area (2-0) 25-21, 25-11
Quarterfinal
LaMoure-Litchville-Marion def. Center-Stanton (2-0) 25-12, 25-15
Rugby def. Our Redeemer’s (2-0) 25-23, 25-18
Bishop Ryan def. New Rockford-Sheyenne (2-0) 25-17, 26-24
Carrington def Beulah (2-0) 26-24, 25-10
Semifinal
LaMoure-Litchville-Marion def. Rugby (2-1) 25-15, 23-25, 15-10
Carrington def. Bishop Ryan (2-0) 25-21, 25-23
3rd Place
Bishop Ryan def. Rugby (2-0) 25-18, 25-17
Championship
Carrington def. LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (2-1) 29-31, 25-10, 15-9

 

 

 

Semifinal
Central McLean def. Washburn (2-1) 22-25, 25-14, 25-8
Garrison def. Drake-Anamoose (2-0) 25-23, 25-14
3rd Place
Drake-Anamoose def. Washburn (2-0) 25-21, 27-25
Champioship
Garrison def. Central McLean (2-0) 25-19, 25-9

 

 

Semifinal
Trenton def. New Salem-Almont (2-0) 25-23, 25-20
Grant County def. Flasher (2-0) 25-11, 25-19
3rd Place
Flasher def. New Salem-Almont (2-0) 25-12, 25-13
Championship
Grant County def. Trenton (2-0) 25-17, 25-22

 

Bronze Bracket

 

Semifinal
Tioga def. Wilton-Wing (2-1) 21-25, 25-12, 15-5
South Prairie-Max def. Harvey-Wells County (2-0) 25-17, 25-12
3rd Place
Harvey-Wells County def. Wilton-Wing (2-1) 17-25, 25-14, 15-10
Championship
Tioga def. South Prairie-Max (2-1) 25-16, 22-25, 15-11

 

 

Semifinal
Stanley def. North Shore-Plaza (2-0) 25-17, 25-22
Divide County def Killdeer (2-1) 25-18, 23-25, 15-6
3rd Place
Killdeer def. North Shore-Plaza (2-0) 25-12, 25-13
Championship
Divide County def. Stanley (2-0) 25-13, 25-17

 

 

College Football
Bemidji State def. Minot State, 59-14

 

College Mens Hockey
Minot State def. Jamestown, 6-1

 

College Womens Hockey
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology def. Minot State, 1-0

 

College Womens Volleyball
Concordia-St. Paul def. Minot State (3-0) 25-9, 25-14, 25-14

 

NAHL Hockey
Minot Minotauros 4, Bismarck Bobcats 1

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UND FOOTBALL

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – After going down 11 points late in the first half, North Dakota (3-2, 2-1 MVFC) ended the game on a 38-10 scoring run to defeat No. 7 Missouri State (2-3, 0-2 MVFC), 48-31, inside the Alerus Center on Saturday afternoon.

 

An interception led to an MSU touchdown with just over two minutes left before halftime to extend its lead to 21-10, but UND rattled off 24 straight points between that point and the early moments of the fourth quarter to claim a 34-21 lead heading into the final stanza. A Bears field goal in the first moments of the fourth quarter ended their scoring drought to trim the deficit to 34-24, but the Hawks responded five plays later with a 54-yard touchdown scamper from Isaiah Smith to extend the North Dakota lead back to 41-24.

 

The Hawks added another touchdown seven minutes later with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Schuster to Garett Maag to put the game out of reach for the Bears with just under five minutes to go. Missouri State would score with 1:43 left in the game but was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick and North Dakota ran out the final moments to secure the 48-31 win over Missouri State.

UND had a well-balanced attack, finishing with 515 yards of offense (248 on the ground and 267 through the air). Comparatively, MSU ended with 389 yards of offense with 271 yards passing and 118 yards rushing.

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NDSU FOOTBALL

 

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – Fullback Hunter Luepke accounted for 106 total yards and two touchdowns as No. 1-ranked North Dakota State picked up a 27-14 win over Youngstown State on Saturday, Oct. 1, before a homecoming crowd of 18,055 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome. Kobe Johnson added a touchdown run and Griffin Crosa converted two field goals for the Bison, who won their 13th consecutive home game to improve to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

 

Luepke scored on runs of two and 12 yards in the first quarter with the first score coming two plays after a leaping 27-yard catch over a YSU defender at the 2-yard line. He rushed 13 times for 72 yards and made two catches for 34 yards.

 

Youngstown State running back Jaleel McLaughlin had 17 carries for 150 yards, including a 44-yard run that gave YSU a first-and-goal at the 5 before the Bison defense stiffened. Michael Tutsie’s tackle at the goal line set up fourth-and-goal from the 1, but YSU settled for a 22-yard field goal after a false start to cut the Bison lead to 14-3.

 

NDSU answered with a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by Kobe Johnson’s 17-yard TD run, which came one play after Cam Miller connected with Zach Mathis for 17 yards on third-and-15. It was 21-3 at halftime.

 

Crosa’s 39-yard field goal with 7:45 left in the game put the Bison ahead 24-6, but McLaughlin hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Davidson and the two-point conversion cut NDSU’s lead to 24-14 with 4:30 to play.

 

YSU nearly recovered its own onside kick, but it went out of bounds at midfield. The Bison ran nine plays with Crosa’s 38-yard field goal extending the lead to 27-14.

 

Linebacker Nick Kubitz had a team-high seven tackles, Tutsie made his 11th career interception, and Spencer Waege had 2.5 tackles for loss including 1.5 sacks to lead the Bison defense.

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UND HOCKEY

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – No. 4 North Dakota struck four times in the second period en route to a 5-1 exhibition win over Manitoba on Saturday night from Ralph Engelstad Arena.

 

Five-different Fighting Hawks found the back of the scoresheet while Drew DeRidder and Kaleb Johnson combined for 11 saves to polish off a strong opening performance from the hosts despite a shortened lineup.

 

Trailing 1-0 midway through the first, Griffin Ness knotted the game with a goal off a rebound to send the teams to the locker room tied after 20 minutes. Just 21 seconds into the middle stanza, Jake Schmaltz cashed in on a rebound goal of his own to put the Hawks in front, 2-1, and sparked a four-goal period.

 

Dylan James, making his collegiate debut, wired a shot past goaltender Brett Murphy off a face-off win to double the lead, 3-1, before Tyler Kleven struck on a slick move to the net less than a minute later and Chris Jandric put the finishing touches on the offensive frame with a goal on a 2-on-0 to build a 5-1 advantage.

 

UND played a majority of the final period on the disadvantage, killing off a trio of Manitoba power play opportunities to preserve the 5-1 victory.

 

North Dakota opens the regular season next Friday against Holy Cross.

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TWINS-TIGERS

 

DETROIT (AP) — Eric Haase had three hits, including a home run, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Saturday night. The Tigers have won seven of eight. The Twins will have to win their final four games to finish with a .500 season. Tigers starter Drew Hutchison allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings, while Minnesota’s Dylan Bundy gave up two runs on five hits in five innings.

 

UP NEXT

The teams finish their season series this afternoon. Joey Wentz (2-2, 3.54) will start against Twins prospect Simeon Woods Richardson, who will be making his major-league debut.

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Des Lacs-Burlington defeated Bishop Ryan 24-15 in a Class 11B Region 3 football game we broadcast on K-Heart. The Lions got on the board halfway through period two with a touchdown pass from Jett Lundeen to Carson Merck to take a 6-0 lead. DLB would march down the field and score with 1:21 remaining in the half on a 5 yard pass from Rylan Olson to Braylin Fisher to make it 7-6 at the break. The Lakers would add three more scores in the second half, including a 60 interception return as they improve to 4-2 overall, 4-1 in Region 3. Paxton Ystaas would throw for 136 yards, one TD, and one INT. Rylan Olson was his favorite receiver with four catches for 95 yards and one TD. Logan Rist led the ground game with 40 carries for 110 yards. Bishop Ryan was led by Jett Lundeen passing for 79 yards, two TD’s, and two INT’s. He also rushed for 39 yards. The Lions had four turnovers including two lost fumbles. Bishop Ryan drops to 3-4 overall, 3-2 in Region 3.

 

Other scores from Friday:

 

 

Class 11AA
#1 Fargo Davies def. Fargo South (11A #1), 34-7
#2 West Fargo Sheyenne def. Minot High, 27-14
#3 Mandan def. Bismarck High, 63-22
#4 Fargo Shanley def. #5 Bismarck Legacy, 28-16
West Fargo def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 30-7

 

Class 11A
#2 Jamestown def. Dickinson, 33-8
#4 Valley City def. Wahpeton, 40-6
#5 Grand Forks Red River def. #3 Fargo North, 38-6
Grand Forks Central def. West Fargo Horace, 49-14

 

Class 11B
#1 Kindred def. Central Cass, 28-0
#2 Dickinson Trinity def. Hazen, 51-50
#3 Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose def. Stanley, 46-7
Hillsboro-Central Valley def. #4 Bottineau, 27-0
#5 Thompson def. Fargo Oak Grove, 35-11
Ray-Powers Lake def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 30-26
South Prairie-Max def. Nedrose, 50-27
Beulah def. Shiloh Christian, 50-36
Killdeer def. Southern McLean, 28-22
Bowman County def. Heart River, 24-8
Rugby def. Park River Area, 26-20
Carrington def. Harvey-Wells County, 28-6
Linton-HMB def. Sargent County, 20-18
Lisbon def. Northern Cass, 46-6
Oakes def. Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm, 26-6

 

#1 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion def. Hankinson, 48-0
#2 New Salem-Almont def. Kidder County, 44-0
#3 Cavalier def. Benson County, 50-0
#4 May-Port-CG def. Enderlin, 56-14
#5 North Prairie def. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 36-8
Surrey def. Alexander, 42-0
Divide County def. Lewis & Clark, 44-14
Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn def. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 50-16
Dunseith def. TGU, 58-14
St. John def. Tioga, 44-14
South Border def. Central McLean, 52-6
Hettinger County def. Hettinger-Scranton, 22-8
Grant County-Flasher def. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron, 44-12
Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter def. Beach, 42-20
Four Winds def. North Star, 32-26
North Border def. Midway-Minto, 76-0
Larimore def. Nelson County, 28-18
Richland def. Hatton-Northwood, 34-22
Maple River def. Griggs-Midkota, 40-8
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood def. Tri-State, 53-0

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MINOT, ND – The West Region Boys Tennis Tournament continued Friday at Hammond Park in Minot with the individual tournament. Today’s single semifinals at 11 am include Hunter Rice of Minot High against Mason Lunzman of Jamestown and Anthony Janes of Bismarck Legacy against Tyler Wahl of Bismarck High. A couple other Minot High players are still in the running for a state tournament birth as Josh Hegtad plays Nolan Callahan in a Loser Out match at 9:30 am.

 

In doubles play, a pair of Minot High duos meet in the semifinals as Grayson Schaefer/Brayden McLean take on Aidan Diehl/Sam Griffith at 11 am. The other semi has Jared Pitcher/Beau Zander of Bismarck Century against Karter Hatzenbuhler/Brady Helbling of Mandan.

The top eight placers move on to the state tournament.

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MINOT, ND – The WDA Boys Soccer Tournament will be held today at Bismarck St. Mary’s High School.

 

 

State Qualifier
(4) Bismarck Century vs (5) Jamestown, 12 pm
(3) Bismarck High vs (6) Mandan, 2 pm
Championship
(1) Minot High vs (2) Bismarck Legacy, 4 pm

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MINOT, ND – One of premier in-season Class B volleyball tournaments is this weekend with the Laker Invite. Pool play began on Friday and continues this morning in Des Lacs and Burlington before tournament action this afternoon. The field features 11 of 17 teams listed in the latest Class B volleyball poll.

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MINOT, ND – Other scores from Friday:

 

College Mens Hockey
Minot State def. Jamestown, 4-3

 

College Womens Hockey
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology def. Minot State, 5-1

 

College Womens Soccer
Minot State def. Northern State, 2-1

 

College Womens Volleyball
Minnesota State-Mankato def. Minot State (3-0) 25-9, 25-19, 25-18

 

NAHL Hockey
Bismarck Bobcats def. Minot Minotauros, 4-0

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MINOT, ND – College football today features the “Battle of the Beavers” here in Minot. Minot State (0-4) will host Bemidji State (2-2) at First Western Bank Field at Herb Parker Stadium at 1 pm. The MSU Beavers will be looking for their first victory in 20 years against a tough BSU Beavers team as Bemidji State owns a 21-1 record against Minot State. The lone Minot State victory coming back on Sept. 7th, 2002 when Minot State traveled to Bemidji and snuck away with a 35-28 win.

 

North Dakota (2-2) returns home this weekend to welcome #7 Missouri State (2-2) to the Alerus Center for their Homecoming game. The Fighting Hawks and Bears have met on the gridiron on four occasions and the series is tied 2-2. Kickoff is at Noon.

 

#1 North Dakota State (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) hosts Youngstown State (2-1, 0-0 MVFC) in the annual homecoming game today at 1 pm. This is the 17th meeting between North Dakota State and Youngstown State dating back to 1972. NDSU has won 10 straight to take a 12-4 lead in the series including a 49-17 victory in Youngstown last year.

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TWINS-TIGERS

 

DETROIT (AP) — Jake Ryan allowed five hits in six innings and the Minnesota Twins blanked Detroit 7-0 on Friday night, the Tigers’ 22nd shutout loss of the season. Detroit had its six-game winning streak snapped and surpassed the 1973 New York Yankees and 1976 Chicago White Sox, whose 21 times shut out were the most in the American League in the DH era. Ryan (13-8) walked one and struck out eight. He fanned Miguel Cabrera and Spencer Torkelson to start the second, tying and breaking Francisco Liriano’s franchise record of 144 strikeouts for a rookie pitcher. Ryan went 4-0 with a 0.76 ERA in four starts against the Tigers this season, striking out 33 batters in 23 2/3 innings. Tigers starter Tyler Alexander (4-11) allowed three runs on five hits and four walks in five innings.

 

UP NEXT
The teams play the second game of their weekend series this evening, with Detroit’s Drew Hutchinson (3-9, 4.54) facing Dylan Bundy (8-8, 4.93).

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VIKINGS-INJURIES

 

WARE, England (AP) — Vikings outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith was listed Friday as questionable for Minnesota’s game against the New Orleans Saints at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because of a knee injury. First-year coach Kevin O’Connell said Smith will be a game-time decision. “He’s one of our most important players, obviously, but I want him to feel good about playing and feel like he can be his normal self,” O’Connell said Friday. “I think he’s trending that way, but it will be a game-time decision.” Smith was limited in practice at the team’s temporary training facility next to its hotel 23 miles north of central London. He had missed the prior two practices before the Vikings left Minnesota.

 

Cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. (quadriceps) was listed as doubtful for the NFL’s first international game of the season.

 

Running back Dalvin Cook (shoulder) was a full participant for the second consecutive day. Cook leads the Vikings with 203 yards rushing. The Saints have allowed 145 yards or more on the ground in two of their first three games. “He had a good day yesterday, full practice, and then obviously got on the plane, was ready to go today, had a good practice today,” O’Connell said. “Dalvin is excited about the opportunity this weekend.”

 

The 30-year-old Smith, who signed a three-year deal with the Vikings in the offseason, is tied atop the NFL with five tackles for loss. Smith was a Pro Bowl pick in 2019 and 2020 for Green Bay, but he suffered a major back injury last season and appeared in only one game.

 

The Saints arrived Monday but the Vikings landed in the British capital on Friday morning, choosing to stick to their regular schedule and time zone as much as possible. “Once we got here, it felt like a pretty normal Friday for us,” O’Connell said. “We’re trying to make this as normal as possible.” The Vikings said their plan for the flight was to offer melatonin and eye masks and to dim the lights right after takeoff. “As soon as I had my little medicine, I was out,” wide receiver Justin Jefferson said. “I was trying to get the most rest I could. But I mean, it’s definitely difficult being on the plane for that long, trying to get the proper rest that you need.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – It’s Friday! That means high school football is on the air tonight. We’ll have a Class 11B Region 3 contest as Bishop Ryan hosts Des Lacs-Burlington. Both teams are 3-1 in region and tied for third in the standings. Pre-game is set for 6:40 pm on 106.9 K-Heart and online at khrt.com.

 

Scores from Thursday:

 

 

Class 11AA
Bismarck Century def. Williston, 34-7

 

Class 11B
Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich def. Grafton, 48-12

 

 

High School Girls Swimming & Diving
Minot High 98, Bismarck Century 88

 

 

 

Class A
#2 Bismarck Century def. Bismarck Legacy (3-1) 23-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-12
#4 Jamestown def. Dickinson (3-1) 25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 25-22
Minot High def. Williston (3-2) 22-25, 15-25, 25-17, 25-23, 15-9
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Watford City (3-1) 25-16, 22-25, 25-18, 25-13

 

Class B
#2 Kenmare-Bowbells def. Powers Lake-Burke Central (3-0) 25-19, 25-14, 25-17
Drake-Anamoose def. Velva (3-1) 25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19
Rugby def. Glenburn (3-0) 25-9, 30-28, 25-10
Bottineau def. TGU (3-0) 25-14, 25-8, 25-15
North Prairie def. Newburg-Westhope (3-0) 25-17, 25-21, 25-20
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. St. John (3-0)
Garrison def. Shiloh Christian (3-0) 25-22, 25-22, 25-9
Washburn def. Hazen (3-0) 25-20, 25-17, 25-17
Killdeer def. North Shore-Plaza (3-0) 25-23, 25-5, 25-9
Trenton def. Alexander (3-0) 25-21, 25-14, 25-13

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MINOT, ND – Minot High repeated as the winner of the team dual portion of the West Region Boys Tennis Tournament yesterday. The top four teams advance to the state tournament next week. The individual portion of the WDA Tournament is today and tomorrow.

 

 

First Round
#1 Minot High, bye
#4 Mandan def. #5 Williston, 4-1
#3 Bismarck Century def. #6 Bismarck High, 5-0
#2 Bismarck Legacy def. #7 Jamestown, 4-1
Loser Out
#5 Williston, bye
#7 Jamestown def. #6 Bismarck High, 3-2
Semifinal
#1 Minot High def. #4 Mandan, 4-1
#2 Bismarck Legacy def. #3 Bismarck Century, 3-2
State Qualifier
#3 Bismarck Century def. #5 Williston, 4-1
#4 Mandan def. #7 Jamestown, 5-0
Championship
#1 Minot High def. #2 Bismarck Legacy, 4-1

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — In his fifth organization in five years, Mark Payton has needed plenty of patience to make it back to the Major Leagues. Just like his at-bat that led to the winning run and stopped the Chicago White Sox’s eight-game losing streak. Payton had two hits and an RBI and sparked an eighth-inning rally by reaching on an error in a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Born in Orland Park, Illinois, Payton went to St. Rita High School in Chicago. He was drafted three times, first by the Twins in 2010 and last by the New York Yankees in the seventh round in 2014 out of the University of Texas. After playing in parts of the last two seasons with Cincinnati, Payton hit .293 with 25 homers and 95 RBIs in 119 games this year for Triple-A Charlotte. In the eighth, Payton fouled off seven pitches from Caleb Thielbar (4-3) in a 12-pitch at-bat that ended with a lazy pop-up to second base. But Nick Gordon, who had a two-run double for the Twins in the first inning, flat-out dropped it for a two-base error. Payton moved up on a wild pitch before José Abreu ripped an RBI double.

 

The Twins announced an attendance of 23,397, and finished their 13th year at Target Field with an official season total of 1,801,128. That’s their lowest for a full schedule unaffected by the pandemic since 2001, when they drew 1,782,926 at the Metrodome. The per-game average this year of 22,236 ranks 20th in the major leagues.

 

UP NEXT
RHP Joe Ryan (12-8, 3.70 ERA) pitches today to start a three-game series at Detroit.

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ARRAEZ-BATTING TITLE

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An already historic season by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge could well be capped with baseball’s first Triple Crown in 10 years. Minnesota’s Luis Arraez is standing in his way. After going 2 for 5 for the Twins on Thursday in their loss to the Chicago White Sox, Arraez pulled ahead of Judge by two points — when rounding up — in the AL batting race. The Yankees were off. With one week to go in the regular season, Arraez’s average is .3147, Judge is at .3134 and Boston’s Xander Bogaerts is third at .3088. The Yankees have seven games left, with six each for the Twins and Red Sox. With 61 home runs — which matched the much-watched AL record on Wednesday — and 130 RBIs, Judge has those two categories locked up.

 

The batting average will be harder to get, thanks to Arraez. Miguel Cabrera last accomplished the Triple Crown feat for Detroit in 2012. Before that, Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski was the previous to do it in 1967. “No pressure. But I just try to hit the ball, try to get the barrel there,” Arraez, a fourth-year infielder, said on Wednesday. “Baseball is hard, but I just need to trust myself and go out there and play hard.” With real-time statistics staring at him from the giant scoreboard at Target Field or on the iPad when he watches video of his at-bats, Arraez can’t help but keep track of the competition. But he’s tried his best not to overthink this. “I just need to enjoy the game and then finish strong,” said Arraez, who has played mostly first base, second base and designated hitter and was picked for his first All-Star game this year.

 

The Twins, who fell out of playoff contention with a rough start to the month, have relished the opportunity to watch one of their most popular players work his craft down the stretch. “I think he’s gotten to a point of calm and he’s gotten to a point where he’s just worried about going out there and trying to hit some line drives,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. Arraez was hitting as high as .362 on June 21, .342 on July 23 and .336 on Aug. 16. His powerfully compact and consistent swing and the ability and willingness to spray the ball all over the field have evoked among Twins fans and the organization memories of Rod Carew. Carew won seven batting titles for the Twins, who also had Tony Oliva (three), Joe Mauer (three) and Kirby Puckett (one) lead the AL in average. “I think he’s going to have many opportunities in his career as the years go on where he’s kind of fighting it out for this great distinction,” Baldelli said.

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WILD-STARS PRE-SEASON

 

DALLAS – Marco Rossi had a goal and an assist for the Minnesota Wild in a 5-2 win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Thursday. Jonas Brodin also had a goal and an assist, Tyson Jost had three assists, and Mason Shaw had two assists for the Wild. Jesper Wallstedt made 33 saves.

 

Ty Dellandrea and Nils Lundkvist scored, and Anton Khudobin made 23 saves for the Stars.

 

Rossi scored a short-handed goal to put Minnesota in front 1-0 at 9:01 of the first period, but Dellandrea scored his own short-handed goal to tie it 1-1 at 13:35. Mats Zuccarello gave the Wild a 2-1 lead at 15:57 with a power-play goal. Brodin pushed the lead to 3-1 at 14:03 of the second period, and Jared Spurgeon scored 2:39 into the third period to make it 4-1. Lundkvist cut it to 4-2 with a power-play goal at 8:33. Sam Steel scored at 12:51 for the 5-2 final.

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NFL-THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

 

CINCINNATI (AP) — Behind an overhauled offensive line coalescing in front of quarterback Joe Burrow and a defense forcing turnovers, the Cincinnati Bengals are looking more like the defending AFC champions. After losing their first two games, the Bengals have reeled off two wins in a span of five days. They beat the New York Jets on Sunday, then turned around and took down Miami 27-15 in a Thursday night game marred by the horrific sight of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa being taken off the field on a stretcher. Tagovailoa was taken to a hospital, but was expected to be released and fly home with the team. Coach Mike McDaniel said the QB sustained a concussion.

 

Burrow tossed a late a 2-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Hurst to seal the win after Cincinnati safety Vonn Bell picked off Miami backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with three minutes left in the game. Burrow was 20 for 31 for 287 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins caught seven passes for 124 yards and a TD for Cincinnati (2-2). Evan McPherson kicked two fourth-quarter field goals — including a 57-yarder — when the Bengals’ drives stalled.

 

Tagovailoa was 8 for 14 for 110 yards and an interception before his injury. Teddy Bridgewater finished 14 for 23 for 193 yards, a touchdown and an interception in relief. Tyreek Hill paced the Dolphins (3-1) with 10 catches for 160 yards. Jason Sanders kicked three field goals and had one blocked. He also missed a point-after attempt.

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Only a slight change to this weeks Class 11B and Class 9B football polls. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)                Record    Points    Last Week
1. Kindred (17)                                    6-0          85          1
2. Dickinson Trinity                             6-0          59          2
3. Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose   6-0         46          3
4. Bottineau                                         6-0         28          4
5. Thompson                                       6-0         16         RV

 

Others receiving votes: Oakes (5-1), Hillboro-Central Valley (5-1), Shiloh Christian (5-1)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)              Record    Points    Last Week
1. LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (17)    6-0           85         1
2. New Salem-Almont                     6-0           50          2
3. Cavalier                                       6-0           41          3
4. MayPort-C-G                               5-1           34          4
5. North Prairie                                6-0           28          5

 

Others receiving votes: South Border (5-1), Divide County (6-0)

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MINOT, ND – Today is the first day of the West Region boys’ tennis tournament here in Minot. It’s the team dual tournament and four teams will advance to next week’s state team dual event. Minot High is the top seed and defending region tournament champion. The individual tournament will be Friday and Saturday. The top eight placewinners in singles and doubles will qualify for state.

High School Boys Tennis

 

First Round – 10 am
#1 Minot High, bye
#2 Bismarck Legacy vs #7 Jamestown
#3 Bismarck Century vs #6 Bismarck High
#4 Mandan vs #5 Williston

 

Loser Out and Semifinal – 1 pm
State Qualifiers and Championship – 4 pm

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Matt Wallner’s late-season call-up to his home state team has been a September for the 24-year-old to remember, even if the Minnesota Twins have fallen out of contention. Wallner drove in a career-high three runs, and Gio Urshela and Jake Cave each had three hits as the Twins beat Chicago 7-4 on Wednesday night, sending the White Sox to their eighth straight loss. Jose Miranda added an RBI double for the Twins, who tied the White Sox for second place in the AL Central at 76-79 after spending the last 19 days in third. Cleveland blew by both of them over the last three weeks to clinch the division with 10 days left on the schedule. After an RBI single by Cave put the Twins on the board in the second, Wallner followed with a two-run double down the right-field line that gave them the lead for good.

 

Wallner — a native of Forest Lake, Minnesota, who was the 39th overall pick in the 2019 draft out Southern Mississippi — hit a two-run homer off Lance Lynn on Tuesday. He homered in his first career game off Shane Bieber. Wallner tacked on an RBI infield single in the fifth, when his roller up the line was scooped by José Abreu and the first baseman hesitated after considering a throw home to try to get Urshela. It was too late to try to tag Wallner.

 

Minnesota’s Luis Arraez went 2 for 5 with an RBI to creep closer in the batting race with a .3133 average. League leader Aaron Judge went 1 for 4 and is at .3134. He hit his 61st home run for the New York Yankees to tie the AL single-season record. Arraez and Boston’s Xander Bogaerts (.3087) are the only ones with a legitimate chance to prevent Judge from winning the Triple Crown.

 

UP NEXT

RHP Lucas Giolito (10-9, 5.05 ERA) takes the mound this afternoon for the White Sox. He’s winless in his last five turns. RHP Louie Varland (0-2, 5.06 ERA) pitches in the series finale for the Twins, his fourth career start.

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VIKINGS-MATTISON

 

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Through four NFL seasons, running back Alexander Mattison has started six games, serving as the understudy to Dalvin Cook’s starring role with the Minnesota Vikings. Mattison, a third-round pick in 2019 out of Boise State, has demonstrated his importance when he’s received his opportunities. In four of his starts, he’s run for at least 90 yards. He’s added five touchdowns when Cook is out of the lineup. Having Mattison available has been a luxury for Minnesota.

 

“He’s that next guy-up mentality, and if you want a guy that you want to look for to be the next guy up, I think that’s the guy in every way, shape and form,” Cook said this week. “Mentality-wise, he’s always prepared. He studies well; pro all the way around. I’m just proud of his growth every year. I see him come in. He looks bigger every year I see him. I’m just looking forward to us putting up some numbers this year and going to win a big one.”

 

“The O-line will turn around and they’ll ask, ‘Wait, were you in or was Dalvin in?’,” Mattison said. “So, that’s really good for us to be able to not miss a beat and continue just operate as a whole the way that we continued to prepare to do.” Mattison is in the final year of his rookie contract and is as valuable to Minnesota as any backup running back in the league. When Cook was hurt late in the third quarter on Sunday, Mattison again responded. Mattison had three carries for 12 yards, including a tough-earned, 6-yard touchdown. He added a 16-yard reception.

 

“I’ve talked to you guys a lot about truly feeling pretty fortunate to have a running back room set up the way we do; with multiple skill sets, with the depth of guys that can go in,” Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I mean, Alex’s touchdown run there in the second half is just an example of his ability to just not be denied. I think he broke about three, four tackles on the play and finished on his feet in the end zone.”

 

Cook missed practice Wednesday and is considered day to day leading up to Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints in London. The Vikings don’t believe there’s much of a drop-off when Mattison is lined up in the backfield. Coaches are able to keep similar play calls, which has even led to offensive linemen being unsure of which back is in the game. Cook missed one game last season and one in 2019 with shoulder injuries, part of a string of injuries for the Vikings’ workhorse back. In all, Cook has missed 24 games because of injuries since his debut in 2018. “I wouldn’t want to go to war with nobody other than that guy being right behind me,” Cook said. “Our relationship is real close. And on the field, you see the production he give us every time that I’m down, every time that I come off the field and he goes in.”

 

Cook is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who has rushed for at least 1,135 yards in each of the past three seasons, meaning Mattison has been left to spot duty or injury fill-in. He’s ready when he gets his chance. “For me, I kind of have to already be in that mode when it’s my time to get in the game,” Mattison said of coming in cold. “So, just feeding off of Dalvin’s energy, feeding off the O-line as an offense and just kind of preparing myself that way even before the time is there, just mentally, it kind of helps me out.”

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Fargo Oak Grove won the State Class B Girls Golf Tournament by one stroke over the defending champion. Individually, Avery Bartels won her third consecutive state title.

 

 

State Tornament – Souris Valley Golf Course in Minot
1. Fargo Oake Grove, 713
2. Heart River, 714
3. Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, 716
4. Kindred, 721
5. Des Lacs-Burlington, 742
6. Grafton, 771
7. Linton-HMB, 775
8. Carrington, 784
9. Rugby, 793
10. Park River,
11. Bottineau, 815
12. Nedrose, 825
T13. Sargent County, 838
T13. Hatton-Northwood, 838
15. Hazen, 845
16. Kenmare, 882
17. Stanley, 890
18. Bowman County, 893

 

Individual Results (Top 25)
1. Avery Bartels – Kindred, 142
2. Ainsley McLain – Grafton, 148
3. Lauryn Keller – Des Lacs-Burlington, 159
T4. Elle Nicholas – North Star, 160
T4. Kacie Rexin – Carrington, 160
T4. Emma Ketterling – Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, 160
7. Libby Dulmage – Rugby, 163
8. Trista Bilden – Hatton-Northwood, 165
9. Sophie Ketterling – Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, 166
10. Sophie Brantner – Fargo Oake Grove, 169
11. Mackenzie Schneider – Heart River, 170
12. Paige Hulm – Linton-HMB, 173
13. Megan Robb – Heart River, 174
14. Laila Christianson – Des Lacs-Burlington, 175
T15. Molly Robb – Heart River, 176
T15. Hudsyn Hubrig – Hankinson-Lidgerwood, 176
T15. Charli McQuillan – Kindred, 176
T15. Josie Brantner – Fargo Oak Grove, 176
19. Sylvie Brantner – Fargo Oak Grove, 180
20. Sadie Neustel – Sargent County, 182
T21. Jada Schartzenberger – Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, 186
T21. Meadow Roberts – Nedrose, 186
23. Lauren Holstad – Fargo Oak Grove, 188
T24. Kallie Grefsrud – Tri-State, 189
T24. Sophia Hulm – Linton-HMB, 189

 

High School Boys Soccer
WDA Tournament – Play In
(5) Jamestown 4, (8) Dickinson 0
(6) Mandan 5, (7) Williston 1

 

 

Class A
#2 Bismarck Century def. Mandan (3-0) 25-14, 25-16, 25-11
#4 Jamestown def. Bismarck St. Mary’s (3-2) 25-18, 17-25, 25-19, 18-25, 15-10
#5 Bismarck Legacy def. Dickinson (3-1) 18-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-22
Bismarck High def. Minot High (3-2) 25-20, 25-20, 19-25, 16-25, 15-12
Turtle Mountain def. Devils Lake (3-1) 25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 25-15

 

Class B
#7 Dickinson Trinity def. #10 Beulah (3-1) 25-21, 25-17, 22-25, 25-19
Our Redeemer’s def. Des Lacs-Burlington (3-0) 25-23, 25-7, 25-18
Bishop Ryan def. South Prairie-Max (3-0) 25-13, 25-23, 25-16
Surrey def. Glenburn (3-0)
Bertold def. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood (3-0) 28-26, 25-16, 25-11
Velva def. Nedrose (3-1) 25-21, 25-20, 18-25, 25-17
Rugby def. Drake-Anamoose (3-1) 25-20, 13-25, 25-16, 25-12
Garrison def. Central McLean (3-0) 25-17, 25-20, 25-17
North Prairie def. Harvey-Wells County (3-0) 25-19, 25-17, 25-17
North Shore-Plaza def. Mandaree (3-1) 25-11, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16
Alexander def. White Shield (3-0)
Powers Lake-Burke Central def. Tioga (3-1) 25-19, 17-25, 25-18, 9-25

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MSU GOLF

 

LAKE CITY, Minn. (MSU) – Minot State’s Taylor Cormier and Holly Knudsen led the way for the Beavers finishing 11th and 12th individual at the Watkins Invitational hosted by Winona State, which concluded Tuesday. Their efforts powered the Minot State women’s golf team to a fourth-place finish at the two-day tournament at The Jewel golf course. Cormier and Knudsen both finished the 36-hole event strong for Minot State as Cormier shaved five shots of her first-round score on Tuesday, and Knudsen cut 10 strokes. Cormier finished 11th at 25-over 169 (87-82), and Knudsen was 12th at 28-over 172 (91-81). Jaci Jones was next for the Minot State women, finishing 17th at 38-over 182 (93-89), while Averi Bradley tied for 19th for the Beavers at 47-over 191 (96-95), and Abigail Goettle was 25th at 65-over 209 (103-106). The Minot State women’s team was fourth with a team score of 138-over 714 (367-347). Host Winona State won the women’s title with a team score of 70-over 646 (330-316) and was led by individual tournament champion Carly Moon, who shot 9-over 153 (77-76).

 

On the men’s side, Minot State finished 13th with a two-round team total of 68-over 644 (326-318). Andrew Makarchuk led the way for the Minot State men who were 13th as a team. Makarchuk tied for 44th individually. Missouri University of Science and Technology won the team title at 12-over 588 (295-293), while there was a three-way tie for the individual top honors between Max Brud of Minnesota State, Bemidji State’s Rylin Petry, and Gustac Liljedahl of Missouri S & T, all of whom shot even-par 144s for the tournament. Makarchuk finished tied for 44th at 13-over 157 (81-76) Minot State, while Aimery Barrault was next for the Beavers, tying for 53rd at 17-over 161 (82-79), then came Zach Hendrickson, who tied for 69th at 20-over 164 (84-80), and then Casey Fjeld and Arron Grandy, who tied for 82nd at 24-over 168. Fjeld shot rounds of 85 and 83 and Grandy carded a 79 and 89.

 

The tournament was the third in three weeks for the Minot State golf teams who will wrap up the fall portion of their season next Monday and Tuesday, competing in the Yellowjacket Invitational hosted by Montana State-Billings.

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Matt Wallner hit a two-run homer, Bailey Ober had a career-high 10 strikeouts and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Wednesday night. Ober (2-3) threw a career-high 7 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits. Wallner, the rookie outfielder from nearby Forest Lake, hit a towering homer in the sixth inning. It was his second homer in his 11th career game and first at home. Wallner had struck out in his first two at-bats against Chicago starter Lance Lynn. Jose Miranda added three hits for Minnesota. Lynn (7-7) gave up four runs on 10 hits in five-plus innings. White Sox interim manager Miguel Cairo was ejected following Wallner’s homer. Ober is trying to finish off the season strong after coming back from the injured list. He missed more than three months with a right groin strain. He’s allowed 10 hits and three runs over 17 1/3 innings in three starts since his return. The 6-foot-9 right-hander didn’t allow a hit until Yoán Moncada’s one-out double in the fourth. Ober struck out four of the first six batters he faced and twice struck out the side. He struck out five batters in a row at one point. Chicago struck out 14 times in the game.

 

UP NEXT

RHP Johnny Cueto (7-9, 3.15 ERA) starts for Chicago in the second game of the series tonight. The Twins will go with RHP Josh Winder (4-5, 4.20).

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – The State Class B Girls Golf Tournament will finish today at the Souris Valley Golf Course. After day one defending champion Heart River is in second and two-time defending individual champ Avery Bartels leads the field.

 

 

State Tournament – Souris Valley Golf Course in Minot
First Round
1. Fargo Oak Grove, +65
2. Heart River, +67
3. Kindred, +74
T4. Des Lacs-Burlington, +75
T4. Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, +75
6. Grafton, +96
7. Linton-HMB, +100
8. Rugby, +107
9. Carrington, +110
10. Park River +111
11. Hatton-Northwood, +124
12. Bottineau, +126
13. Nedrose, +128
14. Sargent County, +138
15. Hazen, +141
16. Kenmare, +150
17. Bowman County, +158
18. Stanley, +166

 

Individual after First Round (Top 10)
1. Avery Bartels of Kindred, -3
2. Lauryn Keller of DLB, +3
3. Ainsley McLain of Grafton, +4
4. Dibby Dulmage of Rugby, +7
5. Elle Nicholas of North Star, +8
6. Trista Bilden of Hatton-Northwood, +9
T7. Emma Ketterling of Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, +10
T7. Kacie Rexin of Carrington, +10
T9. Charli McQuillan of Kindred, +11
T9. Mackenzee Schneider of Heart River, +11
T9. Sophie Brantner of Fargo Oak Grove, +11
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MINOT, ND – For the fifth consecutive year, Bismarck Century has won the WDA Girls Golf Tournament. The top 6 teams qualified for the state tournament next week at Jamestown Country Club.

 

 

West Region Tournament – Jamestown Country Club
1. Bismarck Century, 320
2. Bismarck Legacy, 342
3. Mandan, 350
4. Minot High, 357
5. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 369
6. Jamestown, 386
7. Williston, 389
8. Minot North, 404
9. Dickinson, 409
10. Bismarck High, 411
11. Watford City, 440

 

Medalist: Ava Kalanek of Bismarck Legacy, 72
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MINOT, ND – There are changes in this weeks Class 11AA and Class 11A polls. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)       Record    Points    Last Week
1. Fargo Davies (15)                4-1          87         1
2. West Fargo Sheyenne (2)    4-1          71         2
3. Mandan (1)                           4-1          50         3
4. Fargo Shanley                      4-1          35         4
5. Bismarck Legacy                  4-1          20        RV

 

Others receiving votes: Minot High (3-2)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)      Record    Points    Last Week
1. Fargo South (12)                4-1           83          4
2. Jamestown (2)                   4-1           59          1
3. Fargo North                        4-1           54          2
4. Valley City (4)                     5-0           52          5
5. Grand Forks Red River       4-2          18          3

 

Others receiving votes: Wahpeton (3-2)

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VIKINGS-OFFENSE

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — After opening with a decisive win against the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings have been tested the past two weeks. A Minnesota offense looking to make a jump under new coach Kevin O’Connell is still a work in progress. But a three-play, 56-yard drive in the final minute Sunday against Detroit led to a comeback win and has the Vikings tied atop the NFC North while enduring their growing pains. With star receiver Justin Jefferson being taken away by opponents and with running back Dalvin Cook out of the game with an injury, quarterback Kirk Cousins found K.J. Osborn for two big plays, including a 28-yard touchdown with 45 seconds remaining in Sunday’s 28-24 win. “We’re still getting there,” Cousins said after the game. “We’re still getting there. And I think you can see today, it’s not where I want it to be. It’s a good plan. It’s just, time on task. Every game, we’re learning something and getting better. But we just don’t have time. We’ve got to get it locked in.”

 

Minnesota had 317 total yards before the game-winning drive. Through three weeks, the Vikings are 18th in the NFL in offensive yards (344 per game) and tied for 17th in points per game (19.3) entering Monday. “We’re just continuing to evolve and we are still just three games into, officially, our guys running this system and this offense, so there’s going to be some times where we’ve got to try to have that learning curve happen on the fly,” O’Connell said Monday. “We’ve got such talented players that we feel strongly about when they do that and when they feel comfortable completely, the execution will be a bit more consistent across the board and we’ll be at our best.”

 

Despite entering O’Connell’s first season as coach, Minnesota chose health over preseason game repetitions, sitting out much of the first-team offense for the three games. In Week 1 against Green Bay, the Vikings didn’t show many signs of novelty, racing out to a 20-0 lead and putting up 395 yards. The past two weeks, with Philadelphia and Detroit able to see what Minnesota did against the Packers, the execution on offense has been a bigger challenge. “Sometimes, for whatever reason, it can be one or 11, where there’s just some indecisiveness somewhere across the board of guys doing their jobs depending on the look,” O’Connell said.

 

WHAT’S WORKING

Cook left Sunday’s game late in the third quarter with a shoulder injury when he fumbled on his final carry. Before that, the Vikings’ offensive line opened up several holes in the running game. Cook’s longest run was 13 yards, but he averaged 5.6 yards per carry. With one cut, he often found running room straight up the middle of the defense.

 

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Cousins, who has only been sacked four times, has 32 pass attempts while being blitzed this season, according to SportRadar. He’s completed just 12 passes for 81 yards. His 51.0 passer rating in those situations is ahead of only New England’s Mac Jones and Chicago’s Justin Fields. Cousins is 0 for 9 when facing at least six rushers.

 

STOCK UP

Osborn was expected to have an increased role under O’Connell, with three-receiver sets becoming more common. The third-year receiver only had six targets in the first two games, catching five passes for 39 yards. With Jefferson drawing extra attention, Osborn came through on Sunday. He had five catches on eight targets for 73 yards in the game. On the final drive, Osborn got loose for two 28-yard receptions.

 

STOCK DOWN

Greg Joseph had been perfect through two games, hitting three field goals and three extra-point attempts. On Sunday, he connected on all four of his PATs, but missed a pair of 56-yard field goals. Joseph has already made one 56-yard attempt this season for his career-long conversion, but neither attempt Sunday was close. “My confidence will not waver in Greg, and everybody in that locker room feels that same way,” O’Connell said.

 

INJURED

Cook’s status will be one to watch. He sustained another shoulder injury, with O’Connell calling it a subluxation. Cook has played in the past with a harness on the shoulder. “He’s pretty sore today, but obviously something he’s familiar with, with his shoulder,” O’Connell said. “He’s tough, he’s rip and ready to try to get back out there and go, but we’ll take it day to day.” Safety Harrison Smith, who missed Sunday with a concussion, has passed testing and will be eased into practice with the expectation he’ll play this week. O’Connell said he hopes rookie cornerback Andrew Booth, who’s missed two games with a quadriceps injury, will get back to practice this week.

 

KEY NUMBER

58.62: The completion rate for Cousins over the past two weeks. A career 66.8% passer, Cousins completed 71.88% in Week 1 and is 22nd in the league in completion rate this season (62.2%).

 

NEXT STEPS

Another week provides another challenge for Minnesota. This time, it’s the opponent and the circumstances. The Vikings will practice at home Wednesday and Thursday before leaving to play the New Orleans Saints in London on Sunday.

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NFL-MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — CeeDee Lamb was angry with himself in the second quarter after dropping a wide-open pass and costing the Dallas Cowboys a possible touchdown. It was just embarrassing. The star receiver more than made up for it with the game on the line, making a one-handed TD catch with 8:30 to play to cap a go-ahead drive that gave the Cowboys a 23-16 win over the New York Giants on Monday night. “He’s CeeDee Lamb,” Dallas quarterback Cooper Rush said after hitting Lamb four times on the 89-yard drive. “Guy’s open a lot. Makes big-time catches. That fade catch was unbelievable. I’m sure he wants that other one back, but made tons of plays for us, like usual.” Ezekiel Elliott scored on a 1-yard run to ignite a comeback from a seven-point deficit and Brett Maher kicked three field goals as the Cowboys (2-1) beat the Giants (2-1) for the 10th time in 11 games and handed coach Brian Daboll his first loss. Rush threw for 210 yards, including the 1-yard touchdown to Lamb, in winning his second straight game filling in for injured Dak Prescott (thumb). Lamb finished with eight catches for 87 yards, but also dropped a potential 52-yard TD pass. He paced the sideline after the play and teammates walked over to encourage him. Dallas came into the game having allowed only one touchdown in each of its first two games, and the trend continued Monday night. The defense hounded Daniel Jones, sacking him five times, with DeMarcus Lawrence tying his career high with three. Jones finished 20 of 37 for 196 yards and ran nine times for 79 yards. Barkley finished with 81 yards on 14 carries.

 

 

 

FAYETTE, IOWA- The Minot State Beavers women’s soccer team (3-2-4, 3-1-2 NSIC) picked up a huge 1-0 road victory against the Upper Iowa Peacocks (2-4-3, 1-2-3 NSIC). The win helps the Beavers maintain a top five spot in the conference standings as they are in fifth place. Senior Chloe Allan punctured the back of the net just 8:31 into the game thanks to a penalty kick. Maddie Kindred made 2 saves for Minot State for her fourth shutout of the season. The Beavers are back on the road this coming weekend at Northern State and Moorhead.

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VIKINGS-LIONS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have been trying to craft under new coach Kevin O’Connell a diverse and unpredictable offense that can still succeed when their best players are taken away. Lessons from a lopsided loss a week earlier led to a more complete and sound performance on Sunday — capped by a stadium-rocking, last-minute rally. K.J. Osborn caught the go-ahead, 28-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins with 45 seconds remaining, and the Vikings came back to beat the Detroit Lions 28-24.

 

Leading by three after Minnesota turned the ball over on downs at its 47 with 2:32 left, Detroit coach Dan Campbell — who went for it on fourth down six times — elected to try a 54-yard field goal that he second-guessed himself for afterward. Austin Seibert pushed the kick wide right with 1:10 remaining. After an incompletion to Osborn, Cousins hit his No. 3 wide receiver for a 28-yard gain to set up the touchdown. Osborn blew by former Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes on a corner route to snag the pass in stride and cruise across the goal line to give Minnesota (2-1) the lead for the first time.

 

Dalvin Cook rushed for 96 yards and a score before leaving with a shoulder injury for the Vikings, who fell behind 14-0 and 24-14 before the rally that gave them a winning record at the end of September for the first time since they were 3-0 in 2016. With Jefferson bottled up, Osborn (five catches for 73 yards) and Adam Thielen (six catches for 61 yards) caught touchdown passes from Cousins. With Cook sidelined, Alexander Mattison took over in the backfield and scored on a 6-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.
The Vikings play New Orleans in London next Sunday. It’s considered a home game for the Saints.

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PACKERS-BUCS

 

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and the Green Bay Packers withstood a late rally led by Tom Brady to hold off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 14-12 victory on Sunday. Rodgers tossed TD passes of 5 yards to Romeo Doubs and 6 yards to Allen Lazard on his team’s first two possessions, while the Bucs’ offense sputtered much of the day. Brady finally got the Bucs into the end zone on a 1-yard pass to Russell Gage, capping a 90-yard drive with 14 seconds remaining. Tampa Bay’s bid to force overtime with a 2-point conversion was thwarted, first by a delay-of-game penalty and then an incomplete pass.

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VIKINGS-COOK INJURY

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook injured his shoulder late in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions on Sunday and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Cook had 17 carries for a season-high 96 yards and his first touchdown of the year, but on a first-down run near midfield he ran into the back of his left guard Ezra Cleveland and had the ball fly out of his arms and recovered by the Lions. Whether Cook was hurt in the collision or in the pile during the scrum for the fumble was unclear, but he immediately grabbed his left arm in pain and jogged off the field for further examination. Alexander Mattison took over for Cook and scored on a short run midway through the fourth quarter that brought the Vikings within 24-21 on their way to a 28-24 comeback victory.

 

Cook has had shoulder injuries in the past, forcing him to sit out one game in 2021 and two games in 2019. He has never missed fewer than two games in any of his first five years in the NFL. Afterward, Cook told coach Kevin O’Connell he planned to play next week in London against New Orleans, and O’Connell expressed optimism about Cook’s status. “We should have some time to hopefully get him turned over,” O’Connell said.

 

Mattison, who had seven carries for 28 yards and one catch for 16 yards, gave Cook a pat on the shoulder pads as he took the field for the decisive drive and Cook looked on from the bench. “You can’t break him,” Mattison said. “He’s one of those guys that just pushes through everything in life that way — strong-minded, strong-willed.”

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TWINS-ANGELS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mike Trout had three hits, including his 37th homer of the season, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 10-3 on Sunday. Trout also doubled twice, walked and scored three runs. Shohei Ohtani had two hits, including an RBI single in the ninth that keyed a five-run rally that broke open the game. Ohtani’s RBI was his 93rd of the season, giving him an outside chance at driving in 100 runs for the second straight year. Carlos Correa doubled twice and Jose Miranda went 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Twins, who have lost nine of their last 11. Catcher Caleb Hamilton homered in the eighth inning for his first major league hit.

 

UP NEXT
RHP Bailey Ober (1-3, 3.71) will face RHP Lance Lynn (7-6, 4.02) as Minnesota begins its final home series of the season on Tuesday against the White Sox.

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MLB-JUDGE

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge remained at 60 home runs, one short of Roger Maris’ American League record, when the New York Yankees’ 2-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox was called after six innings because of rain. Judge went 1 for 2 with a double and was due up next for the Yankees when play was stopped. The game was called after a 98-minute delay, sending Judge to Toronto still in pursuit of Maris. New York can clinch the AL East title Monday night with a victory over the Blue Jays.

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Saturday’s scores:

 

 

Border Battle – Lincoln Park in Grand Forks
1. Williston, 36
2. Grand Forks Red River, 87
3. Bismarck Century, 87
4. Fargo North, 112
5. Dickinson, 112
6. Grand Forks Central, 207
8. Devils Lake, 232
9. Hawley, MN, 244
10. Jamestown, 256
11. Mandan, 270
12. Watford City, 306
13. Fargo Shanley, 332
14. East Grand Forks, MN, 367
15. Thief River Falls, MN, 390
16. Detroit Lakes, MN, 442
17. Milaca, MN, 475
18. West Fargo Horace, 501

Individual winner: Fynn Krenz of Williston, 15:32

 

 

Border Battle – Lincoln Park in Grand Forks
1. Grand Forks Red River, 59
2. Williston, 67
3. Fargo Shanley, 115
4. Valley City, 130
5. Hawley, MN, 149
6. Dickinson, 177
7. Watford City, 181
8. Fargo North, 189
9. Mandan, 195
10. Jamestown, 222
11. Detroit Lakes, MN, 249
12. Grand Forks Central, 280
13. Thief River Falls, MN, 326
14. Milaca, MN, 417

 

Individual winner: Jaelyn Ogle of Watford City, 18:41

 

Mustang Invite – Anoka, MN
1. Prior Lake, MN, 61
2. Northfield, MN, 89
3. Eden Prairie, MN, 105
4. Andover, MN, 112
5. Minot, 124

 

 

Independent & 6-Man
Trenton def. Drayton, 57-25

 

 

Minot High Invite
1. Minot High, 544
2. Bismarck Legacy, 300
3. Grand Forks Central, 288
4. Williston, 236
5. Grand Forks Red River, 229
6. Mandan, 184
7. Bismarck Century, 162
8. Bismarck High, 137

 

 

Class A
Jamestown def. Turtle Mountain (3-0) 25-13, 25-17, 25-10

 

 

First Round
Glenburn def. Devils Lake JV (2-0) 25-14, 25-18
Nedrose def. Larimore (2-0) 25-12, 25-11
Bottineau def. Midway-Minto (2-0) 25-9, 25-12
Velva def. St. John (2-0) 25-13, 25-14
Second Round
North Star def. Glenburn (2-0) 25-18, 25-12
Kidder County def. Nedrose (2-0) 25-12, 25-23
North Prairie def. Bottineau (2-0) 27-25, 25-15
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. Velva (2-0) 25-23, 25-16
Semifinal
North Star def. Kidder County (2-1) 23-25, 25-22, 15-12
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. North Prairie (2-0) 25-18, 25-15
3rd Place
North Prairie def. Kidder County (2-1) 19-25, 25-23, 15-8
Championship
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. North Star (2-0) 25-20, 25-19

 

College Womens Volleyball
Upper Iowa def. Minot State (3-0) 25-21, 25-13, 25-13

 

NAHL Hockey
North Iowa Bulls 2, Minot Minotauros 1

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MSU FOOTBALL

MARSHALL, Minn. (MSU)– A determined comeback effort in the fourth quarter helped Minot State take Southwest Minnesota State to extra time Saturday night on the road inside Mattke Field at the Schwan Regional Event Center, but the Beavers eventually ended up on the disappointing end of a 27-20 final in overtime in NSIC play.

 

Southwest Minnesota State opened up an early 7-0 lead, but Minot State got on the scoreboard with 1:37 left in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 7-3. Dillon Fedor booted a career-best 47-yard field goal to get Minot State on the scoreboard. MSU responded with Ali Mohamed scoring his first touchdown of the season, a 6-yard run, after Southwest Minnesota State extended its lead to 14-3. Mohamed’s score made it a 14-10 game. After Southwest Minnesota State scored to expand its lead to 20-10, Minot State got on the scoreboard again with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter to narrow the advantage and make it a 20-17 game. After recovering an onside kick, the Beavers proceeded to score again on a 29-yard game-tying field goal by Fedor to tie it at 20-20, and force overtime. Minot State didn’t score again in the game while Southwest Minnesota State scored seven more points on the opening overtime possession to finish off the scoring.

 

Minot State fell to 0-4 on the season with the loss. The Beavers are back home next weekend hosting Bemidji State on Oct. 1 at First Western Bank Field at Herb Parker Stadium at 1 p.m. in the “Battle of the Beavers.”

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UND FOOTBALL

 

CARBONDALE, Ill. (UND) – No. 24 Southern Illinois (2-2, 1-0 MVFC) upended No. 19 North Dakota (2-2, 1-1 MVFC), 34-17 at Saluki Stadium on Saturday afternoon. For SIU, Nic Baker led the Salukis through the air, going 21-of-27 for 289 yards and four touchdowns. D’Ante’ Cox was the leading receiver with seven grabs for 90 yards and a touchdown. Jacob Garrett found the end zone twice, finishing with five receptions for 78 yards. The Salukis outgained the Fighting Hawks in total yardage 458-271. Tommy Schuster finished the day 19-of-32 for 232 yards. SIU got to Schuster seven times, the most he has been sacked in his career.
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NDSU FOOTBALL

 

VERMILLION, S.D. (NDSU) – North Dakota State rushed for 200 yards in the second half and scored 24 unanswered points to beat South Dakota 34-17 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams Saturday. NDSU fullback Hunter Luepke rushed 20 times and picked up 118 of his 146 yards and two touchdowns after halftime for North Dakota State (3-1). The Bison rushed 61 times and controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the contest, which saw the teams combine for seven turnovers. Each team lost the ball twice before halftime. USD scored two touchdowns in a 14-second span with Carson Camp’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Wesley Eliodor after a Bison fumble giving the Coyotes a 17-10 lead at intermission. Bison quarterback Cam Miller finished 10 of 19 passing for 120 yards with one interception. Zach Mathis caught three passes for 39 yards, tight end Joe Stoffel had two catches for 28 yards and DJ Hart made two grabs for 15 yards.

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TWINS-ANGELS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gary Sánchez drove in four runs, including a three-run homer in the fifth inning, and the Minnesota Twins snapped a five-game losing streak with an 8-4 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. Jose Miranda and Gio Urshela each had three hits for the Twins, who won for only the second time in 10 games. Minnesota was eliminated from contention in the AL Central on Friday night. Sánchez hit his 15th homer of the year, and just his second in his past 23 games, on a 3-0 count against reliever Mike Mayers. Griffin Jax (7-3) earned the win with a scoreless inning in relief of Twins starter Joe Ryan.

 

UP NEXT
Former Angels starter Dylan Bundy (8-7, 4.78 ERA) will start for Minnesota in the series finale this afternoon. Los Angeles goes with LHP José Suarez (6-8, 4.11).

 

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Tioga scored with 5.9-seconds remaining to tally a 20-14 win over Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood last night in a football game we broadcast on K-Heart. The Pirates led 12-0 before MLS came back to score two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter taking a 14-12 lead with 2:35 to play. Tioga would drive 77 yards in 8 plays to get the game winning score. Quarterback Joel Holmen passed for 361 yards and two TD’s, plus rushed for another in leading the Pirates to a 5-1 record. The Mavericks were led by Drayson Johnson who passed for 171 yards and two scores, both to Cordel Sjokvist who tallied 10 catches for 147 yards. MLS drops to an even 3-3 on the season.

 

Other scores from Friday:

 

 

Class 11AA
#1 Fargo Davies def. #5 Minot High, 34-7
#2 West Fargo Sheyenne def. Grand Forks Red River (11A #3), 34-0
#3 Mandan def. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 34-0
#4 Fargo Shanley def. Bismarck Century, 14-7
Bismarck Legacy def. Williston, 35-13
West Fargo def. Bismarck High, 31-14

 

Class 11A
Wahpeton def. #1 Jamestown, 14-13
#4 Fargo South def. #2 Fargo North, 17-14
#5 Valley City def. West Fargo Horace, 56-0
Watford City def. Turtle Mountain, 29-13
Dickinson def. Devils Lake, 11-8

 

Class 11B
#1 Kindred def. #5 Oakes, 42-7
#2 Dickinson Trinity def. Bowman County, 47-35
#3 Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 44-0
#4 Bottineau def. Rugby, 40-14
Bishop Ryan def. Stanley, 42-0
Des Lacs-Burlington def. South Prairie-Max, 36-6
Ray-Powers Lake def. Nedrose, 52-37
Beulah def. Killdeer, 32-0
Shiloh Christian def. Hazen, 42-24
Southern McLean def. Heart River, 20-6
Hillsboro-Central Valley def. Harvey-Wells County, 36-6
Carrington def. Park River Area, 28-6
Thompson def. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich, 27-18
Lisbon def. Grafton, 52-8
Fargo Oak Grove def. Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm, 37-36
Sargent County def. Northern Cass, 47-39 OT
Central Cass def. Linton-HMB, 43-12

 

Class 9B
#1 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion def. #4 May-Port-CG, 30-26
#3 Cavalier def. Midway-Minto, 74-0
#5 North Prairie def. Nelson County, 36-0
Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn def. Alexander, 46-6
Lewis & Clark def. TGU, 32-0
St. John def. Surrey, 58-16
Kidder County def. Central McLean, 26-0
Grant County-Flasher def. Hettinger County, 40-6
Hettinger-Scranton def. Beach, 32-16
South Border def. Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter 54-14
North Star def. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 56-26
North Border def. Larimore, 42-20
Hatton-Northwood def. Griggs-Midkota, 40-20
Maple River def. Enderlin, 48-6
Richland def. Tri-State, 38-0
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood def. Hankinson, 30-19

 

Independent & 6-Man
Center-Stanton def. New Town, 49-12

 

High School Girls Swimming & Diving
Minot High 127, Jamestown 59
Dickinson 113, Bismarck High 65
Bismarck Century 107, Dickinson 79

 

High School Boys Tennis
Fargo Davies 5, Bismarck Century 0
Fargo Davies 4, Bismarck Legacy 1
Williston 6, Jamestown 3

 

College Womens Soccer
Minot State 1, Winona State 1

 

College Womens Volleyball
Winona State def. Minot State (3-0) 25-8, 25-20, 25-14

 

NAHL Hockey
Minot Minotauros 3, North Iowa Bulls 2

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MSU FOOTBALL

 

MINOT, ND (MSU) – The Minot State football team (0-3) will head on the road this week as they travel to Marshall, Minn. to square off against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (2-1). Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. today at Mattke Field on the campus of SMSU. The Mustangs have the upper hand when it comes to squaring off against MSU as the ‘Stangs are riding a five game winning streak to put their record over MSU at 7-1. The last Beaver victory over SMSU came back in the NAIA days when the Beavers marched into Marshall and snuck a 36-12 victory out back on Sept. 7th, 1996.

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UND FOOTBALL

 

Grand Forks, N.D. (UND) – After coming back in the final moments to win 27-24 at Northern Arizona last weekend, North Dakota will resume Missouri Valley Football Conference action this weekend at Southern Illinois. The Fighting Hawks and Salukis will square off at Saluki Stadium at 2 p.m. (CT) today.

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NDSU FOOTBALL

 

FARGO, ND (NDSU) – No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (2-1) opens the Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule at South Dakota (1-2) today. Game time is 1 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. This is the 86th meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota. NDSU has won five straight and leads the all-time series 57-26-2 dating back to 1903. North Dakota State beat South Dakota 52-24 in the regular-season finale last season at the Fargodome.

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TWINS-ANGELS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Taylor Ward homered twice and Shohei Ohtani took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, helping the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on a cool, rainy Friday night. Ohtani seemed to have trouble adjusting to the weather conditions, tying his career high with six walks. He also hit a batter in the first, when Minnesota scored without a hit, but he managed his way through five-plus innings to earn his fourth straight win. Ohtani (14-8) allowed two runs and struck out seven to reach 203 Ks on the season, reaching 200 for the first time in his career. He’s the first player in MLB history to have 200 strikeouts and hit at least eight home runs in the same season. Rookie Louie Varland (0-2), a Minnesota native making his first MLB start in his home state, gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings in his third career start for the Twins. The Twins (73-78) lost for the eighth time in nine games.

 

UP NEXT
LHP Reid Detmers (6-5, 3.71 ERA) starts today for Los Angeles. RHP Joe Ryan (12-8, 3.61 ERA) takes the mound for Minnesota.

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TWINS-INJURIES

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton won’t return this season and will have surgery on his troublesome right knee. Derek Falvey, Minnesota’s president of baseball operations, provided an injury update on Buxton and several other Twins players before the start of the homestand Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. After Minnesota went 1-7 on its road trip and fell out of contention in the AL Central, the team made the decision to shut down Buxton for the year. Buxton, who was named an All-Star for the first time this season and hit 23 homers in 73 first-half games, has been out since Aug. 23 due to a right hip strain. But the knee has continued to be an issue and Falvey said Buxton will have an arthroscopic “cleanup” surgery to alleviate some scar tissue and fraying. “The reality is he doesn’t have any tears in his knee,” Falvey said. “He has some inflammation, he has some scar tissue, he has some kind of what ends up building up over time if you have tendinitis, which is kind of fraying areas of some of those ligaments. … It’s to clear that out.”

 

“So, what ends up typically happening is the scar tissue and otherwise creates more of that inflammation when you pound on it. So, now let’s clear out some of that and hopefully that’ll alleviate some of that stress going forward,” he said. A date for Buxton’s surgery has not been set, but it will likely be next week to set him up for nearly a full offseason. Falvey said Buxton’s hip is feeling better and will improve with rest. The knee, and the combination of the two, ultimately led to ending Buxton’s season. He finished with a .224 average, 28 homers, 51 RBIs and six steals in 92 games. The team had held out hope Buxton would return this season, but Minnesota started Friday 10 games behind Cleveland in the division and 9 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot. “I think once we got to a certain point over the last kind of week or so, and we were working through what the best next steps were, if we were in a slightly different position, we would maybe push this off a little further because in reality, the return for him is not going to be particularly long,” Falvey said. “So whether we do it next week or we do it two weeks, three weeks from then, he’s only going to be down for a few weeks of time before he can start doing some activity again,” he said.

 

The team had given Buxton routine days off to manage the ongoing knee trouble. He sustained the hip injury on Aug. 22 diving for a ball. Buxton, who signed a seven-year, $100 million contract in the offseason, has played more than 100 games just once in his eight-year career. “This guy, he’s been battling through challenges over the course of a lot of his career, certainly, but that didn’t stop this year, and it started really early on,” Falvey said. “I think the fact that he was able to get there, fight through, have some healthy stretches, which were obviously not just healthy but incredibly productive, I felt like he was really tracking OK, and we were in a pretty good place there.”

 

Falvey said the team has not closed the door on a return for second baseman Jorge Polanco, who is out with left knee inflammation. Falvey said he’s also hopeful outfielder Max Kepler, out with a right wrist sprain, can return this season. Outfielder Trevor Larnach, who was playing rehab games after core muscle surgery, is now dealing with wrist soreness. Tyler Mahle, acquired at the trade deadline from Cincinnati, won’t return as he recovers from right shoulder inflammation. The team is focused on getting the pitcher ready for the start of next season.

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TWINS-SUSPENSION

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has suspended three minor league pitchers, including one from MInnesota, after they tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The penalties were announced on Friday. Melvi Acosta, a 27-year-old right-hander with Twin’s Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul, was suspended for 80 games without pay after testing positive for Stanozolol. Acosta played for three minor league teams this year, going 3-1 with a 3.61 ERA in 26 appearances. His suspension is effective immediately. There have been 44 players suspended this year under the minor league drug program.

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MLB-PUJOLS 700TH

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Albert Pujols seemed like a long shot in early August to reach 700 home runs, still more than a dozen swings from the hallowed mark and his power stroke all but gone. Or so it appeared. Now showing the pop of his youth in the final weeks of his career, the 42-year-old slugger got there with two long shots. Pujols hit his 700th home run, connecting for his second drive of the game and becoming the fourth player in Major League history to make it to the milestone as the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-0 Friday night. Pujols joined Barry Bonds (762 homers), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs. Stirring up images of his dominant days as a three-time NL MVP, Pujols hit No. 699 in the third inning, then launched No. 700 in the fourth. Pujols’ 700th homer gave him a couple of other nice, round numbers, too — he has hit 500 home runs off right-handers and 200 off lefties.

 

A 37-year-old Los Angeles man, Cesar Soriano, snagged No. 699. He turned the ball over to security after being told he could meet Pujols. A man wearing a blue Dodgers shirt with Hideo Nomo’s No. 16 on the back snagged the 700th homer ball. He was whisked under the stands as he clutched a black glove containing the historic souvenir ball to his chest. Prolonged negotiations went on before the man was escorted out of Dodger Stadium flanked by 10 security personnel and into a waiting SUV.

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – It’s Friday and that means high school football is on the air. We’ll travel to Tioga where the Pirates will host Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood. The Pirates are 4-1 on the season and coming off their only loss of the season last Saturday to Surrey. The Mavericks are 2-3 on the year and looking to improve on a two game winning streak. Pre-game is set for 6:40 pm on 106.9 K-Heart and online at khrt.com.

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MINOT, ND – Boys soccer finished the regular season on Thursday and Minot High won their second consecutive regular season WDA title.

 

High School Boys Soccer
Minot High 1, Bismarck Legacy 0
Williston 4, Dickinson 1
Bismarck Century 1, Bismarck High 0
Jamestown 2, Mandan 1

 

High School Boys Tennis
Minot High 6, Bismarck Legacy 3    (Minot wins 2nd straight regular season WDA title)
Williston 6, Bismarck High 3
Bismarck Century 8, Jamestown 1

High School Girls Swimming & Diving
Jamestown 108, Mandan 78

 

 

Class A
#2 Bismarck Century def. Dickinson (3-0) 25-14, 25-13, 25-19
#4 Jamestown def. Bismarck High (3-2) 21-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-12
Minot High def. Turtle Mountain (3-0) 25-11, 25-14, 25-15
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Williston (3-0) 25-17, 25-23, 25-23
Watford City def. Mandan (3-2) 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-5

 

Class B
#2 Kenmare-Bowbells def. Tioga (3-0) 25-12, 25-6, 25-12
Our Redeemer’s def. Bishop Ryan (3-0) 25-18, 25-20, 25-18
Des Lacs-Burlington def. South Prairie-Max (3-1) 19-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-8
Surrey def. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood (3-1) 25-14, 23-25, 25-17, 27-25
Glenburn def. Berthold (3-0) 25-19, 26-24, 25-14
Velva def. TGU (3-0) 27-25, 25-19, 25-18
Newburg-Westhope def. Nedrose (3-1) 19-25, 25-11, 25-13, 25-22
Bottineau def. Drake-Anamoose (3-0) 25-18, 25-23, 25-13
North Prairie def. Nelson County (3-0)
Benson County def. St. John (3-0) 25-17, 25-20, 25-15
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. Harvey-Wells County (3-0) 25-19, 25-9, 25-16
Grant County def. Washburn (3-0) 25-11, 25-14, 25-17
North Shore-Plaza def. White Shield (3-1)
Powers Lake-Burke Central def. Stanley (3-1) 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 25-10

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UND HOCKEY

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (UND) – The University of North Dakota hockey program is selected to finish second, as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) unveiled its 2022-23 Preseason Poll, with Denver being picked by the media to win the Penrose Cup for a second straight year.

The Pioneers collected 19 of 23 first-place votes and 180 points total to finish first in the media poll. North Dakota, which split the Penrose Cup with DU a season ago as co-regular-season champions, placed second in the poll, garnering 160 points and the four remaining first-place votes. Minnesota Duluth (136 points) and St. Cloud State (115) round out the top half of the preseason poll. Western Michigan (86) comes in fifth in the poll, followed by Colorado College (64), Omaha (59) and Miami (28), respectively.

North Dakota won its third straight Penrose Cup in 2021-22, which was the first time the NCHC has seen co-champions. UND has also won Penrose Cups in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2019-20 and 2020-21. The Fighting Hawks bring back 20 letterwinners from last year’s team, including First-Team All-NCHC honoree junior forward Riese Gaber, who was also named Preseason All-NCHC. UND is ranked No. 4 in both national preseason polls released Monday. If UND were to capture the crown once again, it would become the first team in NCHC history to win four straight Penrose Cups and the first in the program’s history to win four consecutive conference titles.

The NCHC officially drops the puck on its 10th season on Saturday, Oct. 1 with four non-conference contests and a quartet of exhibition games, as all eight NCHC teams are in action. UND will play an exhibition game against Manitoba at the Ralph that day.

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NDSU-MUDRA OBIT

 

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU) – Former North Dakota State University head football coach Darrell Mudra passed away Wednesday at the age of 93. Mudra is the man credited with turning the football fortunes around for North Dakota State. Named the head coach in 1963, he quickly guided the Bison to a 10-1 campaign in 1964 — just two years after the program had bottomed out with an 0-10 season — and into their first bowl game. The Bison won that contest, the Mineral Water Bowl, 14-13 over Western State and then captured the 1965 national championship with a perfect 11-0 season including a 20-7 win over Grambling in the Pecan Bowl.

 

His coaching career is legend across the American landscape. Nicknamed “Dr. Victory,” Mudra coached for 27 years at eight different universities or professional teams in the capacity of head coach, winning 207 games against 88 losses and four ties. Mudra went 24-6 in three years at North Dakota State after coaching four seasons at Adams State (1959-62) and before going on to coach the Montreal Alouettes (1966). He returned to the college ranks at Arizona (1967-68), Western Illinois (1969-73), Florida State (1974-75), Eastern Illinois (1978-82) and Northern Iowa (1983-87). He won another national championship with Eastern Illinois in 1978. Mudra was inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

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TWINS-ROYALS

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jonathan Heasley pitched six innings of two-hit ball, Edward Oliveras and Drew Waters homered, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 4-1 on Thursday to complete their three-game series sweep. Salvador Perez also drove in a run for Kansas City, extending his streak to seven straight games with an RBI, and Brad Keller finished off three innings of no-hit ball by the bullpen for his first career save. The first home sweep of at least three games by the Royals since July 2021 also probably ended the fading playoff hopes of the Twins, who two weeks ago were in the midst of an AL Central race but lost eight of nine on their road trip. Minnesota rookie Josh Winder (4-5) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. Caleb Hamilton drove in the only run for the Twins, who limp home to wrap up the season having lost 17 of their last 20 road games.

 

UP NEXT
After their disastrous trip, the Twins are headed home for three games against Angels and three against the White Sox to wrap up the regular season home schedule. They have not announced a starter for the opener against Los Angeles tonight. The Angels will start Shohei Ohtani (13-8, 2.43 ERA).

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WILD-KAPRIZOV

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Last summer, a long contract negotiation between Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild — plus the complication of international travel and COVID-19 protocols — put the star left wing’s arrival for the start of training camp in question. That process turned out to be a snap compared to this year. Kaprizov’s return to his native Russia after the Wild were ousted from the playoffs last spring led to a stressful offseason for the entire organization, as the franchise player ran into several roadblocks in his attempt to travel back to the U.S. The war in Ukraine and American-Russian political relations have made a trip home to visit family and friends not so simple anymore.

 

“At least I could do something last year, or not do something,” said general manager Bill Guerin, who gave Kaprizov a five-year, $45 million contract prior to last season. “At least we knew where he was and he was safe, and all that stuff. It was just a simple contract negotiation. This was a lot more serious, and when you can’t help it’s a little different.” The Wild did help as much as they could, with assistant general manager Chris O’Hearn and Kaprizov’s agent, Paul Theofanous, spearheading the behind-the-scenes paperwork.

 

While rumors about the status of Kaprizov’s military exemption spun through Russian media, the gist of the issue, according to Guerin, was the expiration of Kaprizov’s work visa. Pandemic-related backlogs have made appointments at foreign consulates much harder to obtain. “I’m sure it wasn’t a great part of his life, but it was more difficult than we thought it was going to be,” said Guerin, who alluded to help from “special friends” in Washington. “Kirill was really patient. He did exactly what he had to do. It was just a really tough time for him. We’re just glad that he’s here. We’re glad that he’s safe and healthy and ready to go, and he’s excited. That’s behind us.”

 

After taking the ice for the team’s first practice on Thursday, Kaprizov met with reporters but politely declined to answer questions about his off-the-ice ordeal out of preference to focus on hockey. The hockey part? Yeah, that ought to be a lot smoother. He had seven goals and one assist in Minnesota’s six-game loss to St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs last spring after 47 goals and 61 assists in 81 games during the regular season. The Wild had Kaprizov’s translator on the phone while he stood at a podium at the rink, but the easy-smiling, soft-spoken 25-year-old only needed his service for about half of the time. Kaprizov was comfortable enough to speak in English for the rest of it. “I do what I do every summer. I don’t think about 100 points. I just practice,” Kaprizov said when asked how he can top his 2021-22 season. “Have fun a little bit sometimes.” Maybe not as much as in summers past.

 

Since the war ramped up in February, Russian NHL players have found themselves in quite a predicament, trying to lay as low as possible on these geopolitical issues. Philadelphia Flyers goalie prospect Ivan Fedotov was sent to a remote military base in his homeland this summer. Just this week, the Czech Foreign Ministry told the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks that Russian players would not be welcome because of the war in Ukraine when the two teams play in Prague on Oct. 7-8.

 

For now, the Wild are more than thrilled to have “Kirill The Thrill” with them in Minnesota. “Obviously, you’re always thinking about your family and things like that. He’s not the only person to go through a tough time or a tough situation. That happens every single day of every year on every team. It’s not an easy life. Players always have a lot on their minds,” Guerin said. “The great thing about the game is when you come to the rink, it’s kind of like your safe haven and you can get away from all that and just be a hockey player and focus on the game.”

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – No change to this weeks Class 11B and Class 9B football polls. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)                 Record    Points    Last Week
1. Kindred (13)                                   5-0           69         1
2. Dickinson Trinity (1)                       5-0           48         2
3. Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose  5-0           45         3
4. Bottineau                                        5-0           28         4
5. Oakes                                            5-0           13         T5

 

Others receiving votes: Thompson (5-0), Hillboro-Central Valley (4-1)

 

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)              Record    Points    Last Week
1. LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (14)    5-0           70          1
2. New Salem-Almont                     5-0           50          2
3. Cavalier                                       5-0           42          3
4. MayPort-C-G                               5-0           33          4
5. North Prairie                                5-0           11           5

 

Others receiving votes: South Border (4-1)

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TWINS-ROYALS

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It was altogether fitting that on the day the Kansas City Royals fired Dayton Moore, they beat the fast-fading Minnesota Twins using the same blueprint that their longtime front office executive once used to build them into a winner. Some timely hits, stellar defense in spacious Kauffman Stadium and a shutdown effort by the bullpen.

 

MJ Melendez homered for the second straight day, but otherwise the Royals had to scratch out just enough runs to support their relief corps, which pieced together five innings of two-hit ball in their 5-2 victory on Wednesday night. Salvador Perez, one of Moore’s most successful signings, had three hits while driving in a run for the sixth straight game, and Bobby Witt Jr. and Edward Oliveras also drove in runs to give the Kansas City bullpen some breathing room. Anthony Misiewicz (1-1) and three other relievers dazzled in support of Daniel Lynch, while Scott Barlow pitched around an error in the ninth for his second save in two nights and 23rd on the year. Bailey Ober (1-3) allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings for Minnesota, which was in an AL Central race two weeks ago but has lost six of seven to begin an eight-game trip that’s dashed its playoff hopes.

 

UP NEXT
RHP Josh Winder (4-4, 4.17 ERA) will face Kansas City for the first time in the final game of the road trip for Minnesota this afternoon. Royals RHP Jonathan Heasley (3-8, 5.09) will try to build on 6 2/3 scoreless innings in his last start at Boston.

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VIKINGS-COOK

 

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings rarely strayed from a commitment to rushing over the last five years since Dalvin Cook was drafted, a strategy previous coach Mike Zimmer felt so strongly about that he more than once publicly criticized the play-calling by his offensive coordinator. The signs of a philosophy shift have been apparent, beginning with the selection of Zimmer’s predecessor, Kevin O’Connell, from the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. After two games, small sample size notwithstanding, the difference is clear.

 

Cook had a career-low six carries in the 24-7 loss at Philadelphia on Monday night, and he has 107 yards on 26 attempts on the season. Even with seven catches, tied for second on the team, Cook has had a remarkably quiet start. “We’ll continue to work through that to make sure we get him touches. How are we packaging plays to not get talked out of running the football? And I think that’ll be key for us moving forward. Not just this week, but a lot of time the rest of the season,” O’Connell said. “He’s a very important player to our offense. I have all the confidence in the world in him, and I’ve got to do a better job of making sure that I get him in a rhythm.”

 

From 2018-21, quarterback Kirk Cousins’ first four years in Minnesota and the first four full seasons for Cook after an ACL tear aborted his rookie year in Week 4, the Vikings called passes on 49.4% of their first-down plays. That ranked 20th in the NFL over that span, according to Sportradar data. For second-down distances of 8 yards and longer, the Vikings were the most infrequent passing team in the league at 60.2% of those snaps over the previous four seasons. This year, they’ve passed on 61.4% of first downs, per Sportradar, for the NFL’s second-highest rate. That number, of course, is influenced by the fluke occurrence of having only 21 snaps in the first half against the Eagles after consecutive three-and-out possessions to start the game while their opponent hogged the ball on three 80-plus-yard touchdown drives. The Vikings trailed by three scores for the entire second half, increasing their urgency to throw. But it’s hard to picture a Zimmer-coached Vikings team that wouldn’t have at least tried to mix in a few more runs in a game like that. “You kind of have to balance both. It’s kind of hard as a coach,” Cook said.

 

Part of Zimmer’s insistence stemmed from his dual role as the de facto defensive coordinator who called the game on that side of the ball throughout his eight-year tenure. Running the ball, and of course moving the chains, can be a tired defensive player’s best friends. There’s also the issue of establishing a flow of the play-calling to allow a star to maximize his strengths, a factor that can apply to wide receivers as well as running backs. Cook has not been able to find that rhythm yet. “If we don’t have a productive run on first down and third down we don’t convert, now we just missed out on a potential first- or second-down call or third-down call to run the football again,” Cousins said. “It kind of all ties together. It’s amazing how when you’re efficient in one area, it can help the other area take off.”

 

 

MINOT, ND – The second high school volleyball polls of the season have the same teams at #1. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)          Record    Points    Last Poll
1. West Fargo Sheyenne (13)   13-0          69         1
2. Bismarck Century (1)             12-1          57         2
3. Fargo North                           13-1          36         3
4. Jamestown                             11-2          24         5
5. Bismarck Legacy                     9-4          19         NR

 

Others receiving votes: Fargo South (9-4), West Fargo (8-5), Bismarck High (7-6)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)                Record     Points    Last Poll
1. Northern Cass (13)                      17-0         130         1
2. Kenmare-Bowbells                       18-0         117         3
3. Linton-HMB                                  14-1         104        T4
4. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich    13-3           70         T4
5. Thompson                                      8-2           62          2
6. May-Port-CG                                 13-3          56         NR
7. Dickinson Trinity                             8-2           39          7
8. Oakes                                            13-5          26          6
9. Central Cass                                  11-4          25         NR
10. Beulah                                         14-2          22          NR

 

Others receiving votes: LaMoure-Litchville-Marion 10-5), Bishop Ryan (12-3), North Border (10-3), Our Redeemer’s (14-7), North Star (8-2), Grant County (10-5), Rugby (7-3)

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Tuesday:

 

 

Watford City Invitational
1. Watford City, 23
2. Killdeer, 46
3. Williston Trinity Christian, 93
4. Heart River, 136

 

Individual winner: Jekori Dahlen of Killdeer, 18:03

 

Beulah-Hazen Invitational – Black Sands Golf Course
1. Rugby, 34
2. Beulah, 75
3. Southern McLean, 88
4. Kenmare-Burke Central-Bowbells, 95
5. Lemmon SD, 121
6. Hebron, 121
7. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 129

 

Individual winner: Austin Dibble of Rugby, 18:06

 

 

 

Watford City Invitational
1. Watford City, 28
2. Killdeer, 32
3. Heart River, 66

 

Individual winner: Jaelyn Ogle of Watford City, 19:48

 

Beulah-Hazen Invitational – Black Sands Golf Course
1. Rugby, 19
2. Lemmon SD, 62
3. Stanley, 64
4. Hettinger-Scranton, 95

 

Individual winner: Brynn Hanson of Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 20:04

 

 

Williston Invite – The Links of North Dakota
1. Bismarck Century, 340
2. Mandan, 367
3. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 383
4. Bismarck Legacy, 384
5. Minot High, 390
6. Dickinson, 394
7. Williston, 407
8. Jamestown, 415
9. Minot North, 418
10. Watford City, 464
11. Bismarck High, 479

 

Medalist: Anna Huettl of Mandan, 78

 

High School Boys Soccer
Minot 7, Dickinson 0 (Minot qualifies for state)
Bismarck Legacy 6, Bismarck Century 1
Bismarck High 7, Jamestown 1
Mandan 2, Williston 2

 

High School Boys Tennis
Minot 7, Mandan 2 (Magi host Legacy on Thursday. Winner gets WDA regular season title and #1 seed at WDA Tournament)
Bismarck Legacy 7, Bismarck Century 2

 

 

Class A
#5 Bismarck Legacy def. Watford City (3-0) 25-9, 25-16, 25-22
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Minot High (3-0) 25-18, 25-18, 25-16
Mandan def. Turtle Mountain (3-0) 25-15, 25-14, 25-14
Bismarck High def. Dickinson (3-0) 25-17, 25-14, 25-22

 

Class B
#7 Dickinson Trinity def. Hazen (3-1) 23-25, 25-13, 25-20, 25-7
#10 Beulah def. Beach (3-0) 25-20, 25-15, 25-15
Our Redeemer’s def. Surrey (3-0)
Bishop Ryan def. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood (3-0) 25-10, 25-12, 25-17
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Glenburn (3-0) 25-14, 25-6, 25-18
South Prairie-Max def. Berthold (3-0) 25-19, 25-20, 25-20
Bottineau def. Newburg-Westhope (3-1) 25-17, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20
Rugby def. TGU (3-0) 25-14, 25-14, 25-12
St. John def. Dunseith (3-2) 18-25, 26-24, 25-21, 19-25, 15-6
North Prairie def. Four Winds-Minnewauken (3-0)
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. Drake-Anamoose (3-0) 25-20, 25-17, 25-20
Garrison def. Center-Stanton (3-1)
Central McLean def. Flasher (3-2) 11-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-17, 15-10
Washburn def. Harvey-Wells County (3-1) 25-12, 26-24, 26-28, 27-25
Wilton-Wing def. New Salem-Almont (3-1) 25-23, 11-25, 26-24, 25-18
Shiloh Christian def. Standing Rock (3-0)
Trenton def. Powers Lake-Burke Central (3-1) 25-22, 25-15, 13-25, 25-15
Tioga def. North Shore-Plaza (3-0) 25-13, 25-13, 25-16
Divide County def. Ray (3-1) 25-20, 26-28, 25-19, 25-17
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MSU GOLF

 

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Minot State golf teams wrapped up a solid effort in South Dakota with four players earning Top 10-finishes at the Fall Hardrocker Invite hosted by South Dakota School of Mines. Jaci Jones made a big final-day charge with an 11-over 83 to climb 10 places and into the Top 10, joining teammates Taylor Cormier and Holly Knudsen, as the Minot State women’s golf team finished fifth overall. On the men’s side, Andrew Makarchuk turned in a second solid round to remain in the Top 10, tying for sixth at 9-over 153 (76-77) to lead the Beaver men’s team to a fifth-place finish, as well. Cormier led the way for the Minot State women as she finished fifth at 23-over 167 (83-84), while Knudsen and Jones tied for eighth at 27-over 171 as Knudsen shot rounds of 83 and 88, and Jones shot 88 and 83. Abigail Goettle was 35th overall for the Beavers at 52-over 196 (99-97), and Averi Bradley tied for 38th at 67-over 211 (113-98).

 

Minot State finished fifth with a team score of 129-over 705 (353-352) at The Golf Club at Red Rocks. Chadron State won the women’s team title with a 99-over 675 (332-343) and Rianna Garland of South Dakota School of Mines was the individual champion as she shot 14-over 158 (76-82).

 

In the men’s field, Makarchuk’s sixth-place finish paced the Minot State, which was fifth with a team score of 76-over 652 (331-321). South Dakota School of Mines won the team title with a 32-over 608 (303-305), while Montana State-Billings golfer Dawson Strobel was the individual champion at 6-under 138 (70-68). Zach Hendrickson was next for Minot State as he climbed into the Top 20, finishing 16th at 18-under 162 (84-78), then came Joshua Tu, who tied for 21st at 24-over 168 (83-85), then Aimery Barrault, who tied for 24th at 25-over 169 (88-81), and then Arron Grandy, who was 35th at 36-over 190 (88-92).

 

The tournament was the second in a busy stretch for the Minot State golf teams, who play four tournaments in four consecutive weeks. Minot State’s next event is Monday and Tuesday at the Watkins Invitational hosted by Winona State.

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UND HOCKEY-GABER

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (UND) – UND Junior forward Riese Gaber was named to one of the six spots on the 2022-23 National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Preseason All-Conference Team, as announced by the league on Tuesday. Media members voted for three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender on their ballot with each vote worth one point. The top three vote-getters at forward, top two defensemen and highest vote-getting goaltender made up the preseason all-conference team. A total of 23 ballots were submitted by media members covering each team.

 

Gaber alongside Denver sophomore forward Carter Mazur were the top vote-getters on the team, each receiving 22 of a possible 23 votes. The Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, native is the only returning player from last season’s All-NCHC First Team. In 34 games, he led the team with 15 goals and 37 points to earn All-NCHC First Team honors and a Hobey Baker Award nomination. Limited to just 19 league games, Gaber terrorized the NCHC with nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points. In those 19 contests, he scored a point in 13 of them, including seven multi-point outings. Three of his 15 goals were game winners and seven came on the power play, both pacing the squad. The NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete selection was recently voted an assistant captain for this upcoming season by his teammates.

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TWINS-ROYALS

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — MJ Melendez hit a two-run homer, Salvador Perez drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out double in the seventh inning, and the Kansas City Royals held off the rapidly fading Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Tuesday night to open their final homestand of the season. Dylan Coleman (5-2) pitched a scoreless seventh for the Royals, then Scott Barlow cleaned up Jose Cuas’ mess by striking out Mark Contreras to strand runners on second and third in the eighth, before handling the ninth for his 22nd save. The Royals trailed 3-0 in the second, pulled ahead in the fifth and were still tied 4-all when Melendez doubled off Twins reliever Michael Fulmer (5-6) in the seventh. Bobby Witt Jr. followed with a double, then took third when Melendez tried to score and was thrown out by Twins left fielder Jake Cave on a bang-bang play at the plate. Perez came through on the very next pitch, though, dumping the go-ahead double down the right-field line.

 

UP NEXT
Twins RHP Bailey Ober (1-2, 3.49 ERA) starts tonight against Royals LHP Daniel Lynch (4-11, 5.15).

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VIKINGS-O’CONNELL

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Guiding a team’s navigation of the inherent rollercoaster of a regular season is a vital part of the job for an NFL head coach. Making the right strategical adjustments to maximize the ups and minimize the downs is just as important. Kevin O’Connell, welcome to the club. After the Minnesota Vikings had all the answers in a well-rounded win over rival Green Bay to start his first season, they were outplayed and outsmarted in Philadelphia on Monday night in a 24-7 defeat by an Eagles team that has emerged as one of the few early favorites to win the NFC.

 

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had the hot hand — and the fast feet — that would’ve been tough for any team to stop, but defensive coordinator Ed Donatell stayed committed to a shell zone coverage that was consistently picked apart during three first-half touchdown drives of 80-plus yards. The Vikings were awfully sluggish on offense, too, with a pair of three-and-out possessions to start the game and three second-half interceptions thrown by Kirk Cousins the most glaring examples of regression from the 23-7 victory over the Packers the week before.

 

“We didn’t stay on the field. We didn’t run enough plays,” said Cousins, who completed only one of five passes to star Justin Jefferson when Eagles cornerback Darius Slay was the closest to him in coverage. Two of those throws were picked off. Cousins didn’t get much help. The Eagles blitzed him often, and extra rushers frequently entered the backfield unabated. Dalvin Cook, Johnny Mundt and Irv Smith Jr. all had egregious drops, including an under-pressure deep throw to Smith late in the second quarter that likely would’ve been a 63-yard touchdown to pull the Vikings within one score. They punted instead. The first interception, in the end zone in the third quarter, was Jefferson’s fault for not flattening his route in front of Slay. “We’ve got to find ways to make it easier on our guys,” O’Connell said, adding: “I have to do a better job and make sure we stay true to what we are and what we want to be offensively.”

 

WHAT’S WORKING

The kicking game units under new special teams coordinator Matt Daniels have been impeccable. Rookie punter Ryan Wright had a gross average of 49.2 yards on five attempts against the Eagles and is tied for the NFL lead with six punts inside the 20-yard line. None of Philadelphia’s kickoff or punt returns went anywhere, and Patrick Peterson had the blocked field goal that was returned to the Eagles 30 in the third quarter.

 

WHAT NEEDS HELP

One of the biggest questions about this team is the ability of several young defensive backs to establish themselves as reliable fixtures in the lineup. The Eagles took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter on a 53-yard touchdown pass by Hurts to Quez Watkins, when second-year safety Camryn Bynum and third-year cornerback Cameron Dantzler Sr. both made their initial break toward tight end Dallas Goedert to allow Watkins to blow by. “We made some adjustments, just not the proper ones that we felt we could put ourselves in better positions,” Peterson said.

 

STOCK UP

Right tackle Brian O’Neill, who has begun the first season of the contract extension valued at $92 million he signed a year ago, has picked up where he left off in 2021 with a strong start in both run blocking and pass protection.

 

STOCK DOWN

Cousins didn’t send a pass Adam Thielen’s way until his 24th attempt, a ball forced into a risky spot with Thielen running a corner route toward the sideline between two Eagles cornerbacks that was picked off by a leaping Avonte Maddox late in the third quarter. Jefferson was open underneath. Through two games, Thielen has only seven receptions for 88 yards. “Kirk trusts him inherently, and we have to find ways to continue to get him the ball within the rhythm of the game,” O’Connell said. “We only had 21 plays in the first half, so there were not a lot of targets to go around in general.”

 

INJURY REPORT

Star safety Harrison Smith (concussion) left in the fourth quarter. O’Connell indicated optimism about his status, though the shortened week of practice and rest makes the clearance process more of a challenge. Rookie cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. (quadriceps) was inactive for the game, so rookie Akayleb Evans took 21 snaps in place of Dantzler in the second half.

 

KEY NUMBER

51.1, the second-lowest single-game passer rating for Cousins in five seasons with the Vikings. His worst (15.9) came on Sept. 20,

2020, in a 28-11 loss at Indianapolis.

 

NEXT STEPS

The exhaustive routine that NFL teams follow through the regular season gets a rude interruption from Monday night games, so the pressure will be on O’Connell, Donatell and the rest of the staff this week to reset their strategy in preparation for a home game against Detroit. As much as the Vikings have historically dominated the series, each of the past three matchups have been decided by exactly two points. The Lions won the most recent one 29-27 on Dec. 5, 2021. “I can promise you this much: Our guys, even postgame, felt like they wanted to get right back to work,” O’Connell said. “A bad taste in your mouth is one thing, but we know what our standard is.”

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WOLVES-EDWARDS FINED

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was fined $40,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for homophobic comments he made on social media. The league announced the punishment for Edwards’ use of “offensive and derogatory language” in a since-deleted Instagram video he later apologized for. Edwards recorded a group of men on a sidewalk from a vehicle he was inside and could be heard in making a disparaging, profane comment about what he assumed to be their sexual orientation. He posted an apology on Twitter soon after, and the Timberwolves issued a statement reprimanding their young star. “What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way,” Edwards tweeted last week. “There’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!” The first overall pick in the 2020 draft, Edwards was Minnesota’s second-leading scorer last season with an average of 21.3 points per game that ranked 19th in the league. His average of 1.5 steals per game was 13th in the NBA.

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – There are changes in this weeks Class 11AA poll. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)       Record    Points    Last Week
1. Fargo Davies (11)                3-1           80        2
2. West Fargo Sheyenne (6)   3-1           74        4
3. Mandan (1)                           3-1          49         3
4. Fargo Shanley                      3-1          48         1
5. Minot (1)                               3-1           25          5

 

Others receiving votes: Bismarck Legacy (3-1)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)     Record    Points    Last Week
1. Jamestown (17)                4-0           93         1
2. Fargo North (2)                  4-0          78          2
3. Grand Forks Red River     4-1          53          3
4. Fargo South                      3-1           31          4
5. Valley City                          4-0           30          5

 

Others receiving votes: None

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Monday:

 

High School Football
Class 9B
Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood def. Alexander, 30-22

 

High School Boys Tennis
Bismarck Legacy 7, Mandan 2 (suspended 9/15 due to rain)

 

High School Girls Volleyball
Class B
Newburg-Westhope def. Dunseith (3-0) 25-11, 25-11, 25-18

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MSU SOCCER-HONOR

 

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State goalie Maddie Kindred turned aside every shot she faced over the weekend, and effort that helped the Beavers go unbeaten and earned the senior honors from the NSIC. Monday, Kindred was named the NSIC Goalie of the Week for her two shutout performances. Friday, in a 1-0 win over visiting Southwest Minnesota State, Kindred made nine saves for the Beavers. She then came back on Sunday and stopped the lone shot she faced against Sioux Falls in a 0-0 tie. The pair of shutouts gives Kindred three in-a-row as she has not allowed a goal in 296 minutes, 1 second of action, a streaking dating back to Sept. 9 and the Beavers game against Minnesota Duluth. Kindred and the Beavers are back in action on the road this weekend, playing at Winona State on Friday and at Upper Iowa on Sunday.

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UND HOCKEY

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – The University of North Dakota hockey program will open the 2022-23 season ranked No. 4 in the national polls, as the DCU/USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls were released on Monday. It marks the third straight season that North Dakota has been inside the top-10 to begin the season, with the Fighting Hawks looking to claim their fourth straight NCHC crown. Defending national champion Denver headlines both polls as the top team, while Minnesota, Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth rounding out the top-5 with UND. Entering the season, UND is scheduled to play six teams ranked in the polls and three other programs receiving votes.

 

After ushering in the most newcomers the program had seen since 1973 a year ago, NoDak enters the new season with 20 roster players returning. Last season, the Hawks returned to the NCAA Tournament and reached the top of the NCHC standings for the third straight year with a 24-14-1 overall record and 17-6-1 conference mark to become the first team in NCHC history to win three consecutive Penrose Cups. North Dakota opens the campaign on Saturday, Oct. 1 with an exhibition slate against Manitoba before beginning the regular season vs. Holy Cross on Oct. 7-8 from the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

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UND FOOTBALL-HONOR

 

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (UND) – North Dakota punter Cade Peterson was one of four players honored by the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Sunday evening, earning the title of Special Teams Player of the Week. Peterson was sensational in the 27-24 win at Northern Arizona with four punts for 209 yards, averaging 52.2 yards per boot. While punting, Peterson had two touchbacks and recorded three punts over 50 yards. With his four punts on Saturday, Peterson is now tied in the UND Division I record book with Brett Cameron (2009-12) for most punts in a career with 186. On the season, the Kewaskum, Wis., native has 11 punts for 442 yards, averaging 40.18 yards per punt. He has pinned teams within their own 20 on three occasions, has four punts of over 50 yards and has recorded three touchbacks. North Dakota will resume MVFC play on Saturday at Southern Illinois. The Fighting Hawks and Salukis are slated for a 2 p.m. (CT) kick in Carbondale.

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FCS POLLS

 

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND) – North Dakota football climbed up to No. 19 in the latest Stats Perform Rankings announced Monday morning, moving up three spots from last week. The Fighting Hawks remain just outside the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25, sitting at No. 28. The Missouri Valley Football Conference has five programs represented in the Stats Perform poll. North Dakota State remains the top spot with 43 first-place votes, trailed by South Dakota State in a tie for second with five first-place votes. Missouri State is also towards the top and is sixth. North Dakota is now No. 19 and Southern Illinois climbed into No. 24 to make this weekend’s matchup a top 25 affair. UND moved up after winning at Northern Arizona, 27-24, on Saturday.

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NDSU FOOTBALL-HONOR

 

NORTHBROOK, Ill. (NDSU)– Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on Monday announced the final roster for the 31st Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, recognizing 22 college football student-athletes and an honorary head coach for outstanding contributions to their communities. North Dakota State linebacker James Kaczor, a senior from St. Cloud, Minn., was among the 22 student-athletes named to the Good Works Team, which recognizes 11 players from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 from the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA for their leadership in local communities and overall commitment to giving back.

 

Kaczor is the ninth NDSU player to be recognized on the Good Works Team, joining tight end Ben Ellefson (2019), quarterback Easton Stick (2018), cornerback Richard Bowman (2009), running back Tyler Roehl (2008), quarterback Steve Walker (2007), running back Kyle Steffes (2006), offensive tackle Tim Popowski (2005) and safety Jared Essler (2004). Kaczor’s community activities include packing meals for Feed My Starving Children, supporting low-income families and children utilizing the Charism food pantry, assisting with children’s ministry at River City Church, and participating on the leadership team of Fellowship of Christian Athletes at NDSU.

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

 

CLEVELAND (AP) — Josh Naylor and Amed Rosario hit three-run homers, Cal Quantrill kept his home unbeaten streak intact and Cleveland thumped Minnesota 11-4 on Monday, taking four of five from one of their AL Central pursuers. The Guardians followed up a sweep at Minnesota earlier this month by winning a series they had to have and opening a seven-game lead over the Twins, who have been ravaged by injuries down the stretch. Naylor homered in the first inning off Sonny Gray (8-5) and Rosario connected in the sixth off rookie Ronny Henriquez to make it 7-3 as the first-place Guardians opened a four-game division lead over Chicago. Nick Gordon homered off Quantrill (13-5) for the Twins, who came to town hoping to cut into the Guardians’ lead but left further behind. Cleveland went 13-6 against Minnesota, winning nine of the last 10. Rosario was brutal on Twins pitchers in the series, batting .440 (11 of 25) with two homers and 11 RBIs. Quantrill stuck around until the sixth and improved to 13-0 in 32 starts at Progressive Field. The right-hander is one win shy of matching Vic Raschi’s record for dominance in one ballpark. Raschi went 14-0 at Comiskey Park from 1947-55. Gray left after two innings with tightness in his right hamstring. The right-hander had been pitching with soreness his last couple starts, but it got more severe and Baldelli decided to pull him.

 

UP NEXT
The Twins open a three-game series in Kansas City today with RHP Dylan Bundy (8-7, 4.68 ERA) facing Royals RHP Zack Greinke (4-9, 4.10).

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VIKINGS-EAGLES

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins tried to get the ball to Justin Jefferson. Darius Slay kept getting in the way. Cousins was pressured into three interceptions, Jefferson was shut down a week after one of his career-best games, and the Minnesota Vikings were run off the field from the opening drive in a 24-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

 

“I do feel like this one’s on me,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. There was plenty of blame to go around for the Vikings, who hoped a sharp opening performance in a win against Green Bay was the catapult for gutting out a tough one in Philly. But again, the Vikings left the city losers, just as they did in January 2018 after the NFC championship game. “We wanted to come into this game and just dominate, especially after last week’s performance,” Jefferson said. “But we definitely had plenty of opportunities to score the ball and make something happen, carry the momentum to our side. We didn’t execute on the offensive side.”

 

The game was billed as a showdown between two of the top receivers in the league, Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown on one side against Jefferson on the other. And with good reason. Jefferson went wild against the Packers with 184 receiving yards and two TDs. He had a franchise-record 158 receiving yards in the first half. Cousins tried to keep his top target involved — and the Vikings did throw the ball plenty after Jalen Hurts was a virtual one-man show for the Eagles in the first half (try 301 total yards). While Hurts had made the game seem out of reach with each dazzling run or quick-strike pass, the Vikings hung around and had chances in the second half. All of them, wasted.

 

Cousins threw his first interception from the Eagles’ 19-yard-line and another from Philly’s 27. Jefferson took the blame for the first interception. “I’ve got to be flatter if Slay’s going to sit on that type of route. I’ve got to come flatter and be in front of him instead of going behind him,” Jefferson said. “So, that one’s on me.” Cousins’ third pick came on a lob that Slay snagged again and sealed the win. “He’s a competitor for sure. I knew that I was going to get that from him,” Jefferson said. “I mean, he’s a great cornerback. He’s a great player. A great guy, too. We definitely could’ve had some more opportunities out there to score and put up points, and we just didn’t.”

 

Cousins was 27 for 46 for 221 yards and one touchdown. Jefferson had six receptions for 48 yards. Even worse, Cousins was the leading rusher with 20 yards. Cousins’ lone TD pass was a 2-yard score to Irv Smith in the second quarter that made it 14-7. With the game not quite out of reach late in the first half, Cousins threw a strike to a wide-open Smith that was dropped. Smith was alone and likely could have walked in with the touchdown. “Just one play away,” O’Connell said.

 

Up next, a game against the 1-1 Lions in an opportunity for the Vikings to show if the opening-week win was an early-season fluke or if the dreary effort against the Eagles is something that will linger. “Everybody in this room definitely could’ve done something better to change the outcome of the game,” Jefferson said. “We’ve still got to look at the film. It’s a short turnaround, so tomorrow we’ll look at it and move on to Detroit.”

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – The Minot State women’s soccer team played to a scoreless draw against Sioux Falls on Sunday at Herb Parker Stadium. Maddie Kindred made a save for the Beavers, while Holli Knudsen tallied 13 saves for Sioux Falls. Minot State is now 2-2-3 overall, 2-1-1 NSIC. Sioux Falls is at 0-5-2 overall, 0-2-2 NSIC. Next up for the Beavers is a roadtrip to Winona State on Friday and Upper Iowa on Sunday.

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

 

CLEVELAND (AP) — Joe Ryan pitched shutout ball for the second straight outing and become only the second Minnesota starter to reach the eighth inning this season, leading the Twins over the AL-Central leading Cleveland Guardians 3-0 on Sunday. Ryan (12-8) allowed three hits in 7 2/3 innings, struck out five and walked two in his first start since being pulled after seven hitless innings and 106 pitches against Kansas City. The only prior Minnesota starter to reach the eighth this year was Dylan Bundy on June 18 at Arizona. Jake Cave hit a solo homer in the second off Cody Morris (0-2) and AL batting leader Luis Arraez added a two-run single in the ninth against Enyel De Los Santos. Third-place Minnesota stopped an eight-game losing streak against Cleveland, and the second-place Chicago White Sox moved within 3½ games of the Guardians. Cleveland had won the first three games of the five-game series, which ends Monday, The third-place Twins trail the Guardians by six games.

 

UP NEXT
RHP Sonny Gray (8-4, 2.83 ERA) will start for Minnesota in the series finale. Gray is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA in three starts against the Guardians this season. RHP Cal Quantrill (12-5, 3.51 ERA) will pitch for Cleveland. Quantrill is 12-0 in 41 games at Progressive Field and has gone 33 straight home starts without a loss.

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PACKERS-BEARS

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Jones rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown and caught a scoring pass from Aaron Rodgers, who continued his domination of the Chicago Bears by leading the Green Bay Packers to a 27-10 victory. Green Bay bounced back from a season-opening 23-7 loss at Minnesota and beat the Bears for a seventh straight time, matching its second-longest win streak in the 205-game history of the NFL’s oldest rivalry. The Packers built a 24-7 halftime lead by dominating the second period, then made a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter to thwart a Bears comeback attempt. Rodgers went 19 of 25 for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

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LANCE INJURED

 

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance will miss the rest of the season after breaking his right ankle. Lance went down after running the ball on the second drive of a 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks. A cart came out on the field and Lance’s leg was put into an air cast before he was taken off. The 49ers immediately announced he would not return. Lance’s teammates and several Seahawks players paid him respect before he left the field and was replaced by former starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who threw a touchdown pass on his first full drive and passed for 154 yards. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan announced Lance’s prognosis immediately after the game.Lance played at North Dakota State before being drafted by the 49ers with the #3 pick in 2021.

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MARIS RECORD

 

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his 58th and 59th home runs of the season to move within two of Roger Maris’ American League record with 16 games remaining and lead the New York Yankees over the Milwaukee Brewers 12-8. Judge added a two-run double in the ninth as part of a four-hit day for New York, which hit five homers and avoided a three-game sweep. The Yankees opened a 5 1/2-game lead over second-place Toronto in the AL East. Judge’s 11th multihomer game tied the season record set by Detroit’s Hank Greenberg 1938 and matched by the Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa in 1998.

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Ray-Powers Lake held off Bishop Ryan 46-39 Saturday night, in a game we broadcast on K-Heart. The shootout included seven touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone. The quarterbacks led the way for each team. Tyson Enget tallied over 400 yards of total offense and had a hand in five touchdowns for the Outlaws. Jett Lundeen also accounted for 400 yards of offense and six TD’s in leading the Lions. Ray-Powers Lake improves to 4-1 overall, 3-0 in Class 11B Region 3. Bishop Ryan drops to 2-3 overall, 2-1 in Region 3.

 

Other scores from Saturday:

 

High School Football
Class 11B
#4 Bottineau def Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm, 38-7

 

 

Williston Invite
1. Williston, 18
2. Grand Forks Central, 96
3. Dawson County MT, 127
4. Watford City, 130
5. Plentywood MT, 209
6. Sidney MT, 211
7. Trinity Christian, 218

 

Individual winner: Ivan Askim of Williston, 15:57

 

Shiloh Skyhawk Invitational – McDowell Dam in Bismarck
.1. New Town, 29
2. Bismarck Century, 88
3. Standing Rock, 132
4. Surrey, 138
5. Southern McLean, 158
7. Shiloh Christian, 174
8. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 174
9. Northern Cass, 176
10. Hebron, 185

 

Individual winner: Colt Spotted Bear of New Town, 17:17

 

 

 

Williston Invite
1. Williston, 35
2. Watford City, 55
3. Sidney MT, 76
4. Grand Forks Central, 124
5. Dawson County MT, 192
6. Plentywood MT, 202

 

Individual winner: Jaelyn Ogle of Watford City, 18:57

 

Shiloh Skyhawk Invitational – McDowell Dam in Bismarck
1. Southern McLean, 41
2. Shiloh Christian, 44
3. Northern Cass, 78

 

Individual winner: Mashae Miller of Kenmare-Bowbell-Burke Central, 19:54

 

 

High School Boys Soccer
Minot High 1, Mandan 0
Williston 2, Jamestown 1
Bismarck Legacy 3, Bismarck High 0
Bismarck Century 7, Dickinson 1

 

High School Girls Swimming & Diving
Mandan 109, Fargo South 74

 

High School Girls Volleyball
Valley City Optimist Tournament

Championship Bracket

 

First Round
Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter def. Center-Stanton, (2-0) 26-24, 25-18
Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich def. LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (2-1) 21-25, 25-15, 15-11)
Shiloh Christian def. Carrington (2-1) 25-19, 21-25, 15-13
Our Redeemer’s def. Oakes (2-1) 25-10, 23-25, 15-8)
Second Round
MayPortCG def. Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter (2-0) 25-13, 25-15
Northern Cass def. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich (2-0) 27-25, 25-17
Central Cass def. Shiloh Christian (2-0) 25-19, 25-23
Medina-Pingree-Buchanan def. Our Redeemer’s (2-0) 27-25, 25-23
Semifinal
Northern Cass def. MayPortCG (2-0) 25-18, 25-15
Medina-Pingree-Buchanan def. Central Cass (2-0) 26-24, 25-23
3rd Place
MayPortCG def Central Cass (2-0) 25-21, 25-19
Championship
Northern Cass def. Medina-Pingree-Buchanan (2-0) 25-20, 25-20

 

College Football
Wayne State 49, Minot State 10

 

College Mens Hockey
Breircrest College def. Minot State, 2-1 OT (Exhibition game)

 

College Womens Volleyball
Bemidji State def. Minot State (3-0) 25-14, 25-14, 25-16

 

 

NAHL Hockey
NAHL Showcase – Blaine MN
Minot Minotauros 5, Anchorage Wolverines 2

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UND FOOTBALL

 

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (UND) – Despite a scoreless third quarter, there were plenty of fireworks in the fourth quarter with North Dakota (2-1) escaping Northern Arizona (1-2) with a 27-24 win on Saturday afternoon. The Lumberjacks found the end zone to take a 24-20 lead with 1:42 remaining and the Fighting Hawks went to work from their own 25. Tommy Schuster started with four consecutive pass completions to get UND down to the NAU 23. It was the next play that was the difference when Schuster found Jack Wright in the end zone for the go-ahead score. The play was a reverse flea flicker pass that looked to be a Tyler Hoosman rush that turned into a Bo Belquist end around and then found its way back to Schuster who found Wright in the end zone for the touchdown. Brady Stevens connected on the extra point to give the Hawks a 24-20 advantage late. Schuster was a perfect 5-for-5 passing on the final drive. NAU got the ball back with 53 seconds remaining and started at its own 25 yard-line. The Lumberjacks marched all the way down to the 50 with one play remaining with three seconds left. After facing pressure, R.J. Martinez found a receiver at the UND 39, but he immediately went down when attempting to pitch the ball to allow the Hawks to leave with the 27-24 victory.

 

Schuster was efficient once again, going 21-of-32 through the air for 206 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Belquist was his favorite target with six receptions for 56 yards, including a touchdown that put UND up 20-17 with just over five minutes left. Garett Maag hauled in five receptions for 47 yards. Hoosman had the second 100-yard rushing game of his career, gaining 102 yards on the ground on 12 carries for 8.5 yards per carry.

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NDSU FOOTBALL

 

TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura passed for 229 yards including the go-ahead touchdown with 4:53 left and the Wildcats held on to beat North Dakota State 31-28 on Saturday, Sept. 17, before a crowd of 41,211 at Arizona Stadium. North Dakota State fullback Hunter Luepke rushed 18 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns and added three receptions for 65 yards and one score. The Bison (2-1) rushed for 283 yards – their third most against an FBS opponent – and averaged 6.3 yards per carry.

 

Trailing 17-14 at halftime, NDSU’s running game took over in the second half. The Bison went 76 yards in six plays on their second possession of the third quarter with TaMerik Williams breaking a 34-yard run followed by Dominic Gonnella’s 19-yard carry to set up Luepke’s 6-yard score to give NDSU its first lead of the night. Arizona (2-1) appeared to go three-and-out on the ensuing possession, but a facemask penalty on the Bison extended the drive and the Wildcats scored six plays later on Jonah Coleman’s 2-yard run to go ahead 24-21. NDSU came back with a seven-play, 75-yard march with Luepke breaking out of a pile of tacklers for a 38-yard touchdown to put the Bison ahead 28-24 with 2:07 left in the third quarter. Arizona missed a 43-yard field goal attempt on its next drive, but the Bison couldn’t convert a fourth-and-2 at the Arizona 23. The Wildcats went 78 yards in 10 plays for the eventual winning score.

 

NDSU was 0-for-2 on fourth down and lost a fumble in the red zone, and Arizona answered all three of those possessions with touchdowns. The Bison outgained Arizona 407-394 in total yards and had a slight edge in time of possession 31:18 to 28:42. NDSU had six penalties for 60 yards compared to one for 15 yards against Arizona. NDSU quarterback Cam Miller went 10-for-12 passing for 124 yards with a 31-yard touchdown to Luepke in the first quarter. Tight end Noah Gindorff made three catches for 30 yards. Bison linebacker James Kaczor made a game-high nine tackles while linebacker Nick Kubitz and cornerbacks Courtney Eubanks and Destin Talbert made five tackles each. The loss snapped NDSU’s six-game winning streak against FBS opponents dating back to 2010. North Dakota State is 9-4 against FBS competition.

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

 

CLEVELAND (AP) — Austin Hedges scored on an error by shortstop Jermaine Palacios in the 15th inning and the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins for the eighth straight time, 7-6 to sweep a day-night doubleheader Saturday. Amed Rosario, who went 8 for 13 with six RBIs in the twinbill, hit a sharp grounder that Palacios mishandled with two outs. The ball skidded into the outfield, allowing Hedges to score from third and end the 5-hour, 24-minute marathon. Rosario had four hits in both games of the doubleheader, including a three-run homer in the nightcap. He drove in two runs in the opener, a 5-1 victory by the Guardians behind ace Shane Bieber. Cleveland (79-66), which has won nine of its last 10, opened a 4 1/2-game lead over the Chicago White Sox (75-71) and is seven games ahead of the third-place Twins (72-73). Minnesota has lost 11 of 16 in September.

 

 

MINOT, ND – Andrew Christenson accounted for 175 yards of offense and three touchdowns as Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central defeated Stanley on Friday night, in a game we broadcast on K-Heart. Christenson passed for 124 yards and two scores, while rushing for 51 yards and another touchdown. Sheldon Skaar carrid the ball 20 times for 130 yards and a TD as the Honkers improve to 3-2 overall, 1-2 in Class 11B Region 3. Cal Sorenson led the Blue Jays with 123 yards passing and a touchdown, plus 70 yards rushing and a score. Stanley had five turnovers while Kenmare-B-BC had three. The Blue Jays drop to 0-5 on the season, 0-3 in Region 3.

 

We will have more Class 11B football on the air tonight as the Bishop Ryan Lions host the Ray-Powers Lake Outlaws. Pregame at 7:10 pm on 106.9 K-Heart and online at khrt.com.

 

Other scores from Friday:

 

 

Class 11AA
#4 West Fargo Sheyenne def. #1 Fargo Shanley, 35-13
#2 Fargo Davies def. West Fargo, 24-13
#3 Mandan def. Williston, 49-0
#5 Minot High def. Bismarck Century, 19-12
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck High, 34-15

 

Class 11A
#1 Jamestown def. Watford City, 47-0
#2 Fargo North def. Bismarck St. Mary’s (11AA), 38-28
#3 Grand Forks Red River def. Grand Forks Central, 19-9
#4 Fargo South def. Devils Lake, 28-0
#5 Valley City def. Dickinson, 27-6
Turtle Mountain def. New Town (Independent), 49-0

 

Class 11B
#1 Kindred def. Northern Cass, 49-7
#3 Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose def. South Prairie-Max, 56-6
T#5 Thompson def. Rugby, 28-26
T#5 Oakes def. Linton-HMB, 35-18
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Nedrose, 20-0
Harvey-Wells County def. Park River Area, 28-12
Beulah def. Southern McLean, 32-0
Hazen def. Killdeer, 41-14
Shiloh Christian def. Bowman County, 21-14
Carrington def. Grafton, 34-20
Hillsboro-Central Valley def. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich, 34-26
Lisbon def. Fargo Oak Grove, 46-6
Central Cass def. Sargent County, 41-8

 

Class 9B
#1 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion def. Richland, 49-0
#2 New Salem-Almont def. Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, 48-0
#3 Cavalier def. Larimore, 50-20
#4 May-Port-CG def. Hatton-Northwood, 70-20
#5 North Prairie def. North Star, 54-8
Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood def. TGU, 42-16
Divide County def. Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn, 52-46
St. John def. Dunseith, 58-14
Grant County-Flasher def. Central McLean, 46-14
Hettinger-Scranton def. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron, 48-6
Hettinger County def. Beach, 12-6
South Border def. Kidder County, 48-12
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. Benson County, 48-18
Four Winds def. Midway-Minto, 74-20
North Border def. Nelson County, 44-38
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood def. Maple River, 49-16
Griggs-Midkota def. Enderlin, 24-0
Hankinson def. Tri-State, 54-8

 

 

Minot High Invite – Vardon Golf Club
1. Bismarck Century, 317
2. Bismarck Legacy, 334
3. Minot High, 338
4. Mandan, 350
5. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 367
6. Williston, 367
7. Jamestown, 382
8. Dickinson, 388
9. Minot North, 391
10. Watford City, 432

 

Medalist: Leah Herbel of Bismarck Century, 73

 

 

Region 4 Tournament – Garrison Country Club
1. Bottineau, 402
2. Rugby, 412
3. Nedrose, 418
4. Velva, 431
5. South Prairie, 460
6. Northern Lights, 478
7. Central McLean, 516
8. Dunseith, 522

 

Medalist: Libby Dulmage of Rugby, 83

 

High School Girls Swimming & Diving
Bismarck Century 102, Fargo South 70
Mandan 115, Bismarck High 70

 

High School Boys Tennis
Bismarck Legacy 9, Bismarck High 0
Mandan 7, Williston 2

 

High School Girls Volleyball
Class B
New Town def. North Shore-Plaza (3-0) 25-10, 26-24, 25-12

 

College Mens Hockey
Minot State def. Briercrest College, 6-1 (Exhibition game)

 

College Womens Soccer
Minot State def. Southwest Minnesota State, 1-0

 

College Womens Volleyball
Minnesota-Crookston def. Minot State (3-2) 25-21, 19-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13

 

NAHL Hockey
NAHL Showcase – Blaine, MN
Amarillo Wranglers def. Minot Minotauros, 3-1

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MSU FOOTBALL

 

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – The Minot State Beavers (0-2) are looking to bounce back from their 34-0 loss to the Sioux Falls Cougars last weekend. MSU is hosting the Wayne State College Wildcats (2-0) today at 1 p.m. on First Bank Western Field at Herb Parker Stadium. The Wildcats own a 4-1 series over the Beavers since MSU joined the NSIC. Last season the Wildcats rolled to a 48-0 victory over the Beavers. The Wildcats are 2-0 to start the year.

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UND FOOTBALL

 

Grand Forks, N.D. (UND) – After rallying to defeat Northern Iowa 29-27 last weekend, #22 North Dakota will return to non-conference action this weekend and will visit Northern Arizona. The Fighting Hawks and Lumberjacks will face off at Findlay Toyota Field at 3 p.m. (CT) today. Both teams are 1-1 on the season. This will be the eighth all-time meeting between the Hawks and Lumberjacks, and the first since 2018 when Northern Arizona won 31-16. The Lumberjacks hold a 5-2 lead in the series. The wins by the Fighting Hawks came in 2014 and 2016.

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NDSU FOOTBALL

 

FARGO, ND (NDSU) – North Dakota State plays its first Football Bowl Subdivision opponent in six years tonight, when the Bison (2-0) take on the Arizona Wildcats (1-1) of the Pac-12 Conference. Game time is 10 p.m. CDT at Arizona Stadium (50,782) in Tucson, Ariz. Today’s game will be televised live nationally on Fox Sports 1. This is North Dakota State’s first meeting against a Pac-12 opponent. The Bison were scheduled to play Oregon in 2020, but that game was canceled due to COVID-19 and has been rescheduled for 2028. North Dakota State is 9-3 against FBS opponents and has won six in a row since 2010 with wins at Kansas (6-3), Minnesota (37-24), Colorado State (22-7), Kansas State (24-21), Iowa State (34-14) and 11th-ranked Iowa (23-21). NDSU’s first three FBS wins were against Ball State (2006), Central Michigan (2007) and Minnesota (2007).

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

 

CLEVELAND (AP) — Pinch-runner Ernie Clement raced home from second base on a wild pitch in the eighth inning for the go-ahead run and the AL-Central leading Cleveland Guardians rallied for a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night in the opener of a crucial five-game series. Clement ran for Josh Naylor, who led off the eighth with a single and took second on Oscar Gonzalez’s single. Jhoan Duran’s 2-1 pitch to Andrés Giménez bounced in front of catcher Gary Sánchez and went back to the screen on the fly. Sánchez couldn’t find the ball initially and Clement rounded third and slid headfirst into the home plate, beating Sánchez’s throw.

 

Cleveland leads third-place Minnesota by five games and has clinched the season series with a 10-5 edge, giving the Guardians the tiebreaker. The teams play a day-night doubleheader today followed by games Sunday and Monday. Cleveland swept a three-game series at Target Field last weekend and has won six straight over the Twins. The Guardians also gained a game on the Chicago White Sox, who lost 3-2 to Detroit in 10 innings. The Twins will add LHP Louie Varland (0-0, 3.38 ERA) as the 29th man to start today’s first game against Cleveland RHP Shane Bieber (10-8, 2.91 ERA). RHP Josh Winder (4-4, 3.83 ERA) will start the second game for Minnesota against LHP Konnor Pilkington (1-2, 4.30 ERA) who will be the Guardians’ 29th man.

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VIKINGS-JEFFERSON

 

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Justin Jefferson has proven to be one of the most difficult receivers in the NFL to cover, starting his third season seemingly with the potential to dominate the game for the next decade. The Minnesota Vikings are trying to toughen the task for their opponents, just by making it harder to figure out where Jefferson is going to be. As the 23-year-old keeps moving up on the lists of all-time records, the Vikings are moving him around the field as much as their playbook and the rules will allow — particularly before the snap. “I can be so many different places,” Jefferson said. “That’s how we kind of get away from the man to man, and if they do play man to man, we’ve got something for it.”

 

New coach Kevin O’Connell uses the term “illusion of complexity” to describe the offense he and his staff have installed with the Vikings, meaning an attempt to make the other team think there’s a lot going on when the assignment for each player is actually quite simple. Jefferson’s first of two touchdowns in the opener last week against Green Bay, when he torched the Packers for 184 receiving yards in the 23-7 victory, was a fourth-down play that began with him running from left to right behind quarterback Kirk Cousins before the ball was snapped. Fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen was lined up in the slot, and his slant route prompted two Packers defenders to initially turn his way. That left Jefferson all alone in the flat for the walk-in score.

 

“You know seven times out of 10 that he’s involved in the offensive play. Then when you get him moving, now the defense has to think — rethink what he’s doing from the position that he started in to what he’s doing in the new position,” said Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson, providing the other-side-of-the-ball perspective. “It’s going to be a great ride, and I can’t wait to see where it’s going to take us.” Thielen, who’s in his 10th year in the league, has marveled at Jefferson’s swift mastery of the position since he was drafted in the first round in 2020. “He makes it look so easy and smooth that it doesn’t really like flash out at you,” Thielen said. “Maybe the play wasn’t necessarily designed for man coverage, but he was able to beat it anyway.”

 

The syncing of the offense will be challenged on Monday night when the Vikings visit Philadelphia and those relentlessly raucous Eagles fans. Jefferson will be squarely in the spotlight again, as the player the Eagles passed on to draft wide receiver Jalen Reagor instead, one spot in front of him. “That’s when I like to have the best game, to showcase to the world what I have, and my argument is being the best receiver,” Jefferson said, adding: “Every mock draft had me going to Philly, so when Philly was on the board, getting a phone call and it being Minnesota, it was definitely a shocker. But I’m definitely happy, way more happy, to be here than there.” Reagor was traded to the Vikings last month. Minnesota also signed linebacker Jordan Hicks in the spring. Hicks played his first four years for Philadelphia, the last being the 2017-18 championship season. The Eagles won the Super Bowl, of course, at U.S. Bank Stadium.

 

When the Vikings went downtown to practice there early in training camp, Hicks felt those good memories rush back. “Every time I think back, it’s like a book. It’s a like a story. You’re opening the pages again,” said Hicks, who tied a career high with 14 tackles and had a sack and a forced fumble against Green Bay. Now he’ll try to repeat that performance in another familiar venue, even if it’s no longer friendly. “I’d imagine it’ll be pretty hostile, which is exciting. Anytime that juice is out there, it does nothing but amp you up,” Hicks said. “I’m excited.”

 

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Kindred and LaMoure-Litchville-Marion remain atop the Class 11B and Class 9B football polls this week. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)                  Record    Points    Last Week
1. Kindred (15)                                   4-0          79          1
2. Dickinson Trinity                             4-0          54          3
3. Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose  4-0           51         2
4. Bottineau                                        4-0          33          4
T5. Oakes                                           4-0           8          RV
T5. Thompson                                    4-0           8          RV

 

Others receiving votes: Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich (3-1)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)              Record    Points    Last Week
1. LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (16)   4-0          80         1
2. New Salem-Almont                     4-0          54         3
3. Cavalier                                       4-0          51         2
4. MayPort-C-G                              4-0           37         4
5. North Prairie                               4-0           13         5

 

Others receiving votes: South Border (3-1), Divide County (4-0)

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TWINS-ROYALS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sonny Gray cruised through seven sharp innings and the Minnesota Twins, despite losing AL batting leader Luis Arraez to an early injury, beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 Wednesday night. Gary Sánchez had a two-run double and Carlos Correa a couple hits for Minnesota, five games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland with 21 games remaining. Arraez got an infield hit, raising his average to .320, and scored in the first, then left after the inning with left hamstring tightness. An MRI did not show “anything substantial,” according to manager Rocco Baldelli. The Twins already have a pair of regulars on 10-day injured lists: center fielder Byron Buxton out since Aug. 23 with a right hip strain and second baseman Jorge Polanco (left knee inflammation) has been out since Sept. 3. Baldelli previously said Polanco might return this week, but Buxton is further away.

 

Acquired from Cincinnati in March, Gray (8-4) has been a top-of-the-rotation guy for Minnesota all season. He breezed through the Kansas City lineup much of the night, allowing three hits and striking out eight — seven looking. The right-hander has been especially strong for the Twins since the All-Star break, going 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA and allowing two or fewer earned runs in nine of those 10 starts.

 

Michael Massey had two of the five hits for Kansas City, which did not send more than four men to the plate in an inning against Gray. Through five innings, just one Royals runner advanced to second base and that came on a passed ball. Making his second start after missing 17 games with right forearm tightness, Zack Greinke (4-9) allowed three runs and struck out one in four innings. Kansas City has lost six straight at Target Field and failed to score in 43 of its past 44 innings there. It scored three times in the ninth inning Tuesday after being no-hit for eight innings. Greinke was done in by a 40-pitch first inning. Sánchez hit a two-out, two-run double and the Twins left the bases loaded when León grounded back sharply to Greinke. Greinke is 0-7 with a 6.36 ERA in a dozen starts away from Kauffman Stadium this season; he’s 4-2 with a 1.93 ERA in 11 games at home. His last road win was 16 road starts ago, on Aug. 13, 2021, he pitched for Houston. A sacrifice fly by Gio Urshela scored pinch-runner Billy Hamilton in the Twins seventh.

 

UP NEXT

The three-game wraps up series today with LHP Daniel Lynch (4-10, 5.14) the scheduled starter for Kansas City. Minnesota plans to start RHP Dylan Bundy (8-7. 4.68).

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PACKERS-RECEIVERS

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday that running backs A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones need to get the ball more than they did in a season-opening defeat at Minnesota. The reigning MVP suggested the Packers need to stick with the running game more than they did in the 23-7 loss to the Vikings. The Packers finished with 39 pass attempts and 18 carries. “We maybe reacted to the score a little bit,” Rodgers said. “And we were running the ball well, I think we ran it about 6 a clip, so we’ve just got to stick with the run, make sure we get our attempts where we want them to be because that means one of those guys is touching the ball probably.”

 

Jones and Dillon are Rodgers’ top playmakers now that two-time All-Pro receiver Davante Adams is with the Las Vegas Raiders. Dillon had 10 carries for 45 yards and five catches for 46 yards at Minnesota. Jones had five carries for 49 yards plus three catches for 27 yards. Packers coach Matt LaFleur has emphasized the need to give them more opportunities. “They’re two of our better players. I think everybody recognizes that,” LaFleur said. “And they’re versatile. You can use them, whoever you want to put in the backfield, whether you put them both in the backfield, whether you put one at receiver, they provide us with some flexibility to do little different things from an offensive perspective.”

 

The Packers must get more punch from their offense after posting their lowest scoring total since the 2021 season opener, which they lost 38-3 to the New Orleans Saints. They host the Chicago Bears (1-0) on Sunday night. Packers wideouts caught a combined 12 passes for 120 yards at Minnesota. For comparison’s sake, Adams caught 10 passes for 141 yards in the Raiders’ season-opening 24-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bears say any offense led by Rodgers remains dangerous even without Adams on the roster. The Packers are 23-5 against the Bears in games their four-time MVP has started. In one of the losses, Rodgers departed with an injury after the opening series. “Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers regardless (of) who he has,” Bears defensive end Robert Quinn said. “He’s bound to make something happen. I’m not in that locker room, but I’m sure because of his credentials, he tries to bring everyone up to his level regardless of if they’re a first-rounder or undrafted. Again, I’m not in that locker room. But I think he’s going to bring everyone up to his standards.”

 

The dilemma for Rodgers is how to bring Green Bay’s rookie receivers up to that standard. “We’ve got to be patient with them,” Rodgers said. “The most important thing we’re going to be harping on is the preparation and the fundamentals and the little things. The jump happens when you don’t become a robot anymore. You understand the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ — why are we doing what we’re doing and what are we trying to accomplish? And it takes a while for anybody.”

 

Romeo Doubs, the rookie fourth-round pick from Nevada, led Green Bay wideouts with four catches for 37 yards Sunday. Christian Watson, the second-round pick from North Dakota State, had two catches for 34 yards. Allen Lazard, the Packers’ top returning receiver, was limited in practice Wednesday. He missed the Vikings game with an ankle injury. “Can’t predict the future,” Lazard said about his chances of playing. “Probably is probably the best answer I could give you.” Green Bay’s top options at wide receiver are Lazard, Watson, Doubs and veterans Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins. Amari Rodgers, the 2021 third-round pick from Clemson, didn’t play a single snap on offense against the Vikings. They Packers need to deal with whatever growing pains Watson and Doubs endure. That means trying to build their confidence as much as possible early on. “We don’t want to put them in a position where there’s a high likelihood of maybe not getting it right,” Rodgers said. “But we also want to let them, in the moment, feel the pressure and anxiety and the expectation of being in that moment and see how they respond because that’s how we’re going to know what kind of guys we’ve got.”

 

Watson got that chance on the Packers’ first play from scrimmage Sunday but dropped a likely 75-yard touchdown pass. “It’s a play that I know I can make, and I know I’m going to make a bunch of those down the road,” Watson said. “My mentality is on to the next. Obviously net time it comes my way, I’ll capitalize on that.” Rodgers is eager to see how well his young receivers capitalize on their chances the next few weeks. “The most important thing for a jump to happen is not repeat the same mistake twice,” Rodgers said.” These guys are going to make a lot of mistakes. The guys who don’t repeat the same mistakes are going to get more opportunities.”

 

NOTES: OG Jon Runyan Jr. (concussion) didn’t practice Wednesday. … OLs David Bakhtiari (knee) and Elgton Jenkins (knee) were limited practice participants. Neither played at Minnesota. … The Packers signed S Mike Brown to the practice squad.

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Joel Holmen threw for 288 yards and four touchdowns as Tioga defeated Lewis & Clark 30-16 in a Class 9B football we broadcast on K-Heart. The Pirates improve to 4-0, while the Bombers drop to 1-4.

 

Other scores Tuesday:

 

 

NWC Stanley – Prairie Rose Golf Course
1. New Town, 23
2. Surrey, 96
3. Kenmare-Burke Central-Bowbells, 97
4. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 111
5. Stanley, 134
6. Trinity Christian, 135
7. Bishop Ryan, 140
8. Garrison, 227
9. Tioga, 228
10. Beach, 229

 

Individual winner: Colt Spotted Bear of New Town, 17:14

 

 

 

NWC Stanley – Prairie Rose Golf Course
1. Stanley, 56
2. New Town, 59
3. Kenmare-Burke Central-Bowbells, 63
4. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 92
5. Surrey, 98
6. Bishop Ryan, 116

 

Individual winner: Brynn Hanson of DLB/L&C, 19:17

 

 

High School Boys Soccer
Minot High 3, Bismarck High 1
Jamestown 1, Dickinson 0
Bismarck Legacy 7, Williston 0
Bismarck Century 2, Mandan 2

 

 

High School Girls Swimming & Diving
Minot 145, Bismarck High 40

 

 

High School Boys Tennis
Minot High 8, Bismarck Century 1
Mandan 5, Bismarck High 4

 

 

 

Class A
#2 Bismarck Century def. #5 Jamestown (3-1) 26-24, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23
Bismarck Legacy def. #3 Bismarck High (3-0) 25-14, 25-13, 25-23
Minot High def. Watford City (3-2) 25-7, 25-15, 20-25, 26-28, 15-8
Williston def. Mandan (3-1) 19-25, ??-??, 25-17, 25-1
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Turtle Mountain (3-0) 25-7, 25-12, 25-10

 

Class B
#3 Kenmare-Bowbells def. Glenburn (3-0) 25-15, 25-4, 25-6
#4 Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich def. North Prairie (3-0) 25-22, 25-17, 25-20
#9 Our Redeemer’s def. North Star (3-0) 25-20, 25-23, 25-14
#10 Beulah def. Hazen (3-1) 25-12, 25-19, 20-25, 25-12
Rugby def. Nedrose (3-0) 25-15, 25-15, 25-12
Velva def. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood (3-1) 25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 25-11
TGU def. South Prairie-Max (3-2) 25-23, 25-13, 17-25, 12-25, 15-13
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Ray (3-0) 25-22, 25-12, 25-17
Bottineau def. Dunseith (3-0) 25-16, 25-8, 25-16
Harvey-Well County def. St. John (3-0) 25-12, 25-10, 25-11
Shiloh Christian def. Wilton-Wing (3-0) 25-18, 25-15, 25-22
Washburn def. Flasher (3-1) 25-20, 16-25, 25-19, 25-15
Central McLean def. Standing Rock (3-0) 25-10, 25-5, 25-15
Killdeer def. Stanley (3-2) 25-23, 23-25, 10-25, 26-24, 15-13
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TWINS-ROYALS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota rookie Joe Ryan and reliever Jovani Moran combined to pitch no-hit ball until Bobby Witt Jr. doubled with one out in the ninth inning as the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 on Tuesday night. Ryan was pulled after seven innings and 106 pitches, four shy of his big league high. There has never been a no-hitter at Target Field and the Royals hadn’t come close to getting one against him. The crowd of 19,005 booed when Twins manager Rocco Baldelli sent Moran to the mound to start the eighth. “I’m not worried about that,” Baldelli said . “I want what’s best for this team and I want to go to the playoffs and I want to win games in the playoffs, and that’s the priority for me right now.”

 

Ryan tried to plead his case. “He said, ‘Listen, I’ve thrown like 156 pitches in a game,’ which is fantastical, but I think true,” Baldelli said. “But all that said, it doesn’t really affect what goes on here and the fact that we need him to go pitch against the Guardians later on this week.” In fact, when he was a senior at Cal State Stanislaus, Ryan did throw 142 pitches in a game against Cal Poly Pomona in 2018. Ryan said he understood Baldelli’s rationale. “The pitch count obviously comes into play. We’re trying to win some games and I’m throwing in five days again, too,′ Ryan said.

 

Moran worked a perfect eighth. He struck out Drew Waters to begin the ninth before walking pinch-hitter Hunter Dozier and MJ Melendez. The Royals hadn’t come close to a hit until Witt lined a 1-2 fastball for a clean drive to deep left for an RBI double, setting off more boos from the fans. “I wanted to help and be part of that no-hitter, but that’s part of the game,” Moran said. “And of course I’m going to get mad because I wanted to do my best and get that out, but it happens.” Sebastian Rivero followed with an infield hit that drove in another run and Vinnie Pasquantino had a sacrifice fly. The Twins’ last no-hitter was by Francisco Liriano against the White Sox on May 3, 2011 in Chicago.

 

Carlos Correa, Jose Miranda and Gio Urshela hit home runs as the Twins snapped a three-game skid. They remained five games behind Cleveland in the AL Central. Ryan (11-8) struck out nine, walked two and set down his last 12 batters. He has never gone past seven innings in his career and had lost three of his previous four decisions. The 26-year-old righty had never gone past seven innings in his career. He has a big league high of 110 pitches, done Aug. 9 at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ryan was a member of last year’s U.S. Olympic team and was traded to Twins by Rays while he was in Japan.

 

The Royals avoided being no-hit for the first time since 2008 when Jon Lester shut them down in Boston. “What’s going on in the dugout is frustration,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “Guys realizing that it’s embarrassing when you get no-hit. Going up there fighting through their at-bats, but it’s not something you want to have them finish off.” “So it was good to put a couple runs on, get

some positive things going, and hopefully it’ll translate into more offense tomorrow.” Kris Bubic (2-12) allowed 10 hits and five runs with six strikeouts in five innings.

 

UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Zack Greinke (4-8) makes his 23rd start of the season tonight. He is 0-3 against Minnesota this season with a 4.20 ERA in those outings. He’s 0-6 on the road this season. Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (7-4) will look to go 3-0 against the Royals this season when he takes the mound tonight.

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – It may be Tuesday, but we have high school football on the air tonight. We’ll travel out to Berthold where the Lewis & Clark Bombers play host to the Tioga Pirates. The Bombers are 1-3 on the season while the Pirates are undefeated at 3-0. Pregame is set for 6:40 pm on 106.9 K-Heart on streamed online at www.kkhrt.com.
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MINOT, ND – There are changes in this weeks Class 11AA and 11A football polls. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)       Record    Points    Last Week
1. Fargo Shanly (16)                3-0           83        2
2. Fargo Davies                        2-1          57        3
3. Mandan                                 2-1          45        1
4. West Fargo Sheyenne (1)    2-1          41        4
5. Minot                                      2-1          21       NR

 

Others receiving votes: Bismarck Legacy (2-1)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)    Record    Points    Last Week
1. Jamestown (15)                 3-0         83         1  
2. Fargo North (2)                   3-0         70         2
3. Grand Forks Red River      3-1         42         4
4. Fargo South                        2-1        26         3
5. Valley City                           3-0         21        RV

 

Others receiving votes: Dickinson (2-1)

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Monday:

 

 

Class B
Drake-Anamoose def. Four Winds-Minnewauken (3-0) 25-13, 25-14, 25-7
Ray def. Berthold (3-1) 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 26-24
Divide County def. Tioga (3-0) 25-9, 25-15, 25-14

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MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

 

SEATTLE (AP) — It was a familiar scene in Seattle: Russell Wilson leading his team downfield for a game-winning score late in the fourth quarter. This time, he wasn’t given a chance by his new coach in Denver, pulled off the field in exchange for a 64-yard field goal attempt that left plenty of confusion and the Seattle Seahawks celebrating an unexpected season-opening, 17-16 victory over the Broncos on Monday night. With the Broncos facing fourth-and-5 in Seahawks territory with a minute remaining and all their timeouts, coach Nathaniel Hackett opted to let the clock run down to 20 seconds before sending out Brandon McManus to try the low-percentage kick.

 

Geno Smith threw two first-half touchdown passes as the Seahawks’ offense started brilliantly in the post-Wilson era. Denver had plenty of chances after halftime but fumbled twice at the 1-yard line. Smith finished 23 of 28 for 195 yards, but was 17 of 18 for 164 yards in the first half. Then came the final minute, which raised plenty of questions about Hackett’s clock management and decision-making in his debut as a head coach. NFL kickers are 2 for 35 on attempts of 64 yards or more since 1991, according to Sportradar, and McManus’ career long is 61 yards. The kick missed wide left, and instead of Wilson leading the 36th career fourth-quarter or overtime comeback of his career, the Seahawks celebrated to chants of “Geno! Geno!”

 

Wilson was 29 of 42 for 340 yards and a touchdown. But Denver couldn’t overcome its red-zone inefficiency with both Melvin Gordon III and Williams fumbling on plays snapped at Seattle 1-yard line.

 

 

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – The Minot State Beavers gave head coach TJ Perez career victory No. 1 on Sunday. The Beavers scored early then hung on defensively to defeated the St. Cloud State Huskies 1-0 at First Western Bank Field at Herb Parker Stadium to earn the Beavers their first victory of the season. Minot State scored the lone goal when Brooklyn Casey scored her first goal of the season in the eighth minute, assisted by Emma Monsen for Monsen’s first collegiate point. The Huskies (1-4-0, 0-2-0) came out of halftime with intense pressure, but just weren’t able to secure the needed goal to tie. Minot State (1-2-2 overall, 1-1-0 NSIC) continues a four-game home-stand hosting Southwest Minnesota State on Friday at 7 p.m.

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VIKINGS-PACKERS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Having boldly stated before the season his goal to be the best receiver in the league, Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson can already stake a claim to this subjective yet coveted status. Aaron Rodgers can only wish Jefferson was on his side. Jefferson smashed rival Green Bay for 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a record-setting first half, giving new Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell a 23-7 win in his first game Sunday — and the team its largest margin of victory over the Packers with Rodgers at quarterback. After accumulating the most receiving yards (3,016) in a player’s first two years in the NFL, Jefferson set an all-time Vikings receiving record with 158 yards in the first half. Kirk Cousins completed 23 of 32 passes for 277 yards without a turnover, targeting Jefferson on more than a third of his throws and keeping the Packers on their heels for most of the afternoon. O’Connell, who served as offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams last season, had Jefferson moving all over the formation to help keep him away from star Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander.

 

Rodgers’ first game without Davante Adams was filled with frustration, and the three-time defending NFC North champion Packers fell flat in their opener for the second straight season. The Packers are going to need a healthy offensive line for once, too, after they played most of the second half with three backups. Sporting a fresh haircut after a summer of personal rejuvenation, Rodgers returned to an offensive cast that needs plenty of work — running back duo Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon aside. Rodgers went 22 for 34 for 195 yards, and LaFleur blamed himself for Jones only getting five carries and three catches. Second-round draft pick Christian Watson, who was taken after the Packers traded up with the Vikings for the No. 34 overall selection, juked past 12-year veteran Patrick Peterson on the first snap for the Packers and let what would’ve been a 75-yard touchdown pass slip through his hands. Rodgers even had his NFL-record streak against division opponents of 38 touchdown passes without an interception stopped near the end of the second quarter when his see-what-happens heave was picked off by Harrison Smith. The last one was snagged by Detroit’s Amani Oruwariye on Dec. 29, 2019.

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Andrés Giménez and Steven Kwan hit solo homers, Shane Bieber had another strong start and the Cleveland Guardians finished off a sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 4-1 win Sunday. Bieber (10-8) went 6 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and one run while striking out seven. Bieber has allowed more than two runs just once in his last nine starts. James Karinchak walked a pair of batters in the ninth inning but struck out three to earn his second save. Cleveland had lost nine of its previous 13 games but still held a 1 1/2 game lead over Minnesota in the American League Central entering the series. The Guardians strengthened their position and the Twins have lost nine of 11 and are in third place, 4 1/2 games back. Josh Winder (4-4) gave up two runs in four innings for the Twins after being recalled from Triple-A St. Paul before the game. Winder, who made his first major league start since July 13, had recently returned from the minor league injured list. The Guardians have won five straight games against Minnesota and posted their first series sweep of the Twins since 2017. After an off day, RHP Joe Ryan (10-8, 4.05) will start the series opener against Kansas City on Tuesday. The Royals will start LHP Kris Bubic (2-11, 5.40).

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose scored seven touchdowns in defeating Nedrose 50-14 Friday night, in a game we broadcast on K-Heart. Sophmore quarterback Ben Schepp led the way for the Aggies passing for 298 yards and four touchdowns and he also rushed for a score. Cardinals quarterback Josh Kalamaha passed for 135 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. His favorite receiver was Keaton Cole with four catches for 120 yards, including a 37 yard scoring strike and a 57 yard TD both coming on fourth and long situations. The #2-ranked Aggies improve to 4-0, while Nedrose drops to 1-2.

 

Other scores from Friday:

 

 

Class 11AA
Minot High def. #1 Mandan, 35-26 (first win over Mandan since 2017)
#2 Fargo Shanley def. Fargo South (11A #3), 49-0
#3 Fargo Davies def. Bismarck High, 35-28
#4 West Fargo Sheyenne def. Bismarck Century, 41-14
Bismarck Legacy def. #5 West Fargo, 7-6
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Williston, 21-7

 

Class 11A
#1 Jamestown def. Grand Forks Central, 42-28
#2 Fargo North def. Wahpeton, 40-0
#4 Grand Forks Red River def. Turtle Mountain, 47-12
#5 Dickinson def. Watford City, 42-7
Valley City def. Devils Lake, 53-7

 

Class 11B
#1 Kindred def. Fargo Oak Grove, 46-14
#3 Dickinson Trinity def. #5 Shiloh Christian, 49-35
#4 Bottineau def. Harvey-Wells County, 46-20
Bishop Ryan def. South Prairie-Max, 42-6
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 34-0
Ray-Powers Lake def. Stanley, 36-13
Beulah def. Heart River, 36-8
Hazen def. Soouthern McLean, 40-6
Bowman County def. Killdeer, 46-6
Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich def. Rugby, 30-6
Thompson def. Carrington, 36-14
Hillsboro-Central Valley def. Grafton, 50-8
Oakes def. Park River Area, 48-12
Sargent County def. Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm, 32-6
Linton-HMB def. Northern Cass, 38-6
Central Cass def. Lisbon, 36-6

 

Class 9B
Tri-State forfeits to #1 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion
#2 Cavalier def. Nelson County, 30-20
#3 New Salem-Almont def. South Border, 36-28
#4 May-Port-CG def. Griggs-Midkota, 49-0
#5 North Prairie def. Benson County, 66-20
Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn def. Dunseith, 64-26
Divide County def. Surrey, 38-6
St. John def. TGU, 62-20
Central McLean def. Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, 44-36
Beach def. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron, 38-8
Grant County-Flasher def. Hettinger-Scranton, 28-12
Hettinger County def. Kidder County, 16-12
North Border def. North Star, 48-38
Larimore def. Midway-Minto, 74-8
Maple River def. Hatton-Northwood, 34-12
Hankinson def. Enderlin, 37-0
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood def. Richland, 37-8

 

Independent 6-Man
Center-Stanton def. Trenton, 55-19

 

 

East-West Crossover – Fargo/West Fargo
Minot High 4, Fargo South 1
Minot High 3, Fargo North 2
West Fargo Sheyenne 4, Minot High 1
Mandan 4, Valley City 1
Fargo Davies 4, Mandan 1
Grand Forks Red River 8, Jamestown 0
Grand Forks Central 8, Jamestown 0
Wahpeton 4, Bismarck Century 1
West Fargo 3, Bismarck Century 2
Bismarck Legacy 3, Fargo North 2
Wahpeton 3, Bismarck Legacy 2
Fargo Shanley 3, Bismarck Legacy 2
Williston 3, Fargo North 2
West Fargo Sheyenne 4, Williston 1
Fargo South 6, Bismarck High 1
West Fargo Sheyenne 5, Bismarck High 0

 

High School Girls Volleyball
Class A
Dickinson def. Turtle Mountain (3-0) 25-16, 25-18, 25-12

 

College Womens Soccer
Minnesota-Duluth def. Minot State, 1-0

 

College Womens Volleyball
#14 Minnesota-Duluth def. Minot State (3-0) 25-12, 25-11, 25-15

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MSU CROSS COUNTRY

 

MOORHEAD, Minn. (MSU) – One week ago, Minot State’s Jacob Jensen was only bested by a trio of NCAA Division I runners. Friday in Minnesota, no one could beat the Beavers’ senior. Jensen won his first race of the fall in 17 minutes, 48.53 seconds, and teammate Nicholas Merillana added a seventh-place finish for the Minot State men’s cross-country team, which was second only to D-I North Dakota State at the MSU Moorhead Dragon Twilight. The Beavers scored 68 points to finish second out of nine teams, just behind North Dakota State, which scored 20 team points. Meanwhile, Jensen picked up the win on the 6-kilometer course in a new NCAA Division II-era record time, besting NDSU runner Hunter Klimek by seven seconds. Merillana finished seventh in 18:02.51, Trent Holiday helped out finishing 16th in 18:54.79, and Charles Hardcastle added one more Top-25 effort, placing 24th in 19:11.62 for the Beavers. Grayson Bonilla was next in 26th in 19:21.04, then came Camden Jasmin in 39th in 19:53.76, Casey McMahon was 42nd in 19:57.39, Juan Gutierrez finished 48th in 20:08.27, Yoni Heyshtadt was 49th in 20:09.00, Peyton Tuhy was 63rd in 20:49.46, Cael Lorenz finished 81st in 22:11.21, and Dylan Weinand took 93rd in 24:23.22.

 

On the women’s side, only four Minot State runners finished the race, leaving the Beavers without a team score. Nicole Reeves led the way with her second strong performance in just her second collegiate race as the freshman was 24th in 14:34.64 on the women’s 4K course. Paulette Dominguez was next in 28th in 14:42.57, then Emery Smith finished 29th in 14:44.09, and Sidra Sadowsky was 63rd in 16:21.22. North Dakota State won the women’s title with 24 points, while NDSU’s Kaleesa Houston was the women’s individual champion in 13:19.05.

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TWINS-GUARDIANS

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Oscar Gonzalez hit two home runs and drove in five runs, and Austin Hedges added a solo homer as the Cleveland Guardians held on for a 7-6 win against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. Gonzalez, the surprise rookie, had four hits and Cal Quantrill (12-5) won his eighth straight decision. Cleveland scored the first seven runs of the game, including four in the first inning after the start was delayed 1:16 due to rain. Minnesota’s Carlos Correa hit a two-run homer off Guardians reliever James Karinchak in the eighth, but Karinchak stranded the tying run at second to end the inning and Emmanuel Clase finished for his 32nd save. Correa had four hits, homering for the third straight game, and driving in four runs during the comeback. Minnesota starter Dylan Bundy (8-7) surrendered season-highs with seven runs and 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings. The Twins have lost seven of nine. The Guardians extended their lead in the American League Central to 1 1/2 games over the Chicago White Sox and 2 1/2 over Minnesota. The Guardians and Twins play seven more times over the next two weeks. RHP Triston McKenzie (9-11, 3.18 ERA) starts for Cleveland in the second game of the series tonight. Minnesota counters with RHP Chris Archer (2-7, 4.47).

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PACKERS-INJURIES

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard didn’t practice this week and is unlikely to play in their season opener Sunday at Minnesota. The Packers’ injury report lists Lazard as doubtful due to an ankle injury. Lazard is the Packers’ top returning receiver after catching 40 passes for 513 yards and eight touchdowns last season to set career highs in all three categories. The Packers lost much of their firepower at wide receiver when two-time All-Pro Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.

 

Packers offensive linemen David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins are listed as questionable as they return from torn anterior cruciate ligaments in their left knees. Bakhtiari has appeared in just one game since hurting his knee on Dec. 31, 2020. He played in the Packers’ regular-season finale at Detroit last season, but wasn’t available for their NFC divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Jenkins injured his knee Nov. 21 at Minnesota. If they’re both available, Bakhtiari would start at his usual spot at left tackle with the versatile Jenkins starting at right tackle.

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MLB-RULES CHANGES

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is introducing some of its most radical rules next season, adopting a pitch clock and limiting defensive shifts after concluding modern analytics created a slower, less entertaining sport. The decisions were made Friday by the sport’s 11-man competition committee over the unanimous opposition of the panel’s four players. Commissioner Rob Manfred pushed for the innovations along with a management team that included former Boston and Chicago Cubs executive Theo Epstein, now an MLB consultant. “The influx of data in our industry,” Epstein said, “have not improved the game from an esthetic standpoint or from an entertainment standpoint. So in my role now, it’s my responsibility to try to look at the big picture, think about what’s great for fans.” Players supported the third major initiative: larger bases that are expected to lessen injuries and lead to more stolen bases because of a decreased distance of 4 1/2 inches. Manfred called the rules an attempt to “bring back the best form of baseball.” “Number one, fans want games with better pace,” he said during a news conference. “Two, fans want more action, more balls in play. And three, fans want to see more of the athleticism of our great players.”

 

Union head Tony Clark was noticeably absent, as he was at the announcement of an agreement in March that ended a 99-day lockout. “Players live the game — day in and day out. On-field rules and regulations impact their preparation, performance, and ultimately, the integrity of the game itself,” the union said in a statement. “Major League Baseball was unwilling to meaningfully address the areas of concern that players raised.”

 

The pitch clock will be set at 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners — up from the 14/19 tested at Triple-A this season and 14/18 at lower minor league levels. There will be a limit of two of what MLB calls disengagements — pickoff attempts or steps off the rubber — per plate appearance, and a balk would be called for a third or more unless there is an out. The disengagement limit, which some players predict will beneft baserunners, would be reset if a runner advances. A catcher is required to be in the catcher’s box with nine seconds left on the clock and a hitter in the batter’s box and focused on the pitcher with eight seconds remaining. Penalties for violations will be a ball called against a pitcher and a strike called against a batter. A batter can ask an umpire for time once per plate appearance, and after that it would be granted only at the umpire’s discretion if the request is made while in the batter’s box.

 

The clock, which some players suggested be altered for late and close situations, has helped reduce the average time of a nine-inning game in the minor leagues from 3 hours, 4 minutes in 2021 to 2:38 this season. The average time of a nine-inning game in the major leagues this year is 3:07, up from 2:46 in 1989 and 2:30 in the mid-1950s. “It reminded me of the game that I grew up watching in the ’70s and ’80,” said former outfielder Raúl Ibañez, now an MLB senior vice president.

 

Two infielders will be required to be on either side of second and all infielders to be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber. Infielders may not switch sides unless there is a substitution, but five-man infields will still be allowed, MLB executive vice president Morgan Sword said. Shifts have soared from 2,357 times on balls hit in play in 2011 to 28,130 in 2016 and 59,063 last year, according to Sports Info Solutions. Shifts are on pace for 68,000 this season. “I think fans will cherish the moments absent the extreme defensive shifts when games are decided not by whether their team’s infield is positioned by the perfect algorithm, but by whether their team’s second baseman can range to make an athletic dive playing with everything on the line,” Epstein said. MLB’s season batting average has dropped from .267 in 1997 to .243 this year, with a team’s average runs declining from 4.77 to 4.33. “The game has evolved in a way that nobody would have chosen if we were sitting down 25 years ago to chart a path towards the best version of baseball,” Epstein said. “Nobody would have asked for fans to have to wait more than four minutes for balls to be put into play. Nobody would have asked for generational lows and stolen bases, triples and doubles.”

 

Base size will increase to 18-inch squares from 15 — first basemen are less likely to get stepped on. In addition, each team will be allowed a sixth mound visit in the ninth inning next year, if it has used five during the first eight innings. Until last winter, MLB needed one year advance notice to amend on-field rules without union approval but the March lockout settlement established the committee. Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty, Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow, Blue Jays infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield and Giants outfielder Austin Slater represented players Friday, a group that included Cubs infielder Ian Happ as an alternate. “It’s going to be hard on guys. … It’s a shame that that we weren’t taken more seriously,” Merrifield said. “It’s an overcorrect and they’re going to have to tweak it. And that’s just what we were trying to avoid.”

 

Seattle chairman John Stanton headed the committee, which included include St. Louis CEO Bill DeWitt Jr., San Francisco chairman Greg Johnson, Colorado CEO Dick Monfort, Toronto CEO Mark Shapiro and Boston chairman Tom Werner, along with umpire Bill Miller. “It’s hard to get consensus among the group of players on changing the game,” Manfred said. “I think at the end of the day what we did here was about giving fans the kind of game they want to see.”

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – We have Class 11B football on the air tonight as #2 Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose will host Nedrose in a Region 3 battle. The Aggies are undefeated at 3-0, while the Cardinals are 1-1. Pregame is set for 6:40 pm on 106.9 K-Heart and online at khrt.com.

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MINOT, ND – Scores from Thursday:

 

 

Class 9B
Alexander def. Lewis & Clark, 14-8
New Rockford-Sheyenne def. Four Winds, 42-14

 

 

Dickinson Invite – Heart River Golf Course
1. Bismarck Century, 315
2. Bismarck Legacy, 330
3. Mandan, 331
4. Minot High, 350
5. Jamestown, 355
6. Williston, 374
7. Bismarck St. Mary’s, 378
8. Dickinson, 379
9. Minot North, 409
10. Bismarck High, 437
11. Watford City, 439

 

Medalist: Hannah Herbel of Bismarck Century, 72

 

High School Boys Soccer
Minot High 2, Jamestown 1
Bismarck High 10, Dickinson 0
Bismarck Legacy 5, Mandan 2
Williston 3, Bismarck Century 2

 

High School Boys Tennis
Minot High 9, Jamestown 0
Bismarck Legacy 5, Williston 0 (rain shortened)
Bismarck Century 8, Bismarck High 1

 

 

Class A
#4 Bismarck High def. Mandan (3-0) 25-15, 25-19, 25-16
#5 Jamestown def. Bismarck St. Mary’s (3-1) 25-18, 25-22, 18-25, 25-12
Bismarck Legacy def. Minot High (3-1) 25-19, 18-25, 25-21, 25-13
Watford City def. Turtle Mountain (3-1)

 

Class B
#3 Kenmare-Bowbells def. South Prairie-Max (3-0) 25-5, 25-14, 25-11
Central McLean def. #8 Grant County (3-0) 25-20, 25-17, 25-12
#9 Our Redeemer’s def. Velva (3-0) 25-9, 25-16, 25-23
#10 Beulah def. Hettinger-Scranton (3-0) 25-22, 25-23, 25-21
Des Lacs-Burlington def. Rugby (3-0) 25-23, 25-23, 25-23
Bishop Ryan def. Bottineau (3-0) 25-23, 25-15, 25-17
Nedrose def. TGU (3-0) 25-22, 31-29, 28-26
Newburg-Westhope def. Glenburn (3-0) 25-12, 25-17, 25-20
Drake-Anamoose def. Surrey (3-1)
Stanley def. Berthold (3-1)
Ray def. Divide County (3-0) 25-22, 25-21, 25-20
Glen Ullin-Hebron def. Hazen (3-1) 16-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-14
Shiloh Christian def. Center-Stanton (3-0) 25-20, 25-19, 25-21
New Salem-Almont def. Washburn (3-1) 12-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-5
North Prairie def. St. John (3-0) 25-12, 25-11, 25-9

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TWINS-YANKEES

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Correa responded to booing Yankees fans with a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning, and the Minnesota Twins beat New York 4-3 on Thursday night to avoid a four-game sweep. Correa’s two-out drive off former Fordham pitcher Greg Weissert followed an unsuccessful video review called by the Yankees after what New York thought should have been the third out. The Yankees maintained Wandy Peralta (2-4) got to first in time on the flip from first baseman Marwin Gonzalez on Jake Cave’s grounder, but replays showed Peralta trapped the ball with his glove against his body. Yankees manager Aaron Boone bounded from the dugout to argue with crew chief Larry Vanover and threw his hands up in frustration before leaving the field. One out later, Correa connected on a 1-2 slider for his 18th homer, his second in two days. It gave Minnesota a 4-2 lead and he pounded his chest in the direction of his dugout while rounding third base. Since the start of 2017, the Twins are just 2-16 in regular season games at Yankee Stadium. The Twins closed within 1 1/2 games of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central ahead of a weekend series against the Guardians in Minnesota.

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VIKINGS-O’CONNELL

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Kevin O’Connell takes the field with the Minnesota Vikings for his first game as a head coach, the 37-year-old will carry with him the blank slate that’s one of the benefits of being a rookie in this high-pressure, much-coveted job. O’Connell needn’t be concerned for now about being booed at home by impatient or inebriated fans. His play calls and game management will be closely scrutinized in the media, at the stadium and on the couch, sure, but even with a ready-made roster full of proven starters and more than a couple of stars, the heat won’t turn up every week he doesn’t win for a while. Matt LaFleur hasn’t helped his cause.

 

No head coach in NFL history has fared better over his first three seasons than LaFleur, who will take his staggering 39-10 record with the Green Bay Packers and three NFC North titles to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. The last two of those first-place finishes came in a runaway, one reason why O’Connell is here as the successor to Mike Zimmer in this attempt by the Vikings to reset without rebuilding and retake the division they haven’t won since 2017. “I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t going to be a little extra excited, a little bit more than just any other game,” said O’Connell, who was offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams last season. “This isn’t just any other game.”

 

LaFleur was also a first-timer when he was hired by the Packers at age 39, bringing a similar background of playing and coaching quarterback and serving as an offensive coordinator on the way up. He and O’Connell both held that role under Rams head coach Sean McVay (LaFleur in 2017 and O’Connell from 2020-21), and they have the same agent (Trace Armstrong). “Just being around him at the owners’ meetings and knowing what Sean had to say about him, he’s a guy that I definitely respect,” LaFleur said. “He’s a guy that definitely carries himself the right way. He’s worked at it, and he’s deserving of this opportunity.”

 

NEW TARGETS

In his 18th season with Green Bay, his 15th as the starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers will be without his trusty go-to wide receiver following the departure of All-Pro Davante Adams. Allen Lazard, the leading returner at that position, is uncertain to play due to an ankle injury. The possibilities for filling that production include two well-regarded rookies: Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Watson was drafted in the second round out of North Dakota State with the pick (No. 34 overall) traded to the Packers by the Vikings as they moved down to net another selection. “I definitely feel like there’ll be a little bit of nerves, it being my first one,” said Watson, who was limited by a knee injury in training camp but fully participated in practice this week. “I’m confident in myself and confident in the playbook. If I do get the chance I feel like I’ll be ready to go.” Doubs was a fourth-rounder out of Nevada. “Our confidence is still high,” Doubs said. “Allen Lazard, regardless of if he plays or not, he’ll still push us the same way as he would if he was playing.”

 

NEW DIRECTIONS

The Vikings have an almost entirely new staff, with O’Connell bringing a new scheme with offensive coordinator Wes Phillips from the Rams. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has a 3-4-based system in place on the other side of the ball. Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels has supplied fresh energy and strategy as well. This will also be Adam Stenavich’s first game as offensive coordinator for Green Bay and Rich Bisaccia’s debut as special teams coordinator. Bisaccia, who served as interim head coach for Las Vegas last season, was brought in to help fix a facet of the game that has lagged badly for the Packers in recent years. New Vikings punt returner Jalen Reagor, who was acquired in a trade last week with Philadelphia, can attest to that. He had a 73-yard punt return touchdown as a rookie in 2020 against Green Bay. “I’m salivating over this guy,” Daniels said. “This guy’s got some weight to him. He’s really hard to tackle. He has the ability to make you miss. He’s elusive, and obviously he has the home run speed to take it the distance. That’s what makes him so spooky.”

 

LEG UP

By all accounts, Vikings kicker Greg Joseph — whose 29-yard field goal as time expired gave Minnesota a 34-31 victory over Green Bay last season at U.S. Bank Stadium — had a strong training camp. Strong enough, actually, that O’Connell sounded open to extending Joseph’s range in games. The 28-year-old’s career long is 55 yards, one of seven 50-plus yarders he made in 2021. “I have so much confidence in him. Our team does. I think it’s just a matter of that particular drive: Do we want to go for it in that area of the field? Do we want to try and pin our opponent deep and try to flip the field and get the ball back and play the field position game?” O’Connell said. Packers kicker Mason Crosby, who spent training camp on the physically unable to perform list following arthroscopic knee surgery, has appeared in 241 consecutive regular season games.

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PACKERS-DEFENSE

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers should get an immediate indication of whether their defense is as stingy as its preseason billing suggests. “I think our defense, at least on paper, is as good as it’s ever been,” defensive lineman Dean Lowry said. “Paper doesn’t mean anything, though, and we’ve got to go out and prove it for 17 weeks and then go and do it in the playoffs.” The chance to prove it starts Sunday at Minnesota.

 

The Packers romped 37-10 at home the last time these teams faced each other, but the Vikings played that game with Sean Mannion as their starting quarterback after placing Kirk Cousins on the reserve/COVID-19 list two days beforehand. When Cousins has been available, the Vikings have moved the ball quite well against the Packers. The Vikings had scored at least 28 points in three straight matchups with the Packers before the Mannion game. “They have given us some problems,” defensive tackle Kenny Clark said. “They have a lot of weapons. They have really good players over there. They present a lot of challenges for us.” Complicating matters is the uncertainty of facing a new staff with former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell making his head coaching debut for Minnesota.

 

“We’ve kind of got a blueprint of what we think they’re going to come out and do,” outside linebacker Rashan Gary said. “But at the end of the day, once that ball is snapped, we’ve got to go play. It could be un-scouted looks. It could be looks we think we were going to get.”

Green Bay’s defense enters this season brimming with confidence after outperforming the Packers’ offense for much of training camp. The Packers’ 2021 rankings don’t jump off the page — they tied for 13th in scoring defense and were ninth in total defense — but they closed the season by not allowing a single offensive touchdown in a 13-10 NFC divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Green Bay then signed All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and cornerback Rasul Douglas to new deals following their breakthrough seasons. They added two first-round picks by selecting linebacker Quay Walker and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, who both helped Georgia win a 2021 national title. They also get back star cornerback Jaire Alexander after he missed most of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury. That has the Packers believing their defense could help give them a fourth straight NFC North title and the Super Bowl bid that has eluded this franchise since its 2010 championship season.

 

“I don’t care how many wins we have, we’re not going to be satisfied until that end goal of winning a Super Bowl,” safety Darnell Savage said. “And if we get to that goal, we’re going to keep striving for another and another and another.”

 

The mission starts in Minnesota as the Packers contend with a Vikings playmaking trio that has given Green Bay problems in the past. Dalvin Cook was limited to 13 yards on nine carries in the 37-10 loss last season, but he led Minnesota to a 28-22 victory at Green Bay in 2020 by becoming the first Viking since Ahmad Rashad in 1979 to score four touchdowns in a game. Cook had 163 yards rushing and 63 yards receiving that day. That has the Packers believing their defense could help give them a fourth straight NFC North title and the Super Bowl bid that has eluded this franchise since its 2010 championship season. “Me personally, I think he’s probably the best back in the league,” Clark said. “He’s as talented as any running back I’ve ever played.”

 

Cousins threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns without an interception to lead the Vikings to a 34-31 triumph when the Packers visited Minnesota last year. Justin Jefferson had 10 catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns that day, though he’s failed to score in his other three career matchups with the Packers. “When we give Dalvin the respect to stop the run, we’ve got to hold up in the back end,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “That’s what makes an offense like this, when they have two elite weapons, so unique. Because very few times do you play an offense that has top-three players at a position that is a wideout and a back.

 

“There’s challenges every week, but that’s definitely the challenge this week. You’ve got to deal with 18 (Jefferson) on the outside and you’ve got to deal with No. 4 (Cook) in the backfield.” The Packers can’t wait to discover how well they meet this challenge. “As far as a measuring stick, it’s definitely a big one for us, for this defense to go against those guys,” Clark said.

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NFL-SEASON OPENER

 

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have fallen short in enough playoff games in recent years to know the season is long and the opener doesn’t mean much in January. They still felt justified in their championship aspirations after going into the Super Bowl winners’ home stadium and completely wrecking their banner-raising party on the NFL’s opening night. Josh Allen passed for 297 yards while accounting for four touchdowns, Miller had two of Buffalo’s seven sacks, and the Bills stamped themselves as a clear contender for the Rams’ crown with a 31-10 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday night.

 

Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie and Stefon Diggs caught TD passes as the two-time defending AFC East champions began the NFL’s 103rd season by overcoming four turnovers and running away with a blowout win in the same arena where the Rams won it all nearly seven months ago. Allen went 26 for 31 despite two interceptions. He also rushed for 56 yards, scrambling for a 4-yard TD when he stretched the ball over the line with 13:27 to play. Matthew Stafford passed for 240 yards with one TD and three interceptions on a bruising night for the Rams, who lost a season opener and fell below .500 for the first time in coach Sean McVay’s six seasons in charge.

 

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – Kindred and LaMoure-Litchville-Marion remain atop the Class 11B and Class 9B football polls this week. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)                 Record    Points    Last Week
1. Kindred (15)                                   3-0         75        1
2. Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose  3-0         45        3
3. Dickinson Trinity                             3-0         40        4
4. Bottineau                                        3-0          27       NR
5. Shiloh Christian                              3-0          22        5

 

Others receiving votes: Thompson (3-0), Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich (2-1), Oakes (3-0)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)              Record    Points    Last Week
1. LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (15)   3-0          75        1
2. Cavalier                                       3-0         49         3
3. New Salem-Almont                     3-0          44         2
4. MayPort-C-G                               3-0          32        4
5. North Prairie                                3-0            7       RV

 

Others receiving votes: South Border (3-0), Divide County (3-0), Nelson County (3-0), Tioga (3-0)

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MINOT, ND – There will be no high school football on K-Heart tonight. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood was scheduled to play at Tioga, the Mavericks had to cancel the game due to numerous injuries. The two teams are scheduled to play again on September 23rd. That game will be in Tioga. MLS also says all their junior varsity football games for the rest of the season have been cancelled.

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TWINS-YANKEES

 

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees swept a doubleader from Minnesota by throwing a team from the 90s at the Twins — as in uniform numbers usually limited to spring training. “It doesn’t matter if our big guys are here or they’re not,” Aaron Judge said after hitting his major league-leading 55th home run Wednesday to start the first of two rallies that carried New York to 5-4 and 7-1 wins. “We walk out there, we’ve got the pinstripes, we’re wearing the NY, and every single guy that walks in this clubhouse is going to get the job done.”

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, playing third base for the first time in two years, sparked a two-run 12th inning in the opener with a tying leadoff single and hit a go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning of the nightcap. IKF sent a belt-high slider from Joe Ryan (10-8) into the left-field seats and flipped his bat after the no-doubt drive, his first slam among 19 career home runs. “Last year I was on a 100-loss team,” Kiner-Falefa said. “Whatever it takes to win, that’s all I care about.”

 

Oswaldo Cabrera stopped an 0-for-25 slide with a game-ending single in the opener. Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu, Josh Donaldson, Andrew Benintendi and Matt Carpenter were among those hurt or unavailable.

 

Judge (No. 99) was joined by Nos. 95 (Cabrera), 91 (shortstop Oswald Peraza), 97 (reliever Ron Marinaccio) and 90 (center fielder Estevan Florial) to give the Yankees five players with jerseys in the 90s. Greg Weissert (3-0), who won the opener, had a relatively low No. 85. Peraza got his first four big league hits in the doubleheader, including a pair of doubles. Cabrera threw out Gilberto Celestino at the plate in the 10th inning, his fifth outfield assist since his Aug. 17 debut, and made a sliding catch on Gio Urshela.

 

“When we’ve seen what Oswaldo Cabrera has done on the defensive side of the ball or with big hits, that’s provided some energy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, going on to also cite Peraza and Florial. “Those are things that I think create energy, when young, talented players come up and play like they belong.”

 

Gerrit Cole (11-7) struck out a season-high 14 in the night game, allowing five hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings. Carlos Correa hit a third-inning homer, and in the seventh Correa struck out to strand two runners against Lucas Luetge, who went 2 1/3 innings for his second save. Aaron Hicks added a three-run double in the eighth after Austin Davis walked the Nos. 7-9 hitters.

 

New York (83-54) opened a five-game AL East lead over second-place Tampa Bay and clinched its 30th straight winning season. The Yankees are 114-39 against the Twins since 2002, including the playoffs.

 

Judge homered for the fourth straight game, driving a changeup to left in the fourth inning, the only blemish of Louie Varland’s otherwise outstanding major league debut. Judge set the Yankees record for right-handed hitters by surpassing the 54 homers hit by Alex Rodriguez in 2007.

 

Varland, a 24-year-old right-hander, gave up three hits and one walk in 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts. He averaged 93.9 mph with 44 fastballs, mixing in 19 changeups and 17 sliders. “I’m glad it’s over because there’s a lot of anxiety,” the St. Paul native said. “I couldn’t really feel my legs the first batter. After that first out though, things kind of went back to normal.” Judge struck out on a changeup in the first. “The perfect one to do my first strikeout,” Varland said. Twenty-three family members and friends were on hand, visible on the third base side in a sparse crowd for the makeup of Tuesday’s rainout. “It’s like watching a movie. We’re just floating around. He deserves this so much,” said his mom, Kim. “It’s overwhelming joy. He’s been a fan forever and to get the hometown team is amazing, amazing.”

 

Minnesota, which dropped two games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland, had built a 3-0 lead when Jose Miranda hit a two-run homer inside the left-field foul pole in the first and Celestino had an RBI single in the third. Gleyber Torres tied it with a two-run homer in the sixth off Griffin Jax. After Celestino’s RBI single off Marinaccio gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead in the 12th, Weissert retired Correa on a popout and Miranda on a flyout. Kiner-Falefa singled off Trevor Megill (3-3), stole second with one out and scored when Cabrera grounded a curve for an opposite-field, two-out single to left that ended a 4-hour, 3-minute struggle.

 

UP NEXT

Former Yankee RHP Sonny Gray (7-4, 3.10) is to start today’s series finale for Minnesota. All-Star LHP Nestor Cortes (9-4, 2.68 ERA) will be activated following a groin strain to start for New York.

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – The first volleyball polls of the season have West Fargo Sheyenne and Northern Cass on top. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

    Team (First Place Votes)     Record    Points
1. West Fargo Sheyenne (7)    9-0          38
2. Bismarck Century (1)            8-1          33
3. Fargo North                          9-0          16
4. Bismarck (1)                         5-4          13
5. Jamestown                           9-1          12

 

Other receiving votes: Fargo Shanley 6-2, Bismarck Legacy 5-4

 

 

     Team (First Place Votes)           Record    Points
1. Northern Cass (7)                        8-0          79
2. Thompson                                    2-0          63
3. Kenmare-Bowbells                       8-0          52
T4. Linton-HMB (1)                           6-1          51
T4. Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich  6-1          51
6. Oakes                                           4-1          22
7. Dickinson Trinity                           5-2           20
8. Grant County                                6-0          18
9. Our Redeemers                            6-2          17

10. Beulah                                        6-1          16

 

Others receiving votes: Central Cass 1-0, LaMoure-Litchville-Marion 1-1, May-Port CG 0-1, Bishop Ryan 5-2, North Border 4-2

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MINOT, ND – Tuesday’s scores:

 

 

Class A
#2 Bismarck Century def. Williston (3-0) 25-13, 25-13, 25-17
#5 Jamestown def. Turtle Mountain (3-0)
Minot def. Mandan (3-0) 25-19, 25-21, 25-23
Dickinson def. Watford City (3-1) 25-18, 25-22, 10-25, 27-25
Bismarck Legacy def. Bismarck St. Mary’s (3-0) 25-14, 25-18, 25-14

 

Class B
#3 Kenmare-Bowbells def. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood (3-0) 25-11-25-15, 25-9
South Prairie-Max def. Newburg-Westhope (3-2) 21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 16-6
Drake-Anamoose def. Nedrose (3-0) 25-15, 25-21, 25-11
Surrey def. Bottineau (3-2) 23-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 15-11
Rugby def. St. John (3-0) 25-9, 25-7, 25-8
Benson County def. TGU (3-1) 27-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-21
North Prairie def. Four Winds-Minnewauken (3-0) 25-5, 25-11, 25-15
Washburn def. Wilton-Wing (3-1) 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19
Ray def. Alexander (3-0) 25-13, 25-13, 25-10
Powers Lake-Burke Central def. North Shore-Plaza (3-0) 25-7, 25-9, 25-7
Divide County def. Trinity Christian (3-0) 25-12, 25-4, 25-18

 

High School Boys Soccer
Minot def. Bismarck Century, 3-2
Bismarck High def. Williston, 4-1
Bismarck Legacy def. Jamestown 3-0
Mandan def. Dickinson, 2-0

 

High School Boys Tennis
Valley City 4, Jamestown 1
Bismarck Century 4, Bismarck Legacy 3

 

 

Stanley Labor Day Meet – Prairie Rose Golf Course
1. Kenmare-Burke Central-Bowbells, 98
2. Surrey, 102
3. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 111
4. Killdeer, 115
5. Stanley, 117
6. Shiloh Christian, 123
7. Hebron, 130
8. Bishop Ryan, 153
9. Trinity Christian, 172
10. Tioga, 218

 

Individual winner: Jekori Dahlen of Killdeer, 17:16

 

 

Stanley Labor Day Meet – Prairie Rose Golf Course
1. Stanley, 52
2. Shiloh Christian, 59
3. Killdeer, 67
4. Kenmare-Burke Central-Bowbells, 82
5. Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 111
6. Bishop Ryan, 133

 

Individual winner: Brynn Hanson of Des Lacs-Burlington/Lewis & Clark, 19:44

 

College Womens Soccer
Minot State 1, Montana State Billings 1

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MSU CROSS COUNTRY

MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State’s Jacob Jensen led the way among all the NCAA Division II runners Friday night in South Dakota, powering the Beavers to a seventh-place finish. Jensen’s performance, a fourth-place overall finish at the Augustana Twilight meet as he was bested only by a trio of NCAA Division I runners from South Dakota State, earned him the first NSIC Male Runner of the Week award announced by the conference on Tuesday. Jensen clocked a time of 19 minutes, 23..89 seconds on the 4-mile course in Sioux Falls, S.D., and finished just 15 seconds off the winning time. His performance led the Minot State men’s team to a seventh-place finish in a field of 32 teams that included numerous NCAA Division I programs. The honor was the first of the fall for Jensen and the Minot State men’s team, which is back in action this coming Friday at the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragon’s Twilight.

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NDSU-MVFC HONOR

 

ST. LOUIS (NDSU) – North Dakota State left tackle Cody Mauch was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week by the league office. Mauch, a senior from Hankinson, N.D., played 33 snaps in North Dakota State’s 56-14 win over Drake with no sacks, quarterback pressures or tackles for loss allowed, and graded out with 12 plus-physical plays. It was Mauch’s first career player of the week award. NDSU rushed for 274 yards and had 11 ball carriers average 7.4 yards per carry in the win. North Dakota State (1-0) is scheduled to host North Carolina A&T (0-1) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

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TWINS-YANKEES

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Game two of the Minnesota Twins four game series in New York against the Yankees was rained out on Tuesday night. It will be made up today as part of a single-admission doubleheader. The Twins plan to call up local kid Louie Varland to start the opener in his Major League debut. The 24-year-old right-hander was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he went to Concordia University before getting picked by his hometown team in the 15th round of the 2019 amateur draft. Varland is 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings over four starts for Triple-A St. Paul. He went 7-4 with a 3.34 ERA in 19 starts and one relief outing for Double-A Wichita this season. Right-hander Joe Ryan (10-7, 3.88 ERA), who had been slated to start Tuesday, goes in the second game. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (10-7, 3.28 ERA), who was scheduled to start Tuesday, was pushed back to tonight’s nightcap. Domingo Germán (2-3, 3.12) will pitch the opener for New York. Cole gave up a career-high five homers in 2 1/3 innings June 9 at Minnesota. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2:05 pm Central Time. Minnesota enters the day 1 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central.

 

 

 

 

MINOT, ND – There are changes in this weeks Class 11AA and 11A football polls. The polls are voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)    Record    Points    Last Week
1. Mandan (11)                     2-0          59         2
2. Fargo Shanley (1)             2-0         48          3
3. Fargo Davies                    1-1          30        RV
4. West Fargo Sheyenne     1-1           22         1
5. West Fargo                      1-1           20         5

 

Others receiving votes: Bismarck Century (0-2)

 

 

Team (First Place Votes)     Record    Points    Last Week
1. Jamestown (12)                2-0           60         1
2. Fargo North                      2-0           47          2
3. Fargo South                      2-0          34          4
4. Grand Forks Red River    2-1           24          5
5. Dickinson                          1-1          10          3

 

Others receiving votes: Valley Ciy (2-0), Wahpeton (1-1)

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TWINS-YANKEES

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his Major League-leading 54th home run, connecting for the third straight day and sending the New York Yankees over the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Monday. Judge has homered in five of his last seven games for the AL East leaders. He snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning when he hit a 3-1 slider from Trevor Megill (3-2) into the second deck in left. The All-Star slugger reached 54 homers in his 131st game. He is on pace to hit 65 homers, four more than Roger Maris’ AL record in 1961. Judge, who also doubled, followed Gary Sánchez’s 473-foot, two-run homer into the left field bleachers off Jameson Taillon in the fifth that tied it at 2. Marwin Gonzalez also homered for the Yankees, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa added his second homer this year in the seventh. Minnesota’s Chris Archer allowed two runs and four hits in five innings and is winless in his last 10 starts. Taillon allowed two runs and six hits in five innings.
UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Joe Ryan (10-7, 3.88 ERA) opposes New York RHP Gerrit Cole (10-7, 3.28) tonight. Cole allowed a career-high five homers in 2 1/3 innings June 9 in Minnesota.

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TWINS-MAHLE IL

 

CHICAGO (AP) — The Minnesota Twins put right-hander Tyler Mahle back on the 15-day injured list on Sunday, raising questions about their rotation during a difficult stretch. Mahle left Saturday night’s 13-0 loss at the Chicago White Sox because of shoulder inflammation. He was charged with four runs and five hits in two innings in his fourth start since he was acquired in an Aug. 2 trade with Cincinnati. The 27-year-old Mahle was activated from the IL before the game after previously being sidelined by shoulder inflammation. “I wouldn’t want to close the book on his season,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Is there an opportunity for him to come back and pitch? Maybe. But we have to learn a lot more before then.”

 

Mahle’s continued shoulder trouble comes on the heels of Sonny Gray leaving Friday night’s game because of tightness in his right hamstring. Gray is slated to pitch Wednesday night against the AL East-leading Yankees, but that could change. “The next thing for Sonny is for him to throw his bullpen, which will be in New York, and that’s when I think we’ll learn how his hamstring is doing,” Baldelli said.

 

Infielder Jorge Polanco tested his ailing left knee before Saturday night’s loss, but Baldelli said he is still experiencing some pain when he works out. Polanco was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Wednesday, and infielder Jermaine Palacios was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul.

 

The Twins recalled left-hander Jovani Moran from St. Paul to replace Mahle on the roster. Moran was optioned on Saturday when Mahle was activated.

 

Minnesota (68-64) had lost three in a row before Sunday’s 5-1 victory at Chicago. The Twins began the day in second place in the AL Central, one back of Cleveland and one ahead of the White Sox. Baldelli said he wanted to wait before discussing the team’s plan for its rotation with Mahle out. He also expressed confidence in his players’ ability to respond to the recent adversity for the club. “I think we’ve proven that time and time again, that regardless of what goes on, any elation or disappointment or anything like that, it really doesn’t affect us,” he said before Sunday’s win. “We just continue moving in the direction that we want.”

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TWINS-SANCHEZ

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Minnesota Twins catcher Gary Sánchez was feeling fortunate Sunday after he nearly walked into a major injury. Sánchez was almost struck in the head by a full swing by teammate Gilberto Celestino during Minnesota’s 5-1 victory against the Chicago White Sox. The incident occurred when Chicago brought in Kendall Graveman to face Sánchez with two outs in the eighth inning. Sánchez was heading back to the dugout to learn more about the reliever when he was almost hit by Celestino in the on-deck circle. Celestino missed Sánchez’s face by mere inches. “I had a few minutes to go and ask a couple questions about that pitcher,” Sánchez said through a translator. “I saw his bat was on his shoulder just standing there in the on-deck circle and so I went back to the dugout and I didn’t notice he was swinging.” Sánchez lowered his head after the bat passed, and Celestino leaned back with an incredulous look on his face. “He almost hit me, but thank God, nothing happened,” Sánchez said. “It’s just an accident. It’s fine.”

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VIKINGS-SMITH

 

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Za’Darius Smith wore a wide smile in the Minnesota locker room before practice on Monday, a knowing expression that exuded the eagerness of getting to his first game with the Vikings. The eighth-year outside linebacker didn’t want to divulge any depth of the feelings he might be harboring about facing his former team, Green Bay, this weekend. His confident and relaxed demeanor did the talking for him.

 

“He’s got a different energy already. I don’t know if he just took like a three-day nap,” teammate Harrison Phillips said a few cubicles down, “but he is fired up.”

 

The week before Smith signed a contract valued at $42 million with the Vikings, he was released by the Packers for salary cap savings. Two months later, the NFL revealed the 2022 schedule that assigned Green Bay to visit rival Minnesota for the season opener. The game on Sunday afternoon will also mark the first for new Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. “I had a whole year off, and now I get the opportunity to go back and do something that I love,” said Smith, whose 2021 season was limited to one game because of a back injury. “Just happy. Can’t wait.”

 

Smith, who turns 30 on Thursday, quickly became part of the heart of the Packers’ defense he joined in 2019 after playing his first four years in the league with Baltimore. The process has played out similarly in Minnesota this summer, a vital leadership role that was promised to him during the recruitment in free agency. “You need to have a guy who’s got energy,” said Phillips, the nose tackle who also is in his first season with the Vikings after arriving as a free agent from Buffalo. “When adversity is going to face us at some point in the season, he can be a ‘hoo-rah, rah-rah’ type guy. Sometimes you need that kick in the butt, and I think a lot of us would look to him for that.”

 

The pass-rushing potential of putting him and Danielle Hunter on the edges of the well-regarded scheme introduced by new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell made Smith a natural target in free agency for Minnesota. The fact that Smith played in a similar defense with Green Bay? Even better. Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine was his defensive coordinator for his first two years with the Packers, and outside linebackers coach Mike Smith — who also holds the title of pass rush specialist — was plucked off Green Bay’s staff, too.

 

New nickel cornerback Chandon Sullivan is another expat from the Packers, slotted in the primary lineup between Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler. Albeit with a lesser stature, Sullivan also spent the past three seasons with the Packers, who won the NFC North each time. “It’s my first chance to really show myself in a Vikings uniform. First game of the season, there’ll be a lot of emotions. Then I get to play my old team,” Sullivan said. “I’m just ready to hear those fans. The preseason game I got my first taste of it, and I had chills all over my body. So I’m ready to hear that chant and make a play.”

 

Said O’Connell: “I’d like to think each and every week is going to be important to those guys, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect them to be that much more dialed and that much more focused this week knowing that they want to get off to a great start against their former team.”

 

 

K-HEART SPORTS – 09/03/22 – 0700

 

MINOT, ND – Ben Schepp rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns, passed for 214 yards and two TD’s and had an interception as #3 Velva-Garrison-Drake/Anamoose defeated Des Lacs-Burlington 40-8 on Friday in a game we broadcast on K-Heart. The Lakers lone scored came on a 29-yard pass from Paxton Ystaas to Braylon Fisher. The Aggies improve to 3-0 on the season while the Lakers drop to 0-2.

 

Other scores from Friday:

 

 

Class 11AA
Fargo Davies def. #1 West Fargo Sheyenne, 35-6
#2 Mandan def. #5 Bismarck Century, 30-13
#3 Fargo Shanley def. #4 West Fargo, 41-35
Bismarck Legacy def. Minot High, 26-21
Bismarck St. Mary’s def. Bismarck High, 20-15
Williston def. Dickinson (11A), 27-14

 

Class 11A
#1 Jamestown def. Turtle Mountain, 56-12
#4 Fargo South def. Grand Forks Central, 31-6
#5 Grand Forks Red River def. Wahpeton, 44-20
Valley City def. Watford City, 45-7
Devils Lake def. West Fargo Horace, 41-8

 

Class 11B
#1 Kindred def. Linton-HMB, 38-21
Bottineau def. #2 Langdon Area-Edmore-Munich, 22-18
#4 Dickinson Trinity def. Killdeer, 48-16
#5 Shiloh Christian def. Heart River, 38-0
Bishop Ryan def. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central, 35-0
Nedrose def. Stanley 35-17
Ray-Powers Lake def. South Paririe-Max, 39-8
Beulah def Hazen, 22-14
Bowman County def. Southern McLean, 48-12
Rugby def. Sargent County, 24-6
Thompson def. Harvey-Wells County, 28-22
Park River Area def. Grafton, 44-8
Hillsboro-Central Valley def. Carrington, 38-14
Central Cass def. Northern Cass, 49-25
Oakes def. Fargo Oak Grove, 50-14
Lisbon def. Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm, 46-0

 

Class 9B
#1 LaMoure-Litchfield-Marion def. Hatton-Northwood, 58-0
#2 New Salem-Almont def. Central McLean, 44-0
#3 Cavalier def. New Rockford-Sheyenne, 32-0
#4 MayPortCG def. Richland, 30-6
Nelson County def. #5 North Star, 28-6
Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn def. TGU, 64-16
St. John def. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, 68-14
North Prairie def. North Border, 48-22
Tioga def. Alexander, 38-0
Hettinger County def. Richardton-Taylor-Hebron, 54-14
Grant County-Flasher def. Beach, 44-8
South Border def. Hettinger-Scranton, 40-14
Kidder County def. Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter, 18-12
Benson County def. Midway-Minto, 59-8
Four Winds def. Larimore, 50-6
Wyndmere-Lidgerwood def. Enderlin, 56-0
Maple River def. Tri-State, 68-16
Hankinson def. Griggs-Midkota, 47-6

 

College Womens Volleyball
Chadron State College Tournament – Chadron, Nebraska
Chadron State def. Minot State (3-1) 25-15, 19-25, 25-13, 26-24

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TWINS-WHITE SOX

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Andrew Vaughn dropped his bat and had some things to say as he shook his head. He clearly was not happy after getting hit near the shoulder. Things got heated. The dugouts cleared. And moments later, the White Sox were celebrating. José Abreu drove in the winning run when he grounded into a force out in the ninth inning after Twins closer Jorge López hit Vaughn, and Chicago beat Minnesota 4-3 on Friday night. The White Sox had runners on first and second with one out after back-to-back singles by Romy Gonzalez and Elvis Andrus. They loaded the bases when Lopez hit Vaughn in the left shoulder with the next pitch. The dugouts and bullpens emptied. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and White Sox bench coach Miguel Cairo jawed at each other. Both benches were warned. Cairo came back out and had words with crew chief Ron Kulpa before heading to the clubhouse. López insisted he wasn’t trying to hit Vaughn, who he said was “kind of giving me the ‘whatever’ face.” Today in game two of the three game series, White Sox ace Dylan Cease (12-6, 2.27 ERA) eyes his first win since Aug. 5, while Twins RHP Tyle Mahle (6-7, 4.17 ERA) makes his first start since Aug. 17 after being sidelined because of right shoulder inflammation.