Articles

PREP TRACK: Park River senior looking to reclaim discus title at Class B state meet

Sixth place at a state tournament — there’s no shame in that. For Garrett Pic, however, being No. 6 has been a big motivator. That’s because it’s a big drop from No. 1.

• Garrett Pic

GIRLS TRACK: A bundle of nerves -- and success

As she lines up before almost every race, Ashley Perez feels a little nervous. Nothing — not even the fact that the Nelson County freshman already is a state champion — calms those nerves.

• Ashley Perez

REGION 2 TRACK: The Cardinals win with 151 points

That shadow cast over Jocelyn Dinius by her older sisters is getting dimmer. Dinius won four open events Saturday, leading Langdon Area to the team title in the girls division of the North Dakota Class B Northeast Region high school track meet. The Cardinals won with 151 points.

PREP NOTEBOOK: Health to be big factor in Red River boy's track meet

Health will be a key factor in Grand Forks Red River’s bid to win the East Region boys track meet. The regional will be held today in Fargo, beginning at 1 p.m. On the line are a lot of berths for next weekend’s Class A state meet in Bismarck — the top six finishers in each event, as well as all entrants who meet state qualifying standards, advance.

• GF Red River logo

TRACK & FIELD: Langdon relying on family duo at state meet

Langdon High School has 27 seniors this school year. Nearby Munich has 13 — a discrepancy pointed out at times by Wyatt Dick’s teammates on the Langdon Area boys track team.

• Wyatt Dick

AREA PREP NOTEBOOK: Grafton clinches title against ex-teammates

The Spoilers have won or shared the regular-season championship in North Dakota Class B Region 4 baseball every year since 2004.

PREP TRACK: Nagging injuries don’t slow Bothun

Nagging injuries have bothered Loren Bothun before and after races for most of the outdoor track season. One thing that does ease the pain is competition.

• Red River's John Hoplin won the javelin competition

PREP SPORTS: Class B tournament format faces changes as number of teams decline

The current format in volleyball, boys basketball and girls basketball throughout the state has each of the 16 districts advancing four teams from a district to a regional tournament. That format is in jeopardy because of the declining number of teams throughout the state.

AREA PREP NOTEBOOK: DL freshman explodes onto track scene

The transition from junior high to varsity track hasn’t been difficult for Bradley Davidson. The Devils Lake freshman has emerged as one of the top North Dakota Class A sprinters. He’s also been a big surprise to his coaches.

PREP BASEBALL: Red River sweeps Central

There was no win and no save for Ryan Richardson. But there was a lot of relief.The junior got Red River out of a big jam Monday, helping the Roughriders claim a 12-5 Eastern Dakota Conference baseball win Grand Forks Central. In the second, non-conference game, Red River won 9-1.

• Grand Forks Red River's Brady Regimbal slides safely into second base

Columns

GREG DEVILLERS: Ranked Green Wave girls hockey team faces stiff competition in 8A

The Minnesota state girls hockey poll is a good news-bad news deal for East Grand Forks Senior High. The Green Wave have earned statewide respect, as indicated by their No. 18 ranking in this week’s Class A poll. The bad news? The Section 8A tournament begins next week, and three 8A teams are ranked higher than Senior High. Two-time defending state champion Warroad is ranked second, Thief River Falls is fourth and Crookston is 13th.

• Greg DeVillers

PREP BOY'S BASKETBALL: Fosston has same old success with new lineup

Seniors dominated the lineup for the Fosston boys basketball team that won the Section 8A title last season. The roster had nine seniors, including three starters and the team’s top three reserves. But coach Ben Hemberger didn’t anticipate a major drop off this season.

Area high school notebook: Rebels spread the wealth in deep backfield

Three Red Lake County running backs have nearly amassed 1,000 yards in three games

North Prairie has balanced its offense around all-state back

The Cougars are off to a 3-0 start and tied for first place in Region 2A with Langdon-Munich. Bonn, an all-state running back in 2008 when he rushed for 1,049 yards and 17 touchdowns, again paces the ground game with 282 rushing yards.

PREP NOTEBOOK: Friday night fireworks go to Central Valley

Randy Vigen has been involved in a lot of football games in his 35 seasons as head coach. The Central Valley High School coach can’t remember another similar to the one his Valiants endured Friday.

Area prep notebook: B-G-MR, Stephen-Argyle benefit from 3-class setup

Badger-Greenbush-Middle River and Stephen-Argyle finds themselves in uncharted waters on the golf course. On Monday, the Gators won the team championship in the North Subsection 8A girls golf meet. They shot a 405 to beat runner-up Kittson County Central by 18 strokes.

Area notebook: Roseau bats come alive

Roseau opened the baseball season with five consecutive losses, scoring a total of 14 runs and no more than four in any game. Since that slow start, Roseau has improved to 8-6. On its current 8-1 run, the Rams have averaged 9.9 runs per game, scoring five or more in every outing.

Area prep notebook: Warroad’s Heppner wins against state’s best

Moses Heppner went to St. Paul on Friday looking for some more challenging competition. Instead, he became the challenge to opponents. The Warroad runner won the 1,600 at the Hamline Elite invitational track meet. His time of 4 minutes, 17.74 seconds not only broke his own school record of 4:23.15 but is the fastest this spring in both Minnesota Class A and AA ranks.

Area notebook: Strength in numbers will be Roseau’s signature style

The Rams’ bid to repeat likely will rely more on quality depth than an individual standout like Jason Fabian. He graduated last spring after winning the 110 and 300 hurdles in the section and getting top-five places in both events at the state meet.

Area notebook: Munich-S-NS takes No. 1 ranking into baseball season

Of the eight teams that competed in the 2008 North Dakota Class B high school baseball tournament, seven are ranked in the top 10 in this year’s preseason state coaches’ poll. The one missing from the rankings is Central Valley-Hillsboro.