THOMPSON, N.D. — The 2023-24 school year will be a year of change for Thompson athletics.
The Tommies will play in a new basketball division under North Dakota's new three-class system and the school is now looking for a new head coach in both boys basketball and football.
Thompson head football coach Alex Starcevic has stepped down as head coach after eight seasons with the program (seven as assistant). His son, Jake, is a two-time all-state football player and one of the area's top basketball players, as well. Jake will be a junior in the fall.
The family plans to move to Kindred.
"There's a ton of different factors," Alex said. "The bottom line is it was time for a change for myself and my family. I'm always going to do what's best for my kids and my family. For us, this was the right move.
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"My wife had a situation where her job in Grand Forks was cut and we were open to look for different things. My family has friends (in Kindred) and it was a good fit. It checked a lot of the boxes."
Starcevic plans to coach football at Kindred in some capacity.
After receiving all-state honors as a freshman at wide receiver, Jake was all-state at quarterback in 2022. He was 119-for-204 for 1,518 yards and 11 touchdowns. He carried the ball 193 times for 1,186 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also led Thompson defensively with 53 solo tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and four interceptions.
In football, the Tommies were 7-3 this past season, losing the last three games of the year including a first-round playoff loss to Oakes. Kindred, which won a state championship in 2021, was 12-1 this past season before losing to Central Cass in the state quarterfinals.
In basketball, the 6-foot-2 Starcevic averaged 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game during the regular season. The Tommies advanced to the state tournament last season.
Thompson head boys basketball coach Brandy George stepped down earlier this offseason after 11 years at the helm.
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