OXBOW, N.D. — Following his final putt on the 18th green, Kolby Koerner let out a long exhale.

A sigh of relief? Perhaps. After all, the Grand Forks Red River senior had just capped his career with individual medalist honors after carding a final-round 2-over 74 Wednesday during the North Dakota Class A boys golf tournament at Oxbow Country Club.

But the emotions stretched far beyond that.

“I was just trying to take in the moment,” Koerner said. “I was trying not to blow it, because I’ve blown it before. In the end, it sucks we couldn’t get it done as a team and I kind of felt like I let my team down.”

Koerner didn't make it easy on himself. After building a three-shot cushion with Tuesday's opening round, he bogeyed each of his final four holes Wednesday but held on to finish at 147 for the tournament, one stroke ahead of Fargo Shanley sophomore Ryker Grinaker.

Minot captured the team title for its first state championship since 2003, edging Red River on a fifth-golfer tiebreaker after both teams finished with two-day totals of 625. When the next-best score from each team on both days was added in, the Magicians held a 793-796 edge.

“I take full responsibility,” Koerner said. “At the end, it was hard. This win, it would have felt a lot better if we would have won as a team. I’m very blessed to be able to get it done (today), but I feel really bad.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Koerner’s Red River teammates didn’t seem to mind, showering him with the celebratory water bucket at the end.

Koerner finished with three birdies in the final round. Six of his eight bogeys during the tournament came on the back nine.

“Coming down the stretch, the back nine is towards the end of the round,” Koerner said. “You might get a little tired as well. I don’t think I was really fatigued, but I did think staying focused for that long is really difficult, especially when you’re in a position to win.”

Grinaker finished even-par 72 for a two-day total of 148. Sitting three shots behind Koerner entering the final round, he cut the deficit to two with an eagle on the par-5, 496-yard fourth hole.

He pulled within one on the par-3, 150-yard ninth, birdieing the hole while Koerner made par.

Koerner answered two holes later with a birdie on the par-4 11th to extend the lead again. Grinaker bogeyed the hole and later doubled the 13th, allowing Koerner to regain some breathing room.

“Kolby and I both got out to a pretty hot start there on the front nine, and then it was just a battle of whoever could make the most pars on the back nine was going to take it away,” Grinaker said.

Grinaker shot par on seven of the final nine holes while Koerner parred four on the back nine.

“He just limited his mistakes,” Grinaker said. “I had one bad hole No. 13 there where I doubled, and you don’t see many mistakes out of Kolby. Making those doubles is definitely where he took an advantage there and it’s just pretty steady for him.

“I battled back at the end there, but Kolby deserves that one. That was a great round by him and a great career by him.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Minot sophomore Tripp Toepfer carded a 1-over 73 for a two-day total of 151 to finish in third place while leading the Magicians to the team title.

The Magicians sat two shots back of Red River after the opening round, trailing 319-317. Minot’s final-round team total was headed up by Toepfer’s 73, Connor Ressler and Nathan Peterson with 77s, Parker Argent with a 79 and Easton Bradley with an 83.

“We definitely had a lot of depth in our team,” Toepfer said. “I feel like we can all just not be too stressed out about what we’ve got to shoot, because we all just had such good team chemistry.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

West Fargo’s Ben Walker received Class A boys golf Coach of the Year honors from the North Dakota High School Coaches Association.

Koerner was named Senior Athlete of the Year and will play collegiately at Minnesota Crookston.

He finished runner-up in last year’s Class A tournament, which is part of the reason why the sigh of relief came before any celebration.

“I’ve never really been a big celebrator,” Koerner said. “Because I believe your highest emotions can also be … If you get proud or high on yourself when you really make a good shot, then how are you going to respond when you hit a bad shot?

“So I try to keep it very level-headed, just because that’s so important in golf. You can’t get too far ahead, because it can be taken from you almost like it was taken from me (today). I’m super glad it’s over, for sure.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

BISMARCK — Fargo Shanley shined in a battle of unbeatens Saturday afternoon at Sanford Sports Complex, while unseating the defending state champion.

The Deacons got goals from Carly Hulstein, Emma Rohrich and Annie Yablonski to earn a 3-0 victory against Mandan for the North Dakota girls soccer state championship.

Shanley completed its unbeaten season, while shutting out defending champ Mandan for the first time this spring.

"The girls were excited to play Mandan, two undefeated teams and someone had to come out as the winner," Deacons head coach Ryan Christianson said. "Whoever worked the hardest was going to come out champions, our girls were hungry."

Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune

The Deacons (13-0-4) won their first state crown since 2019 and third overall. Mandan (17-0-1) fell one win shy of a repeat.

"Tough game, I felt like we controlled the game, to be honest," Mandan head coach Aaron McElwee said. "We knew they would be dangerous on set pieces and that's what they created."

Shanley converted on a corner kick in the opening half for what proved to be the game-winning goal. Hulstein got a late head touch on a corner off the foot Rohrich, giving the Deacons a 1-0 lead with 16 minutes remaining until halftime.

"The first goal in the first half, that sparked momentum," Christianson said. "Coming off of last year, we scored a bunch of corners, but this year I think we only had one or two. To make it count in the state championship game, I'll take it."

Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune

The first insurance goal for the Deacons came with less than 18 minutes left in the second, as Rohrich scored off a rebound.

"That second goal was a hustle effort by Emma with an awesome finish," Christianson said. "Emma was locked in from yesterday's game, two goals sparked the fire and led into today. She deserved that one."

Yablonski, a freshman, scored her first varsity goal for a 3-0 lead with 1 minute, 31 seconds remaining, as Mandan tried to apply pressure late.

"Annie with the cherry on top with the deep ball after the goalie was pushed up to help her team," Christianson said. "That's a way to start off your varsity career. She was close earlier in the game with a shot that went wide of the post, but that was a heads-up play by her, noticing the goalie was out."

Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune

Mandan’s best chance came from senior Sarah Helderop, off a corner kick in the second half, but Shanley goalkeeper Kailey Ottmar knocked the ball down and grabbed the rebound before any Braves players could arrive.

"Kailey was focused from the beginning of the game, usually I talk to her a bit, but she wanted to be by herself," Christianson said. "She didn't have to do too much, but there was a corner, a free kick. She was heads-up and had a good handle on the ball."

Ottmar finished with six saves to earn the shutout. Gabby Frohlich had three saves for Mandan.

“Congrats to Shanley,” McElwee said. “We were close."

BISMARCK — West Fargo Sheyenne went without a goal in its two regular-season meetings against Fargo Shanley.

The Mustangs were shut out for a third time on Friday evening at Sanford Sports Complex, and that moved the Deacons on to their seventh state title game appearance. Saturday's title match features the two remaining undefeated teams in girls soccer, the Deacons and Mandan Braves.

Emma Rohrich provided the scoring for Shanley, tallying once in each half to boost the East Region's top seed past the upset-minded Mustangs for a 2-0 win.

"We knew what to expect from Sheyenne, they've got some attackers who can score goals," Shanley head coach Ryan Christianson said. "There's some fun bad blood between the teams because a lot of the girls play club (soccer) together, so they love to compete against each other. We had certain players step up who wanted to win, and that was that."

Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune

After a high-scoring first semifinal, Shanley and Sheyenne each played tight defense to limit scoring chances.

"Our defense was on another level tonight, our center-backs, Claire Roney and Hudson Hofer, they don't stop," Christianson said. "They're young, which is maybe why they have so much energy, they don't have nerves, they just work hard and don't stop."

Sheyenne benefited from playing with the wind in the first half, outshooting the Deacons 4-1, but the one shot the Mustangs did give up resulted in the only goal of the half.

Shanley calmly worked the ball up the field before a cross found the foot of Rohrich, who settled the ball and beat goalkeeper Reese Shotley for a 1-0 lead with just under eight minutes before intermission.

"Against the wind, I wanted to come out with a 0-0 tie, but luckily we got a goal towards the end of (the half)," Christianson said. "That was massive, that took so much momentum into the second half, we could play more calm having both the wind and a one-goal lead. ... All season long we've worked on anticipation, working on where to be if a ball is crossed. Luckily it got snuck through a couple defenders and Emma was on the back door to smash it in."

Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune

It took a set play opportunity for the Deacons to get their second goal. Forcing a corner kick, Shanley sent Rohrich to take the kick, and she drove the ball perfectly through the wind and into the net for an unassisted tally seven minutes after halftime.

"To do that with the wind, that it still went in, that was impressive," Christianson said. "Emma has been doing that since she's an eighth-grader, sending in good crosses, we've had a lot of goals off that over the seasons and today is the day she got lucky and got a goal."

Kailey Ottmar had one save to collect Shanley's seventh shutout of the season.

GRAND FORKS — At the start of the spring season, the Fargo Shanley girls tennis team wrote down a list of goals that they wanted to accomplish. One goal on the list far outweighed the others: win state.

The Deacons will have a shot at accomplishing the feat this weekend at the North Dakota girls tennis state tournament at Choice Health and Fitness in Grand Forks.

“Here is an opportunity to go … and accomplish what you set out to do,” said Shanley head coach Damien O’Donnell.

The team duals tournament is on Thursday, May 28 and individual tournaments on Friday and Saturday.

Shanley (10-5) was seeded No. 3 from the East Region in the team duals tournament and will face West No. 2 Bismarck Century at 10 a.m. Thursday. West Fargo Sheyenne is the East Region No. 4, Valley City is No. 1 and Grand Forks Red River is No. 2 from the East.

The Deacons topped Grand Forks Central 3-2 in a state-qualifying contest in the East Region tournament.

“I like the momentum we have going into state,” O’Donnell said. “We feel like we can match up with anybody (in the) east or west.”

Junior Mary Wolf leads the Deacons individually. Wolf is seeded as East Region No. 3 in the singles tournament and will face off against West No. 6 Eva Benz from Mandan.

“She’s been a great captain and leader for the rest of our girls,” O’Donnell said of Wolf. “It’s kind of a luxury to have a player like that at the No. 1 spot.”

The Deacons finished fifth in the duals tournament last season, defeating West Fargo Sheyenne 3-2.

GRAND FORKS — Before Fargo Shanley junior Emmalise Maher came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning, she asked, "Why am I always in this situation?"

The first-seeded Deacons had runners on first and second and were tied with sixth-seeded Fargo North in the Eastern Dakota Conference's first state qualifier game.

Maher delivered a single to shallow right field. Senior Alexa Gregg rounded the bases and raced home, securing a 4-3 victory for Shanley on Saturday.

"We put (Maher) in that situation exactly because that's what she does," Deacons head coach Dale Dingmann said. "The message right away was we've got to fight any way we can to get on base. You've got to find a way, and these guys have been doing that all year."

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

Shanley will make its first appearance in the state tournament since 2016.

"I knew that they were going to make it home," Maher said. "Whatever happened, I just wanted to put the ball in play and drive it out there, and it worked. ... It feels pretty good. I love this game, and it's so exciting."

Junior pitcher Taelyn Card pitched all seven innings to earn the win, striking out six batters and walking one. She allowed six hits and three runs.

"She is just a grinder," Dingmann said. "She just grinds everything out, and she never gives up. She has been a phenomenal pitcher all year."

Maher's walk-off single was a fitting end to a game featuring multiple ties and lead changes.

"It's like a weight being lifted off," Card said. "You worked so hard since day one, it's just really fun to see all of our work pay off and finally get our goal to go to state."

Senior Kenleigh Fischer gave the Spartans a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first inning with a sacrifice fly.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

The Deacons were quick to respond. Eighth-grader Addy Carrete knocked a two-run single to left field for a 2-1 lead.

"That was huge," Dingmann said. "Our goal every inning is to win the inning — tie or win the inning. We got down one run, told the girls, 'Hey, we need to tie this or win it,' and they came out and scored two runs right away. That kind of eases everybody, calms nerves."

The teams traded runs in the third. North sophomore Charlotte Duff's RBI double to right field tied the game at 2-2, but Shanley recaptured its one-run advantage with an RBI single from Maher.

Duff, the starting pitcher, silenced the Deacons' bats until the seventh inning. She finished with 10 strikeouts and two walks while allowing eight hits and three earned runs.

"She threw a lot of pitches, got a lot of 2-2, 3-2 counts," Dingmann said. "I just said, 'Be patient, get your pitch, hit a mistake,' and we did that."

Spartans sophomore Paige Rohrich tied the game again in the sixth inning with an RBI triple down the right-field line.

Junior Quinn Buckmiller opened the seventh inning with a single, but she was tagged out at third on a subsequent bunt attempt.

Carrete and Maher each ended the day with two RBIs. Maher led the Deacons by going 3 for 4.

"I've just been trying to put the ball in play all season, and it feels good for it to show," Maher said. "(We were) making contact, seeing the ball and waiting on it."

FARGO — The race for the Eastern Dakota Conference girls soccer title remains wide open as the regular season hits the home stretch.

Entering Tuesday, the top three teams in the standings were separated by just three points — West Fargo Sheyenne with 22, Fargo Shanley with 21 and Grand Forks Red River with 19.

By the end of the night, the race became even tighter with just two points separating the three contenders.

The night's biggest statement came from second-place Shanley, which was playing host to first-place Sheyenne under cold and windy conditions at Sid Cichy Stadium.

Led by Molly Flaherty's hat trick, the Deacons blanked the Mustangs 4-0 to retake control of the points table and remain unbeaten at 7-0-3.

"It's just so exciting," Flaherty said. "I can't be more complimentary to my teammates. They're the ones who make it happen and it was a super exciting game (tonight)."

David Samson / The Forum

Flaherty's first goal came in the 16th minute on a header from the center of the box that beat Sheyenne goalkeeper Reese Shotley.

Following a Carly Hulstein penalty kick that made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute, Flaherty found the back of the net again in the 29th to give the Deacons a 3-0 advantage going into halftime.

The senior captain and forward added her third of the evening in the 42nd minute on a rebound off the crossbar to give Shanley the 4-0 edge early in the second half.

Danica Clasen tallied two assists for Shanley with Emma Rohrich also notching a helper.

"Those girls are doing what they're supposed to be doing this year," Shanley head coach Ryan Christianson said. "They're being leaders and scoring goals. (Hulstein) is controlling the mid and (Rohrich) is being a problem for the defense."

*As of Tuesday, May 5

1. Shanley, 24 points (7-0-3, 7-0-3 EDC)

2. GF Red River, 22 points (8-2-1, 7-2-1 EDC)

2. WF Sheyenne 22 points (10-2-1, 7-2-1 EDC)

4. GF Central, 16 points (6-4-1, 5-4-1 EDC)

5. Fargo South, 14 points (4-5-2, 4-4-2 EDC)

6. Fargo Davies, 11 points (3-5-3, 3-4-2 EDC)

7. Fargo North, 3 points (1-8-1, 1-8-0 EDC)

8. West Fargo, 0 points (0-10-0, 0-10-0 EDC)

Shots unofficially were 18-6 as Shanley controlled the possession for much of the match, particularly in the first half.

Sheyenne had its unbeaten streak halted at eight as the team suffered its first defeat since a 5-0 loss to Red River on March 31. The Mustangs are now 10-2-1.

Goals were hard to come by in the first meeting of the season between Shanley and Sheyenne on April 18 when the teams played to a 0-0 draw.

Although chilly, conditions were a bit more favorable for finding the net this time around.

"Probably not 40-mile-per-hour winds we were dealing with in that first game," Christianson said. "A lot of these girls on Sheyenne and Shanley play club together, so there's a little fun competition there and that really motivated them to push through and get the win."

David Samson / The Forum

Both teams are back in action Thursday, May 7, at 7 p.m. Shanley hosts Fargo South (4-5-2) while Sheyenne hosts Grand Forks Central (6-4-1).

The Bruins currently sit two points behind the Knights for the fourth and final state tournament position, meaning that both of those games will have important implications for all four teams as the Deacons and Mustangs also continue to jostle for position at the top of the standings.

Shanley edged South 2-1 on April 13.

"We always find it a difficult game versus South," Christianson said. "They do very well defensively and we just have to find those gaps and take those chances. We snuck out a win versus them last time and I'm sure it will be a tight game again."

Christianson said with his team back in first place, he knows it could be temporary with how close things have been this season.

"We're on top for now," Christianson said. "We're going to be getting chased and that's kind of our momentum after this big win. We told the girls, just keep the energy high and keep being motivated."

Flaherty said the goal is to keep the foot on the gas.

"We've got to watch our back," Flaherty said. "We can't let up and we'll just keep pushing the rest of the season."

David Samson / The Forum

David Samson / The Forum

David Samson / The Forum

David Samson / The Forum

David Samson / The Forum

FARGO — Fargo Shanley entered Friday in fourth place in a tightly packed top half of the Eastern Dakota Conference girls soccer standings.

The Deacons finished the day in first place.

Penalty kicks proved to be the difference for Shanley. Senior captain and midfielder Carly Hulstein converted on two of them to lift the Deacons to a 2-1 win over Grand Forks Red River at Sid Cichy Stadium for three crucial points in the standings.

Hulstein capitalized on her opportunities in the 41st and 78th minutes, beating Roughriders goalkeeper Kiana Cruz to her left on both.

"These last few years, I've been taking the (penalty kicks)," Hulstein said. "It's just helped me gain a lot of confidence, just being able to take them and having the trust from my teammates and coaches."

Chris Flynn / The Forum

The win kept Shanley unbeaten, moving to 5-0-2 on the season. Red River, which entered the contest a perfect 6-0-0, was dealt its first loss of the campaign.

"We had this on our calendar marked for a big game," Shanley head coach Ryan Christianson said. "Red River is undefeated coming in and they ended the postseason well last year by winning EDC and going into state. We were coming off of an OK game versus (Fargo) Davies. We had a rough first half, and then the second half, we really picked it up and I feel like we carried that second-half momentum into this game."

*As of Friday, April 24

1. Shanley, 17 points (5-0-2, 5-0-2 EDC)
2. WF Sheyenne, 16 points (8-1-1, 5-1-1 EDC)
3. GF Red River, 15 points (6-1-0, 5-1-0 EDC)
4. GF Central, 15 points (6-3-0, 5-3-0 EDC)
5. Fargo South, 6 points (2-5-0, 2-4-0 EDC)
6. Fargo North, 3 points (1-4-1, 1-4-0 EDC)
7. Fargo Davies, 1 point (0-5-2, 0-4-1 EDC)
8. West Fargo, 0 points (0-6-0, 0-6-0 EDC)

Following a 0-0 deadlock at halftime, a foul in the box gave Hulstein her first penalty chance just 35 seconds into the second half.

After Hulstein made it 1-0 on that try, Red River was later awarded a penalty kick of its own. Taylor Hodny took that attempt for the Roughriders and beat Deacons goalkeeper Kailey Ottmar top-shelf to tie the game at one in the 48th minute.

With 2:36 left in regulation, Hulstein was awarded her second chance following a Red River hand ball and capitalized again.

"In a game like this, a set piece, a corner or a penalty kick is what's going to decide these big games," Christianson said.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Christianson was even more pleased with his backline. Red River entered the contest having scored four or more goals in every game this season. The Deacons' defense limited the Roughriders to one on Friday.

"They got some goal scorers," Christianson said. "The Hodny sisters (Taylor and Reagan) are awesome for how young they are and we're going to have to battle with them for a few more years. I just told the girls, 'Keep an eye on them, double when you can and just slow the ball down from going towards our net.'"

Limiting the Hodny sisters — both sophomores who were instrumental in Red River's run to the EDC title and third-place finish at the state tournament last season — was a focal point for Shanley.

"They have good players all around the field, but those two were especially in the spotlight for us to focus on," Christianson said. "We didn't want any shots within 20 or 30 yards of our goal. I think our midfield really locked that down, our two centerbacks killed it (tonight) with their aggressiveness and getting the ball away from their attackers as best they could."

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Shots were unofficially 11-8 in favor of Shanley. The Deacons finished with six corner kick opportunities to the Roughriders' two.

Red River visits Fargo North (1-4-1) on Saturday. April 25, at 11 a.m. Shanley goes to North on Tuesday, April 28, at 7 p.m.

"It's just taking it one game at a time and making sure not to underestimate any team," Hulstein said.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Chris Flynn / The Forum

FARGO — For years, the Fargo Shanley softball team didn’t have a true home field — unless you count the turf at Sid Cichy Stadium.

At least the turf was on Shanley’s campus. It beat the near 8-mile drive to Mickelson Park in north Fargo or even the shorter trip down 25th Street to Fargo Davies.

Still, it wasn’t a true softball diamond.

As of Tuesday, the Deacons no longer have to worry about hauling their equipment to whichever field in town happens to be available. Under sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s, Shanley cut the ribbon on its new home softball complex at Bennett Park.

“I’ve been on varsity since seventh grade,” Shanley junior outfielder Kendall Kueneman said. “Many different coaches and we’ve just been working to get a field. It’s been like … we’ve never had a ‘home.’ We were always on turf or on a football field. So it just means a lot to now have a home and to be able to play with my team and all of the people here to support us.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

The new and improved Bennett Park softball field — which is just southeast of the Shanley campus — was made possible through a partnership between the Fargo Park District, Fargo Area Sports (formerly Fargo Youth Baseball), Shanley High School and the Shanley Athletic Club.

The idea for a true home field at Bennett Park came to fruition roughly two years ago according to Shanley softball head coach Dale Dingmann.

“It’s awesome to have it here finally,” Dingmann said. “The Fargo Park District has done an awesome job, Fargo Youth Baseball has done an awesome job and it’s just great to call home for practice and for games. We don’t have a lot of games here, but for practice, it’s been awesome.”

Shanley activities director Mark Hollcraft said it was a total team effort in making the Bennett Park project a reality.

"The partnership with Fargo Youth Baseball and Fargo Parks has demonstrated teamwork and leadership working together to continue to create and build strong programs and opportunities for our student-athletes, which is at the core of what we are striving to do for each of our organizations," Hollcraft said.

Hollcraft added the Shanley Athletic Club covered half of the overall expense of the project.

"This has been a team effort, not just with ideas and creativity, but also financially supporting this endeavor," Hollcraft said. "I have been impressed with the passion shown from Fargo Youth Baseball and the collaboration with Fargo Parks and the many resources Fargo Parks offers, and the support of their staff to make this happen. We are grateful for the opportunity to see how this has developed and the commitment of each group to see it through."

Shanley had primarily utilized the softball field at Davies for its home games over the past few seasons, so it was only fitting to host the Eagles in the inaugural game at Bennett Park.

Davies, however, didn’t mind spoiling the party. Behind 15 strikeouts from Sophie Rerick and three extra-base hits from Olivia Davidson, the Eagles picked up a 6-2 win over the Deacons.

Rerick — who recently surpassed 250 career strikeouts — went the distance in the circle. Along with her 15 Ks, the sophomore allowed two earned runs on four hits to go with three walks.

“The people on the bench really help me out because they’re always my supporters,” Rerick said. “And the field always helps me too. When I'm in those struggling moments and they get some hits, my fielders are always there to back me up. That gives me confidence and motivation.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

Rerick added two RBIs on a 1-for-3 day at the plate while Davidson was a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored. Hitting leadoff, Davidson opened the game with a triple and later added two doubles and a single.

Both of Davidson’s doubles came with two outs.

“I just knew with two outs, I had to have clutch hitting,” Davidson said. “I just had to put my bat on the ball, get some runs and get on base.”

Five of Davies’ six runs came over the first two innings before the Eagles added an insurance run in the seventh.

Julia Nybakken, Emery Motschenbacher and Elle Mann all added RBIs for Davies, which improved to 7-1 after its fourth straight win.

“We talked about just being where your feet are,” Davies head coach Matt Veit said. “We’ve got things we did well that we want to keep doing and things where we’ll show up tomorrow and try to get better at.

“I’m proud of these kids. A lot of our kids have played for multiple years and they kind of know what the season holds. It’s a long season and we’ve just got to keep getting better every day.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

Taelyn Card put up a 10-strikeout effort in the circle for Shanley, also going the distance and allowing five earned runs on nine hits to go with three walks.

Sarah Sim recorded an RBI for the Deacons to go with a run scored and a 1-for-3 day at the plate. Kueneman, Liz Biver and Kennedie Dingmann also recorded hits for Shanley (1-5).

“We’ve been struggling when adversity happens,” Dale Dingmann said. “We haven’t had a lot of fight, but (today), we had a lot of fight. We gave up some outs right away, but I think (Card) kept us in there the whole time.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

Up next, Davies visits West Fargo Horace (5-4) for a doubleheader on Thursday, April 23, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Shanley will host Larimore (0-3) for a single game on Friday, April 24, at 4:30 p.m.

“It’s just awesome just to have our own spot,” Dale Dingmann said. “Where we can put our own equipment, take care of our own field and build out practices based on that. It’s been awesome.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

FARGO — Fargo Shanley picked up a 3-0 win over Fargo North in a North Dakota girls soccer match played with temperatures around the freezing mark on Tuesday night at Sid Cincy Stadium at Shanley.

Anika Astrup picked up assists on Shanley's first two goals. Ily Mattern capitalized in the first half and Molly Flaherty and Carly Hulstein added second-half tallies in the season opener for both teams.

Kailey Ottmar needed just two saves for the win. Nora Stollenwork had 12 stops for the Spartans.

Rob Beer / The Forum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rob Beer / The Forum

Rob Beer / The Forum

 

 

FARGO — Fargo Davies’ fourth power play of the game late in the third period had just expired and the Eagles were once again left thinking that they couldn’t buy a goal all night.

Moments later, they finally got a bit of puck luck to go their way.

Ellery Wilcox skated into the Legacy/Bismarck zone, put a shot on net and the puck trickled past Legacy/Bismarck goaltender Rylee Otto — barely crossing the goal line.

“We’ve been struggling with shots all year,” Wilcox said. “But we’ve just been saying, ‘Gotta get shots on net. Every time you have an open look to the net, just shoot it on net. You never know what’s going to happen.’ ”

David Samson / The Forum

Wilcox’s eighth of the season tied this North Dakota girls hockey state quarterfinal game at 1-1 with 5:25 remaining in regulation.

After Davies killed off a late penalty of its own, Legacy/Bismarck’s Isabelle Ruud was sent off on a trip with 22.8 seconds on the clock.

The game went to overtime, but the Eagles’ Hudson Hofer wasted little time. Eleven seconds into the extra session, the freshman forward scored her team-leading 14th of the season on a wrister from the blue line to send Davies to a 2-1 win over the defending state champions in front of a raucous crowd inside Farmers Union Insurance Center.

“I was getting pretty tired and needed to score,” Hofer said with a laugh.

Hofer’s game-winner on the power play lifted Davies into Friday’s state semifinals for the first time in three years.

The No. 6 seed Eagles (14-9-1) will face No. 2 seed Grand Forks (20-4-0) Friday at Scheels Arena. Puck drop is slated for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first semifinal between West Fargo United and Fargo North/South at noon.

“We told the girls to play like it’s your last game of the season,” Davies head coach Josh Rogers said. “They did that (tonight). Proud of the effort, proud of the perseverance. We battled through some adversity.

“It was a tough game. It was physical. Lots of penalties and lots of non-penalties. Breakaways … It was just insane and it was a lot of fun.”

David Samson / The Forum

Legacy/Bismarck’s Berklie Moos opened the scoring just 5:05 into the contest on a rebound that beat Davies goaltender Megan Suppes for her fourth of the season.

The score remained 1-0 until Wilcox’s tally in the third.

Suppes recorded 32 saves in the win. Otto stopped 21 for Legacy/Bismarck.

Wilcox spoke highly of her senior netminder and captain, noting that the Eagles are never out of games with her between the pipes.

“(Suppes) is incredible every day,” Wilcox said. “She’s always working hard and always wanting to get more shots and you can really tell it pays off in the games.”

David Samson / The Forum

Final shots were 33-23 in favor of Legacy/Bismarck.

Third-seeded Legacy/Bismarck (17-7-0) will face No. 7 Mandan (11-13-0) in Friday’s consolation semifinals. Puck drop is 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first consolation semi between Minot United and Bismarck Century at 5 p.m. at Farmers Union Insurance Center.

Meanwhile, Davies is seeking the right to play for a state title on Saturday.

“It’s going to take a lot,” Hofer said. “But if we play like we did (tonight), we’ll come out with a chance to win.”

FARGO — For Fargo Shanley boys hockey coach Mark Olsonawski, the message about Deacons hockey is simple.

“Shanley Deacons hockey is all about a team that’s going to do their best and let God do the rest,” Olsonawski said. “Go out and compete every night as best as you can, and whatever the scoreboard is at the end — as long as you know you gave it all of your heart and soul and are committed to your best effort — then that’s what Deacons hockey is all about.”

Shanley will carry that philosophy into its first state tournament appearance under the Deacons banner since 1989.

For the past 15 seasons, Shanley competed in a cooperative program with Fargo South — a partnership that produced a 2023 state championship and also included Fargo Oak Grove and Moorhead Park Christian.

Shanley stepped away last spring, opting to realign its hockey program with its fellow faith-based schools.

The result was a new co-op featuring Shanley, Oak Grove, Park Christian and Capstone Classical Academy — and now, a return to state under the Deacons name.

“Shanley Deacons hockey kicking off here again as a program has been a real special thing,” Olsonawski said. “I know the boys are really excited about it and having the Shanley shield on the jersey.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

East No. 3 seed Shanley (11-12-1) will face West No. 2 seed Bismarck Legacy (19-5-0) in the North Dakota boys hockey state tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, Feb. 26, at Scheels Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 5:30 p.m. game.

“Everyone is focused,” Deacons junior forward Jordan Wright said. “We’re all dialed, we’re all skating hard and we’re ready to battle.”

The Deacons and Sabers did not see each other in the regular season.

“They’ve got some scorers,” Olsonawski said of Legacy. “They’ve got three guys who are in the top in the state for points, so they’ve got some good skill and some guys who can move the puck really well in transition.”

Harrison Johnson (22 goals, 26 assists, 48 points), Beckham Presley-McKay (16-23-39) and Ben Garlie (22-16-38) lead the Sabers in scoring. Johnson’s 48 points are tied for fourth-most in the state.

Led by that trio, Legacy has averaged 4.46 goals per game this season and holds the eighth-best power play percentage in North Dakota at 26.5%.

"They’re a team that moves the puck well," Olsonawski said. "They’ve got some high skill with some of their players and if you give them too many opportunities, they’re probably going to be able to capitalize.”

Shanley’s penalty kill was tested at the most crucial of moments during last weekend’s East Region state qualifying game against Fargo North. Holding a 2-0 lead early in the third period, the Deacons' Ben Qualley was sent off for checking from behind at the 2:54 mark.

Shanley killed the extended Spartans advantage and ultimately held on for a 2-1 win to punch its ticket to state.

“Killing that off was huge (for momentum),” Deacons senior forward and captain Aaron Meyer said. “Once we killed it off, we were like, ‘We knew that we had this.’”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Meyer is Shanley’s leading point-getter this season with 8 goals and 17 assists for 25 points. Fellow senior captain and forward Dawson Werth trails right behind with a team-leading 10 goals to go with 14 assists for 24 points.

Including that duo, Shanley brings a fairly balanced goal-scoring effort. Six Deacons players have scored seven or more goals this season on a team that averages 2.96 per game.

Seven players have tallied 10 or more points this season after only two, Meyer included, achieved that mark for South/Shanley last season.

“It’s huge,” Meyer said. “Last year, we only had two guys with a total of 10 points. This year, it’s amazing to see everyone … All three lines are producing.”

Seniors Jack Furstenau and Gabriel Smith have split time in net for Shanley this season, with Furstenau drawing the majority of starts. The tandem has combined for three shutouts. Furstenau owns a .901 save percentage with a 2.90 goals against average, while Smith carries a .877 save percentage and a 3.87 goals against average.

“Both Jack and Gabe have been a key part to being able to help us get here over the last stretch,” Olsonawski said.

During the East Region tournament, Furstenau pitched a 19-save shutout in a 4-0 quarterfinal win over West Fargo Sheyenne. During the state qualifier against North, he recorded 17 saves between the pipes to help the Deacons secure a trip to state.

“Jack really had an amazing (East Region) tournament,” Olsonawski said. “That was a huge job being able to shut (Sheyenne) out. And then coming back on Saturday, when we really needed a strong performance … North had some Grade-A chances in that contest against us.

“He’s definitely a difference-maker and when he’s on, it’s hard to score on him.”

Entering the state tournament, Shanley has won five of its last seven games. There are some nerves, Wright said, but it’s mostly been business-as-usual for the Deacons at practice this week.

“But I think we know we belong here and I think we’re ready," Wright said. "I think we’ve just got to keep working hard, put our heads down and keep wheeling.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Shanley players are excited for the opportunity to don the Deacons shield at the state tournament after a lengthy absence.

“It’s huge,” Meyer said. “Just to lead this team onto state for the first time in a couple of decades … It’s big. It means a lot.”

“It’s awesome,” Wright added. “We haven’t had a (standalone) team in a long time. I think we’re ready and we’ve shown that.”

GRAND FORKS — For the first time in more than 35 years, the North Dakota state boys hockey tournament will see the Fargo Shanley sweaters.

In its first season as a stand-alone co-op in more than 15 years, Fargo Shanley earned a trip to the state tournament for the first time since 1989 with a 2-1 win over Fargo North on Saturday afternoon in an East Region tournament state qualifier at Purpur Arena.

"I know there are a lot of Shanley alums that love to see the Shanley shield and have a lot of pride in it," Shanley coach Mark Olsonawski said. "But one thing I just said to the boys in (the locker room) is without our partnerships with Oak Grove, Park Christian and Capstone in the future ... we wouldn't have a Shanley Deacons hockey program."

Shanley previously competed with Fargo South as Fargo South-Shanley. Fargo South now partners in a co-op with Fargo North.

Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald

The Deacons reached state by shedding any bad memories from the region semifinals, an 11-1 loss to No. 1 Grand Forks Central.

"One thing our coach says all the time if we have a bad game is to flush it," said Shanley goalie Jack Furstenau, who finished with 16 saves. "It's in the past. So that's exactly what we did."

After a scoreless first period, the Deacons took a 2-0 lead on a pair of second-period goals. Aaron Meyer scored at 2:05 of the middle period, followed by Noah Oksendahl at 14:30.

Meyer scored his eighth goal of the season and has now scored a goal in four consecutive games.

"We came into the season and a lot of teams looked down on us because we were new," Meyer said. "No one thought we'd do well. This is huge. It really shows how far we've come this season."

Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald

North was held off the scoresheet through a five-minute major called on the Deacons to start the third period.

"We know we have a good PK," Meyer said of the penalty kill. "We know we can shut it down. We knew if we kill this off, we win it."

But the Spartans set up a tight finish after Jack Bartsch scored with 3:10 remaining to cut the lead to 2-1.

Furstenau made his toughest save with 10 seconds to go with the Spartans pressing with an extra attacker.

"He didn't get tested a lot but some of those chances were Grade A, and he came up big," Olsonawski said.

North goalie Dominic Crocker finished with 25 saves.

Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald

Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald

Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald

Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald

Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald

Korrie Wenzel / Grand Forks Herald

FARGO — Earlier this season, Shanley’s Rylee Seavert eclipsed 1,000 career points.

The milestone, which came against Grand Forks Central with a 24-point effort on Jan. 16, was just a blip on the radar compared to everything else Seavert has accomplished this year.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore forward for the Deacons has made it very much known through her play that she’ll continue to be a threat for Shanley over the next two years.

A “walking double-double,” Seavert has averaged 19.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game this season.

What makes Seavert so dominant?

“I think it’s the fact that I’m versatile,” Seavert said. “If I have a smaller girl on me, I’m able to go on the block. But also, if I have a bigger girl that I can take out of the paint and just shoot on, I think that works very well too.”

Anna Paige / The Forum

One doesn’t need to look very far down the list to find Seavert’s name in most Eastern Dakota Conference statistical categories. She currently ranks third in the EDC in scoring, second in rebounding, first in offensive rebounding and also leads the league in blocked shots at 2.2 per game.

If she struggles to find an open shot, her Shanley teammates are there to kick the ball out to. Seavert is seventh in the conference in assists with 3.2 per game.

“A lot of (credit goes to my teammates), almost all,” Seavert said. “I couldn’t have done anything without them. How we’ve come together this season is just wonderful and I love my teammates.”

With one game remaining in the regular season, the Deacons sit 13-7 overall and 9-6 in EDC play, good for fourth place in the conference standings.

Shanley concludes its regular-season slate at home against Grand Forks Red River on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 7:15 p.m. The Deacons are a half game ahead of the Roughriders for the final home East Region tournament quarterfinal slot.

The Deacons have won four of their last five games.

“Our team right now has been great,” Seavert said. “We’re all coming together really well. Hopefully we can ride it out, make it to state and just keep on going.”

Anna Paige / The Forum

Along with joining the 1,000-point club, Seavert also surpassed 500 career rebounds in an early-season win over Fargo North in December. During that game, Seavert collected 20 boards and added 19 points in the 66-52 victory over the Spartans.

Seavert has recorded a double-double in more than half of Shanley’s games this season. That includes the Deacons’ second game against North on Jan. 27, when Seavert put up a career-high 39 points and 23 rebounds to help Shanley secure an 86-83 win.

“It felt so great, especially coming out with the win in that one,” Seavert said. “I know it was a close game and being able to pick the team up when we really needed it felt great.”

Shanley head coach Beth Maher said Seavert’s abilities and leadership as a sophomore have been valuable to the program’s success.

“Rylee has an incredible physique for a 16-year-old girl,” Maher said. “She’s 6-foot-1, moves her body really well, works hard and she’s very focused on her goals and what she wants.

“And she can take it to the hole. She could take it to the hole over everybody. She’s still kind of learning how to use her body on the block and such, but she’s made a lot of growth and it’s exciting to see.”

Just as Seavert herself noted, Maher also mentioned the versatility of her team’s star player.

“Rylee is a really great all-around great player,” Maher said. “She can post up on the blocks, she can hit that mid-range jumper, she can go coast-to-coast and she can hit the three-point shots. That’s what makes her such a tough player.”

David Samson / The Forum

Prep Girls Hoops lists Seavert as the No. 2-ranked recruit out of North Dakota in the 2028 class, right behind West Fargo Horace’s Lakyn Donnelly. Seavert was a unanimous all-conference selection as a freshman and also earned second team all-state honors.

Seavert’s college recruitment isn’t in full swing quite yet, as coaches may not extend verbal offers to recruits until June 15 after their sophomore year. However, student-athletes may receive non-recruiting materials to get the process underway early. Unofficial visits are also permitted.

“It’s been great,” Seavert said of her early recruiting process.. “Not too stressful or anything, but definitely more to come hopefully. Just trying to ride out this season.”

This season is exactly what Seavert remains focused on as Shanley looks to advance to the Division AA state tournament for the second straight season.

“The mindset is just keep using the aggressiveness we have right now and bring it into (East Region) and hopefully state,” Seavert said. “We have so much energy and adrenaline right now, and hopefully we can just carry that over, get everyone hyped and get other people scoring too.

“When one person’s not having their best game, we know other people are going to step up and hopefully we can keep that going the rest of the season.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

WEST FARGO — It had been quite some time since the Fargo Shanley boys hockey team won a postseason game as a standalone program.

That changed on Tuesday night.

Led by Dawson Werth's two goals and a 19-save shutout from Jack Furstenau, the Deacons blanked West Fargo Sheyenne 4-0 in a North Dakota East Region boys hockey tournament quarterfinal game played at the West Fargo Sports Arena.

"I think it was a great team effort," Werth said. "We shut them down in the defensive zone and it really gave us the offensive play to make the right plays."

Chris Flynn / The Forum

No. 5 seed Shanley (10-11-1) advanced into the East Region semifinals against No. 1 seed and defending state champion Grand Forks Central (20-2-0). Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Purpur Arena in Grand Forks.

"Our job, and I've said it from the very beginning of the season with this team, is to show up every night and compete," Shanley head coach Mark Olsonawski said. "No matter what the score is on the scoreboard ... Compete every shift, work hard and have fun."

Elijah Emineth opened the scoring for the Deacons at the 6:56 mark of the first period. The play began when teammate Jordan Wright burst up the right wing with speed, creating a 2-on-1 opportunity. Sheyenne defenseman Easton Brown hustled back and took Wright out of the play, but Wright managed to slide the puck across to a wide-open Emineth. Emineth then beat Mustangs goaltender Cruz Fitzpatrick to give Shanley a 1-0 lead on what was his ninth of the season.

Just under three minutes later, Werth fired a wrister from the top of the left circle. The puck trickled past Fitzpatrick to give the Shanley captain and leading point-getter his first of the game and ninth of the season at the 9:47 mark.

The score remained 2-0 after one period.

Werth’s second goal of the night came on Shanley’s first power-play opportunity. With just 12 seconds remaining on the man advantage, Furstenau left the puck for Werth behind the Deacons net. Werth then went coast-to-coast and beat Fitzpatrick with a backhand to the blocker side, giving Shanley a 3-0 lead at the 8:49 mark of the period.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Aaron Meyer added an empty-netter for Shanley at 16:13 of the third to seal it for the Deacons.

Final shots were 28-19. Fitzpatrick stopped 24 for Sheyenne, while Furstenau picked up his second shutout of the season.

"My teammates, they really kept the puck away from me," said Furstenau, who tacked on the assist on Werth's second goal. "They were playing well defensively and we were able to score on offense."

Fourth-seeded Sheyenne (13-9-0) will now play in a loser-out game against No. 9 seed West Fargo (4-19-0) at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Purpur Arena.

It was just the second time this season the Mustangs were held scoreless.

"It's (East Region) hockey at its finest and they got a couple of early ones on us," Sheyenne head coach David Benson said. "That was tough. It happens. Guys get tight, we've got a young team and I think the nerves got to them a little bit. We've just got to play. We know what it's like now, and we've just got to go out there and get the win on Friday."

Benson said Werth's second goal, scored with just two seconds left on the power-play, was a back-breaker.

"That was a tough one," Benson said. "I thought we did a great job of killing that penalty and then right there at the end, we let (Werth) loose and he popped one in."

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Shanley finished 1-for-2 on the man-advantage while the Mustangs were 0-for-1.

Shanley has now won four of its last five games as the Deacons go into Friday with a chance to punch their ticket to the state tournament for the first time as a standalone since 1989.

Prior to this season, Shanley previously operated as a co-op with Fargo South for 15 years. Under the Bruins nickname, the co-op won the state championship over Grand Forks Red River in 2023.

"I'm really proud of the boys to get their first (East Region) win," Olsonawski said. "First (East Region) win for the program in obviously a number of years since it was Deacons hockey. Now to have Shanley hockey back ... I'm really proud of this group stepping up and showing what Deacons hockey is all about."

Chris Flynn / The Forum

 

 

 

 

FARGO — As its middle school and adjoining high school nears 25 years of operation, the John Paul II Catholic School system is at full capacity and looking for ways to expand.

The system operates five schools: Holy Spirit, Nativity and Trinity elementary schools, Sacred Heart Middle School and Shanley High School.

President Mike Hagstrom said total enrollment for 2025-2026 stands at 1,282 students.

“The fact is, we are running out of space,” he said.

Several versions of building expansion plans for Shanley-Sacred Heart have been developed over the last 10 years or more, but for a variety of reasons did not move forward, Hagstrom said.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

In 2023, school leaders began developing a new strategic plan, examining facilities and enrollment trends. Since then, he said enrollment has grown 11%.

“It’s the proverbial ‘good problem’ to have,” Hagstrom said.

Shanley High School has a total of 315 students, with a graduating class of more than 60 but an incoming freshman class of 100-plus, taking into account additional students who will come in from St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Moorhead and other schools.

“We're looking at a jump at Shanley of probably 40-plus students … coming year after year,” Hagstrom said.

Sacred Heart, under the same roof as Shanley at 5600 25th St. S., currently has 105 students per grade, on the high end of what it was designed for.

The elementary schools are near or at capacity.

“We exist to serve these families in our Catholic parishes in particular. And we don't like having to say we're full, or we can't take you at this time,” Hagstrom said.

Contributed / John Paul II Catholic Schools

School leaders listened to focus groups last fall and sent out surveys to stakeholders to help shape the future plans.

They’re working with ATSR Architects in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a planning, architectural and engineering firm specializing in PreK-12 school facilities.

Hagstrom said there is existing housing to the south, west and east of Shanley-Sacred Heart and property to the north that is part of the campus of Sts. Anne and Joachim Catholic Church and the pastoral center.

It hasn't yet been determined whether it’s feasible to expand the current Shanley-Sacred Heart facility, build a new high school or a new middle school, or to build a new elementary school.

“It's an open question. It truly is,” Hagstrom said.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

JPII Schools hopes to have an expansion plan in place by April for its board to review. Once a path has been determined, a fundraising campaign will be launched.

"It’s not cheap, we know that," Hagstrom said.

The campaign could happen in phases, he added, depending on the generosity of donors and supporters.

MOORHEAD — Minnesota State Moorhead has landed a Division I transfer quarterback with ties to the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Fargo Shanley graduate Michael Rostberg committed to the Dragons football program, he announced this week via social media, after spending the past two seasons with St. Thomas, a nonscholarship FCS program in the Pioneer Football League.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Rostberg played in seven games for the Tommies during the 2024 season. He completed 24 of 50 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns with five interceptions. Rostberg has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

During his senior season at Shanley, Rostberg passed for 2,969 yards and 34 touchdowns in 12 games. He also rushed for 373 yards and nine TDs. He passed for 5,263 yards during his prep career. Rostberg said MSUM's pass-heavy offense was one of the things that made the Division II program appealing. He said he played in a similar-style offense while at Shanley.

“That’s a big part of it … knowing them to be quarterback friendly," Rostberg said. "Also, I really wanted to come back home and be in this community.”

Rostberg is likely to compete for the Dragons starting QB job for next fall with record-setting quarterback Jack Strand completing his prolific career with MSUM this past season.

“With Jack Strand graduating, it’s kind of a level playing field, and everything is going to be earned," Rostberg said.

The Dragons are expected to have six quarterbacks on the roster for camp, including Rostberg. Sophomore Timmy Guler, and redshirt freshmen Drew Huebner, Joey Kallay and Madden Riggs are also expected to be in the mix for playing time. Payton Wallen — a 2026 class recruit — is expected to early enroll and also be part of spring ball for the Dragons.

Rostberg is the third D-I transfer the Dragons have added this offseason, joining former St. Thomas receiver Chandler Christensen and former University of North Dakota receiver Seth Staloch.

Rostberg didn't play this past season for the Tommies and took a medical redshirt and had surgery on his right shoulder (throwing shoulder) this past fall. Rostberg said he's hopeful to be able to compete in noncontact drills during spring practices for the Dragons.

“I’m super excited to be able to play now healthy," Rostberg said. “You kind of learn who you are when football is taken away from you a little bit.”

The Dragons had an 8-3 record this past season under head coach Steve Laqua. MSUM, however, lost multiple playmakers on offense, including Strand and record-setting receivers Gage Florence and Brady Perryman.

Rostberg said he also had an offer from Lamar (Texas), which is an FCS program, but ultimately chose the Dragons. He also received interest from multiple D-II programs. Rostberg said MSUM also recruited him coming out of high school so he's familiar with Laqua and the program.

“The standard he sets for his program is something I want to be a part of," Rostberg said. “I felt like MSUM was the right spot for me and really wanted to play here.”

Rostberg said he's thankful for the three seasons he spent at St. Thomas, but is also excited for his new opportunity with the Dragons.

“I really cherished my time at St. Thomas, I really learned a lot," Rostberg said. “This is still high-level football so nothing really changes in that aspect."

FARGO — Representation matters.

When the West Fargo Sheyenne and Fargo Shanley girls basketball teams tipped off last week, Sheyenne head coach Morgan Milbrath felt a quiet sense of appreciation looking down at the Shanley bench.

The first-year Mustangs coach found herself competing against a Deacons squad led by third-year head coach Beth Maher. Together, the two are the only women holding head coaching positions in North Dakota Division 2A girls basketball.

“It was fun to look over there,” Milbrath said. “I don’t have a very deep relationship with (Maher) yet, but before the game even started, we were like, ‘Hey, let’s exchange numbers, let’s go talk, let’s have coffee, let’s support each other and let’s make this a thing for women’s basketball and just help each other.’ ”

The coffee date is already on.

“(Milbrath) and I chatted before the game,” Maher said. “I had sent her a few messages on Twitter. I’m always rooting for her. We actually exchanged phone numbers and we’re going to have coffee.

“We kind of chuckled because we were having some of the same issues and I think we have a lot that we can talk about and a lot to relate to. It’ll be important that we support each other.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Women coaching high school basketball in North Dakota isn’t new — several serve in head coaching roles at the Division A and Division B levels. But Milbrath and Maher are the only two women leading programs in the state’s highest classification, and both compete in the Eastern Dakota Conference, something that has created a unique connection between them.

“We both have very competitive programs and we have over the years,” Milbrath said. “Being an assistant over the last couple of years at Sheyenne, I’ve indirectly coached against (Maher) and she’s always been a phenomenal person.

“Honestly, walking in the gym and seeing her just makes me feel welcome, even as an opposing coach. I really like being around her and she inspires me to keep going and be better.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Women coaching in the EDC at the same time isn’t new either. Maher’s first season coaching Shanley was 2023-24, the same season veteran head coach Tonah Safranski guided Fargo Davies to a 23-4 record and the Class A (now Division 2A) girls state championship.

Grand Forks Central’s Andrayah Adams also coached in the conference that season, giving the EDC three female head coaches at once.

In her first season as a varsity head coach, Maher saw Safranski across the court in much the same way Milbrath now sees Maher — a visible example of what was possible.

“In a very simple answer, sometimes representation matters,” Milbrath said. “Just seeing two females, especially coming from the EDC … we did have (Safranski), who decided to step down because her kids are at the age where she wanted to be a parent first. I think that’s important as well.”

Milbrath was a multi-sport athlete for Minot High School, competing in basketball, volleyball and track and field. She carved out an illustrious prep track career, winning nine state titles as a sprinter for the Majettes and breaking various records before moving on to run collegiately at North Dakota State.

David Samson / The Forum

As one can assume, basketball was not Milbrath’s primary sport.

“I did play basketball in high school, but that’s kind of where my career ended,” Milbrath said. “By no means was I the star basketball player on any court I ever set foot on. But I love to coach, I love to teach, I love to battle and this is a sport where that all gets put together.”

When former Sheyenne girls coach Kenyon Wingenbach took over the program ahead of the 2021-22 season, he asked Milbrath to join his staff. At the time, she had minimal coaching experience, mostly from volunteering on NDSU track coach Stevie Keller’s son’s basketball team.

“I volunteered on (Keller’s) son’s basketball team, then did some middle school coaching,” Milbrath said. “Then they said, ‘Hey, we have a basketball job. Do you want it?’ And I was like, ‘I’ll give it a try.’

“I did that for two years, and next thing I know, I’m getting a call from (Wingenbach) when he moves to Fargo. He asked, ‘Do you want to come coach with me?’ And I said, ‘Are you sure you want me?’ He said, ‘Let’s give it a try.’ The rest is history and here I am. I’m just grateful to have great guides like Kenyon and everyone else along the way.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Milbrath stayed on Wingenbach’s staff until he stepped down after the 2024-25 campaign to accept a full-time assistant role with the Concordia women. She was hired to take over the Mustangs’ program last June.

Maher was also a standout player for the Bison, suiting up for NDSU from 1998-03 under head coach Amy Ruley. She was a two-year starter and an all-conference selection her senior year.

Forum file photo

Maher coached junior varsity at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton from 2003-09 and has also coached travel ball among other roles at the high school and middle school levels. She was hired as the head coach at Shanley in April 2023 after coaching the Deacons’ C-team prior.

Maher said it’s even more inspiring that Milbrath is now a head coach despite basketball not being her primary sport.

“We talked about that,” Maher said. “She was an incredible runner for the Bison. She said that she will tell the girls, ‘I’m not saying I can do this, but I want you to execute this play.’ We talked a little bit about, in practice, modeling things for the girls and she said sometimes she has a little bit of a challenge with that. But the girls really like her and are having a lot of fun with her.”

Last week’s contest between Sheyenne and Shanley saw the Mustangs down the Deacons 67-66 in a game that went to the wire. It was Milbrath’s first win as head coach after Sheyenne began the season 0-5.

“I’m normally super, super upset after games,” Maher said. “And I’m upset by losing, but I’m happy for (Milbrath) too and her girls executed. That first year of coaching — not only as a female in a male-dominated coaching world — but just getting some of those wins in your first year are important.”

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Together, Maher and Milbrath don’t want to take away from their male coaching colleagues by any stretch. What they do hope to accomplish is continuing to be inspirations for young women.

“I don’t want to discredit anything that the male coaches are doing, but I certainly feel that I want all the females in our metro area, not just my girls, I want them playing basketball,” Maher said. “I want them to see that you can be a mom, you can have a job and that you can pursue things that you love. Like for me, basketball and coaching. You can do it all if you have the right support system.”

“Just keeping that alive and having that representation like, ‘Hey, if this is something you want to do, you can pursue this,’ ” Milbrath added. “It doesn’t always have to be a guy coaching a sport or even a girl coaching a sport. I just think for kids to see people in different positions and roles matters.”

FARGO — Fargo Shanley volleyball head coach Taylor Preston is stepping down after two seasons.

Shanley activities director Mark Hollcraft announced the resignation late Wednesday night.

"Shanley volleyball coach Taylor Preston has submitted her resignation, and I have accepted it," Hollcraft said in the release. "I am grateful for her three years of coaching our Shanley girls, including the last two as head coach.

"Taylor expressed much appreciation in getting to know the girls through coaching but believed it was time to take new steps forward in her life."

Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum

Preston initially joined the Deacons staff as an assistant in 2023 under former coach Alexis Bachmeier. Shanley finished 26-11 that season and included runner-up finishes at both the East Region and Class A state tournament.

Preston took the reins of the program ahead of the 2024 season. The 2024 campaign saw the Deacons finish 29-7 overall, including 20-2 in the Eastern Dakota Conference for the regular season conference title. Shanley also qualified for the state tournament for the second straight year.

This past season saw Shanley finish 23-14 overall. Overall, Preston compiled a record of 52-21 over two years leading the program.

Hollcraft said the search for Shanley's next head coach will begin immediately.

FARGO — Rylee Seavert nabbed her 500th career rebound minutes into Fargo Shanley’s Eastern Dakota Conference opener against Fargo North on Tuesday.

The milestone was just a blip in the radar for the Deacons’ 6-foot-1 sophomore forward. Seavert added 19 points as No. 4-ranked Shanley pulled away from North for a 66-52 home victory.

“It felt really great,” Seavert said. “I knew it was coming and just how hard I’ve worked to get those rebounds, it’s a great goal.”

Seavert shared her game-high scoring effort with eighth-grade teammate Jaya Taylor, who also put up 19 points as Shanley moved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the EDC.

Rob Beer / The Forum

The Deacons’ strong start to the year will be put to the test on Friday, Dec. 19, when Shanley visits No. 5 Fargo Davies (1-0, 1-0 EDC) in a top-five showdown set for 7:30 p.m.

“We need to keep our confidence up,” Shanley head coach Beth Maher said. “We didn’t have the best shooting night, but we’re going to get lots of shots up the next couple of days, get back to the gritty work of boxing out and rebounding and do the things we know that we’re good at.”

North (0-3, 0-1 EDC) found itself down but not out on Tuesday. Facing an 18-point deficit early in the second half, a corner three from Spartans freshman guard Claire Christensen cut Shanley’s lead to just four points, making it 45-41 with 9:10 remaining.

The Spartans stayed within striking distance, trailing 54-50 before a 6-0 Deacons run with buckets from Peace Hakim, Claire Roney and Taylor built Shanley’s lead back up to double digits with just over two minutes to play.

“I think that we were relying on our conditioning,” Maher said of finishing down the stretch. “We’re in really good shape and so the girls were able to push the ball up the court and execute in their way.

“(North) certainly were having a great shooting night and we were having an off shooting night. I was proud of our girls for just sticking to it, grabbing them rebounds and the hustle plays. I thought (Hakim’s) hustle plays were incredible and that’s what kept us going.”

Rob Beer / The Forum

Seavert said it came down to controlling tempo in order to rebuild their lead.

“We kind of just controlled the pace of the game,” Seavert said. “We started noticing how they were cutting and everything. We took those opportunities away from them and the game just went from there.”

Addyson Gust joined Seavert and Taylor in double figures with 10 points while Hakim chipped in nine.

Seavert averaged a double-double in scoring and rebounding last season and has already done so again through the first three games this season.

Maher said her presence in the paint has been valuable since joining the varsity team as a seventh-grader, and that she’s only gotten stronger each season.

“Rylee is a big presence down there,” Maher said. “She’s prepared to get doubled and tripled this season, so I think she’s doing a really nice job looking for her teammates to kick the ball out.”

Rob Beer / The Forum

North was paced by Christensen’s 15 points while Paityn Knoke joined her in double figures with 13. Haylie Hahnert added nine for the Spartans.

North hosts West Fargo (1-3, 1-0 EDC) on Friday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m.

Shanley senior forward and captain Megan Dietz, who signed to play collegiately at UMary earlier this month, said her team’s resiliency came through in pulling out the win Tuesday.

“It really took grit,” Dietz said. “We had a good start and then kind of went down. But we pushed through in the end and coming together as a team really helped.”

Rob Beer / The Forum

FARGO — Fargo Shanley’s Mykenna Johnson gives a surprising answer when asked which sport she most enjoys partaking in.

“My favorite is probably soccer.”

Afterwards, Shanley cross country coach Chris Foerster let out a sigh and playfully proclaimed, “I can’t believe she said soccer is her favorite sport.”

Foerster can hold that against Shanley girls soccer coach Ryan Christianson at a later date. In the meantime, Johnson is fully dialed in on preparing for this weekend’s Class A cross country state meet at Parkhurst Campground/Pipestem Reservoir in Jamestown.

Don’t be mistaken, her passion for running is loud and clear.

“Maybe just after eighth grade and after how well I did, (the passion) just kind of stemmed from there,” Johnson said.

Now in her junior season, Johnson clocked 22 minutes, 1.1 seconds at her first state competition in 2022. Today, her times have improved by nearly four minutes. Johnson now holds the program record for the Deacons after putting down an 18:01.9 at the Grand Forks Border Battle in September.

The previous high mark for the Shanley girls was a 19:00.6 set by Anna Bernhardt in 2018. Johnson shattered that time with an 18:28.1 at the first meet this season and broke her own mark again with an 18:20.3 a week later.

The 18:01.9 set at the Border Battle ranks No. 2 in the state among Class A girls this season.

“At the beginning of the season, I didn’t realize (the 18:28.1) was a school record,” Johnson said. “So that kind of shocked me and pumped me up even more.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

Most recently, Johnson’s 18:17.9 during the East Region championships at Grand Forks’ Lincoln Park was good for first place and the individual conference title. Johnson edged West Fargo Sheyenne freshman Emmie Fellows by more than 35 seconds.

The win also gave Johnson back-to-back all-conference finishes after a 16th-place run in 2024.

“It was pretty great,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think I would quite reach (the East Region title) at the beginning of the season, so it was pretty surprising. But I’m really happy about that.”

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

Johnson’s winning run also helped the Deacons to a runner-up finish in the East Region team competition. Shanley finished the meet with 59 points.

Foerster said consistency has been the key to Johnson’s development into an elite runner.

“She’s been a consistent athlete over the years,” Foerster said. “Always hard-working, always consistent. This offseason — over the winter and over the summer — just did a tremendous amount of work and she’s just spot on with doing the work as any athlete I’ve ever coached.”

For comparison, Johnson’s previous personal best was a 20:07.1 at last season’s East Region meet. She came out with the 18:28.1 in the season-opening race this year and has only brought her times down further, earning three wins along the way.

“She hit that school record in the first race of the year and it probably wasn’t even on her radar,” Foerster said. “And then she’s built on it over the year, which has been exciting to watch.”

Johnson will head into the state meet ranked No. 2 in the Class A girls individual coaches poll. The only runner ahead of her is Bismarck Century junior and defending individual champion Ruby Ihmels, who holds a state-best time of 16:24.5 that also ranks No. 5 nationally.

Williston sophomore Harley Jeannotte is more evenly-matched with Johnson with an 18:04.8 that ranks No. 3 in Class A this season.

“My goal is to get second and just stay with (Jeannotte),” Johnson said. “Definitely just staying locked in, focusing on it and not letting anything distract me.”

Johnson would be remiss to not mention her Shanley teammates. After all, she credits her Deacon counterparts for pushing her towards her goals and vice versa.

“They really push me and they encourage me,” Johnson said. “And then I’m definitely just cheering them on and staying confident.”

FARGO — The Fargo Shanley cross country team has plenty to be proud of heading into this weekend’s Class A state meet.

An East Region individual champion, two East Region Senior Athletes of the Year, eight all-conference nods and multiple school records and personal bests falling.

The Deacons girls are ranked No. 4 in the Class A team coaches poll. The boys are ranked No. 5.

Both teams are riding the momentum of their runner-up finishes at the East Region championships into the state meet, which is set for Saturday, Oct. 25, at Parkhurst Campground/Pipestem Reservoir in Jamestown.

The girls kick things off at 2 p.m. with the boys race to follow at 2:45.

“We’ve all just got to do what we know how to do,” Shanley senior Lucy Grothmann said. “Work together, push each other and expect whatever (the competition) throws at us.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

“Just try to focus little-by-little,” senior Quinn Carroll added. “Each day at a time and really just try to think of the team when I’m out there running.”

The Deacons placed eight runners — four girls and four boys — in the Top 20 at the East Region meet on Oct. 11.

On the girls side, junior Mykenna Johnson claimed the East Region individual title with a first-place time of 18 minutes, 17.9 seconds. Grothmann followed in fifth place while junior Mary Wolf and eighth-grader Violet Childress finished 13th and 14th respectively and set new PRs in the process.

The Deacon boys saw five PRs fall at East Region, led by junior Ethan Erickson’s second-place run of 16:03.5. Carroll finished in seventh place followed by sophomores James Chaffee in ninth and Peter Shorma in 15th to round out all-conference honors.

Erickson, Shorma, sophomores Cole Foerster and Aiden Och, and seventh-grader Hayes Chaffee all turned in PRs for Shanley.

“I think our team has exceeded some of our expectations,” Erickson said. “We’ve had a very consistent top four runners, and that fifth runner has been kind of mixed between a decent group. Now, that fifth runner is kind of rounding up and the rest of us are still performing at our best. I hope we can do well at state.”

The records have fallen like meteors for the Deacons this season. Five of the Top 10 girls records at Shanley have been set this year alone, with seven out of the Top 10 held by current team members.

Three of the Top 10 boys records are held by current Shanley runners.

“We had everybody back from last year so we had high expectations,” Shanley head coach Chris Foerster said. “They worked really hard over the summer, more than I think we’ve ever seen.

“Sure enough, first meet of the year, they came out with an explosive start and had a great first meet. The boys have been consistent throughout the season, they’ve stayed right where they are. The girls have had some setbacks with health and other things, but they’ve kind of rebounded, come back and they’re right where they want to be too.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

Johnson broke the previous girls program record of 19:00.6 — set by Anna Bernhardt in 2018 — during the first meet of the season and has bested it two more times since. Johnson’s 18:01.9 at the Grand Forks Border Battle in September now stands as the current high mark.

Erickson’s 16:03.5 in his runner-up finish at East Region was good for second all-time among Shanley boys. The boys record holder remains Isaac Zimmerman’s 16-flat set in 2003, a mark Erickson is aiming for on Saturday.

“Mostly, I want to try to break 16 (minutes),” Erickson said. “But moreso, try to just maintain my place in the state.”

Erickson ranks No. 5 in the Class A boys individual coaches poll this season and holds the No. 7 time among Class A boys runners this season.

Johnson is holding steady at No. 2 in the girls coaches poll with the second-best Class A girls time while Grothmann checks in at No. 9 in the poll.

“Things have gone really well,” Grothmann said. “We’re making lots of good improvements and everyone’s been working hard.”

Grothmann’s PR of 19:07.5 this season is third all-time among Shanley girls. Senior Lily Elbert checks in at No. 5 in the Deacons’ record book, followed by senior Annika Aakre at No. 6, Wolf at No. 7, Childress at No. 8 and junior Elle Bernhardt at No. 10.

Joining Erickson in the boys record books are Carroll at No. 4 and James Chaffee at No. 7.

Carroll and Elbert were both awarded East Region Senior Athlete of the Year honors. It’s that senior leadership that has meant so much to the Deacons’ success this season.

“Every race, every athlete will have their ups and downs,” Foerster said. “But you kind of come to that end as a senior, and there’s just a little extra something that’s in it. When you know it’s the last race you’ve got, you just go out there and something pretty special can happen.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

Both the Shanley girls and boys teams finished runner-up to Fargo Davies at the East Region competition. The Deacons girls finished with 59 points to the Eagles’ 53 while the Deacons boys recorded 61 points to Davies’ 28.

“We have a good battle going with Davies,” Foerster said. “Our girls were very close. We were six points off at (East Region) and we hope we can flip that at state. Our boys, a little bigger difference there, but we’ll try to close that gap.”

MANDAN — A goal in the final seven minutes of play allowed Fargo Shanley to escape overtime and top Minot 1-0 on Thursday in the opening round at the North Dakota boy soccer state tournament at Starion Sports Complex.

Shanley's victory locked in an all-East Region semifinal round.

"Late goal, defense did a fantastic job for the clean sheet," Deacons head coach Jake Fritz said. "Our goalie and defense kept us in it and then we had our one opportunity and our forward Drew Schneider put it in the back of the net."

Shanley played a strong first half, preventing Minot from recording either a shot on frame or a corner kick. But with Shanley held to just two shots on frame, the first half finished scoreless.

"That's state, you gotta keep going, keep going," Fritz said. "Sometimes they don't fall, but all you need is one, and that's what we got tonight."

Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune

Each team had their opportunities in the second half on set pieces, with each coming close on a corner kick and free kick apiece.

Before its goal, Shanley had the attempt of the game — and Minot keeper Ian Stewart the save of the game — off a free kick in the second half, with Stewart diving to keep the free kick out.

"We saw they were good at set pieces throughout the year," Fritz said. "Our guys, we only had two guys that had played at state before tonight, so that first half was us getting in a groove and figuring out what state is like. The second half was a lot of back and forth, fun to watch, and I'm glad we came out on top."

Shanley kept the pressure on Minot after a pair of shot blocks by the Magi defense following a Deacons free kick, and eventually a cross from Hayden Braun found the head of Drew Schneider in the 74th minute, and Schneider headed the ball into the net.

Minot found two more attempts on frame after Shanley's goal, but could not find a way past Shanley keeper Simon Schwind, who made five saves in the second half.

"Simon, he was fantastic back there," Fritz said. "He wasn't even a keeper until last year and he's far outshot what I thought he would do. He's great back there, we can always rely on him."

Shanley plays East No. 1 seed Fargo South at 6:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at Starion.

Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune

GRAND FORKS — Two Eastern Dakota Conference runners had big leads down the stretch at Lincoln Park on Saturday.

Fargo Shanley’s Mykenna Johnson and Luka Rout of Fargo Davies were sure-fire winners at the EDC championship, but it was Red River’s Peyton Thompson who delighted the home spectators.

The seventh-grader clinched a personal best 19:07.4 for a third-place finish and led the charge for the Roughriders to finish third in team points.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

“I feel like we’ve been a little underestimated throughout the year, and it was nice to see them all have a good day all together,” Red River girls coach Nicole Kopff said. "It was a tight team race."

Along with Thompson, Jocelynne Hoefs finished 10th with a time of 19:35.11 for a personal best. Mattea Green, Ava Parks and Emma Howard each finished 12th, 16th and 19th, respectively.

Red River even held the team lead in points after the first mile and confirmed those five runners would be in the mix after the second mile. The Roughriders would eventually finish just one point shy of second-place Shanley’s 59.

It was a point of pride for a group that lost a strong group of seniors just a few years ago.

“It is easy to think when people graduate that it is harder now to get there," Kopff said. "With this group, regardless of how they finished last year, they came in with the idea that we are going to be a prideful team no matter what the place is or what the score is. We’re going to act as one."

Davies would top the team scores with a 53. Brynn Braaflat, Brielle Stevens, Kaitlyn Ballinger and Addison Brock finished seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th. Elania Melendez was just behind them at 18th.

After the Eagles swept the top five in the junior varsity race, they pulled out just as impressive a feat in the varsity race. Luka Rout, who bested his time last week at the Border Battle, posted a time of 15:28.3 as he cruised for the medal.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

Kaj Naujokas and Chance Johnson were nearly side by side at the finish. Naujokas’ 16:27.1 was just two seconds ahead, putting him in fourth place. Keagan Thomson placed eighth with a 16:38.2, while Kasen Currence and Jack Anderson finished 10th and 11th.

Red River’s Cohen Dunnigan completed another third-place finish for the school with his time of 16:15.1. He was able to stride ahead by four spots as he pushed himself following the first mile.

“We went out in the box for the first mile and it was nice to keep the wind off us for a little and I only wanted to get faster from there. I was just trying to keep it going and I knew Scott (Johnson) would be behind me,” Dunnigan said.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

Johnson would go on to finish in sixth with a time of 16:30.4. The two were neck-and-neck throughout the race.

Central’s Grant Martin and Ben Sickler also secured Top 20 spots, as they finished 13th and 19th.

Red River just missed out on a third-place finish in team points, as its 129 were outside of Sheyenne’s 120.