West Fargo Sheyenne senior Ethan Raan is on top of the North Dakota high school tennis world after he claimed the singles championship on Saturday, October 8, at Hammond Park in Minot.
Raan defeated Grand Forks Red River’s Espen Schneider in the final round of the NDHSAA (North Dakota High School Activities Association) Boys Tennis Singles State Tournament.
Raan is the first player to win an individual state championship for the Sheyenne boys’ tennis program.
“It was very rewarding to bring the boys’ tennis program at Sheyenne its first state title and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates” Raan said. “Coach Anderson and Coach Healy have always set high standards for the team and encouraged hard work, and I feel that my success is a direct product of that.”
Ethan Raan holds the bracket of the singles state tournament after his state championship victory. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
He redeemed himself against Schneider in a third set tiebreaker, 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3). Schneider defeated Raan 6-2 and 6-4 in the EDC (Eastern Dakota Conference) singles championship just a week prior.
Ethan Raan had nothing but a humble attitude towards his state championship opponent, “In regards to Espen, my opponent, it was our fifth time playing against each other this season and at this point we were 2-2. He’s a great tennis player and I enjoy playing competitors like him.” Raan was able to get the last laugh.
Ethan Raan went into the state tournament as the number two seed player from the East region.
He started off with a great win (6-0, 6-1) over Bismarck’s Gabe Hanson in the first round and got the chance to play his Sheyenne teammate, junior Mason Christensen, in the quarterfinal round.
Raan defeated Christensen 6-4, 6-4, to move onto the semifinal round.
He had a blast playing against his teammate in a match that had a lot on the line, “Playing Mason in the quarterfinals was great because it meant we had both been successful in the rounds prior” Raan said. “We had fun playing each other and continued to support each other in the matches that followed. He’s a great player and teammate and I can’t wait to see where next season takes him.”
Raan continued his state title run with a semifinal win over Grand Forks Red River’s Saylor Kuenzel, capturing a 6-2, 6-2 victory. The journey to the mountain top was complete with the win over Schneider in the final round.
The EDC players came to play at the state tournament as Ethan Raan was in the mix of seven players from Sheyenne, Fargo South, Fargo North, and Fargo Davies, who were either in the championship or consolation semifinals.
Grand Forks Central’s Evan Panzer and Cole Wilber won the doubles state championship over Mandan’s Karter Hatzenbuhler and Brady Helbling.
Raan was hungry for a state title this year as he was close to achieving one last year but lost in the single semifinals to Shanley’s Kai Pierce (3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4).
He finished last year’s season on a high note with a win (3-6, 6-1, 6-3) over Grand Forks Central’s Ryder McDonald in the third-place match.
Fortunately things turned out differently this year.
The state champion himself was extra motivated all season long, “I didn’t feel that I had to redeem myself after taking third place last year as I went out on a win and played great players in the semis and the third place match. If anything, I gained confidence from it and it encouraged me to work harder for my senior season.”
Due to his success, Ethan Raan was voted the 2022 Senior Athlete of the Year.
Sheyenne’s boys tennis team went 19-3 overall and 8-1 in conference play. The program took third place as a team in the state tournament.
The 2022 West Fargo Sheyenne boys tennis team took third place as a team at the state tournament in Minot, North Dakota. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
Raan felt that the team’s success helped him create a champion mindest going into the state championship, “My mindset going into the state championship was it was now or never. It was my last match of my high school tennis career and for that reason I wanted to win for myself and for my team” he said.
With that mindset, Raan also felt no pressure, “Although I was very motivated to win, I was also grateful to have made it that far and felt fortunate to have the opportunity. With the team qualifying for state, it had already been a great season that I and my teammates were proud of. So I went into the match feeling no pressure.”
The three seniors, Ethan Raan (left), Nate Angus (middle), and Kasen Baer (right), with the third place team trophy. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
One of the best things an athlete can do is finish their high school career on a high note, and go out with a bang, and Ethan Raan did just that. The young man has a bright future ahead of him.
Raan spoke about his future plans, “I plan on playing tennis in college in some capacity, whether it’s for a college team or club team. It all depends on what school I attend. At the moment, I’m interested in studying astrophysics/astronomy and aerospace engineering and aspire to have a career in a space-related field.”
It is safe to say that the Mustang faithful is very proud of Ethan Raan. He will look to have more success this spring, which will be his final high school track season.
Raan is an explosive, fast-twitch athlete, who will qualify for state in the 100m and 200m dashes once again along with being on the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams.
One thing is for certain, Ethan Raan’s tennis state title run is something he will remember for the rest of his life.
There’s two things every athlete feels in sports based on the outcome of their games. The thrill of victory, or the agony of defeat.
However, it is all about how athletes respond to the wins or to the losses. More importantly, the losses.
Maybe more specifically, when expectations are not met, how should athletes react to the unexpected? Change or the unexpected is hard and challenging.
And yet, in that change, in the unexpected, there’s more to learn, more to achieve, more to reflect upon, more to look forward to. This may be the case for the 2022 Sheyenne Mustangs’ football squad.
Slot back Race Wilson gets ready to run his route during Sheyenne’s 11AA quarterfinal playoff game against Bismarck Century on Friday, October 28, at Essentia Health Mustang Stadium. Photo courtesy Lillian Wirtz.
West Fargo Sheyenne went into the first round of the NDHSAA (North Dakota High School Activities Association) Class 11AA playoffs with a seven-game winning streak and as the number one seed.
The Mustangs were coming off a 28-17 victory against the #2 Mandan Braves in the regular season finale. Sheyenne finished the regular season at 8-1.
Cornerback Ty Schlichting gets ready to defend during Sheyenne’s 11AA quarterfinal playoff game against Bismarck Century on Friday, October 28, at Essentia Health Mustang Stadium. Photo courtesy Lillian Wirtz.
The Mustangs faced off against the Bismarck Century Patiots, the number eight seed.
Bismarck Century was most dominant program of the 2010s and the team who defeated West Fargo Sheyenne in back-to-back Dakota Bowls in 2019 and 2020.
However, the Patriots finished the 2022 regular season with a losing record of 3-6, which is something that fans are not used to seeing. West Fargo Sheyenne defeated Bismarck Century in week 3 of the regular season, 41-14.
The Mustangs looked to begin another playoff run against the Patriots in order to reach their fourth straight Dakota Bowl and have a shot at winning their second straight state title.
Bismarck Century began to hit their stride going into the quarterfinal round against West Fargo Sheyenne. Century started 0-5 before winning three of their last four regular season games.
The Patriots came out firing on all cylinders against the Mustangs and were able to pull off a 27-8 upset victory at Essentia Health Mustang Stadium on Friday, October 28.
And just like that, the season was over for the Mustangs. There would be no back-to-back champion.
The Mustang faithful was stunned at what just happened. The fans were wondering how could this have happened?
The Mustangs turned the ball over a whopping six times.
Sheyenne fumbled on their second drive of the game.
Century capitalized with a touchdown reception by William Ware, a Minot State basketball commit.
For the majority of the first half, the Sheyenne defense was able to keep Century at seven points. The Mustang offense on the other hand, could not get anything going.
Century’s quarterback, Kyan Barth, connected with wide receiver Ryan Brynjolfson for a 44-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter, after Sheyenne fumbled again.
Century led 14-0 at halftime.
The Patriots got the ball to start the second half.
Century faced a third down and needed eight yards to get a first down. Kyan Barth threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to running back Peyton Arndt.
Century took a 20-0 lead.
Sheyenne answered by driving down the field easily on their next drive, which was capped off with a rushing touchdown by Kaden Rahr.
The Mustangs were able to convert on the two-point conversion to make it a 20-8 game, with 4:34 to go in the third quarter.
Sheyenne’s defense came up with big stops on the next two Century drives. One of those defensive stops included a top-ten play.
Marcus Johnson intercepted Kyan Barth on 3rd and 23, with 11:04 to go in the fourth quarter.
Unfourtunately, Sheyenne failed to score on their final three drives. Bismarck Century scored one last touchdown with 1:42 to go in the game, right after they recovered a muffed punt.
The 27-8 first round loss to Bismarck Century will arguably go down as the most heartbreaking loss in Sheyenne’s football history. Sheyenne finished the 2022 season 8-2.
Bismarck Century was able to defeat Fargo Davies in the semifinals, 12-0, to punch their ticket to another Dakota Bowl.
The Shanley Deacons blew the Bismarck Century Patriots out of the water in the Dakota Bowl. It was a 48-7 victory for the Deacons and they captured their first state title since 2018 and their 17th overall.
This was also Shanley’s 10th state title in the modern era, which began in 1975, and the first time Shanley won the state title in the highest division since 1983.
The 2022 Mustangs featured another great squad that was full of well-rounded athletes. They looked very solid throughout their seven-game winning streak.
The seven-game winning streak started after Sheyenne lost to Fargo Davies, 35-6, in week 2.
Starting quarterback Caleb Duerr finished his first season as a starter with 90 carries, 585 rushing yards, and 9 rushing touchdowns. He was 50/116 through the air and had 839 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, and finished with 5 interceptions thrown.
Quarterback Caleb Duerr scrambles out of the pocket during Sheyenne’s 11AA quarterfinal playoff game against Bismarck Century on Friday, October 28, at Essentia Health Mustang Stadium. Photo courtesy Lillian Wirtz.
Race Wilson was the leading rusher and receiver on this Mustang football squad this season.
Wilson had 115 carries, 639 rushing yards, and punched in 4 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 21 passes from Caleb Duerr, had 222 receiving yards, and had 2 receiving touchdowns.
Senior fullback Issac Kanega, who can squat 515lbs, ran 123 times, gained a total of 505 yards, and had 7 rushing touchdowns.
Issac Kanega receives a handoff from Caleb Duerr during Sheyenne’s 11AA quarterfinal playoff game against Bismarck Century on Friday, October 28, at Essentia Health Mustang Stadium. Photo courtesy Lillian Wirtz.
Senior slot back Kaden Rahr, ran for 336 yards on 83 carries, and had 4 rushing touchdowns as well. Barieyedum Kpeenu had 48 carries, 331 yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Dylan Beyl finished his senior season with 10 receptions, 194 receiving yards, and 2 receiving touchdowns.
Aiden Knodel, another senior wide receiver, caught 8 passes, had 151 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown.
Defensive end Karter Menz, the University of Minnesota commit, led the EDC AA in sacks for the second straight year, with 10.
The Mustangs defense will also miss the contributions from Nic Renner, Marcus Johnson, Ross Olson, and Ty Schlichting.
Marcus Johnson had four interceptions this season. One of them was a pick-six, which occurred against West Fargo High in week 7.
Sheyenne is going to the miss the seniors that are graduating this year, but they also had a few juniors such as Caleb Duerr, Race Wilson, and Barieyedium Kpeenu, who will return next year.
The Mustangs will look to bounce back in 2023 and try to make another run to the Dakota Bowl and capture another state title.
Sheyenne’s football program has grown so much since their inaugural season that took place back in 2014, and will be a team that will continue to be fun to watch in the years to come.
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
John Wooden was the UCLA mens basketball coach from 1948-1975 and won 10 national championships between 1964 and 1975. Photo courtesy Sports Illustrated.
Success is a word or concept that can be different for every person. Everyone wants to be successful, but it is a long road to get there. So what does it take?
Success can be defined in many ways according to a person’s hobbies, interests, or goals. It is not necessarily about being super rich or being MVP all the time. Although there is nothing wrong with wanting to make a lot of money and win awards, success should be about personal fulfillment.
Most people feel the need to be successful because they want to feel like they had a significant impact on the world. One of the biggest fears a lot of people have is looking back on a life that lacked impact or was unfulfilling. This is where hard work and being driven comes into play because there is only so much time a person gets on Earth.
The knowledge that your time on Earth will be up one day should create the focus and the need for accomplishing goals. Time is one of the most valuable things.
It takes a lot of dedication to achieve success and many people fail to work for what they want and expect everything to be given to them. That is not how it works.
Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer of all time, said this in his acceptance speech when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, “Nothing is ever going to be given to you. Everything is going to be earned. If you don’t go out and put in the work, you don’t go out and put in the effort, one you’re not going to get the results. But two, more importantly, you don’t deserve it, you didn’t earn it.”
Fortunately, it has never been easier to learn how to be successful than it is today. Perhaps this explains why there is more millionaires in the world today than there has ever been.
The first step is to stop looking for the silver bullet. That means to stop looking for the easy way out. Work and be creative! Success does not happen overnight.
Next of all, goals should be specific, attainable, have a date, and a purpose. There is nothing wrong with reaching out to people for help. Want to be successful? Learn from other people that are successful. However, do not look for validation.
Nothing kills happiness more than when a person decides to not follow their dreams. Do not be afraid to dream big: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.”
Ownership and belief in oneself leads to results. If it is a person’s goal to start their own business, they need to take ownership in themselves.
One of the best things about entrepreneurship is having the freedom to create a business from personal vision. Plus, taking self-ownership leads to enjoying the wins and learning from the losses. Most importantly, belief leads to achievement. It is all up to the individual to become successful.
There are many ways to achieve success in life. Becoming successful requires someone to stop looking for someone else to do it for them, create goals, to be dedicated, work hard, not look for validation, live their dreams, take ownership, build experience, to have self-discipline, and believe in themselves.
There are two options everyone can do. They can either sit back and not work for it or they can start creating, take some risks, discipline themselves, and work hard so they can earn it. Ultimately, make everyday count.
The West Fargo Sheyenne boys’ basketball program and girls’ basketball program both wrapped up their eighth season as varsity programs.
The girls’ team had a new coach this year, Kenyon Wingenbach.
Wingenbach was an assistant coach for the Bismarck Century boys’ basketball program for five years and for the Bismarck Century girls’ basketball program for eight years.
Kenyon Wingenbach succeeded Brent Hintz, who was the coach for the first seven years of the West Fargo Sheyenne girls’ basketball program.
The boys team finished 20-7 overall with a fourth-place finish at the state tournament.
This was a team that graduated five seniors last year and lost 80 percent of their scoring, which came from Jacksen Moni and Jah’Heem Leake.
The girls’ program had their best season in program history, by going 20-6 overall, and had a 16-game winning streak that spanned for a little over two months.
Kenyon Wingenbach was glad to be a part of such an amazing experience, “I’m looking forward to next season, but this team was very special. I’ve been a part of a lot of successful teams, but I’ve never been a part of something like this. It’s a team I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”
Both the girls’ and boys’ teams punched their tickets to the 2022 North Dakota High School Basketball Class A State Tournament, which was held at the Bismarck Event Center from Thursday, March 10, to Saturday, March 12.
Sheyenne’s boys team punched their ticket by getting to the EDC (Eastern Dakota Conference) championship game for the third year in a row.
Fargo Davies beat Sheyenne 66-60, to get the East number one seed in the state tournament. Sheyenne beat Fargo Davies in the EDC championship last year, 92-55, and in 2020, 68-48.
Sheyenne’s girls team punched their ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 2019, by beating the Shanley Deacons, 68-51, in a state qualifier match. They earned the East number three seed in the state tournament.
Maya Metcalf (right) attempts to win the tip-off against Minot’s Leelee Bell (left) during the start of the their quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 10, in the North Dakota High School Class A Girls Basketball State Tournament. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
Head coach Kenyon Wingenbach talked about his team being underestimated going into the season and winning 20 games in his first year as head coach, “I thought it was possible next season, but we exceeded everybody’s expectations this season. I thought we could make a run by tournament time and possibly upset a team or two to make it to state. Our main goal was to get acclimated to a new style of play, compete, improve, and form the foundation moving forward.”
The 2022 Class A State Tournament featured many tight games and great matchups. In the boys’ bracket, there was two games that went into overtime in the quarterfinal round.
Minot defeated Fargo North 73-72, thanks to Darik Dissette’s game winning floater, after trailing 71-64 with 1:21 to go in overtime. Fargo Davies outlasted Bismarck Century in overtime, 84-72.
Sheyenne defeated Mandan in the quarterfinal round for the second straight year, 61-48. The Mustangs marched to their third straight semifinal appearance.
Kaleb Larson pulls up for a jumper over Mandan’s Nathan Gerding during their quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 10, in the North Dakota High School Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament, at the Bismarck Event Center. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
West Fargo Sheyenne took on Minot in the first boys semifinal game on the evening of Friday, March 11, 2022. The Mustangs were up 19-11 before the Magicians made a late first half comeback to go up by one at halftime, 24-23.
Both teams shot below 35 percent from the field. The second half was back and forth, and it was anyone’s game.
The Magicians built a lead late in the second half before the Mustangs made a comeback of their own, thanks to another double-double performance from senior Michael Nhial, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds. Dominic Dosmann hit clutch shots down the stretch to keep the Mustangs in it.
Michael Nhial (left) attempts a pull-up jumper over Minot’s Logan Conklin (right) during the first boys semifinal game of the North Dakota High School Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament on Friday, March 11, at the Bismarck Event Center. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
Sheyenne struggled with foul trouble as the Mustangs’ second leading scorer, Kaleb Larson, fouled out late in the game.
The Mustangs tied it up at 51 to send the game to overtime. One overtime was not enough to determine a winner. Michael Nhial hit two out of three free throws to tie the game at 57 and force a second overtime.
Sheyenne came out with a couple of buckets to go up by four and a chance to put the Magicians away and punch a ticket to the state championship game. But Minot did not go away.
Minot got the lead back down to two and forced a stop. Then, the Magicians’ junior guard, Jaeger Gunville, hit one of the most clutch shots of the entire tournament, from NBA range, to take the lead 62-61.
The Magicians forced another stop and hit two free throws to go up by three. The Mustangs had one more chance to send the game to a third overtime.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Sheyenne senior forward, Zander Newton, was blocked in the corner and the Minot Magicians survived just barely. This win punched their ticket to the Class A title game for the second straight year.
“This group was one play away from being the favorite in the championship. It takes a lot of hard work and effort to get to state and once you make it, you must find another level. The 2022 team had it and the 2020 team never got a chance to complete their season,” Tom Kirchoffner said.
Kirchoffner completed his eight season as head coach for the boys’ basketball program at Sheyenne.
The Magicians would get revenge on the West Fargo Packers in a rematch from last year’s state title game, with a 73-62 victory, to win their first title since 2017, and 19th in school history.
The boys’ team did prove tons of people wrong, and this is a program that should not be overlooked.
Head coach Tom Kirchoffner felt the same way, “We will always have that internal drive to do well. We want our players to do their best on and off the court. The challenge with this team was that we lost all of our starters from the previous year. It was a great challenge for this group of seniors, and they exceeded everyone’s expectations this year. I’m really proud of them.”
The Mustang girls’ basketball squad did not have the brightest finish to the best season in their program’s history. They lost both of their games at state. However, they kept it close in both of their games.
In the Mustangs’ quarterfinal game against Minot, who went on to win the Class A girls basketball state title, they were behind by as much as 20 points in the first half and made a huge comeback.
The Mustangs were able to get the lead down to single digits late in the first half and were able keep it that way throughout the second half.
The Majettes were able to hold on for the win by a score of 71-63. They went on to defeat Fargo Davies 64-57 in the semifinals, and snap Bismarck Century’s 50 game winning streak in the state championship, with a stunning 75-68 win.
This was just the second time the Minot girls’ basketball team won the state title. The first came in 1978.
The Mustangs lost to Bismarck Legacy 61-58 in the consolation semifinal round and the season came to end.
Brenna Dick goes up for a contested layup over Bismarck Legacy’s Breena Sand during their consolation semifinal game on Friday, March 11, in the North Dakota High School Class A Girls Basketball State Tournament. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
The Sheyenne girls’ basketball program is going to miss Alivia Manson and Lauren Fagerland as they are graduating this year. They contributed as deadly shooters from beyond the arc and were significant role models for the rest of the team.
The boys’ team is graduating a staggering nine players. These players are Michael Nhial, Kaleb Larson, Dominic Dosmann, Zander Newton, James Hagen, Trent Freih, Matthew Gooselaw, Kellen Entz, and Derrick Lobbo.
Nhial, Larson, Gooselaw, and Dosmann have interest to play at the next level.
Matthew Gooselaw is committed to go play for the Spartans at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls. Kaleb Larson just recently committed to NDSCS in Wahpeton.
Dominic Dosmann has growing interest from Concordia College in Moorhead. Michael Nhial committed to Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Nhial will team up with former Sheyenne Mustang Jacksen Moni next year along with Fargo Davies guard, Ian Motschenbacher, who committed to Northern State back in October.
Both Wingenbach and Kirchoffner will continue to have optimistic expectations for their teams.
“The expectations are high for next year, but almost every team that finished in the top seven this year has everyone back,” head coach Kenyon Wingenbach said. “It’s going to be a very competitive league, but we will continue to set and adjust our standards of excellence to pursue. We will need to continue to emphasize the little things, start from zero, and embrace new roles with the departure of our seniors.”
Kirchoffner had similar comments, “Expectations are the same – to work hard every day, have a great attitude, and be a good teammate.”
The girls’ team will bring back a ton of varsity experience and will have a large senior class next season. The boys’ team on the other hand will bring a group of players who have not had experience at the varsity level.
Kenyon Wingenbach is excited for the years to come, and Sheyenne is grateful to have him as head coach for the girls’ basketball program.
Wingenbach had great advice and lessons to give to players that participate in high school sports, “The ups and downs of any given season are an extreme version of real life. Basketball can be used as a vehicle for a higher purpose,” Wingenbach stated.
“I think everyone in our program learned a lot about themselves throughout our journey. The collective confidence we had as a team allowed all our members to feel more comfortable with who they truly are. Ultimately that’s the biggest takeaway from this season. Each season is different. Each group is different.”
As for Tom Kirchoffner, he emphasizes the importance of a great attitude, “Attitude is everything. I learned that at a young age when I would go to my dad’s basketball camps as that is what we had on the back of the camp t-shirts,” Kirchoffner said. “Also, you need to work hard to have success. Good things come to those who work hard.”
The Mustang faithful can be sure that both programs will continue to make remarkable things happen in the years to come.
Cincinnati Bengals loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl ended the 2021-2022 NFL (National Football League) season. Ever since then, one of the wildest off-seasons was launched which will cause the NFL’s 2022 season to look more different than it has before.
One way the NFL was going to look different was with Tom Brady’s retirement.
Tom Brady has played 22 seasons, winning six Super Bowl’s with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Many NFL fans pondered on when his retirement would be. But on February 1st, he announced that he was stepping away from the field.
The league was going to look very different since he’s been in it for the past two decades, until he announced his return to the NFL after a one-month retirement.
Tom Brady will be coming back to Tampa Bay to play his 23rd season.
Another quarterback that was in the news was Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers. Many thought that Aaron Rodgers wasn’t going to be in Green Bay after last year.
Aaron Rodgers celebrates a touchdown with Devante Adams
Throughout the season he gave clues on wanting to leave Green Bay to play at another team.
The two teams that showed a lot of interest in him were the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos.
However, Aaron Rodgers resigned to the packers for 50 million a year for four years. Many fans were shocked and Packer fans were ecstatic.
But with this signing of Aaron Rodgers, the packers where not able to keep, arguably the best wide receiver in the league, Devante Adams.
Devante Adams signed to the Las Vegas Raiders being reunited with his old college quarterback Derek Carr.
With the Packers resigning a top two quarterback, that left him with nothing much to support him.
Along with Devante Adams leaving Green Bay, one of the top defensive players on the packers, Za’Darius Smith, left the packers to go to the Minnesota Vikings.
It is going to be interesting to see how the Packers are going to be. They could be either one of the best teams or be stuck on the bottom.
With neither the Broncos nor Pittsburgh Steelers being able to land Aaron Rodgers, they both got a new quarterback to lead the team.
Denver Broncos landed on one of the best quarterback options with the signing of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russel Wilson.
Russel Wilson brought the Seahawks to two Super Bowls winning one and losing one.
With the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger who was the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback for the last 18 seasons, they landed on Buffalo Bills back up quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Trubisky was the Chicago Bears starting quarterback before being demoted to a backup behind Josh Allen.
Buffalo Bills however also picked up two-time Super Bowl winning linebacker Von Miller.
Von Miller won his first ring with the Denver Broncos and won his second ring with the Los Angeles Rams the previous year.
The Bills already had a dangerous offense and defense but picking up one of the best linebackers in history will only make them more frightening.
Another linebacker to switch teams was Khali Mack, linebacker for the Chicago Bears. During this years off season Khali Mack went to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers have a dangerous offense being led by Justin Herbert. And now the chargers might have one of the better defenses in the league.
The Chargers also acquired cornerback J.C Jackson to their roster from the New England Patriots, making their defense a top-notch defense.
Bobby Wagener is another linebacker to leave their team. Bobby Wagener left the Seattle Seahawks to go to the previous Super Bowl winners the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams now have the number one defensive linemen, linebacker, and corner in the league.
Another Bears player to leave was wide receiver Allen Robinson going to the Los Angeles Rams.
Another major trade to take place was Tyreek Hill leaving Kanas City to go to Miami.
Tyreek Hill celebrating during the AFC Championship
Tyreek Hill is the fastest wide receiver in the NFL and was a major weapon on the field for number one quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
With this trade, the Miami Dolphins now have the fastest wide receiver core with having Jaylen Waddle and now Tyreek Hill.
Miami Dolphins traded Devante Parker to the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs picked up Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The Cleveland Browns signed Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson dealt with legal trouble during last season, and we couldn’t see one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL play.
Deshaun Watson looking for open receiver while playing for old team Houston Texans
However, Watson beat his case and got off not guilty and will continue his career with the Cleveland Browns.
With this pick up, Baker Mayfield who was the starting quarterback for the Browns, was kicked to the curb and is now on the search for a new team.
Going with Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns is Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The Jacksonville Jaguars should look way better then they did last year. They had the first overall pick where they picked star college quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
To help Lawrence they picked up Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk after giving wide receiver DJ Chark to the Detroit Lions.
Not only will this move help the jaguars, but another first overall pick in this year’s draft will help the Jags.
Some other major moves this year includes Carson Wentz going to the Washington Commanders and longtime Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan leaving to take place of Wentz in Indianapolis as the new starting quarterback for the Colts.
College star quarterback Marcus Mariota will cover for Ryan’s absence in Atlanta.
With all these new changes to the NFL, next years league may be one of the most exciting seasons to watch. And who knows what changes could be made in the rest of the NFL’s offseason.
“We got this ladies, this is our moment,” said senior Paige Harry before going out on the competition mat. She looks around at her team, anxiously waiting for their time to perform.
Their coaches Jennifer and Trent Larriou give them words of encouragement before going on the mat in hopes of bringing home the State Title to Sheyenne High School.
Throughout the years, especially the last three months, the Sheyenne Cheer Team prepared for the moment they would compete to bring home the “North Dakota Cheer State Title.”
They’ve been on a strict practice schedule that consisted of three-hour practices four days a week. During practice, the cheerleaders worked on kicks, jumps, stunts, tumbling, and cheers.
During the competition, held in Minot, the Sheyenne Cheer Team participated in events called “Game Day” and “Cheer Dance.” The ”Cheer Dance” routine is a two-minute and thirty-second performance. Throughout the routine, the cheerleaders must memorize five formations, two dances, three stunt sequences, and a pyramid at the end. Every part of the routine must be perfectly timed.
While competing, the team is scored on Cheerleading Fundamentals and Choreography. The Fundamentals category is judged on Motion Technique, Stunts/Pyramid, Dance, Jumps, Tumbling, and Vocal Expressions. However, choreography is based on Spacing, Formations, Transition, Flow, Crowd Appeal, and Overall Performance. The cheer team can earn up to 100 total points.
The team also competed in the “Game Day” event, which consists of an offensive or defensive cheer, as well as performing their school song or a dance. The performance has a time limit of two minutes.
“Game Day” is judged on a sideline chant and a sideline dance/school song. Some things the judges look for in the routine are Crowd Effectiveness, Motion Technique, Execution of Skills, Overall Impression, and Sycronization.
Senior Paige Harry participated in her own “All around Cheerleader Challenge,” which involved a tumbling pass of the cheerleader’s choice and an independent cheer for crowd involvement. They are judged on Tumbling, Motion Technique, Jumps, Voice/Facial Expressions, and Overall Impression. A cheerleader can earn up to 40 points in total.
Claire Upton and Paige Harry were involved in “Jump Off.” Each team was allowed two cheerleaders to participate in this event. Cheerleaders from all around North Dakota go against two other cheerleaders to show off their best jumping skills. In the first round, the cheerleaders have to perform a toe touch jump. If they continue on, the cheerleader must do a toe touch and jump of choice. A jump of choice could include a pike jump, right hurdler, left hurdler, right herkey, or left herkey. Although the girls didn’t win, they both made it into the final round.
The competiton team has fourteen members. However, only eleven of them actually competed. The cheerleaders range from 8th-12th graders. The student managers are senior Haley Delagarza and junior Claire Upton. The captains on the team are senior Paige Harry and junior Brooke Markworth. Every member on the team makes a huge impact including Ceres Lee, Larissa Reynolds, Alyssa Hongerholt, Loghan Messmer, Mickey Richter, Abbie Chesser, Angella Clark, Mia Wenzel, Ali Spray, and Akeelah Wetty.
Overall, the team placed sixth in both events for the North Dakota State Cheer Competition. The team is looking forward to another eventful competition season!
Lex Lunde, the 2021-2022 EDC and Class A Wrestling Coach of the Year, started the wrestling program at Sheyenne with the help of his two brothers, Logan, and Lane. The journey began in the fall of 2015.
Lex Lunde cheering on his team during the Rumble on the Red Tournament. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
“I was super excited to get the call from Mr. Grooters (former Sheyenne High School principal) and also a little bit nervous,” head coach Lex Lunde said. “But I was excited to move up to the high school level and start a program. That’s what I’ve always dreamed of.”
The Mustangs went 0-10 in their inaugural season. The inaugural season was the first year Sheyenne High School had seniors, so the numbers were tough, and it was a stressful experience for Lunde and his brothers.
“The first season was stressful for sure. My two older brothers, Logan, and Lane, are assistant coaches, and we’ve always been a part of talented teams. We coached the same way that we were coached throughout college and even a little bit of high school. We realized quickly that didn’t work, especially with five kids and having four of them not knowing if they wanted to be there or not. So that was the most stressful thing.”
Lex, Logan, and Lane realized that they needed to change up their style to get on the right track.
Lex Lunde talked about that change, “We cared as coaches more than a lot of these kids cared themselves in the first couple of years, so we had to change our style a little bit.”
Long time Sheyenne wrestler Kellen Hoornaert, who finished his high school wrestling career as the program’s career leader in wins, escapes, takedowns, total matches, dual-meet wins, decisions, major decisions, and nearfalls, was with the team for six seasons.
Hoornaert joined the team when Sheyenne was in their second season as a program.
In an interview with Logan Campbell, a sports reporter and host from WDAY, Hoornaert talked about what his experience was like when he first joined the program, “I joined the team when I was a seventh grader. During our first year, we had lost every single dual 60-0, 70-3, it was just consistent loss after loss.”
Sheyenne began to grow as a school and the Mustangs began to make progress gradually.
“For me it’s kind of a relief,” said head coach Lex Lunde. “We knew that we were doing the right things and knew that the kids were also doing the right things. It was just a waiting game essentially for kids to start getting bigger, to find different weight classes, and then for the team to spread out from there.”
Last season, the Mustangs achieved their first ever winning season going 13-8 overall and finishing 6-3 in conference play, which put them at the number four spot in the EDC.
This also gave Sheyenne their first dual state tournament appearance. They dropped both games at state, losing to Bismarck 62-7, and Devils Lake 48-27.
Sheyenne was geared up for another winning season. After that first winning season one year ago, Sheyenne has now transformed into a complete and utter dominant program.
It’s certain that head coach Lex Lunde is thrilled to see his team succeed, “It’s been exciting to see the kids have success. Hard work does pay off.”
It was the awakening of a sleeping giant. The Mustangs captured their first EDC regular season title this season and won the EDC regional tournament for the first time on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at the Devils Lake Sports Center.
WF Sheyenne celebrates after they won their first EDC tournament title on February 12, 2022. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
Sixteen Sheyenne wrestlers qualified for the individual state tournaments, which was a program record.
Marcus Johnson was one of those sixteen wrestlers. He finished his junior season with the program this year, and joined the team during his 8th grade year back in 2018.
Johnson has already set the school record for most pins in a career which currently stands at 80. He also broke his own record of 41 wins in one season, which was set during his freshman year (2019-20), by recording 44 wins this season.
In addition, he holds the school single-season records for reversals, dual-meet points, dual-meet wins, and winning percentage.
Sheyenne tallied 258.5 points at the EDC Tournament, the most ever in program history, and no other team came close to that mark.
West Fargo High finished in second place but finished a whopping 36 points behind the Mustangs.
Sheyenne went a perfect 9-0 in EDC dual play this year and finished 16-6 overall, the most dual wins the Mustangs have recorded in one season.
Sheyenne also set team records for team points at the state tournament for both boys and girls, team points in a season for dual matches with an outstanding 1,039 points, most points in a single dual match with 84 in a dual match against Grand Forks Red River earlier this season, and most consecutive wins with six.
The Mustangs were able to achieve historic milestones as their victories over Fargo Davies and Valley City during the regular season, were the first ever wins for West Fargo Sheyenne against those programs.
Jamestown knocked Sheyenne out of the running for a state championship with a 37-33 victory in the first round of the Class A Wrestling Dual State Tournament, inside the Fargodome.
Despite this, Sheyenne bounced back and finished this year just right by beating Fargo Davies and Valley City once again, 54-22 and 39-33 respectively.
This resulted in a fifth place finish for the Mustangs in the dual tournament.
Although Sheyenne didn’t win a state title this year for duals, this was a historic season for this program.
Many of the sixteen Sheyenne wrestlers at the state tournament achieved success in the individual state tournaments.
Sheyenne finished in fourth place, with 130.5 points in the individual state tournament standings.
There was eight boys and four girls who placed at state for the Mustangs, which were also program records.
Landon Zink made a run to the championship match in the 106lb weight class tournament and Stetson Gisselbeck made a run to the championship match in the 113lb weight class tournament.
The most historical win from an individual wrestler came from Morgan Strandberg.
Morgan Strandberg wrestles her opponent during the Rumble on the Red tournament that took place from December 29-31, 2021. Photo courtesy Mustang Media.
Strandberg pinned Bismarck Legacy freshman Elizabeth Youboty at 1:17, to capture the Sheyenne wrestling program’s first ever individual state title at the 115lb weight class.
Strandberg was the number one seed going into the 115lb tournament. This was the first year of NDHSAA-sanctioned girls wrestling individual state tournaments.
One of the best things in sports is to watch a new team that gets established and progressively get better until they reach the mountain top in their conference.
Lex Lunde and his coaching staff are going to make sure that the team does not regress.
“We’re not content. I think that’s the big thing because a lot of times for young adults and for kids on this wrestling team, they have some success and then think they can relax a little bit,” Lex Lunde stated. “That’s not what we intend do. We have a lot of kids returning next year and a lot of younger kids who are super talented.”
Lex Lunde also has some goals for the program to accomplish next season, “Our goal is the same thing. We want to win EDC next year and then at state, place higher than fourth in the individual tournament, and then higher than fifth in the dual tournament.”
The EDC had a new champion this year. West Fargo Sheyenne will look to defend their title next season and to continue to climb the latter of progress. Rudy Tomjanovich, who coached the Houston Rockets and led them to their first NBA title in 1994, once said, “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion.”
The NFL (National Football League) has just come to an end on February 13th, with the Los Angeles Rams beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 with a game winning touchdown hauled in by Cooper Kupp.
With the season Kupp had, racking in 1,947 yards and stacking 16 touchdowns to his stat chart, he’ll shoot to a round 1 pick in Fantasy Football.
Football is known as a fall sport in America, and NFL fans have a 5 month wait until their desired sport comes back on their television screens.
But this year football is going to be played in the spring with the return of the USFL (United States Football League).
The league will officially be back April 16th, 2022, after being ceased 1986.
The League will go from April to June with 40 regular season games, 2 playoff and 1 championship. 8 teams are ready to battle for the championship, and on those teams are blood-thirsty players looking for their chance to get to the NFL.
The teams are the New Jersey Generals, Michigan Panthers, Philadelphia Stars, Pittsburgh Maulers, Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and the Tampa Bay Stallions.
The first day of drafting players was on February 23rd. Quarterbacks were the chosen as the required first round pick.
Michigan Panthers had the first overall pick selecting Shea Patterson out of the University of Michigan.
Another notable pick in the USFL draft was Kyle Slotter, a quarterback who was passed around the NFL being with 6 different NFL teams.
He was with the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Before heading to the USFL he will put his NFL career on hold, leaving his current NFL team the Minnesota Vikings. Kyle will no longer have to trail Kirk Cousins as a back up and is ready for his time to shine.
Mike Pereira, head of officiating for the USFL, explained some of the different rules for the USFL in comparison to the NFL.
Stating, “You don’t like that roughing the passer call that was made. Well guess what? I’m in the replay center and neither do I. So, we’re going to take it off.”
Pereira also explained how instead of bringing the ball to the spot of the foul on pass interference calls, which means a team could move up 40 yards with no guarantee of the receiver catching the ball, they will just make it a 15-yard penalty copying off NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) ruling.
But along with the pass interference call, Pereira say’s “maximum is going to be 15 yards, instead, unless someone deliberately tackles the guy, like you saw the play in the NCAA National Championship, the guy got beat by the double move, grabbed the jersey and pulled him all the way to the ground, that a spot of foul, if its beyond 15 yards.”
Even though the teams are representing different cities, all games will be played in Birmingham, Alabama. All games will be played in Protective Stadium and Legion Field.
Owners say, “They are happy to be playing in the Magic City.”
Along with the USFL, the XFL is going to make a comeback in the year 2023.
The XFL started in the spring of 2020, but due to COVID-19 the league was forced to stop play and cancel the rest of the season.
With the league being a fresh organization, it didn’t make the amount that was invested in it. COVID eliminated all games and cut off all their funds with TV deals and tickets sales.
But fortunately, a beloved celebrity known as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson bought the league. This revival of the XFL is going to be a major impact of spring football. Along with the USFL, the XFL will have 8 teams.
Those teams being the D.C Defenders, Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, Los Angeles Wildcats, New York Guardians, Seattle Dragons, St. Louis Battlehawks, and the Tampa Bay Vipers.
The season will have 10 games being shorter then the USFL.
When the league was being played 2 years ago it was a major hit with star players such as P.J Walker.
With Walkers intense arm strength, being able to make long accurate passes. Not only was his arm strength was at a high level, but his vicious speed was also a major bonus allowing him to escape collapsing pockets, escape a tackle and make a touchdown pass.
With 5 games played before COVID ended the season, he ended the season with a 65% completion rate, 1338 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
His longest passing touchdown was 84 yards. NFL teams saw the talent he possessed in the XFL and finally the Carolina Panthers picked up P.J Walker.
However, in the NFL he wasn’t as deadly as he was in the XFL.
With the new leagues coming in the spring football it will finally become a year-round sport for fans. These leagues won’t be as big as the NFL and won’t take over the league, but it will be good entertainment while we wait for the NFL.
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