The team sits at 3-1 but with another 60 minutes of play behind them the dogged question remains whether they are actually good or not. They have some good players, but every team can tout that. The best word to describe them right now is enigma. Maybe they're subtly a great team because of how close they came to losing or tying to Detroit & New Orleans but were able to get the wins. Calling them subtle is better than calling them lucky, though that descriptor may fit as well. The difference between the two may be as imperceptible as the supposed greatness in this case. What's glaringly obvious is that little was learned during their stint across the Water and morale is about as low as it could be coming off of a victory.
With a visit by Chicago upcoming they should be able to get win #4 and perhaps with it some clarity.
The next press conference could also help clarify some things about the team. Maybe it will include an announcement that Lewis Cine is not definitely done for the season but at this point that seems unlikely. There are silver-linings to him going down but it feels wrong to get into those at this moment.
Homecoming week started with the current Big Red being named Conference OL of the Week.
When the games began men's ⛳️ was the best of the 14-team field in Des Moines.
Back at home 🏐 got it's third conference win & tenth overall 3 - 2 over South Dakota. They didn't have to wait long to add to their win total as ORU rolled in Thursday but left with a goose-egg by their name. They added another W Saturday against lowly Kansas City. They will now have all week to prepare for the visit by the second best team in the conference by record, North Dakota. It's too early to say it will be a defining night but would give NDSU a bit more breathing room in the standings.
⚽️ had it's chances against St. Thomas but couldn't quite ensure a sweep of the week. They stormed back Sunday with a 4 - 0 cherry on top of the homecoming week sundae with Moorhead's Olivia Watson once again scoring the game winner.
The 🏈 game also did not disappoint!
A month and a half ahead of their season beginning women's 🏀 finalized it's schedule. There will be good chances to see the young squad right of the chute as they host a season-opening event the second weekend in November.
Then came this weekends competition. ⚽️ lost to UMary 1 - 0, as did 🏐 to Winona St., 3 - 0.
The new month didn't help turn the corner as Upper Iowa took down 🏐 by the same score while Duluth pulled-off the win despite a furious rally by 🏈.
Sunday brought another defeat as Minot St. won by a field goal.
In Edina Concordia men's ⛳️ played to eighth place on the leaderboard, paced by Davies freshman Gabe Benson who had the third best performance.
A day later 🏐 took care of Mayville St. in four sets and then were able to beat St. Kate's in five as the weekend started.
As the weekend unfolded 🏈 battled to the end against St. John's but couldn't quite get out of a 28-point hole in the second half.
Both of the teams hooked St. Mary's but the one total score between the two teams wasn't enough for victory.
The team is several days into their highly-anticipated training camp and as always, the best development is little-to-no news. Karl-Anthony Towns did have to miss some time with an illness but was in attendance for their public practice Saturday so he should be full-go with plenty of time left before the season opener.
It was a one-off week for the Bolts but they made the most the opportunity in Green Bay, clearing out the Gamblers 4 - 1 after conceding the first score, with each coming from a different source. They will be back on home ice Saturday against Sioux Falls as their only contest of the week.
Reminder that scores and recruiting news are updated regularly so check back often!
Now for this week's highlights
It's hard to believe but the conclusion of Fall sports already began this week with the EDC girls ⛳️ tournament. By one stroke Davies took the team title over Red River. After it concluded Shanley's Lindsey Astrup was named Athlete of the Year. Class B had it's state tournament in Minot and Oak Grove added another trophy to their case while Kindred junior Avery Bartels finished her third title run. The Grovers Laine Brantner was named Coach of the Year.
Eastern Conference boys 🎾 also had it's defining tournament this week. North squeaked by West Fargo in the play-in round and were then put down 4 - 1 by Sheyenne. South took all five off Shanley while Davies edged Central 3 - 2. The Deacons kept their state tournament hopes alive with a 3 - 2 win over North. In the winners bracket South got clear of Sheyenne by that same score while Davies was shutout by Red River, who ended South's bid for the conference crown by the same score. With a 4 - 1 score Davies advanced to state past Shanley, Sheyenne did so with a 3 - 2 over Central. They will be in Minot Thursday for the state tournament.
In the wake of the tournament came the accolades
On the 🏐 court Oak Grove had a convincing 1-2-3 against Horace Monday, who in turn found some phoenix power and overcame #3 North in five sets Thursday. That came as West Fargo, South & Shanley all had shutouts. In-between North, Sheyenne & Horace all blanked while South rallied to beat Davies in five.
To the East of the River D/G/F blanked Frazee while Hawley got their third straight win, shutting-out Crookston. Barnesville hosted a tournament Saturday and took all four of their matches without a blemish. Ada/Borup got to their 15th win of the season with a pair of shutouts over Win/E/Mac & Lake Park/Audubon. Out of town on Dakota land Central Cass added two more 3 - 0 wins to it's resume while their Northern neighbors continued to tear through their competition. Kindred also took care of Maple River in the minimum, as did May/Port/C/G twice. Thompson wasn't quite as sharp but their successes yielded the 1,000th victory for their head coach, Lisa Strand.
On the pitch Moorhead had a five-score Monday to finish three-clear of Red River. A day later the regular season wrapped with Davies adding some frosting to their season by hanging a six-spot on South. As the top seed from the East they will face Century to open the state tournament Thursday in West Fargo. The hosts will follow them with Sheyenne set to close out the opening round against Bismarck at approximately 6:45.
When the lights came on for the weekend West Fargo was ready to go against St. Mary's, 30 - 7 while Davies won the battle of the top-ranked 34 - 7. Shanley had a tougher time against Legacy but prevailed to get Troy Mattern his 100th win. Moorhead had their homecoming party spoiled by Sartell's visit but a night later Park Christian got it's first win of the season on the same turf. Down the road from the Tater Turf D/G/F kept it's undefeated season going with a 48 - 6 thrashing of Park Rapids. It took double overtime but Ulen/Hitterdal had it's unblemished record snapped by Blackduck. Fertile/Beltrami had no such trouble continuing their undefeated season, 48 - 8 over Clearbrook/Gonvick. Hawley got their second win of the season as they gold-rushed Staples/Motley 46 - 7. Barnesville walked off the field Friday night with one of the most emphatic outcomes in the state, 62 - 0 over the Pillaged! Kindred also held their opponent scoreless, 28 - 0 in Casselton. Hillsboro/CV got it's sixth win of the season 27 - 0 versus Bottineau, as did May/Port/C/G against Enderlin 56 - 14.