Tag Archives: prep sports

Big game Friday night

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It always seems to come down to the wire wire when Fargo South and West Fargo meet on the football field.

Both coaches think it could be the same when the teams square off again at 8 p.m. Friday night at the Fargodome.

No. 1 Fargo South (5-0) and No. 2 West Fargo (4-1) could put themselves in the driver’s seat for the Eastern Dakota Conference title with a win.

South has seven-consecutive wins against the Packers. However, the Bruins needed an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Adam Boe to come away with a 19-17 victory in last year’s game.

“Whenever you are playing the best team you want to climb that ladder,” West Fargo coach Jay Gibson said. “They have a really nice club. It’s balanced. They have a nice defense and an awful good offense. We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”

“It’s a true test for us,” Bruins coach Troy Mattern said. “We don’t look at it as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams. We look at it like another EDC football game. Our goal is to be the No. 1 team (in the East) and be home for the playoffs.”

Is this a three-class plan?

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The group proposing a new three-class plan unveiled the final proposal Tuesday to the North Dakota High School Activities Association Board in Valley City.

You can read about the nuts-and-bolts of the plan in The Forum or by clicking here.

Boiling it down, the plan calls for three divisions for prep basketball and volleyball ONLY during the regular season.

At state, the eight team field (four from smaller Class B schools and four from larger Class A schools) will battle for ONE title.

So the question is this: Is this a 3-class plan? The proposal assures that some of the smaller schools have a shot to make the Big Dance, and Valley City, now in limbo land because of its enrollment, may get back into the state tournament mix.

But is there a still a group in this proposal that would see their chances diminish? Maybe, maybe not.

What do you think of the new plan? Does it have a shot to pass when it is put to a vote of NDHSAA member schools next month?

Many believe it is time for a change in North Dakota prep basketball and volleyball. Does there need to be a change to bring some more parity and life back to the state tournament?

One of the big reasons this plan was brought forward was that the Class B basketball tournaments have been decreasing in attendance for the last few years. Interest may be waning a little bit.

This, the authors of the proposal say, would re-energize the fan base. Agree or disagree?

NOTE: The Forum Preps Blog would like to begin a regular live sports chat to talk about topics of the week, and to discuss anything else on your minds. Anyone interested in hashing out prep, college and pro sports topics with Forum sports reporters Heath Hotzler and Ryan Clark on a regular basis?    

You make the call: North vs. South Edition

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A couple people talked with me at the finish of the Fargo North vs. Fargo South football game Friday night at the Fargodome with a common question: “What was that about?”

Let’s break it down.

No. 1-ranked Fargo South was ahead 27-16 near the end of the game, and was at the doorstep of another score with less than a minute remaining.

The Bruins ran the ball up the middle from the Spartans’ 1-yard line. It was stuffed.

South takes a knee on the next play and … North takes a timeout with a few seconds on the clock.

Another knee would have finished the game. However, South went on to score on a running play with 17 seconds remaining to go ahead 34-16.

Some people have asked why North would take a timeout in that situation? And, on the other side, why wouldn’t South just take another knee and come away with the 27-16 win?

You make the call.

What would you have done as the coach of South and North? Would you do it the same way?

What do you think of the coaches’ decisions?

New and improved blog

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Opening night

Welcome to the new Forum Prep Sports Blog. Throughout the school year — and beyond — Forum preps reporters Heath Hotzler and Ryan Clark will bring you news, notes and commentary from the local high school scene.

We will try to have regular live chats, updates on local teams and we’ll have all the information you want to know about your favorite teams and players. Feel free to drop us a suggestion in the comments section and we’ll do our best to answer all of your questions.

Prep football is only a few weeks away, so look here for more as the action kicks up.