SPORTS FEEVER – April 17, 2025

SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com

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It is still too early to get too deep into Section 8A baseball and softball and Section 8AA baseball and softball, but I will give who I think are the top teams right now. Just for fun and entertainment purposes and so I can say I told you so if they are the section champions in June!

Section 8A Softball –
Same as last year – Red Lake Falls and BGMR. If there is anybody else in the section championship I would be floored.

Section 8A Baseball –
Same as last year – Red Lake County and Sacred Heart. Look for Ada-Borup-West and Northern Freeze to be in the mix too!

Section 8AA Softball –
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton and Hawley once again. Look for Thief River Falls and Menagha to be in the mix too.

Section 8AA Baseball –
Perham is the heavy favorite again this year. East Grand Forks and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton will likely be in the mix and should have great seasons.

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UMC Golden Eagle Baseball is now 15-12 in the NSIC and one game out of third place. If UMC continues its solid play and series wins, it could finish anywhere from third to seventh place in the conference. But if the Golden Eagles stumble, they could drop out of the top eight and playoff contention. 

So here is another look at what UMC has left to play –
MSU-Mankato (three games this weekend in Crookston. They are in first place with a 24-3 record in the NSIC)
St. Cloud State (two games on Wednesday in Crookston. 1 game in front of UMC with a 16-11 record)
Duluth – (three games at Duluth on April 26 and 27. Duluth is 12-15 in the NSIC)
Mary (two games at Bismarck on Tuesday, April 29. Mary is 13-14 in the NSIC)
Northern State (three games in Crookston May 2 and 3. They are second to last place with 4-23 record.)

Basically every game is a big game for the Golden Eagles and they have shown they can beat anybody in the conference, but they have shown they can lose to everybody body Bemidji State. So buckle up for some exciting baseball folks.  It will be fun to see how it ends up and the Golden Eagles usually are playing their best baseball at the end of the season.

School Conf CPct.
Minnesota State 24-3 .889
Augustana 20-7 .741
Southwest Minnesota State 16-11 .593
Wayne State College 16-11 .593
St. Cloud State 16-11 .593
Sioux Falls 16-11 .593
Minnesota Crookston 15-12 .555
UMary 13-14 .481
Winona State 13-14 .481
Minnesota Duluth 12-15 .444
Concordia-St. Paul 12-15 .444
Minot State 9-18 .333
Northern State 4-23 .148
Bemidji State 3-24 .120

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UND Men’s Basketball transfer Treysen Eaglestaff has decommitted from South Carolina!! We will see where he ends up, but is it possible for him to head to the University of Minnesota with the hiring of Niko Medved??? We will see.

How big is NIL in college basketball???? There are at least 8 teams that will have a $10,000,000+ roster in college basketball next season. There is a reason why NIL needs to be boosted big time at the U of Minnesota if they want to stay relevent.

College Hockey continues to see a huge increase in the transfer portal.  Some programs of interest with players in the transfer portal are listed below.

Minnesota – NOBODY!
Minnesota Duluth – They have eight players in the portal with all of them being significant losses. On transferred to UND, another is going to Wisconsin, and another to Mankato.
Minnesota State Mankato – Seven players have entered the portal, although three of them didn’t record a point this season.
UND – Jayden Perron going to Michigan, and Saha Boisvert and Owen McLaughlin going to Boston University. Tanner Komzak has entered the portal
St. Cloud State – Has two that entered the transfer portal with one going to Michigan State and the other going to Northern Michigan.

Teams of interest picking up players in the portal –
Minnesota – Tanner Ludtke from Omaha and Luca Di Pasquo from Michigan State
UND – Anthony Menghini from Duluth and Gibson Homer from Arizona State
Duluth – Kyle Gaffney from Alaska, Scout Truman from Massachusetts-Lowell, Kyler
Kovich from Cornell, and Ethan Dahlmeir from Miami.
Mankato – Felikss Gavars from St. Lawrence, Charlie Lurie from Omaha, Jack Smith from Duluth, Liam Watkins from Omaha.
St. Cloud State – Max Smolinski from Rensselaer, and Finn Loftus of Massachusetts.

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Division 2 basketball is also seen an impact of the transfer portal. UMC is seeing a big influx of players leaving and I also noticed Thief River Falls’ Calbe Rosendahl (at Jamestown) is in the portal.

NSIC MEN’S BASKETBALL

UMC — Christian Bowen-Webb, Aguek Deng, Isaac Eenhuis, Micah Garrett, Ayden McDonald, Jordan Mitchell, Andrew Stokes.
Augustana — Kelton Coleman, Malyk Rebetez.
Bemidji State — Daxton Dayley, Sage Ganyo, Jareon Mayo, Peyton Newbern, Brayden Williams.
Concordia-St. Paul — William Boser.
Jamestown — Silas Bennion, Luke Diem, Nathan Firle, Max Musland, Caleb Rosendahl.
Mary — Wylee Delorme, Kenrick Harrell, Tamarrein Henderson, Daniel Hong, Tyler Johnson, Jeremiah Jones, Xavier Lewis, Alexander Mattes, Kevin McGaskey, Ty Rogers, Marquel Saleek,
Minnesota-Duluth — Manny Montgomery.
Minnesota State Mankato — Holden Arnaman, Emily Dreckman.
Minnesota State Moorhead — Corleone Dandridge, Jayden Doyle, Carson Johnson, Logan Kinsey, JaMir Price, Brody Wishart, Shaun Wysocki.
Minot State — Ayouba Berthe, Lual Lual, Rron Radoniqi, Caleb Van de Griend, Jaden Wysocki.
Northern State — Kwat Abdelkarim, Devon Brooke, James Glenn, Kaleb Mitchell, Michael Nhial, Ethan Russell.
St. Cloud State — Jamir Allen, Hanif Muhammad, Lucas Morgan.
Sioux Falls — Eli Ehrke, Creighton Morisch, Kenji Scales, Jacob Stanuel-Taitte, Trishawn Warrior.
Southwest Minnesota State — Nathan Fenske, Matthew Thompson.
Wayne State — Peter Chambers, Aiden Sullivan.
Winona State — Arius Alijosius, Ahmad Artis, Devon Fielding, Mikail Harmison, Luke Haertle, Jhei-r Jones, Tyler Orr.

NSIC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UMC — Emily Munch, Willow Thiel, Olivia Walsh.
Augustana — Caroline Adamson, Hannah Burg, Kaitlyn Digneau, Paige Grant, Olivia Hayenga, Jordan Munson, Kelsey Willems.
Bemidji State — Samantha Buss, Stephanie Buss, Jannette Hanni, Rachel Koenig, Alayna Supernand.
Jamestown — Kelsey Wiest.
Minnesota Duluth — Brynn Olson.
Minnesota State Mankato — Emily Dreckman.
Minnesota State Moorhead — Ashley Fritz.
Northern State — Madelyn Bragg, Brylie Schultz, Decontee Smith.
St. Cloud State — Kylan Gerads.
Wayne State — Norah Danielson, Lily Fitzgerald.
Winona State — Emmaline Kilpatrick, Avery Moeller.

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The HP Seniors and 18’s team Minnesota roster has been announced for the NIT Festival for April 24-27 at Plymouth.
Cole Bies (EGF) is on the HP Senior team
Broden Hontvet (Warroad) is on the HP 18’s team.

The HP 17 Final 54 has been announced, and several Section 8A players have made the cut as they try to make it to the Summer USA Hockey National camp.
Finn Hanson (Warroad)
Sam Hard (Warroad)
Jace Panzer (EGF)

The HP 16 Final 54 has been announced, and several Section 8A players have made the team.
Conner Lund (Warroad)
Gavin Anderson (Warroad)
Spencer Anderson (TRF)
Cy Hjelmen (EGF)

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JOKES

A mother enters her daughter’s bedroom and sees a letter over the bed. With the worst premonition, she reads it, with trembling hands:
It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m telling you that I eloped with my new boyfriend. I found real passion and he is so nice, with all his piercing and tattoos and his big motorcycle.
But is not only that mom, I’m pregnant and Ahmed said that we will be very happy in his trailer in the woods. He wants to have many more children with me and that’s one of my dreams.
I’ve learned that marijuana doesn’t hurt anyone and we’ll be growing it for us and for his friends, who are providing us with all the cocaine and ecstasy we may want.
In the meantime, we’ll pray for the science to find the AIDS cure, for Ahmed to get better, he deserves it.
Don’t worry Mom, I’m 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Some day I’ll visit, so you can know your grandchildren.
Your daughter,
Judith

PS: Mom, it’s not true. I’m at the neighbor’s house. I just wanted to show you that there are worse things in life than the school’s report card that’s in my desk’s drawer…I love you!  

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A man and his wife were having some problems and were giving each other the silent treatment. The next week, the man realized that he’d need his wife to wake him at 5 a.m. for an early flight.

Not wanting to be the first to break the silence, he finally wrote on a piece of paper: “Please wake me at 5 a.m.”

The next morning the man woke up, only to discover it was 9 a.m. and he’d missed his flight.

Furious, he was about to go and scream at his wife when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed that said: “It’s 5 a.m. Wake up.

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A man asks his wife, “What would you do if I won the lottery?” His wife says, “Take half and leave your ass!” The man replies, “Great! I won 12 bucks, here is six, now get out!”

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How are former Crookston Pirates athletes doing in college or elsewhere?
****LET ME KNOW OF OTHERS TO ADD TO THE LIST. Email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com

Paul Bittner is an assistant coach on the University of Wisconsin-Superior Men’s Hockey team.

Reese Swanson is a freshman playing hockey at St. Olaf.

Carter Coauette is a freshman playing football at Minot State.

Isabelle Smith is a freshman playing Tennis at Concordia College.

Isaac Thomforde is a freshman playing Tennis at Northwestern College in St. Paul.

Emilee Tate is a Sophomore playing Softball at Northland Community and Technical College.

Halle Bruggeman is a Sophomore on the University of Wisconsin-Stout Women’s Rugby team.

Ethan Boll is a Red-shirt Freshman on the University of North Dakota Football team.

Breanna Kressin is a Junior on the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.

Jacey Larson is a Sophomore playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.

Aleah Bienek is a Junior playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.

Joslynn Leach is a Senior playing golf at Concordia College in Moorhead. The Cobbers wrapped up the Fall season.

Brooks Butt is a Junior playing football at the University of Jamestown.

Ty Hamre is redshirt Junior playing football at Bemidji State University.

Elizabeth Erdman is a coach for the Moorhead Red Dragon swim team.

Crookston School District Coaches
Blake Bergeron is the head Pirate Wrestling Coach.
Ben Parkin 
is the head Pirate Baseball Coach.
Jason Cassavant is a Jr. High Baseball Coach
Amy Boll 
is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach
Sarah Reese 
is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Marley Melbye is an assistant girls golf coach
Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Ben Trostad is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Ethan Magsam is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Chris Dufault is a youth wrestling Coach

Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc

Elise Tangquist is the Head Girls Golf Coach at Horace High School in Fargo, ND.

Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson is the head Little Falls Volleyball coach.

Tim Desrosier is an Assistant Coach for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Pony Boys Basketball

Pat Wolfe is the head wrestling coach for Fosston/Bagley.

Austin Sommerfeld is an Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communication at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.

Collin Reynolds is the head baseball coach for the University of Colorado Buffalo Club Baseball team.

Trent Stahlecker is a School Security Specialist & he works for the Brevard Public Schools, Florida.

Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown.

Josh Edlund is the head football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.

Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach at Champlin Park

Jeff Olson is the Head Wrestling Coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.

Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.

Matt Harris is an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.

Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of North Dakota.

Mike Hastings is the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s head Hockey coach.

Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Grand Forks Schools.

Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football, volleyball, and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for Bison media relations.

Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College.

Chris Myrold is the Director and Fitness at Mission Ranch and Fitness in Camel, California.

Kyle Buchmeier 
is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis

Ben Andringa is serving our country in the Army and is now a Ranger.

Jarrett Butenhoff is serving our country with the U.S. Navy.

Joshua Butenhoff is serving our country on a Submarine with the Pacific Fleet with the US Navy.

Peter Cournia is a 2002 Crookston High School Graduate and a grad of West Point and currently serving in the U.S. Army.

Philip Kujawa class of 2004, from Crookston High School. He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.

Rob Sobolik is the General Manager of the Fargodome

That’s it for this week. Thanks for the comments, and if you have anything to add or share, please e-mail chrisjfee@yahoo.com or call. Thanks for reading and listening to KROX RADIO and kroxam.com.

The post SPORTS FEEVER – April 17, 2025 first appeared on KROX.

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