North Dakota Class A Rankings
January is coming to a close. With less than a month left in the regular season, here are where we stand at the Class A level: Jamestown The Blue Jays keep on rolling. Undefeated through 14 games, Jamestown’s pretty much…
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Continue ReadingJanuary is coming to a close. With less than a month left in the regular season, here are where we stand at the Class A level:
Jamestown
The Blue Jays keep on rolling. Undefeated through 14 games, Jamestown’s pretty much secured the top spot in the WDA. Boden Skunberg and Mason Walters have been stars all year but Jared Kallenbach’s emergence as a third scorer has been critical as well.
Fargo Davies
The Eagles’ lone hiccup loss to West Fargo has them sitting in the No. 2 spot in Class A but they’ve still got work to do to win the EDC. Games on the horizon against the West Fargo schools provide opportunities to be tested in a season in which the Eagles have rarely been tested. Braeton Motschenbacher, Jaden Klabo and Cole Hage lead the way but this team is loaded with difference-makers.
West Fargo Sheyenne
The Mustangs’ only loss was to Davies at the beginning of January but Sheyenne’s been mostly dominant the rest of the season. Christian Kuntz has been perhaps the best player in the EDC and he’s got talented running mates in Blake Berg and Tyler Terhark.
West Fargo
The Packers interior duo of Luke Lennon and Hunter Lyman has been dominant all season but they are also getting excellent play from senior guard Braxton Bruer and junior guard Matt Miller.
Bismarck Century
The Patriots are heating up. Winners of four in a row including victories over Bismarck and Minot, Bismarck Century is up into the top five in Class A. Treyton Mattern and Cade Feeney have been terrific, combining to average better than 40 points per game.
Mandan
The Braves are still in the No. 2 spot in the WDA standings and they should continue to hold that spot for a while. Elijah Klein and Trey Wiest form one of the best inside-outside duos in the state. The final three games of the season for Mandan: at Bismarck, versus Bismarck Century, at Jamestown.
Minot
The Magicians picked up a badly-needed win last week over Bismarck after losing three games in a row to the top-level teams in the WDA. Minot still has the kind of firepower that can take them a long way. Jaxon Gunville leads the way averaging 17.2 points per game. Alex Schimke, Deonte Martinez and Easton Larson all average double-figures as well.
Bismarck
The Demons have fallen a bit in recent weeks, taking losses to some of the top teams in the WDA. Joe Jahner’s putting up big point numbers but he’s had to do it with sheer volume lately. Canyon Stonecipher is averaging 14.7 points and 9.9 rebounds and Matt Trolliey has been good lately, averaging 13.1 points per game on the year.
Grand Forks Red River
For lack of a more creative phrase, the Roughriders are what they are. They’ve shown they are clearly the fourth best team in the EDC by beating the teams next up like Wahpeton and Devils Lake. But they are clearly a notch below the top three teams in Davies, Sheyenne and West Fargo. Can they stay ahead of the rest of the pack later in the season?
Wahpeton
The Huskies make an appearance in the rankings thanks to a strong stretch that includes a win over a good Breckenridge (class AA in Minnesota) team and a nip-and-tuck loss to West Fargo. Bryce Rader is averaging 16.2 points per game on the season, emerging as one of the best players in the EDC.