Fargo North sports gear up for postseason

Don’t let this cold weather fool you, competition is heating up as athletic teams start to look towards the postseason and the Eastern Dakota Conference (EDC) tournaments. The boys swimming, boys hockey, boys and girls basketball, and wrestling teams are all looking to set themselves up in a good position to give themselves the best chance of advancing to the state tournament.

Postseason action begins on Feb. 9 here at Fargo North High School when the wrestling team opens its EDC tournament at home. The wrestlers are currently in last place in the conference but have hope resting on top wrestlers going into the tournament. Junior Braden Jongeward was ranked fourth in the 285 weight class in the most recent North Dakota Class A coaches poll and sophomores Danny Monatukwa was ranked sixth at 126 lbs in the second coaches poll published on Dec. 13. West Fargo is the favorite to take the EDC, with Grand Forks Central and Valley City hoping to unseat the Packers atop the conference.

Boys hockey takes the ice for the conference tournament with a first round game on Tuesday, Feb. 12, and then finishes the tournament on Feb. 12 and 13. The Spartan hockey players are sitting tied for seventh in the conference but have an opportunity to move up to sixth place. A seventh-place finish would put the boys in a play-in game the Saturday prior to the tournament. If they move up to sixth, they earn a matchup with the three seed. There have been many upsets in boys hockey this season and the standings are always shifting, making it hard to predict who the hockey team will face off against. The one constant has been Grand Forks Central, maintaining first place throughout the season. Central looks to win the EDC for the third year in a row.

Boys basketball has had a strong season thus far and is looking to make a splash in the EDC tournament. The basketball team is currently ranked seventh but has a chance at moving all the way up to fourth, earning them a matchup with the fifth seed. There is a lot of basketball yet to be played, as the EDC basketball tournament opens on Feb. 23, so it could be difficult to predict where the basketball team will end up. Fargo Davies and West Fargo Sheyenne have separated from the pack and are likely to be the top contenders for an EDC basketball championship.

The girls basketball team also opens tournament play on Feb. 23, but may have to play a play-in game to make it to the conference tournament. Currently sitting in 10th place, the girls are 1-9 in conference play. Fans can remain hopeful, as the girls are just three games behind the middle of the pack. It seems many things could change before the conference tournament, but an undefeated Devils Lake team looms at the top of the standings.

Spartan fans can look forward to a strong showing from the boys swimmers at EDC. The swim and dive team is currently ranked number one in the conference and doesn’t appear to be falling any time soon. The swimmers took down defending state champion Bismarck Century in a dual earlier this year and remain the favorites to win the conference when they get in the pool on Feb. 23.

There is certainly no shortage of athletic action this month, so get out and support your fellow Spartans as they compete for a chance to extend their seasons.