Class B Tournament in Grand Forks

[ericpnelson]

Go Panthers, Roll Cats, alma mater to greats like myself and Dale Lennon. Check out #5 in orange and black. Great player.

[chicagolandsioux]

When did the state B tourney start playing in GF? From watching fb games online the Alerus is too big for those games. Could say the same thing about the REA for hockey also. I remember growing up watching the B tourny with Jim Adelson announcing from Bismarck. The atmosphere seemed great then. That atmosphere would be lost in the Alerus. Keep the dang thing in Bismarck or Minot, if there are any hotel rooms to be had in Minot like tradition calls for.

[SIOUX29]

Minot High does not have 3,000 students 9-12.

[quote name='Sioux

Volley' timestamp='1393871147' post='689708']

It's been 325, which is too low for 10-12. But some Class B towns have 20 kids in 10-12.

Valley City and Devils Lake have to compete against schools nearly 10 times their size.

Minot is the largest Class A school with nearly 3000, but the voters are against a split in Minot.

Don't have the numbers, but the smallest Class B team at state is probably Flasher. Many of other Class B school are some of the largest (Beulah, New Town, Oak Grove, Rugby) Linton and Cavalier used to be "big", but they are probably 1/3rd of what they used to be.

[dmksioux]

Minot High does not have 3,000 students 9-12.

Looks like the 9-12 numbers are closer to 2000.

http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/577508/Enrollment-up-in-Minot-Public-Schools.html?nav=5010

[MafiaMan]

When did the state B tourney start playing in GF? From watching fb games online the Alerus is too big for those games. Could say the same thing about the REA for hockey also. I remember growing up watching the B tourny with Jim Adelson announcing from Bismarck. The atmosphere seemed great then. That atmosphere would be lost in the Alerus. Keep the dang thing in Bismarck or Minot, if there are any hotel rooms to be had in Minot like tradition calls for.

I agree - 1992 Minot vs Bismarck game was rockin'. Watched a couple of tournament games this year...sheesh...I've seen more people in the stands at my team's broomball games at Lexington Park in Roseville!

[UND-RedSox fan]

This may sound like a dumb question but why are there different classes for sports like basketball where only 5 kids play on the court at a time? You never see Grand Forks Central vs Thompson or Dakota Prairie vs Devils Lake. I get football where you need a bigger team, but not basketball or volleyball. It's not like the talent level is really that different like the pros. Just curious.

I think you can look at my hometown of Beulah as an answer to this. We spent about ten years in class A, with graduating classes of about 100 students in the late 90's and early 2000's. Don't think we went to state a single time. The closest we came was a state play in game the year before moving back down that we lost by 3. The years right before moving up we took 2nd and third at state. They've gone to state 3 times in 8 years since moving back down.

So they're a good but not dominant class B town but could not really compete in class A.

[Hayduke]

I dig the B tourney too. Loved it when they played in Bismarck. I remember Epping and their run up to the championship with Hillsboro. Although I think the B tourney is much more fun than the A...I will NEVER forget the Fort Yates/Minot championship game. That game was unreal..and the underdog/small school won! Would have won by more if the 3 point shot would have existed then...

[chicagolandsioux]

I agree - 1992 Minot vs Bismarck game was rockin'. Watched a couple of tournament games this year...sheesh...I've seen more people in the stands at my team's broomball games at Lexington Park in Roseville!

Sad as it is maybe having the tourny next year at the Scheels will create some of the old atmosphere. The REA is just to darn big. Reminds me of the Minnesota girls tourny being played at the X instead of Ridder where it belongs.

[chicagolandsioux]

I dig the B tourney too. Loved it when they played in Bismarck. I remember Epping and their run up to the championship with Hillsboro. Although I think the B tourney is much more fun than the A...I will NEVER forget the Fort Yates/Minot championship game. That game was unreal..and the underdog/small school won! Would have won by more if the 3 point shot would have existed then...

Was that some time in the late 60's? I remember being little and watching Fort Yates. They had the one kid who was great.

[Hayduke]

Was that some time in the late 60's? I remember being little and watching Fort Yates. They had the one kid who was great.

1973...I was trying to remember his name... Archambault...here is a great description of that championship game:

http://www.prairiepublic.org/radio/dakota-datebook?post=30438

[chicagolandsioux]

1973...I was trying to remember his name... Archambault...here is a great description of that championship game:

http://www.prairiepu...book?post=30438

I was thinking earlier than that. But from your link that must be it. I was thinking of Eaglestaff. Do you know if Fort Yates played any other years?

[MoreSiouxForYou]

Sad as it is maybe having the tourny next year at the Scheels will create some of the old atmosphere. The REA is just to darn big. Reminds me of the Minnesota girls tourny being played at the X instead of Ridder where it belongs.

I agree about having it in Scheels. The trouble is, teams don't make the tourney every year and to deny the kids a chance to play there is hard to place in the way of atmosphere. (Scheels is great don't get me wrong)

I was a freshman at umary and a kid from Hazen was telling me about his High school football run and getting to play in the Fargodome. Sometimes where you play is part of the experience for the kids.

Keep the B in Bismarck/minot where it belongs. East doesn't really respect it like it deserves.

[chicagolandsioux]

I agree about having it in Scheels. The trouble is, teams don't make the tourney every year and to deny the kids a chance to play there is hard to place in the way of atmosphere. (Scheels is great don't get me wrong)

I was a freshman at umary and a kid from Hazen was telling me about his High school football run and getting to play in the Fargodome. Sometimes where you play is part of the experience for the kids.

Keep the B in Bismarck/minot where it belongs. East doesn't really respect it like it deserves.

Good point on playing in the best arena. I agree that the B should stay out west. I don't think though that the east doesn't give it the respect it deserves. It seems more like the east does not have the right facility to hold it in. People in the east have always loved the B. The atmosphere of because of the size of the Bismarck Civic is what made it so good. From an economic stand point I understand why the east would want the tourny. It has to be a bigger impact than the hockey tourny does.

[MoreSiouxForYou]

Good point on playing in the best arena. I agree that the B should stay out west. I don't think though that the east doesn't give it the respect it deserves. It seems more like the east does not have the right facility to hold it in. People in the east have always loved the B. The atmosphere of because of the size of the Bismarck Civic is what made it so good. From an economic stand point I understand why the east would want the tourny. It has to be a bigger impact than the hockey tourny does.

True. Respect wasn't the best word. The Fargo Civic seemed to be rocking in Fargo during the last week or so, but schools a shorter drive away were involved and it is a larger facility then any of their schools can provide.

Perhaps when the shack is remodeled in 2 years, it may consider hosting the B.

[choyt3]

Jack Michaels from www.740thefan.com says Bismarck doesn't care if they get the State B back, as the WDA is a bigger deal for them. Says as long as State B and WDA are same weekend, this will be the case.

I don't believe his take.

[chicagolandsioux]

Jack Michaels from www.740thefan.com says Bismarck doesn't care if they get the State B back, as the WDA is a bigger deal for them. Says as long as State B and WDA are same weekend, this will be the case.

I don't believe his take.

I would say the store owners in Bismarck would say different. Isn't that how people usually respond when they lose what they really want?

[choyt3]

I would say the store owners in Bismarck would say different.

And the motels. Two of the largest WDA schools are right in town, eating at home, sleeping at home. People come to the B from all corners of the state. They spend money. Jack's logic is flawed.

[chicagolandsioux]

And the motels. Two of the largest WDA schools are right in town, eating at home, sleeping at home. People come to the B from all corners of the state. They spend money. Jack's logic is flawed.

In complete agreement with you. Those small towns come in great numbers. Spend money on hotels, restaurants, etc.. I have always thought the best state tourny to have for an economic impact was the B. Those small towns bring more fans than Minot, Dickinson, or Williston. Not only do the kids and parents come but everyone else in the area. It has more meaning to them. The Big 6 (GFK, FAR, MOT, ISN, BIS, DIK) residents on a whole could care less about how their high schools do in sports. Whereas the small towns it means the world to them, including the 85 year old lady in the nursing home. There is just something really special about this tourny. You don't need to know a thing about the towns or the schools to enjoy the feeling you get from watching it. It is so storybook.

[Irish]

Interesting topic - I really believe that there is no great way to divide the classes - put Grafton in class A and they get hammered, put them in class B and year in year out they do the hammering because they have many times more students than some of the smaller schools. All of the old small class A schools are now class B - Rugby, Grafton, Trinity, Bottineau, etc and not just because of population loss - they either are at the bottom of class A or the top of class B. These teams seem to dominate now, and mainly because of numbers. This is not to say smaller schools don't get to the dance because they do, but it is frustrating to watch a team like Trinity who recruits and keeps their numbers under the class A limit take it to the public class B schools. Same thing year in year out with Shilo Christian.

[chicagolandsioux]

Interesting topic - I really believe that there is no great way to divide the classes - put Grafton in class A and they get hammered, put them in class B and year in year out they do the hammering because they have many times more students than some of the smaller schools. All of the old small class A schools are now class B - Rugby, Grafton, Trinity, Bottineau, etc and not just because of population loss - they either are at the bottom of class A or the top of class B. These teams seem to dominate now, and mainly because of numbers. This is not to say smaller schools don't get to the dance because they do, but it is frustrating to watch a team like Trinity who recruits and keeps their numbers under the class A limit take it to the public class B schools. Same thing year in year out with Shilo Christian.

The middle child syndrome. There really are not enough big little/small big schools to have a third class is there? As for Trinity what is their point? Really how fun can it be to win a rigged game? One thing that might make a difference is to not allow athletes to get any financial assistance. That should go for all private schools. If you can't pay the tuition on your own you can't play. It would be interesting to compare how private schools that give financial aid do in sports to private schools that don 't?

[KBH2010]

Go Tornadoes!!!!!!!!!!!!

[homer]

The middle child syndrome. There really are not enough big little/small big schools to have a third class is there? As for Trinity what is their point? Really how fun can it be to win a rigged game? One thing that might make a difference is to not allow athletes to get any financial assistance. That should go for all private schools. If you can't pay the tuition on your own you can't play. It would be interesting to compare how private schools that give financial aid do in sports to private schools that don 't?

The private schools recruit excuse. Lame

[Fighting Sioux 23]

I was thinking earlier than that. But from your link that must be it. I was thinking of Eaglestaff. Do you know if Fort Yates played any other years?

Fort Yates made the A tourney in '69, '70, '71, and '73.

[UND-1]

Jack Michaels from www.740thefan.com says Bismarck doesn't care if they get the State B back, as the WDA is a bigger deal for them. Says as long as State B and WDA are same weekend, this will be the case.

I don't believe his take.

That is the truth, yes, that if they are same weekend then the B is out. But, the CC would absolutely love to have the B, brings in major concession dollars, etc. Some years in the past they got both. Huge.

[chicagolandsioux]

The private schools recruit excuse. Lame

Are you saying they do not? By not allowing tuition/scholarship money it would make the field more level. I also do not think you should be able to transfer to play in public schools unless your family actually moves into the schools boundaries.