Sports
The year in sports: 2013, a year of triumph and tragedy
Tyler Ohmann
01/07/2014
The year in sports in 2013 was filled with excitement of deep playoff runs, individual accolades, as well as a few surprises. The following are highlights of the sports season in Bottineau County.
March 5, 2013
In a very busy week for Bottineau area sports, three teams had lots of postseason success. First the Bottineau Stars hockey team advanced to the 19U State Hockey Championship game. The Stars also finished as runner-up for the second straight year after losing 2-1 against Richland in the title game in Devils Lake.
The Dakota College at Bottineau women’s basketball team advanced on in the playoffs and won the Region XIII title game with a 73-71 narrow victory over Gogebic Community College. Sophomore Jackie Miller was also named NJCAA Region Athlete of the Year.
The Westhope-Newburg Sioux boy’s basketball team’s season ended with a runner-up finish to Rugby at the Region 6 Tournament. The 54-39 point win was the second straight for the Panthers over the Sioux as the game was a rematch of the District 11 title game. During the region tournament Sioux junior Hunter Braaten became the Sioux’s all time leading scorer. Senior teammate Kodie Hancock also set a record, as he became the Sioux’s all-time leading rebounder.
May 7, 2013
The Dakota College at Bottineau softball program took their next step by advancing past the North Dakota State College of Science to earn a trip to the Region XIII softball tournament.
May 21, 2013
DCB freshman football and basketball player Dashamone McCarty was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in his home near Chicago less than a week after returning home from his first year in Bottineau. Many on campus mourn his death, and help make plans to preserve his memory.
The girls golf regular season came to a close and members of Bottineau County’s teams advanced to the state tournament in Bismarck. Jade Teske of Westhope-Newburg took the top honors as medalist of the region tournament. The Bottineau Stars’ team finished in third place at the team qualifier and also advanced.
Three Bottineau track and field athletes broke school records and 11 new events advanced to state after a strong Region track meet in Rugby. Harrison Aide, Owen Furby and Trevor Wettlaufer all broke school records in their respective events.
May 28, 2013
Bottineau junior Harrison Aide broke the state pole vault record by clearing 15 feet at the state tournament. The record-setting vault also earned Aide his third consecutive pole vault title.
June 4, 2013
Westhope-Newburg golfers Jade Teske and Hunter Braaten finished strong at their respective state meets. Teske finished in ninth place and was named All-State after her finish at Tom O’Leary in Bismarck. Braaten shot a second-day 79 to finish in 23rd place at the boy’s state tournament at Prairie West in Mandan.
July 2, 3013
Another former DCB athlete was killed at a young age.
Former Jacks basketball player Tyler Fischer died near Stanley on US Highway 2 in a multiple car collision and oil tanker explosion. He played for the Jacks from 2009-11.
November 5, 2013
An exciting sports week started with a Bottineau Stars victory in the District 11 volleyball Championship game. The Stars earned revenge from a 2012 loss with a 3-0 sweep. The week ended with an unexpected 44-12 Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn Sioux victory over Towner-Granville-Upham in the quarterfinals of the nine-man football playoffs. The win avenged an earlier season loss and was the 100th for Sioux head coach Tom Nesvold.
November 12, 2013
The Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn Sioux football team continued their improbable playoff run by beating their third top-five team in the state to advance to the Dakota Bowl nine-man championship. The Sioux downed the third-ranked Shiloh Christian Skyhawks 32-31.
The Dakota College at Bottineau football team closed their season in southern North Dakota as well, and earned a program-record eighth victory with a 6-0 victory over Trinity Bible.
November 19, 2013
The Dakota College at Bottineau football team were selected to compete in the Salt City Bowl, the school’s first-ever bowl appearance, after an 8-2 season. DCB also received news that they have been accepted into the Minnesota College Athletic Conference for the 2014 season.
Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn’s Hunter Braaten was named the nine-man Senior Athlete of the Year after a strong 2013 campaign that led his team to the Dakota Bowl. The senior ran for nearly 1,000 yards in four playoff games.