North Dakota Preps

CHS classing their way to the title last year....how underrated they were all year. tsk tsk

Let's get the ball rolling. How are things shaping up for this year. Since I live in Bismarck, I will do a brief breakdown of the West Region as I see it.

My rankings:
#1 - CHS -They do lose TJ Gunsch(UMary) and Jordan Sperle to graduation...but return most of their championship roster. Gunsch's loss is big and it will force CHS to adjust the way they play. He gave them so much in terms of pace and finishing. His individual abilities will not be replaced outright and new players will have to step up to fill that void. The team may have to adapt a more pressing style of play. I still see them winning the West region comfortably and have to be the odds on favorites to repeat as state champions. Nate Ulness replaces Joel Janhke as coach but I just do not see that holding them back as this program has been stocked with talent even prior to Jahnke's arrival 5 years ago. They are the best program in the state.

#2 - St.Mary's - They lose Kevin Keller, David Neff and Andrew Thorson to graduation but have a good core of underclassmen. Martire and Weisbeck give them two dominant players who can combine for goals. Barta will have another year of maturity..but didn't play club unfortunately. With their gritty performance in the semifinal against CHS, they showed that they can battle for a result against anyone. With BHS losing the majority of their roster to graduation, St. Mary's gets the comfortable #2 nod, though BHS will push them.

#3 - BHS - They graduate virtually their entire State finalist roster but all is not lost. Todd Kessler is a quality goalkeeper and Cole Olson is one of, if not the, best central midfielder in the state. They will suffer in W's and L's this year but the future is bright as their freshmen class is outstanding. Two freshmen that could see varsity time, Hunter Johnson and Brock Muth. Both are dynamic, have excellent pace and can score goals. Keep an eye out for those two. Some may wonder why I rank BHS over Minot.........keep reading.

#4 - Minot - This team has gotten better each year but they do lack depth. John Wrona's departure due to graduation will really be felt defensively. He was probably the most underrated player I can ever remember. He was dominant in every way and a true vocal leader organizing the team. No way will he be replaced and I think they will suffer tremendously in the back. The Annan brothers, PK and Eckow, are 2 of the better players in the state. However, word is that PK will not be playing this season....that combined with Wrona moving on to college (D-1 NCAA University of Detroit Mercy) will devastate this team. They will be ok but I see them losing to all 3 teams above them in the rankings.

#5 - Mandan - Things are looking up for this program. They have a new coach and most likely a new approach. They have a very strong base of sophomores and freshmen. This year will be too early for them to make much of an impact at the state level but don't be surprised if they do push for the 4th spot in the West.

#6 - Jamestown - Once again, I see them at the bottom of the standings. It is unfortunate but they just need to get more kids playing soccer if they ever want to compete. I know their college men's coach is now involved in their club so I'm optimistic for their future. This year however...they are last.

That wraps it up. I would love to hear comments as well as an East region version.


Regards.....the Missile.

Very well said, Minot will be young with a very innexperienced back line. The midfield should be their strong point and their offense will be questionable but don't let them surprise you, they have a strong class of Juniors and a few very talented underclassmen. It will be an interesting year for Minot High School soccer

Magi who on Minot is a GOOD midfield player? With the loss of PK the MHS offense will surely struggle and It would not shock me if they finished 5th in the WDA behind Mandan! that being said I also think Century should destroy the West competition and will claim yet another WDA Title.. Let's now move on to the East...
WF, South, and Shanley can all claim the #1 seed however I would predict WF as the #1 simply because of their prolific offense. South may challenge as well along with Shanley who always seem to get hyped up only to choke in at State... that being said the East is wide open in my opinion..

WDA:
#1-Century
#2-St. Marys
#3-Bismarck High
#4-Minot ( with mandan pushing )
#5-Mandan
#-Jamestown

EDC:
#1-West Fargo
#2-Shanley
#3-South
#4- ???? my guess is as good as yours!

please feel free to voice your opinions as I would be glad to hear them!


PAC ATTACK!!!!!

PK will be playing, he didn't show up for half of the first week of practice but changed his mind I guess. Minot's offense might not be such a struggle this year.

Good news for Minot and the WDA as well..That also puts him in senior athlete discussion as well

Since he is a very talented forward, wouldn't that be bad news for the WDA? I also think he has a chance for at least WDA senior athlete.

The reason I see this as a good thing is because it makes the West stronger overall and to be honest without him Minot's chances at qualifying for state are slim to none. When John Wrona graduated he took with him the entire defense. Ben Love is a below average keeper as well so they need all the help they can get with PK don't you think??

PAC ATTACK!!!!!

I think that some of our questions will be answered about all of the teams this weekend at the crossover when we see them playing for the first time this year.

Indeed.. Minot should have a good year,but do you think it ranks among their Championship year in 2006 when they sported the likes if Isaak Tengasdal and zach Pulkinen ?? The crossover is only a glimpse of the long road to state!


PAC ATTACK!!!!

I think it's too early to say, but it would take a very good team to be comparable to the championship team. That was a great team.

Unlikely that Minot has a championship team. However, instead of being pushed by Mandan for 4th in the WDA, it is more likely that they will push especially Bismarck High for 3rd and maybe St. Mary's for 2nd. The front line's willingness to pass and the back line's ability to defend better players will likely be key.

End90, who in YOUR opinion will round out the top 4 slots in the WEST? from top to bottom....would like to hear from you!

PAC ATTACK!!!!

In my opinion, I wouldn't have really much of a variation from what was originally posted by patriot missile. In WDA, I would have:

1st - CHS
2nd - St. Mary's
3rd - BHS or MHS
4th - MHS or BHS
5th - Mandan
6th - Jamestown

If P.K. Annan's absence from the MHS lineup would have been permanent, then MHS at 4th was more likely. However, with P.K. back (anyway for now), MHS should be strong at forwards and mids. Plus they have depth and underclassmen at those positions. Defensively, will likely be the greater concern.

I agree with all the above, but I could actually see Minot snagging that #2 spot because let's be honest, St. Mary's doesn't play good soccer and relies on the bootball game aiming for weisbeck while Minot is more well rounded and can break teams down far better..I'm not sure who their mids are by name, but I've seen them play and they are good indeed..They have a powerfull attack no doubt and can take St.Mary's any day in my opinion.

PAC ATTACK!!!!

The big question is weather Minot can play well in big games. They have trouble scoring against good teams except St. Mary's. There's something about it that when those two teams play it's usually a good game. They've went to overtime the last two years at the WDA 3rd place game. I can see Minot making a run for 2nd place in the WDA as long as they can find the back of the net against good teams.

West Region Pre-Season Coaches’ Poll
1. Century (4) 20
2. Minot (1) 16
3t. Bismarck 13
3t. St. Mary’s 13
5. Mandan 7
6. Jamestown 6

patriot missle you are an idiot. Cole Olson is not the best or one of the best midfielders in the state, he throws little hissy fits out on the pitch, and is really really cheap. And how is PK still playing hes like 20 years old

O Oly dont get yourself in a binder.. Patriot Missle may be off a bit with Mr. Olson but he is not and idiot. I would go with Century on top of the WDA but then I will go with St Mary's second as they have a real good one two punch on top. Then it will be between Bismarck and Minot. I favor Bismarck as historically they have proven to be a pretty good team down the stretch and with Minot having a younger defense they will be edged out of third. As far as Mandan and Jamestown as always they will play the spoiler for some unprepared team.

Oly PK Annan is 17 years old so you are also wrong there.

Century is not gonna win WDA. BIsmarck High is the clear cut favor for me.

oly2....how in edit name do you pick BHS to WIN at WDA???????!!! Century is a class program and will win WDA and be one of the favorites to repeat at State... I am sorry to burst your bubble little guy, but BHS is at risk to get bumped by Mandan for that 4th seed.. St. Mary's only defeated Mandan 3 to 1 and BHS lost to St. Mary's 4 to 1 You know very little about soccer my friend.

Oly, keep it classy. I know a hockey coach that reminds me of you, he's gotta be late 30's and still has yet to grow up.
I challenge you to justify your statement about Cole Olson. I put him AT LEAST top 3.

My updated rankings of WDA(current records notwithstanding):
#1 - CHS
#2 - Minot
#3 - St. Mary's
#4 - BHS
#5 - Mandan
#6 - Jamestown

BHS to win WDA??? I don't think you even really believe that. And how odd that you trash Cole Olson, BHS' best player, yet pick his team to finish #1 in the West. Bizarre.


-The Missile

Gents lets all keep it classy for salko music is the best player

i would say that the missle is probably pretty accurate on his preseason stats for the most part, century has the most returners and have been fairly dominant in the state the past few years. for some reason st. marys is a wildcard for me just because even when st. marys was #1 a couple years back they never played good soccer. as for bhs they are average for me no one has ever really stood out on the team. minot is where they end up every year which is 4th because they really do not have any defense this year and their ability to put the ball in the net is not good at all. im not really sure why people think pk is a difference maker though because he never scores in big games. he gets a majority of his goals against jamestown and mandan and i firmly believe his younger brother is a much better player. as for jamestown and mandan i expect the usual from them, they both just dont have any talent at all. on a bigger scale i can say that i dont really see any college soccer players this year in the state, or at least none that will go out of their way to not play in state or in south dakota (Umary, jamestown, USF, Dakota Wesleyen etc.) i think ND is a long way from producing another top soccer player such as Boeger or Wrona (only players i know of to play div 1 from ND)

Weiler and Rotert both have college looks....and John Wrona may have gone D1 but that really doesn't mean a thing considering he won't play...D1 looks good on paper, but alot of strong D2 schools would clean house on the lower D1 schools such as Detroit ( The College Wrona is attending ) Also Umary and Jamestown are both very respectable programs....That being said I do think Century is the best team in the state and does indeed play the best soccer...But there are always upsets keep in mind.

PAC ATTACK!!!!