SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2011 Blazers beat back Wolves
Get ready for NFL playoffs PAGE 5D
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Andy Kotelnicki is the new offensive coordinator for the Marauders.
S ECTION D
It’s a two-horse race
Tetons to add 2 sports
Ready for a big challenge
Williston State will add hockey and softball
Kotelnicki is the Marauders’ new offensive coordinator
By CINDY PETERSON Bismarck Tribune
By CINDY PETERSON Bismarck Tribune Andy Kotelnicki is ready to roll up his sleeves and dig in to the University of Mary football program. After all, there is a lot of work to be done. Kotelnicki has been named the Marauders’ new offensive coordinator. He succeeds Chris Fisk, who resigned after the season to join his wife and children in Oregon. Fisk served as the Marauders’ offensive coordinator from 2007-10. Kotelnicki has already begun his duties on campus. “From an exter nal v i e w, y o u see Division II and NSIC, t h o s e things are very attractive,” said Kotelnicki, a Litchfield, Minn., native. “But it was the people and the commitment those people have here toward the student-athletes in their development.” Kotelnicki has ties to North Dakota, U-Mary athletic director Roger Thomas and U-Mar y head coach Myron Schulz. Kotelnicki’s brother, Josh, is the special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the University of North Dakota. Continued on 4D
Willison State is adding two sports, men’s hockey and softball.
TOM STROMME/Tribune
Century’s Meyer Bohn, left, and Mandan’s Taylor Hellman eye each other down in a 215-pound match Friday.
Bismarck holding slim lead on Sturgis By STEVE THOMAS Bismarck Tribune A funny thing happened on Bismarck’s romp to a blowout triumph in the Rotary Wrestling Tournament. It faded away. Bismarck led by 39.5 points going into the final round of Friday’s action at the Civic Center. But the Demons ended the day with the hot breath of Sturgis, S.D., on their neck. Sturgis, spurred by a perfect 5-0 showing in the semifinals, closed the gap to 168152.5 with a long way to go. Rapid City, S.D., Stevens with 123.5 points, Turtle Mountain with 109.5 and Rapid City Central with 98.5 complete the top five.
Action resumes today at 1 p.m. with two rounds of wrestlebacks and the trophy matches on the schedule. The finals are slated for 3 p.m. Only 215-pounder Clint Wilson among Sturgis’ five semifinal winners was seeded No. 1. Yet Scoopers coach Steve Keszler seemed only moderately surprised at the turn of events. “You’re never sure of anything,” Keszler said. “... I thought we performed well that last round. We went 8for-9, and the ninth one was a heartbreaker. Hopefully we’ll carry some of that momentum into Saturday.” In addition to the 5-0 effort in the semis, Sturgis won three of four matches in
UP NEXT Rotary wrestling tournament — Day 2: 1 p.m. at Civic Center the fourth round of wrestlebacks, which were running concurrently. Along with its five finalists, Sturgis has three men alive in the wrestlebacks — two No. 7 seeds and a No. 6 seed. Bismarck will send 130pounder Ryan Blees, 145pounder Drew Spaulding and 285-pounder Nick Nelson into today’s finals. The Demons have seven wrestlers going in the wrestlebacks, including a No. 2 seed, a No. 4, a No. 5, a No. 7 and two No. 8s.
“We have three who lost in the semifinals, so they’re guaranteed sixth place,” BHS co-coach Scott Knowlen said. The task before the Demons is to score enough consolation points to blunt the edge Sturgis has in the finals. “I like our potential. ... We’ve got seven guys alive in the bottom, but we also know four of them weren’t seeded or were seeded seventh or eighth,” Knowlen said. Knowlen is hoping his wrestleback power turns on the juice today. “Some of them could knock off people they may have lost to a month ago,” he said. Continued on 4D
Williston State is hoping to expand its on-campus enrollment. One of the best ways to bring students on campus is to add a couple of sports. Williston State has made the decision to expand by adding women’s softball and men’s ice hockey. If WSC can raise the funds, the two sports will be added for the 2011-12 school year. If they need longer to raise money, the sports will start in 201213. The costs of operating the two new programs is estimated at $180,000. “Our on-campus enrollment has been dropping,” WSC athletic director Hunter Berg said. “Athletics is one way we can get students into coming to o u r c a m - Berg pus.” The two sports could bring in as many as 60 students to the Williston State campus. The decision to add softball was an easy one since most schools in the Mon-Dak are offering the sport. Plans are in the works to build a softball field next to Phil Rabon Field. Continued on 4D
Patriots stop Golus
Ready for big time
Century slows down Bravette when it matters
Rosenthal’s ‘NHL goal’ turns out to be gamewinner for ’Cats
By MICHAEL WEBER Bismarck Tribune Century had a difficult time trying to contain Turtle Mountain standout Sasha Golus through the first 28 minutes of Friday night’s West Region girls basketball game. But shutting down the 5-foot-10 senior in the final eight minutes helped keep the top-ranked Patriots unbeaten. Golus had 31 points at the 8:02 mark of the second half, but only three the rest of the way as Century rallied for a 66-62 victory over the fifthranked Bravettes at Linette Olson Gymnasium. Later, the top-ranked Century boys completed the sweep with a 81-61 victory. After Golus scored her 30th and 31st points of the game, Turtle Mountain led 54-50. However, Golus didn’t score again until she made the first of two free-throw attempts with 1:05 remaining. That made it 63-60 Century. Golus’ next field goal
Century girls 66, Turtle Mountain 62 Century boys 81, Turtle Mountain 61 didn’t come until the :29 m a rk . T h a t p u l l e d t h e Bravettes within 65-62. “We made some defensive adjustments that worked,” said Century coach Ron Metz, whose team improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in region play. “The biggest thing was being more aggressive on the help side. We made sure we had two girls on (Golus) at all times. She’s a proven talent … someone you really have to game plan for. She was outstanding for most of the game, but we finished well defensively.” Golus, a first-team allstate selection last year, finished with 34 points, 18 rebounds, five blocks and five steals. For a time it appeared that the Patriots would win what was expected to be a
By LOU BABIARZ Tribune Sports Editor
TOM STROMME/Tribune
Century’s Tyler Loraas puts up a shot over Turtle Mountain’s Shaiyan Davis in West Region play Friday. close game between two unbeaten teams in a rout. After a slow start, Century rolled to a 14-point lead. Hannah Jeske’s 3-pointer with 3:37 remaining in the first half made it 35-21. But, the Bravettes closed out the half on a 14-4 run, with Golus scoring seven of her 21 first-half points. “That’s what good teams will do. They’ll find a way to get themselves back in it,” Metz said. “We put together a nice run to build that big lead. The girls did such a nice job executing in that stretch. But give Turtle Mountain
credit. They stepped it up defensively, and started executing on the offensive end.” Turtle Mountain coach D.J. McGillis said slow starts are nothing new to his team. “We’ve started slow in all of our games. We were able to overcome them the first four games, but not tonight,” he said. “We got ourselves in a big hole, and it’s tough to come back against a good team. We managed to fight back like we always do, but it took a lot out of us. We didn’t play very well late in the game.” Continued on 4D
Nikolaj Rosenthal demurred when he heard that coach Layne Sedevie called his second goal Friday night “an NHL goal.” Maybe a World Junior Championship-caliber goal? Regardless, Rosenthal’s one-timer was a beauty, and it was the game-winner as the Bobcats came from behind to beat the Aberdeen Wings 3-1 for their sixth straight victory. Rosenthal, who played for Denmark in the World Junior Champoinship Division I tournament last month, made his return to the Bobcat lineup a memorable one. “It’s great to be back,” Rosenthal said. “I don’t think I could have had a better game today. ... I’m just glad we won.” Rosenthal’s play was a big reason why the Bobcats kept on rolling, maintain-
Bobcats 3, Aberdeen 1 ing a share of first place in the Central Division. After spotting Aberdeen the first goal, the Bobcats scored three times in a span of 2:44, with Rosenthal netting his 10th and 11th of the season. “I think he’s a really special player,” Sedevie said. T i m Tu s c h e r g a v e Aberdeen the lead with the only goal of the first period. Aberdeen goalie Frederick Leisner turned aside several strong chances for Bismarck to protect that lead, but once the Bobcats got a bit of momentum, they seized control. Dan Zawacki, who kept up his hot streak with two assists, was the playmaker on a Bismarck rush. Rosenthal finished the play, tying the game at 12:13 of the second. “Zawacki made a very good assist on that goal,” Rosenthal said. “He made a Continued on 4D
COMING SUNDAY
SPEAKING
TRIVIA
Boys hockey: Bismarck vs. Century; Rotary wrestling tournament; College hoops: Dawson at United Tribes; Class B Basketball: Shiloh New Year Invite
“I can feel the enthusiasm coursing through my veins right now. I accept this competitive challenge willingly. I love coaching and I love winning and I love football.” — Jim
How many straight years has a Southeastern Conference team won the BCS national crown?
Harbaugh, who is the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
ANSWER IN MORNING KICKOFF ON PAGE 3D