North Dakota
Caledonia native Isaac Fruechte named offensive coordinator at North Dakota
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The University of North Dakota football program has finally found its next play-caller.
The Fighting Hawks have hired Caledonia native and Winona State University offensive coordinator Isaac Fruechte to be UND’s offensive coordinator, following a strange, short stint as offensive coordinator for Grand Forks native Jake Landry, who accepted the role at UND before pivoting to take the same job at North Dakota State.
The job at UND opened originally after Danny Freund left after five seasons calling plays to join two-time defending national champion South Dakota State.
Fruechte, 32, has coaching stops at Wisconsin-La Crosse, Northern Iowa, Northern State and Winona State.
Fruechte was offensive coordinator at Division III Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2018, then wide receivers coach at UNI in 2019. He was offensive coordinator at Northern State from 2019 to 2021 before taking the job at Winona State.
Fruechte, a native of Caledonia, Minn., played junior college football at Rochester Community and Technical College for one season before spending three seasons playing for the University of Minnesota. In his three-year Gophers career, Fruechte started 18 games, caught 50 passes for 702 yards and three touchdowns.
He was on the practice squad and a special teams performer for the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings in 2015 and 2016.
A handful of southeastern Minnesota natives are on the North Dakota roster. Goodhue’s Adam Poncelet was a freshman wide receiver last fall, Pine Island’s Josh Navratil was a senior linebacker (he has announced he’s coming back for his fifth year of eligibility in 2024), and Caledonia’s Casey Schultz was a sophomore defensive lineman in 2023.
North Dakota plays in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which is the home to six of the past seven national champions (four by North Dakota State, the past two by South Dakota State). North Dakota tied for third in the MVC in 2023 and went 7-5 overall, losing a first-round home playoff game to Sacramento State, 42-35.
UND is expected to start spring ball at the end of February.
Winona State averaged 25.4 points per game last season. The Warriors, of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in NCAA Division II, finished 5-6 in 2023.
UND moved quickly to fill the position vacated by Landry. The Herald reported Landry’s in-state move on Friday night.
MANDAN, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – Former North Dakota Game & Fish Director Terry Steinwand has been charged with molesting a child.
The Class “A” misdemeanor was filed after a Morton County District Court judge rejected a proposed plea agreement to a felony charge and prosecutors dismissed the charge while retaining the right to file an amended charge.
Steinwand is from Mandan. The 72-year-old is now charged with one count of sexual assault-offensive contact. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
Steinwand was originally charged in September, 2025, when police say he admitted to sexual misconduct.
Steinwand worked for the Game & Fish Dept. for 40 years. He led the agency for about 15 years and retired in 2021.
(KNOX) – The North Dakota Board of Higher Education is being asked to weigh in on the reconstruction of Ray Richard’s Golf Course in Grand Forks. The upgrades and deferred maintenance improvements are the result of the pending DeMers Avenue/42nd Street Underpass project.
UND sold 6.5 acres of the nine hole course to the North Dakota Department of Transportation for the grade separation. During the road construction the golf course will be realigned and reduced to a par 34 course. UND will also address underground utilities and irrigation systems. The total cost is around 4.5 million dollars.
The course will close for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The goal is to reopen in 2028. SBHE is expected to approve the design at its April 30th meeting.
Crews are expected to begin preliminary work on the $90 million dollar underpass project this week. The initial phase will have minimal impacts to traffic on both 42nd Street and DeMers Avenue. Larger impacts are expected later this summer.
MAPLETON, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Casselton Fire responded to a shop fire in rural Mapleton on Saturday afternoon, according to Casselton Fire Chief John Hejl.
Casselton Fire was dispatched to the scene at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Windy conditions escalated the fire before crews arrived, Hejl said.
Firefighters used defensive and offensive lines to control the fire upon arrival.
Casselton Fire was assisted by Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Casselton Ambulance, West Fargo Police Department, Davenport Fire and Mapleton Fire.
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